The Origin of Amerindians and the Peopling of the Americas According to HLA Genes: Admixture with Asian and Pacific People

The classical three-waves theory of American peopling through Beringia was based on a mixed anthropological and linguistic methodology. The use of mtDNA, Y chromosome and other DNA markers offers different results according to the different markers and methodologies chosen by different authors. At present, the peopling of Americas remains uncertain, regarding: time of population, number of peopling waves and place of peopling entrance among other related issues. In the present review, we have gathered most available HLA data already obtained about First Native American populations, which raise some doubts about the classical three waves of American peopling hypothesis. In summary, our conclusions are: 1) North West Canadian Athabaskans have had gene flow with: a) close neighboring populations, b) Amerindians, c) Pacific Islanders including East Australians and d) Siberians; 2) Beringia was probably not the only entrance of people to America: Pacific Ocean boat trips may have contributed to the HLA genetic American profile (or the opposite could also be true); 3) Amerindians entrance to America may have been different to that of Athabaskans and Eskimos and Amerindians may have been in their lands long before Athabaskans and Eskimos because they present and altogether different set of HLA-DRB1 allele frequencies; 4) Amerindians show very few “particular alleles”, almost all are shared with other Amerindians, Athabaskans and Pacific Islanders, including East Australians and Siberians; 5) Our results do not support the three waves model of American peopling, but another model where the people entrance is not only Beringia, but also Pacific Coast. Reverse migration (America to Asia) is not discarded and different movements of people in either direction in different times are supported by the Athabaskan population admixture with Asian-Pacific population and with Amerindians, 6) HLA variability is more common than allele veriability in Amerindians. Finally, it is shown that gene genealogy analises should be completed with allele frequency analyses in population relatednes and migrations studies

Epigenetic control of the EWS-FLI1 promoter in Ewing's sarcoma

Q2Q1Ewing sarcoma (ES) is a primary bone marrow tumor that very rarely develops in extra-osseous tissues, such as lung. The hallmark of ES tumors is a translocation between chromosomes 11 and 22, resulting in a fusion protein, commonly referred to as EWS-FLI1. The epigenetic profile (histone acetylation and methylation enrichment of the promoter region) that may regulate the expression of the aberrant transcription factor EWS-FLI1, remains poorly studied and understood. Knowledge of epigenetic patterns associated with covalent histone modification and expression of enzymes associated with this process, can contribute to the understanding of the molecular basis of the disease, as well as to the identification of possible molecular targets involved in expression of the EWS-FLI1 gene, so that therapeutic strategies may be improved in the future. In the present study, the transcriptional activation and repression of the EWS-FLI1 fusion gene in ES was accompanied by selective deposition of histone markers on its promoter. The EWS-FLI1 fusion gene was evaluated in two patients with ES using conventional cytogenetic, fluorescence in situ hybridization and nested PCR assays, which revealed that the aberrant expression of the EWS-FLI1 gene is accompanied by enrichment of H3K4Me3, H3K9ac and H3K27ac at the promoter region.N/

Alternative networks: toward global access to the Internet for all

It is often said that the Internet is ubiquitous in our daily lives, but this holds true only for those who can easily access it. In fact, billions of people are still digitally disconnected, as bringing connectivity to certain zones does not make a good business case. The only solution for these unsatisfied potential users is to directly undertake the building of the infrastructure required to obtaining access to the Internet, typically forming groups in order to share the corresponding cost. This article presents a global classification and a summary of the main characteristics of different Alternative Network deployments that have arisen in recent years with an aim to provide Internet services in places where mainstream network deployments do not exist or are not adequate solutions. The Global Access to the Internet for All Research Group of the Internet Research Task Force, where all authors actively participate, is interested in documenting these emerging deployments. As an outcome of this work, a classification has converged by consensus, where five criteria have been identified and, based on them, four different types of Alternative Networks have been identified and described with real-world examples. Such a classification is useful for a deeper understanding of the common characteristics behind existing and emerging Alternative Networks

Ultra-processed food consumption is associated with renal function decline in older adults: A prospective cohort study

Ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption has been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular risk factors and mortality. However, little is known on the UPF effect on renal function. The aim of this study is to assess prospectively the association between consumption of UPF and renal function decline. This is a prospective cohort study of 1312 community-dwelling individuals aged 60 and older recruited during 2008–2010 and followed up to December 2015. At baseline, a validated dietary history was obtained. UPF was identified according to NOVA classification. At baseline and at follow-up, serum creatinine (SCr) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) levels were ascertained and changes were calculated. A combined end-point of renal decline was considered: SCr increase or eGFR decreased beyond that expected for age. Logistic regression with adjustment for potential confounders was performed. During follow-up, 183 cases of renal function decline occurred. The fully adjusted odds ratios (95% CI) of renal function decline across terciles of percentage of total energy intake from UPF were 1.56 (1.02–2.38) for the second tercile, and 1.74 (1.14–2.66) for the highest tercile; p-trend was 0.026. High UPF consumption is independently associated with an increase higher than 50% in the risk of renal function decline in Spanish older adults

Association of cooking patterns with inflammatory and cardio-metabolic risk biomarkers

