Consumo de alimentos ricos en azúcar-sal en niños de Las Arenas (Getxo, Bizkaia) por grupos de edad

[ES] El aumento del consumo de grasas y carbohidratos, así como dulces, refrescos, productos industriales y snacks, junto con la disminución de la ingesta de alimentos saludables, y el sedentarismo en los niños, infl uyen en su salud. Hay que prestar especial atención a alimentos que forman parte del estilo de vida actual: “snack”, dulces, bollería o picoteo entre comidas por sus importantes repercusiones.

Edad de menarquía e indicadores de adiposidad en mujeres del País Vasco (España)

[ES] El objetivo del presente trabajo es analizar la relación entre la cantidad de grasa y su patrón de distribución con la edad de menarquia, en una muestra de 641 jóvenes universitarias de la UPVEHU (18+ a 29+ años), así como en una muestra de 378 mujeres de más edad (30+ y 49+ años). Se midieron la estatura, el peso y cinco pliegues de grasa subcutánea. Se calcularon el IMC y el % de grasa (Siri, 1961). La obtención de los patrones de distribución de grasa, central vs. periférico, se realizó mediante un ACP. La edad de menarquia se ha estimado mediante el método retrospectivo y las categorías de maduración se basan en las medias y desviaciones típicas de cada muestra. En general, se comprueba que las maduradoras tempranas tienen mayor cantidad de grasa y son algo más centrales que las de maduración media y tardía. La asociación es más evidente en la muestra de mayor edad, por lo que la asociación entre maduración sexual y adiposidad depende de la etapa del ciclo vital, haciéndose más patente conforme aumenta la edad.

Body image and body composition: comparisons of young male elite soccer players and controls

[EN] The purpose of this study was to evaluate body composition and body image (perception and satisfaction) in a group of young elite soccer players and to compare the data with those of a control group (age and BMI matched). Participants were 56 volunteer males whose mean age and BMI were 19.6 (SD 1.3) years and 23.3 (SD 1.1) kg/m2, respectively. Results showed that soccer players have a higher lean mass and lower fat mass than controls. Moreover, body perception (difference between current and actual image) was more accurate in controls than in soccer players, and the results suggest a tendency for soccer players to aspire to have more muscle mass and body fat. Soccer players perceived an ideal image with significantly higher body-fat percentage than their current and actual images. There were no body-dissatisfaction differences between groups, however. Although the results are necessarily limited by the small sample size, the findings should be of interest to coaches of young elite soccer teams.

Cheese consumption and prevalence of overweight and obesity in a Basque adult population: a crosssectional study

[EN] Studies have reported a negative association between dairy product consumption and weight status. However, not as much research has focused on cheese; therefore, the aim of this study was to study the association between cheese intake and overweight and obesity in a representative Basque adult population. A food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was obtained from a random sample of 1081 adults (530 males and 551 females, 17–96 years old). Cheese consumption data were expressed as g/1000 kcal/day. The prevalence of overweight/obesity was higher in men (55.1%) than in women (35.4%) (p50.001). Participants with low or moderate intake of fresh and processed cheese demonstrated a higher prevalence of excess weight, compared with those with higher consumption. The confounding variables selected in multivariate analysis were occupational status and age in both genders; and place of residence in men. In conclusion, negative associations were found between consumption of some types of cheese and overweight and obesity in this population.

