Assessment of hormonal parameters in long-term karate Practitioners

Introduction: Karate is a Japanese martial art which is widely practiced in the Western world as a form of self-defense, as well as a discipline to achieve physical and mental balance.However, little is known with respect to its specific psychobiological effects, particularly in relation to the influence that karate may exert on the endocrine system. Thus, in the present study we analyzed the effects of regular karate practice on several hormonal parameters. Methods: 27 healthy volunteer subjects participated in the study, of whom 15 were allocated to the experimental group, and 12 were assigned to the control group. Experimental subjects were karate players with a minimum of 3 years of practice in this discipline. Blood samples for the quantification of hormonal parameters (TSH, T3, T4, PTH, ACTH, cortisol, and DHEA) were taken in both groups. To compare the means of the control and experimental group, a t-test for independent groups was performed in each dependent variable. Results: Significant differences between the experimental and control group were found in T3, T4, and cortisol, with karate players showing lower blood levels of these hormones than control. Conclusions: These findings reveal that long-term karate practice is associated to a significant endocrine modulation, which suggests interesting psychobiological implications, and lends itself to potential clinical considerations. Further research is needed to properly assess the scope of the peculiar hormonal profile displayed by advanced karate practitioners.Universidad de Málaga, Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec

Immune modulation after long-term karate practice

Introduction: Karate is a Japanese martial arts system which traces its roots back to China, and is nowadays widely popular both as a method of self-defense, as well as a discipline with potential physical and psychological benefits. However, karate has been scarcely investigated from a psychobiological perspective, and its effects on the immune system remain virtually unknown. Therefore, we designed the present study with the aim of analyzing the effects of several years of regular karate practice on different immune parameters. Methods: 27 healthy volunteer subjects participated in the study, 15 being allocated to the experimental group, and 12 to the control group. Experimental subjects were all karate players who had practiced this martial art for a minimum of three years. Blood samples for the quantification of immune parameters (leukocytes, neutrophils, monocytes, eosinophils, basophils, lymphocytes, IgG, IgA, IgM, IgE) were taken in both groups. As statistical analysis, a t-test for independent groups was performed in each dependent variable. Results: Compared to the control group, karate practitioners exhibited a significantly higher number of leukocytes, monocytes, and lymphocytes, as well as greater serum concentrations of IgG and IgM. Conclusions: Our findings show that long-term karate practice is related to a broad modulation of immune parameters, including leukocytes counts as well as immunoglobulin concentrations. This peculiar immunomodulatory profile, apart from its psychobiological relevance, may have noteworthy clinical implications. Further investigation would be necessary to fully elucidate the influence that long-term karate training can exert on the immune system.Universidad de Málaga, Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec

Error Detection and Mitigation of Data-Intensive Microprocessor Applications Using SIMD and Trace Monitoring

This article proposes a software error mitigation approach that uses the single instruction multiple data (SIMD) coprocessor to accelerate computation over redundant data. In addition, an external IP connected to the microprocessor's trace interface is used to detect errors that are difficult to cover with software-implemented techniques. The proposed approach has been implemented in an ARM microprocessor, and an irradiation campaign with neutrons has been carried out at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Experimental results demonstrate the high error coverage (more than 99.9%) of the proposed approach. The neutron cross section of errors that were not corrected nor detected was reduced by more than three orders of magnitude

The Use of Microprocessor Trace Infrastructures for Radiation-Induced Fault Diagnosis

This work proposes a methodology to diagnoseradiation-induced faults in a microprocessor using the hardwaretrace infrastructure. The diagnosis capabilities of this approachare demonstrated for an ARM microprocessor under neutronand proton irradiation campaigns. The experimental resultsdemonstrate that the execution status in the precise moment thatthe error occurred can be reconstructed, so that error diagnosiscan be achieved

Online error detection through trace infrastructure in ARM microprocessors

This paper presents a solution for error detection in ARM microprocessors based on the use of the trace infrastructure. This approach uses the Program and Instrumentation Trace Macrocells that are part of ARM's CoreSight architecture to detect control-flow and data-flow errors, respectively. The proposed approach has been tested with low-energy protons. Experimental results demonstrate high accuracy with up to 95% of observed errors detected in a commercial microprocessor with no hardware modification. In addition, it is shown how the proposed approach can be useful for further analysis and diagnosis of the cause of errors