Diet has been clearly associated with cardiovascular disease, but few studies focus on the influence of cooking and food preservation methods on health. The aim of this study was to describe cooking and food preservation patterns, as well as to examine their association with inflammatory and cardio-metabolic biomarkers in the Spanish adult population. A cross-sectional study of 10, 010 individuals, representative of the Spanish population, aged 18 years or over was performed using data from the ENRICA study. Food consumption data were collected through a face-to-face dietary history. Cooking and food preservation patterns were identified by factor analysis with varimax rotation. Linear regression models adjusted for main confounders were built. Four cooking and food preservation patterns were identified. The Spanish traditional pattern (positively correlated with boiling and sautéing, brining, and light frying) tends to be cardio-metabolically beneficial (with a reduction in C-reactive protein (-7.69%)), except for high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), insulin levels, and anthropometrics. The health-conscious pattern (negatively correlated with battering, frying, and stewing) tends to improve renal function (with a reduction in urine albumin (-9.60%) and the urine albumin/creatinine ratio (-4.82%)). The youth-style pattern (positively correlated with soft drinks and distilled alcoholic drinks and negatively with raw food consumption) tends to be associated with good cardio-metabolic health except, for lower HDL-c (-6.12%), higher insulin (+6.35%), and higher urine albumin (+27.8%) levels. The social business pattern (positively correlated with the consumption of fermented alcoholic drinks, food cured with salt or smoke, and cured cheese) tends to be detrimental for the lipid profile (except HDL-c), renal function (urine albumin +8.04%), diastolic blood pressure (+2.48%), and anthropometrics. Cooking and food preservation patterns showed a relationship with inflammatory and cardio-metabolic health biomarkers. The Spanish traditional pattern and the health-conscious pattern were associated with beneficial effects on health and should be promoted. The youth-style pattern calls attention to some concerns, and the social business pattern was the most detrimental one. These findings support the influence of cooking and preservation patterns on health

An in-depth study of the ICT ecosystem in a South African rural community: unveiling expenditure and communication patterns

There is no doubt of the contributions made by mobile phones and mobile network operators in increasing access to communications in rural areas of developing countries. Yet how affordable is this ubiquitous access in such an ICT ecosystem? Using data from two stratified random surveys conducted in a South African rural community, this paper provides a unique in-depth picture of the expenditure and communication patterns of its dwellers. Results show a high access ratio of people using mobile phone services weekly and a high proportion of disposable income dedicated to a very constrained set of mobile phone services. Factors such as mobile phone charging and the extra charges added by airtime resellers contribute to increase the communication costs. This data and its analysis can be used by the following: regulators and government agencies to better design their policy implementations to provide universal service and access; competing industry players to understand the dynamics within rural communities to better target their products; civil society organizations to a constitutional right

Clustering patterns of physical activity, sedentary and dietary behavior among European adolescents: The HELENA study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Evidence suggests possible synergetic effects of multiple lifestyle behaviors on health risks like obesity and other health outcomes. A better insight in the clustering of those behaviors, could help to identify groups who are at risk in developing chronic diseases. This study examines the prevalence and clustering of physical activity, sedentary and dietary patterns among European adolescents and investigates if the identified clusters could be characterized by socio-demographic factors.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study comprised a total of 2084 adolescents (45.6% male), from eight European cities participating in the HELENA (Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence) study. Physical activity and sedentary behavior were measured using self-reported questionnaires and diet quality was assessed based on dietary recall. Based on the results of those three indices, cluster analyses were performed. To identify gender differences and associations with socio-demographic variables, chi-square tests were executed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Five stable and meaningful clusters were found. Only 18% of the adolescents showed healthy and 21% unhealthy scores on all three included indices. Males were highly presented in the cluster with high levels of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and low quality diets. The clusters with low levels of MVPA and high quality diets comprised more female adolescents. Adolescents with low educated parents had diets of lower quality and spent more time in sedentary activities. In addition, the clusters with high levels of MVPA comprised more adolescents of the younger age category.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In order to develop effective primary prevention strategies, it would be important to consider multiple health indices when identifying high risk groups.</p

Experiences of water immersion during childbirth: a qualitative thematic synthesis

Background The increasing demand for childbirth care based on physiological principles has led official bodies to encourage health centers to provide evidence‑based care aimed at promoting women’s participation in informed decision‑making and avoiding excessive medical intervention during childbirth. One of the goals is to reduce pain and find alternative measures to epidural anesthesia to enhance women’s autonomy and well‑being during child‑ birth. Currently, water immersion is used as a non‑pharmacological method for pain relief. This review aimed to identify and synthesize evidence on women’s and midwives’ experiences, values, and prefer‑ ences regarding water immersion during childbirth. Methods A systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative evidence were conducted. Databases were searched and references were checked according to specific criteria. Studies that used qualitative data collection and analysis methods to examine the opinions of women or midwives in the hospital setting were included. Non‑qualita‑ tive studies, mixed‑methods studies that did not separately report qualitative results, and studies in languages other than English or Spanish were excluded. The Critical Appraisal Skills Program Qualitative Research Checklist was used to assess study quality, and results were synthesized using thematic synthesis. Results Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in this review. The qualitative studies yielded three key themes: 1) reasons identified by women and midwives for choosing a water birth, 2) benefits experienced in water births, and 3) barriers and facilitators of water immersion during childbirth. Conclusions The evidence from qualitative studies indicates that women report benefits associated with water birth. From the perspective of midwives, ensuring safe water births requires adequate resources, midwives training, and rig‑ orous standardized protocols to ensure that all pregnant women can safely opt for water immersion during childbirth with satisfactory results