DNA methylation biomarkers of myocardial infarction and cardiovascular disease

Background: The epigenetic landscape underlying cardiovascular disease (CVD) is not completely understood and the clinical value of the identified biomarkers is still limited. We aimed to identify differentially methylated loci associated with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and assess their validity as predictive and causal biomarkers. Results: We designed a case–control, two-stage, epigenome-wide association study on AMI (ndiscovery = 391, nvalidation = 204). DNA methylation was assessed using the Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip. We performed a fixed-effects meta-analysis of the two samples. 34 CpGs were associated with AMI. Only 12 of them were available in two independent cohort studies (n ~ 1800 and n ~ 2500) with incident coronary and cardiovascular disease (CHD and CVD, respectively). The Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip was used in those two studies. Four of the 12 CpGs were validated in association with incident CHD: AHRR-mapping cg05575921, PTCD2-mapping cg25769469, intergenic cg21566642 and MPO-mapping cg04988978. We then assessed whether methylation risk scores based on those CpGs improved the predictive capacity of the Framingham risk function, but they did not. Finally, we aimed to study the causality of those associations using a Mendelian randomization approach but only one of the CpGs had a genetic influence and therefore the results were not conclusive. Conclusions: We have identified 34 CpGs related to AMI. These loci highlight the relevance of smoking, lipid metabolism, and inflammation in the biological mechanisms related to AMI. Four were additionally associated with incident CHD and CVD but did not provide additional predictive information

Sexual dimorphism in the loud calls of Azara’s owl monkeys (Aotus azarae): evidence of sexual selection?

Primates use different types of vocalizations in a variety of contexts. Some of the most studied types have been the long distance or loud calls. These vocalizations have been associated with mate defense, mate attraction, and resource defense, and it is plausible that sexual selection has played an important role in their evolution. Focusing on identified individuals of known sex and age, we evaluated the sexual dimorphism in a type of loud calls (hoots) in a population of wild owl monkeys (Aotus azarae) in Argentina. We found evidence of sexual dimorphism in call structure, with females and males only emitting one type of call, each differing in dominant frequency and Shannon entropy. In addition, both age-related and sex-specific differences in call usage were also apparent in response to the removal of one group member. Future acoustic data will allow us to assess if there are individual characteristics and if the structure of hoot calls presents differences in relation to the social condition of owl monkeys or specific sex responses to variants of hoot calls’ traits. This will provide deeper insights into the evolution of vocal mechanisms regulating pair bonding and mate choice strategies in this and other primate species.Leakey Foundation, Wenner-Gren Foundation, National Geographic Society, NSF, National Institute on Aging, University of Pennsylvania Research Foundation, Zoological Society of San Dieg

Long-Term Stability of Thin-Film Pd-Based Supported Membranes

Membrane reactors have demonstrated a large potential for the production of hydrogen via reforming of different feedstocks in comparison with other reactor types. However, the long-term performance and stability of the applied membranes are extremely important for the possible industrial exploitation of these reactors. This study investigates the long-term stability of thin-film Pd-Ag membranes supported on porous Al2O3 supports. The stability of five similarly prepared membranes have been investigated for 2650 h, up to 600 °C and in fluidized bed conditions. Results show the importance and the contribution of the sealing of the membranes at temperatures up to 500 °C. At higher temperatures the membranes surface deformation results in pinhole formation and a consequent decrease in selectivity. Stable operation of the membranes in a fluidized bed is observed up to 450 °C, however, at higher temperatures the scouring action of the particles under fluidization causes significant deformation of the palladium surface resulting in a decreased selectivity.The presented work is funded within BIONICO. This project has received funding from the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking under grant agreement No 671459. This Joint Undertaking receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme, Hydrogen Europe and N.ERGHY

Perinnöllisen muuntelun määrän vaikutus käärmeenpistoyrtin lisääntymismenestykseen ja puolustukseen

Perinnöllisen muuntelun määrä populaatiotasolla on tärkeä tekijä populaatioiden selviytymisessä muuttuvissa olosuhteissa ja populaation kelpoisuudella on vahva positiivinen yhteys perinnöllisen muuntelun määrän kanssa. Yksilötasolla perinnöllisen muuntelun määrän vaikutus yksilön kelpoisuuteen on vaihteleva. Tässä opinnäytetyössä tutkin käärmeenpistoyrtin (Vincetoxicum hirundinaria) perinnöllisen muuntelun määrän, eli kasvin lokusten heterotsygotia-asteen, vaikutusta yksilöiden lisääntymispotentiaaliin ja puolustukseen erikoistuneita kasvinsyöjiä vastaan. Lisäksi selvitin matemaattisesti, käyttäen Hardy-Weinbergin lakia ja tutkimuskasvien geneettistä dataa, onko tutkimuksen kohteena ollut käärmeenpistoyrttipopulaatio satunnaisesti lisääntyvä. Tein tutkimuksen kesällä 2014 Lammasluodon saarella hyväksikäyttäen paikallisia kasviyksilöitä, joiden perinnöllisen muuntelun määrä oli tiedossa. Kokeen käsittely - ja kontrollikasvit olivat halkaisun avulla luotuja klooneja toisistaan. Käsittelynä oli lisätty herbivoria, jonka sain aikaan harmosuomuyökkösen (Abrostola asclepiadis) muninnalla lisääntymishäkeissä. Mittasin kasveilta koon ja lisääntymisen määritteitä ja seurasin harmosuomuyökkösen munien määrää, katoamista, loisintaa ja steriiliyttä sekä käärmeenpistoyrtin kokemaa kasvinsyönnin määrää. Perinnöllisen muuntelun määrällä oli merkitystä kasvin lisääntymispotentiaaliin. Pienillä kasveilla suurempi perinnöllisen muuntelun määrä ennusti pienempää kukkivien versojen määrää, eli tulokset antoivat viitteitä geneettisestä yhteensopimattomuudesta lisääntymisen suhteen. Keskikokoisilla ja suurilla kasveilla suhde on melko neutraali. Käärmeenpistoyrtin puolustukseen perinnöllisen muuntelun määrällä ei näiden tulosten valossa ole vaikutusta. Kasvinsyönnin määrää kasveilla tai kasvilla steriileiksi jääneiden harmosuomuyökkösten munien määrää ei selittänyt perinnöllisen muuntelun määrä, tai mikään muukaan tutkituista muuttujista. Kasvilta loisittujen munien määrää selitti kasvin koko ja munien määrä kasvilla ja kasvilta kadonneiden munien määrää selitti vain munien määrä kasvilla. Tulokseni osoittavat, että käärmeenpistoyrtin Lammasluodon populaatio on satunnaisesti lisääntyvä ja sen perinnöllisen muuntelun määrällä on vaikutusta sen lisääntymiseen, mutta ei sen puolustukseen. Käärmeenpistoyrtti vaikuttaa siis kuuluvan lajeihin, joilla geneettisen muuntelun suuri määrä ei tarkoita yksilön parempaa kelpoisuutta