West Nile virus emergence in humans in Extremadura, Spain 2020

In Spain, the largest human West Nile virus (WNV) outbreak among humans was reported in 2020, constituting the second most important outbreak in Europe that season. Extremadura (southwestern Spain) was one of the affected areas, reporting six human cases. The first autochthonous human case in Spain was reported in Extremadura in 2004, and no other human cases were reported until 2020. In this work, we describe the first WNV human outbreak registered in Extremadura, focusing on the most important clinical aspects, diagnostic results, and control actions which followed. In 2020, from September to October, human WNV infections were diagnosed using a combination of molecular and serological methods (an in-house specific qRT-PCR and a commercial ELISA for anti-WNV IgM and IgG antibodies) and by analysing serum, urine, and/or cerebrospinal fluid samples. Serological positive serum samples were further tested using commercial kits against related flaviviruses Usutu and Tick-borne encephalitis in order to analyse serological reactivity and to confirm the results by neutralisation assays. In total, six cases of WNV infection (five with neuroinvasive disease and one with fever) were identified. Clinical presentation and laboratory findings are described. No viral RNA was detected in any of the analysed samples, but serological cross-reactivity was detected against the other tested flaviviruses. Molecular and serological methods for WNV detection in various samples as well as differential diagnosis are recommended. The largest number of human cases of WNV infection ever registered in Extremadura, Spain, occurred in 2020 in areas where circulation of WNV and other flaviviruses has been previously reported in humans and animals. Therefore, it is necessary to enhance surveillance not only for the early detection and implementation of response measures for WNV but also for other emerging flaviviruses that could be endemic in this area.This research was partially funded by the project PI19CIII/00014 from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III.S

Socio-geographical disparities of obesity and excess weight in adults in Spain: insights from the ENE-COVID study

Background: In Spain, differences in the prevalence of obesity and excess weight according to sex and sociodemographic factors have been described at the national level, although current data do not allow to delve into geographical differences for these conditions. The aim was to estimate national and regional prevalences of adult obesity and excess weight in Spain by sex and sociodemographic characteristics, and to explore difference sources of inequalities in its distribution, as well as its geographical pattern. Method: ENE-COVID study was a nationwide representative seroepidemiological survey with 57,131 participants. Residents in 35,893 households were selected from municipal rolls using a two-stage random sampling stratified by province and municipality size (April-June 2020). Participants (77.0% of contacted individuals) answered a questionnaire which collected self-reported weight and height, as well as different socioeconomic variables, that allowed estimating crude and standardized prevalences of adult obesity and excess weight. Results: Crude prevalences of obesity and excess weight were higher in men (obesity: 19.3% vs. 18.0%; excess weight: 63.7% vs. 48.4%), while severe obesity was more prevalent in women (4.5% vs. 5.3%). These prevalences increased with age and disability, and decreased with education, census tract income and municipality size. Differences by educational level, relative census income, nationality or disability were clearly higher among women. Obesity by province ranged 13.3-27.4% in men and 11.4-28.1% in women; excess weight ranged 57.2-76.0% in men and 38.9-59.5% in women. The highest prevalences were located in the southern half of the country and some north-western provinces. Sociodemographic characteristics only explained a small part of the observed geographical variability (25.2% obesity). Conclusion: Obesity and overweight have a high prevalence in Spain, with notable geographical and sex differences. Socioeconomic inequalities are stronger among women. The observed geographical variability suggests the need to implement regional and local interventions to effectively address this public health problem.This study was supported by Spanish Ministry of Health, Institute of Health Carlos III, and Spanish National Health System.S

Breast feeding, parity and breast cancer subtypes in a Spanish cohort

Background: Differences in the incidence and outcome of breast cancer among Hispanic women compared with white women are well documented and are likely explained by ethnic differences in genetic composition, lifestyle, or environmental exposures. METHODOLGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A population-based study was conducted in Galicia, Spain. A total of 510 women diagnosed with operable invasive breast cancer between 1997 and 2010 participated in the study. Data on demographics, breast cancer risk factors, and clinico-pathological characteristics were collected. The different breast cancer tumor subtypes were compared on their clinico-pathological characteristics and risk factor profiles, particularly reproductive variables and breastfeeding. Among the 501 breast cancer patients (with known ER and PR receptors), 85% were ER+/PR+ and 15% were ER-&PR-. Among the 405 breast cancer with known ER, PR and HER2 status, 71% were ER+/PR+/HER2- (luminal A), 14% were ER+/PR+/HER2+ (luminal B), 10% were ER-/PR-/HER2- (triple negative breast cancer, TNBC), and 5% were ER-/PR-/HER2+ (non-luminal). A lifetime breastfeeding period equal to or longer than 7 months was less frequent in case patients with TNBC (OR = 0.25, 95% CI = 0.08-0.68) compared to luminal A breast cancers. Both a low (2 or fewer pregnancies) and a high (3-4 pregnancies) number of pregnancies combined with a long breastfeeding period were associated with reduced odds of TNBC compared with luminal A breast cancer, although the association seemed to be slightly more pronounced among women with a low number of pregnancies (OR = 0.09, 95% CI = 0.005-0.54). Conclusions/significance: In case-case analyses with the luminal A cases as the reference group, we observed a lower proportion of TNBC among women who breastfed 7 or more months. The combination of longer breastfeeding duration and lower parity seemed to further reduce the odds of having a TNBC compared to a luminal A breast cancer

