A Knowledge Graph Framework for Dementia Research Data

Dementia disease research encompasses diverse data modalities, including advanced imaging, deep phenotyping, and multi-omics analysis. However, integrating these disparate data sources has historically posed a significant challenge, obstructing the unification and comprehensive analysis of collected information. In recent years, knowledge graphs have emerged as a powerful tool to address such integration issues by enabling the consolidation of heterogeneous data sources into a structured, interconnected network of knowledge. In this context, we introduce DemKG, an open-source framework designed to facilitate the construction of a knowledge graph integrating dementia research data, comprising three core components: a KG-builder that integrates diverse domain ontologies and data annotations, an extensions ontology providing necessary terms tailored for dementia research, and a versatile transformation module for incorporating study data. In contrast with other current solutions, our framework provides a stable foundation by leveraging established ontologies and community standards and simplifies study data integration while delivering solid ontology design patterns, broadening its usability. Furthermore, the modular approach of its components enhances flexibility and scalability. We showcase how DemKG might aid and improve multi-modal data investigations through a series of proof-of-concept scenarios focused on relevant Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers

Estudio de pre-factibilidad para la conformación de una cooperativa de músicos en la ciudad de Bogotá para el año 2019

Trabajo de síntesis aplicadoEl presente trabajo presenta un estudio de prefactibilidad para la conformación de una cooperativa de músicos que contribuya en satisfacer las necesidades de desarrollo profesional a esta población vulnerable. Contiene los resultados del estudio de mercado frente a la posibilidad de asociatividad por parte de los músicos, el estudio financiero que permite verificar la factibilidad del proyecto, entre otros resultados.1. TÍTULO 2. PROBLEMA Y DESARROLLO 3. OBJETIVOS 4. HIPÓTESIS 5. JUSTIFICACIÓN 6. MARCOS DE REFERENCIA 7. METODOLOGÍA 8. PRODUCTOS DE LA INVESTIGACIÓN 9. ESTUDIO DE MERCADO 10. ESTUDIO TÉCNICO Y ECONÓMICO 11. CAPACIDAD INSTALADA Y DEMANDA POTENCIAL INSATISFECHA 12. ASPECTOS ACÚSTICOS 13. CRITERIOS DE DISEÑO DE SALAS DE ENSAYO 14. IMPACTO SOCIAL 15. CONCLUSIONES 16. REFERENCIAS BIBLIOGRÁFICASEspecializaciónEspecialista en Formulación y Evaluación Social y Económica de Proyecto

Effect of a multicomponent exercise program and cognitive stimulation (VIVIFRAIL-COGN) on falls in frail community older persons with high risk of falls: study protocol for a randomized multicenter control trial

Cognitive function; Falls; FracturesFunción cognitiva; Caídas; FracturasFunció cognitiva; Caigudes; FracturesBackground Falls represent important drivers of intrinsic capacity losses, functional limitations and reduced quality of life in the growing older adult’s population, especially among those presenting with frailty. Despite exercise- and cognitive training-based interventions have shown effectiveness for reducing fall rates, evidence around their putative cumulative effects on falls and fall-related complications (such as fractures, reduced quality of life and functional limitations) in frail individuals remains scarce. The main aim of this study is to explore the effectiveness program combining an individualized exercise program and an executive function-based cognitive training (VIVIFRAIL-COGN) compared to usual care in the prevention of falls and fall-related outcomes over a 1-year follow-up. Methods This study is designed as a four-center randomized clinical trial with a 12-week intervention period and an additional 1-year follow-up. Three hundred twenty frail or pre-frail (≥ 1 criteria of the Frailty Phenotype) older adults (≥ 75 years) with high risk of falling (defined by fall history and gait performance) will be recruited in the Falls Units of the participating centers. They will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to the intervention group (IG) or the control group (CG). The IG will participate in a home-based intervention combining the individualized Vivifrail multicomponent (aerobic, resistance, gait and balance and flexibility) exercise program and a personalized executive function-based cognitive training (VIVIFRAIL-COGN). The CG group will receive usual care delivered in the Falls Units, including the Otago Exercise Program. Primary outcome will be the incidence of falls (event rate/year) and will be ascertained by self-report during three visits (at baseline, and 6 and 12 weeks) and telephone-based contacts at 6, 9 and 12 months after randomization. Secondarily, effects on measures of physical and cognitive function, quality of life, nutritional, muscle quality and psychological status will be evaluated. Discussion This trial will provide new evidence about the effectiveness of an individualized multidomain intervention by studying the effect of additive effects of cognitive training and physical exercise to prevent falls in older frail persons with high risk of falling. Compared to usual care, the combined intervention is expected to show additive effects in the reduction of the incidence of falls and associated adverse outcomes.The present study is funded by a grant from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI20/01546). Funder Agencies do not play any role in the conducting of the study. Instituto de Salud Carlos III,PI20/01546,Alvaro Casas-Herrer