Análisis psicológico del desamparo. Estudio de caso de la película "The Babadook"

Se lleva a cabo un estudio de caso a partir de la película “The Babadook” para hacer un análisis psicológico de la protagonista. La pérdida es un hecho inherente a la vida que siempre va sucedida de un proceso de duelo; su resolución depende de la combinación del estilo de apego y las estrategias de afrontamiento que se posean para reajustar conductas, despedirse y continuar la vida. En este caso, la protagonista presenta un escaso manejo de estrategias y un entorno poco protector, por lo que su proceso normal de duelo se convierte en un Trastorno de Duelo Complejo Persistente comórbido con un Trastorno de Estrés Postraumático. Para su análisis en profundidad por parte del alumnado universitario, se sugiere la creación de un entorno digital colaborativo para desarrollar una tarea de Aprendizaje Basado en Proyectos (ABP) con objeto de repetir el estudio de caso y elaborar propuestas de evaluación psicológica, diagnóstico, elección de tratamiento y seguimiento, desde un modelo de Aprendizaje Experiencial mediado por el profesorado.A case study is carried out based on the film "The Babadook", to make a psychological analysis of the protagonist. Loss is an inherent fact of life that is always followed by a grieving process; its resolution depends on the combination of attachment style and coping strategies that one possesses to readjust behaviours, say goodbye and continue life. In this case, the protagonist presents scarce coping strategies and an unprotective environment, so that her normal grieving process becomes a Persistent Complex Bereavement Disorder comorbid with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). For an indepth analysis by university students, we propose the design of a collaborative digital environment to develop a Project Based Learning (PBL) task for the repetition of the case study, and to develop proposals for psychological assessment, diagnosis, choice of treatment and follow-up, from an Experiential Learning model mediated by the teaching staff

Identification of predictive factors of the degree of adherence to the Mediterranean diet through machine-learning techniques

Food consumption patterns have undergone changes that in recent years have resulted in serious health problems. Studies based on the evaluation of the nutritional status have determined that the adoption of a food pattern-based primarily on a Mediterranean diet (MD) has a preventive role, as well as the ability to mitigate the negative effects of certain pathologies. A group of more than 500 adults aged over 40 years from our cohort in Northwestern Spain was surveyed. Under our experimental design, 10 experiments were run with four different machine-learning algorithms and the predictive factors most relevant to the adherence of a MD were identified. A feature selection approach was explored and under a null hypothesis test, it was concluded that only 16 measures were of relevance, suggesting the strength of this observational study. Our findings indicate that the following factors have the highest predictive value in terms of the degree of adherence to the MD: basal metabolic rate, mini nutritional assessment questionnaire total score, weight, height, bone density, waist-hip ratio, smoking habits, age, EDI-OD, circumference of the arm, activity metabolism, subscapular skinfold, subscapular circumference in cm, circumference of the waist, circumference of the calf and brachial area

Tracer test modeling for characterizing heterogeneity and local-scale residence time distribution in an artificial recharge site

Artificial recharge of aquifers is a technique for improving water quality and increasing groundwater resources. Understanding the fate of a potential contaminant requires knowledge of the residence time distribution (RTD) of the recharged water in the aquifer beneath. A simple way to obtain the RTDs is to perform a tracer test. We performed a pulse injection tracer test in an artificial recharge system through an infiltration basin to obtain the breakthrough curves, which directly yield the RTDs. The RTDs turned out to be very broad and we used a numerical model to interpret them, to characterize heterogeneity, and to extend the model to other flow conditions. The model comprised nine layers at the site scaled to emulate the layering of aquifer deposits. Two types of hypotheses were considered: homogeneous (all flow and transport parameters identical for every layer) and heterogeneous (diverse parameters for each layer). The parameters were calibrated against the head and concentration data in both model types, which were validated quite satisfactorily against 1,1,2-Trichloroethane and electrical conductivity data collected over a long period of time with highly varying flow conditions. We found that the broad RTDs can be attributed to the complex flow structure generated under the basin due to three-dimensionality and time fluctuations (the homogeneous model produced broad RTDs) and the heterogeneity of the media (the heterogeneous model yielded much better fits). We conclude that heterogeneity must be acknowledged to properly assess mixing and broad RTDs, which are required to explain the water quality improvement of artificial recharge basins.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version