Breast feeding, parity and breast cancer subtypes in a Spanish cohort

Background: Differences in the incidence and outcome of breast cancer among Hispanic women compared with white women are well documented and are likely explained by ethnic differences in genetic composition, lifestyle, or environmental exposures. METHODOLGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A population-based study was conducted in Galicia, Spain. A total of 510 women diagnosed with operable invasive breast cancer between 1997 and 2010 participated in the study. Data on demographics, breast cancer risk factors, and clinico-pathological characteristics were collected. The different breast cancer tumor subtypes were compared on their clinico-pathological characteristics and risk factor profiles, particularly reproductive variables and breastfeeding. Among the 501 breast cancer patients (with known ER and PR receptors), 85% were ER+/PR+ and 15% were ER-&PR-. Among the 405 breast cancer with known ER, PR and HER2 status, 71% were ER+/PR+/HER2- (luminal A), 14% were ER+/PR+/HER2+ (luminal B), 10% were ER-/PR-/HER2- (triple negative breast cancer, TNBC), and 5% were ER-/PR-/HER2+ (non-luminal). A lifetime breastfeeding period equal to or longer than 7 months was less frequent in case patients with TNBC (OR = 0.25, 95% CI = 0.08-0.68) compared to luminal A breast cancers. Both a low (2 or fewer pregnancies) and a high (3-4 pregnancies) number of pregnancies combined with a long breastfeeding period were associated with reduced odds of TNBC compared with luminal A breast cancer, although the association seemed to be slightly more pronounced among women with a low number of pregnancies (OR = 0.09, 95% CI = 0.005-0.54). Conclusions/significance: In case-case analyses with the luminal A cases as the reference group, we observed a lower proportion of TNBC among women who breastfed 7 or more months. The combination of longer breastfeeding duration and lower parity seemed to further reduce the odds of having a TNBC compared to a luminal A breast cancer

A Customized Pigmentation SNP Array Identifies a Novel SNP Associated with Melanoma Predisposition in the SLC45A2 Gene

As the incidence of Malignant Melanoma (MM) reflects an interaction between skin colour and UV exposure, variations in genes implicated in pigmentation and tanning response to UV may be associated with susceptibility to MM. In this study, 363 SNPs in 65 gene regions belonging to the pigmentation pathway have been successfully genotyped using a SNP array. Five hundred and ninety MM cases and 507 controls were analyzed in a discovery phase I. Ten candidate SNPs based on a p-value threshold of 0.01 were identified. Two of them, rs35414 (SLC45A2) and rs2069398 (SILV/CKD2), were statistically significant after conservative Bonferroni correction. The best six SNPs were further tested in an independent Spanish series (624 MM cases and 789 controls). A novel SNP located on the SLC45A2 gene (rs35414) was found to be significantly associated with melanoma in both phase I and phase II (P<0.0001). None of the other five SNPs were replicated in this second phase of the study. However, three SNPs in TYR, SILV/CDK2 and ADAMTS20 genes (rs17793678, rs2069398 and rs1510521 respectively) had an overall p-value<0.05 when considering the whole DNA collection (1214 MM cases and 1296 controls). Both the SLC45A2 and the SILV/CDK2 variants behave as protective alleles, while the TYR and ADAMTS20 variants seem to function as risk alleles. Cumulative effects were detected when these four variants were considered together. Furthermore, individuals carrying two or more mutations in MC1R, a well-known low penetrance melanoma-predisposing gene, had a decreased MM risk if concurrently bearing the SLC45A2 protective variant. To our knowledge, this is the largest study on Spanish sporadic MM cases to date