Symptoms associated with reading from a smartphone in conditions of light and dark

Asthenopia symptoms were investigated in visually-normal subjects without computer-related vision symptoms after prolonged reading from: smartphone versus hardcopy under photopic conditions, and smartphone in conditions of ambient versus dark room illumination. After reading from the smartphone, total symptom scores and nine out of ten questionnaire symptoms were significantly worse than for the hardcopy (“blurred vision while viewing the text, “blurred distance vision after the task”, “difficulty in refocusing from one distance to another”, “irritated or burning eyes”, “dry eyes”, “eyestrain”, “tired eyes”, “sensitivity to bright lights” and “eye discomfort”). Mean total symptom scores and scores for “irritated or burning eyes” and “dry eyes” were significantly higher for the dark versus photopic conditions. In conclusion, prolonged smartphone reading could cause worse asthenopic symptoms than reading from a hardcopy under similar conditions. Symptoms could be even worse when reading from a smartphone in the dark

The staff of the Tartessian palace of Cancho Roano (Badajoz, Spain)

Analysis of the habitants of the regia or fortified palace of Cancho Roano (Badajoz, Spain), a dynastic rural residence fortified in the 6th century BC. It had public, ritual and administrative functions and it controlled the local handicrafts and agricultural production, as centre of a fundus of about 3000 ha, identified by its natural geographical limits. The analysis is based in a comparative archaeological study of the palatial architecture, the material culture and its parallels in rural fortified palaces in the Near East and the Mediterranean area in Antiquity. The building offers areas with different functions: the rooms of the dynast, magazines, hall of audience, a dynastic sanctuary and a hypothetical harem. The analysis confirms the economical, social and ideological activities of the Tartessian palatial system and opens new paths for the knowledge of the socio-cultural structure of the Pre-Roman cultures in Iberia.Análisis del personal que habitaba y servía la regia o palacio fortificado de Cancho Roano, una residencia dinástica rural fortificada, con funciones públicas, rituales, administrativas y de producción artesanal y agropecuaria, como centro de un fundus de unas 3.000 ha, identificado por sus límites geográficos naturales. Las estructuras arquitectónicas, los hallazgos muebles y sus paralelos en otros palacios rurales del Oriente y del Mediterráneo en la Antigüedad avalan este estudio de arqueología comparada, pionero en su género. El edificio ofrece sectores de funcionalidad diferenciada: vivienda del dinasta, almacenes, sala de epifanía, santuario y posible harén. Este análisis confirma las actividades sociales e ideológicas del sistema palacial tartésico y abre nuevas perspectivas para conocer la estructura sociocultural de las poblaciones prerromanas de la Península Ibérica

