A cross-sectional analysis of the association between physical activity, depression, and all-cause mortality in Americans over 50 years old

Depression is estimated to be the second leading cause of disability in the United States and is associated with a 52% increased risk of death. Lifestyle components may have an important role in depression pathogenesis. The aims of this study were to analyze the association of meeting the physical activity (PA) recommendation guidelines and depression, and to analyze the all-cause mortality risk of the joint association of PA and depression. This cross-sectional study included 7201 participants from the 2007–2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey aged ≥ 50 years and linked to National Death Index records through December 31, 2015. Depression was defined as a score ≥ 10 using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). PA was self-reported, and total PA was used to classify participants as more active (≥ 600 MET-min/week) or less active (< 600 MET-min/week). The odds ratios for depression were examined according to be more active or less active. The hazard ratios (HR) for the association of PA level and depression status with all-cause mortality were examined. Being more active was associated with reduced odds for depression. Compared with less active participants with depression, those who were more active and having depression had HR 0.45 (95% CI 0.22, 0.91, p = 0.026) for all-cause mortality. Being more active is associated with lower odds for depression and seems to be a protective factor against the increased all-cause mortality risk due to depression

Fragmented host distribution and trombiculid parasitic load: Eutrombicula araucanensis and Liolaemus pictus in Chile

International audienceHabitat fragmentation produced by human impacts can generate changes in the distribution and abundance of populations across their geographic ranges. The chigger mites are ectoparasites that are widely distributed on a wide range of species. The distribution depends of the characteristics of the host and of the habitat where said species is found. As the host distribution is highly dependent on environmental factors, chigger mites are good study models to test geographical distribution patterns. The main objective of this study was to determine variation in abundance of Eutrombicula araucanensis, parasite on Liolaemus pictus, by testing three hypotheses: abundant centre hypothesis, abundance optimum hypothesis and latitudinal distribution pattern. For this purpose, mites from 147 individuals from 23 localities along the distribution of L. pictus were extracted. The three distribution models evaluated in the present study were not adequate to represent the geographical structure of parasitic mites on L. pictus. No association between the distance from the area of greatest species abundance and relative intensity, or association with the distance to the mite’s distribution centre was observed. In addition, no latitudinal distribution pattern was observed. Temperate forest fragmentation may influence the population density of mites, with each forest patch having different optimal conditions for development. The heterogeneity makes it difficult to find a clear distribution pattern

Quantitative Analysis of the Cervical Texture by Ultrasound and Correlation with Gestational Age

Objectives: Quantitative texture analysis has been proposed to extract robust features from the ultrasound image to detect subtle changes in the textures of the images. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of quantitative cervical texture analysis to assess cervical tissue changes throughout pregnancy. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study including singleton pregnancies between 20.0 and 41.6 weeks of gestation from women who delivered at term. Cervical length was measured, and a selected region of interest in the cervix was delineated. A model to predict gestational age based on features extracted from cervical images was developed following three steps: data splitting, feature transformation, and regression model computation. Results: Seven hundred images, 30 per gestational week, were included for analysis. There was a strong correlation between the gestational age at which the images were obtained and the estimated gestational age by quantitative analysis of the cervical texture (R = 0.88). Discussion: This study provides evidence that quantitative analysis of cervical texture can extract features from cervical ultrasound images which correlate with gestational age. Further research is needed to evaluate its applicability as a biomarker of the risk of spontaneous preterm birth, as well as its role in cervical assessment in other clinical situations in which cervical evaluation might be relevant

The Mpemba effect in spin glasses is a persistent memory effect

The Mpemba effect occurs when a hot system cools faster than an initially colder one, when both are refrigerated in the same thermal reservoir. Using the custom built supercomputer Janus II, we study the Mpemba effect in spin glasses and show that it is a non-equilibrium process, governed by the coherence length \xi of the system. The effect occurs when the bath temperature lies in the glassy phase, but it is not necessary for the thermal protocol to cross the critical temperature. In fact, the Mpemba effect follows from a strong relationship between the internal energy and \xi that turns out to be a sure-tell sign of being in the glassy phase. Thus, the Mpemba effect presents itself as an intriguing new avenue for the experimental study of the coherence length in supercooled liquids and other glass formers.Comment: Version accepted for publication in PNAS. 6 pages, 7 figure

The Large Aperture GRB Observatory

The Large Aperture GRB Observatory (LAGO) is aiming at the detection of the high energy (around 100 GeV) component of Gamma Ray Bursts, using the single particle technique in arrays of Water Cherenkov Detectors (WCD) in high mountain sites (Chacaltaya, Bolivia, 5300 m a.s.l., Pico Espejo, Venezuela, 4750 m a.s.l., Sierra Negra, Mexico, 4650 m a.s.l). WCD at high altitude offer a unique possibility of detecting low gamma fluxes in the 10 GeV - 1 TeV range. The status of the Observatory and data collected from 2007 to date will be presented.Comment: 4 pages, proceeding of 31st ICRC 200

Water Cherenkov Detectors response to a Gamma Ray Burst in the Large Aperture GRB Observatory

In order to characterise the behaviour of Water Cherenkov Detectors (WCD) under a sudden increase of 1 GeV - 1 TeV background photons from a Gamma Ray Burst (GRB), simulations were conducted and compared to data acquired by the WCD of the Large Aperture GRB Observatory (LAGO). The LAGO operates arrays of WCD at high altitude to detect GRBs using the single particle technique. The LAGO sensitivity to GRBs is derived from the reported simulations of the gamma initiated particle showers in the atmosphere and the WCD response to secondaries.Comment: 5 pages, proceeding of the 31st ICRC 200

CHK1 expression in gastric cancer is modulated by p53 and RB1/E2F1: Implications in chemo/radiotherapy response

Radiation has a limited but relevant role in the adjuvant therapy of gastric cancer (GC) patients. Since Chk1 plays a critical function in cellular response to genotoxic agents, we aimed to analyze the role of Chk1 in GC as a biomarker for radiotherapy resistance. We analyzed Chk1 expression in AGS and MKN45 human GC cell lines by RT-QPCR and WB and in a small cohort of human patient’s samples. We demonstrated that Chk1 overexpression specifically increases resistance to radiation in GC cells. Accordingly, abrogation of Chk1 activity with UCN-01 and its expression with shChk1 increased sensitivity to bleomycin and radiation. Furthermore, when we assessed Chk1 expression in human samples, we found a correlation between nuclear Chk1 accumulation and a decrease in progression free survival. Moreover, using a luciferase assay we found that Chk1’s expression is controlled by p53 and RB/E2F1 at the transcriptional level. Additionally, we present preliminary data suggesting a posttranscriptional regulation mechanism, involving miR-195 and miR-503, which are inversely correlated with expression of Chk1 in radioresistant cells. In conclusion, Chk1/microRNA axis is involved in resistance to radiation in GC, and suggests Chk1 as a potential tool for optimal stratification of patients susceptible to receive adjuvant radiotherapy after surgeryThis work was supported by Instituto de Salud Carlos III–Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria (PS09/1988 to ISP; PI11-00949, pI014-1495 and Feder Funds to RP); Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid-Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (CCG10-UAM/BIO-5871 to ISP); Fundación Leticia Castillejo Castillo and Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (SAF2012-30862 to RSP), Spain