Towards a semi-automatic situation diagnosis system in surveillance tasks

This paper describes an ongoing project that develops a set of generic components to help humans (semi-automatic system) in surveillance and security tasks in several scenarios. These components are based in the computational model of a set of selective and Active VISual Attention mechanisms with learning capacity (AVISA) and in the superposition of an ?intelligence? layer that incorporates the knowledge of human experts in security tasks. The project described integrates the responses of these alert mechanisms in the synthesis of the three basic subtasks present in any surveillance and security activity: real-time monitoring, situation diagnosing, and action planning and control. In order to augment the diversity of environments and situations where AVISA system may be used, as well as its efficiency as support to surveillance tasks, knowledge components derived from situating cameras on mobile platforms are also developed

Plasma ACE2 species are differentially altered in COVID-19 patients

Studies are needed to identify useful biomarkers to assess the severity and prognosis of COVID-19 disease, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) virus. Here, we examine the levels of various plasma species of the SARS-CoV-2 host receptor, the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), in patients at different phases of the infection. Human plasma ACE2 species were characterized by immunoprecipitation and western blotting employing antibodies against the ectodomain and the C-terminal domain, using a recombinant human ACE2 protein as control. In addition, changes in the cleaved and full-length ACE2 species were also examined in serum samples derived from humanized K18-hACE2 mice challenged with a lethal dose of SARS-CoV-2. ACE2 immunoreactivity was present in human plasma as several molecular mass species that probably comprise truncated (70 and 75 kDa) and full-length forms (95, 100, 130, and 170 kDa). COVID-19 patients in the acute phase of infection (n = 46) had significantly decreased levels of ACE2 full-length species, while a truncated 70-kDa form was marginally higher compared with non-disease controls (n = 26). Levels of ACE2 full-length species were in the normal range in patients after a recovery period with an interval of 58-70 days (n = 29), while the 70-kDa species decreased. Levels of the truncated ACE2 species served to discriminate between individuals infected by SARS-CoV-2 and those infected with influenza A virus (n = 17). In conclusion, specific plasma ACE2 species are altered in patients with COVID-19 and these changes normalize during the recovery phase. Alterations in ACE2 species following SARS-CoV-2 infection warrant further investigation regarding their potential usefulness as biomarkers for the disease process and to asses efficacy during vaccination

PROPIEDADES PSICOMÉTRICAS DEL CUESTIONARIO DE AGRESIÓN EN DOS MUESTRAS DIFERENTES DE HIDALGO, MÉXICO

Aggression is defined as a multifactorial phenomenon in which the person has a propensity toward hostile thoughts and negative affect, and preparing to attack physically and verbally (Buss and Perry, 1992) . In assessing this construct, the Aggression Questionnaire of Buss and Perry (1992) represents one of the most used worldwide due to rigor in their development and the existing evidence on their effectiveness in detecting aggression in general populations adulthood. The present study aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Aggression Questionnaire in two samples of inhabitants of the state of Hidalgo in Mexico, the first of which consists of 300 people from the general population with an age range of 20-60 years and the second by 300 college students from the University of the State of Hidalgo with an age range of 17-27 years. The results indicate that this instrument is valid and reliable for use in Mexican population in adulthood, however differences were found with regard to the composition of the items between the two samples obtained

Jasonia glutinosa (L.) DC., a traditional herbal medicine, reduces inflammation, oxidative stress and protects the intestinal barrier in a murine model of colitis

Jasonia glutinosa (L.) DC., known as rock tea (RT), is traditionally used in Spain as a digestive due to its beneficial properties in bowel disorders. The pharmacological nature of these properties has not been established yet. The aim of this work was to evaluate the therapeutic utility of RT in experimental colitis and to identify chemical constituents with anti-inflammatory and/or anti-oxidative properties. RT extract was prepared with ethanol in a Soxhlet apparatus and analysed by HPLC–DAD. Superoxide radical scavenging properties, xanthine oxidase and lipoxygenase (5-LOX) inhibitory activity, and capability to lower nitric oxide (NO) and tumor necrosis factor a (TNF-a) levels were measured in cell-free and cell-based assays. In the 2.5%-dextran-sodium sulphate (DSS) injury-repair model of ulcerative colitis (UC), mice were daily treated with sulfasalazine (SSZ, as reference drug, 100 mg/kg bw), RT (5, 25 and 50 mg/kg bw, p.o.), or vehicle over 20 days. Colitis was scored daily. Colon samples were examined macroscopically and histopathologically. Protein levels of myeloperoxidase (MPO), interleukins 6, and 10 (IL-6, IL-10), inducible NO synthase (iNOS), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) were studied as markers of oxidative stress and inflammatory activity. The integrity of the apical epithelial layer was assessed by immunofluorescence staining of zonula ocludens-1 (ZO-1). Finally, intestinal contractility was also evaluated by isometric myography. Fifteen phenolic compounds and three pigments were identified and quantified, of which caffeoylquinic acids, and the flavonoid, quercetin-3-O-galactoside, were the most abundant. RT extract significantly scavenged superoxide radicals, inhibited 5-LOX activity, and lowered NO and TNF-a levels. DSS-treated mice receiving RT scored clinically lower than controls during the first 3 days of DSS treatment and during the recovery period. SSZ was less effective than RT. Anatomical and histological examination of colon samples revealed that RT significantly prevented colon shortening, increased colon thickness, and lowered the macroscopic damage score. RT also significantly prevented the increase of MPO activity, IL-6 levels, iNOS and COX-2 expression, the loss of ZO-1 apical expression, and normalized contractility disturbances. In conclusion, daily administration of RT showed therapeutic properties in the DSS-model of UC. The benefits of RT can likely be attributed to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant phenolic and flavonoid constituents

Effect of a multicomponent exercise program and cognitive stimulation (VIVIFRAIL-COGN) on falls in frail community older persons with high risk of falls: study protocol for a randomized multicenter control trial

Mat complBackground: Falls represent important drivers of intrinsic capacity losses, functional limitations and reduced quality of life in the growing older adult’s population, especially among those presenting with frailty. Despite exercise- and cognitive training-based interventions have shown efectiveness for reducing fall rates, evidence around their puta‑ tive cumulative efects on falls and fall-related complications (such as fractures, reduced quality of life and functional limitations) in frail individuals remains scarce. The main aim of this study is to explore the efectiveness program combining an individualized exercise program and an executive function-based cognitive training (VIVIFRAIL-COGN) compared to usual care in the prevention of falls and fall-related outcomes over a 1-year follow-up. Methods: This study is designed as a four-center randomized clinical trial with a 12-week intervention period and an additional 1-year follow-up. Three hundred twenty frail or pre-frail (≥1 criteria of the Frailty Phenotype) older adults (≥75 years) with high risk of falling (defned by fall history and gait performance) will be recruited in the Falls Units of the participating centers. They will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to the intervention group (IG) or the control group (CG). The IG will participate in a home-based intervention combining the individualized Vivifrail multicomponent (aerobic, resistance, gait and balance and fexibility) exercise program and a personalized executive function-based cognitive training (VIVIFRAIL-COGN). The CG group will receive usual care delivered in the Falls Units, including the Otago Exercise Program. Primary outcome will be the incidence of falls (event rate/year) and will be ascertained by self-report during three visits (at baseline, and 6 and 12 weeks) and telephone-based contacts at 6, 9 and 12 months after randomization. Secondarily, efects on measures of physical and cognitive function, quality of life, nutritional, muscle quality and psychological status will be evaluated. Discussion: This trial will provide new evidence about the efectiveness of an individualized multidomain interven‑ tion by studying the efect of additive efects of cognitive training and physical exercise to prevent falls in older frail persons with high risk of falling. Compared to usual care, the combined intervention is expected to show additive efects in the reduction of the incidence of falls and associated adverse outcomes. Trial registration: NCT04911179 02/06/2021. © 2022, The Author(s).The present study is funded by a grant from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI20/01546). Instituto de Salud Carlos III, PI20/01546, Alvaro Casas-Herrer