Mechanisms of E2F2-mediated transcriptional repression

In this work we wanted to study the mechanism of E2F2-mediated repression. Our hypothesis is that E2F2 activates the expression of one or more E2F members of the “repressor” subset of the family through the E2F motifs present in their promoters, and those repressor E2F(s) would subsequently repress the target promoters. To address this hypothesis, we focused on E2F7. E2F7 is a repressor that lacks the Rb binding domain, and associates with DNA through E2F binding sites (de Bruin et al., 2003). Furthermore, E2F7 itself is also regulated by E2F motifs on its own promoter, and it has been shown to repress DNA metabolism and replication genes in late S-phase (de Bruin et al., 2003; Westendorp et al., 2012). E2F7, together with E2F8 has been found to form heterodimers, being critical on cell proliferation and development, and both seem to have similar functions (Li et al., 2008). Preliminary results from Zubiaga’s group have indicated that E2F2 activates E2F7 transcription in U2OS cells, suggesting that E2F2’s repressor function could be mediated by E2F7. For this purpose, we focused on studying E2F7’s role on the target genes previously known to be repressed by E2F2: Chk1 and Mcm5. The specific aims for this work were the following: - Confirm that E2F2 induces E2F7 in HEK-293T cells - Assess whether E2F7 acts as a transcriptional repressor on E2F sites - Evaluate the role of E2F7 on E2F2-mediated transcriptional repression of Chk1 and Mcm5.

Nukleosidoen gehikuntzaren eragina estres erreplikatiboan eta seneszentzia zelularrean: E2F1-/-/E2F2-/- makrofagoen kasua

E2F1 eta E2F2 transkripzio-faktoreek funtzio garrantzitsua dute ziklo zelularraren errgulazioan. Sagu knockout-etan eginiko saioetan deskribatu da E2F1 eta E2F2 geneen absentzian DNAren bikoizketa-tasa emendatuta dagoela makrofagoetan, eta ondorioz seneszentzia goiztiarra aktibatuta dagoela zelula hauetan. Seneszentzia horren mekanismoak ez dira ezagutzen, baina uste da DNAren estres erreplikatiboaren eraginez gertatzen dela. Oraintsu argitaratutako lan batzuren arabera, onkogeneek eragindako desegonkortasun genomikoa nukleosido mailaren urritasunagatik sortzen dela proposatu da. Emaitza hauek kontutan harturik, E2F1-/-/E2F2-/- (DKO) makrofagoen kultiboei nukleosidoak gehitu dizkiet exogenoki, eta zelula hauen proliferazioaren jarraipena egin dut. Nukleosidoekin trataturiko kultiboetan DNAren kalteen jaitsiera eta seneszenziaren saihespena detektatu ditut. Emaitza hauek zera iradokitzen dute, DKO zeluletako seneszentzia goiztiarraren arrazoia DNAren hiper-erreplikazioak sortutako nukleosidoen urritasuna izan daitekeela.

Síntesis de catalizadores quirales basados en alcaloides de Cincona

La síntesis de compu estos enantiopuros es de vital importancia en el ámbito de la industria farmacéuti ca y agroquímica. 1 Es mucha la bibliografía que recoge información sobre la importancia de la obtención de compuestos quirales como un único enantiómero especialmente cuando el compuesto es bioactivo . La importancia reside en que los sistemas biológicos (p roteínas, enzimas, aminoácidos, etc.) son entidades quirales capaces de reconocer y diferenciar los miembros de una pareja de enantiómeros, y , en ocasiones , cada uno provoca una respuesta diferente en el cuerpo humano. El principal problema se presenta c uando u no de los enantiómero s tiene una actividad diferente de la esperad

The E2F2 Transcription Factor Sustains Hepatic Glycerophospholipid Homeostasis in Mice

Increasing evidence links metabolic signals to cell proliferation, but the molecular wiring that connects the two core machineries remains largely unknown. E2Fs are master regulators of cellular proliferation. We have recently shown that E2F2 activity facilitates the completion of liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy (PH) by regulating the expression of genes required for S-phase entry. Our study also revealed that E2F2 determines the duration of hepatectomy-induced hepatic steatosis. A transcriptomic analysis of normal adult liver identified "lipid metabolism regulation" as a major E2F2 functional target, suggesting that E2F2 has a role in lipid homeostasis. Here we use wild-type (E2F2(+/+)) and E2F2 deficient (E2F2(-/-)) mice to investigate the in vivo role of E2F2 in the composition of liver lipids and fatty acids in two metabolically different contexts: quiescence and 48-h post-PH, when cellular proliferation and anabolic demands are maximal. We show that liver regeneration is accompanied by large triglyceride and protein increases without changes in total phospholipids both in E2F2(+/+) and E2F2(-/-) mice. Remarkably, we found that the phenotype of quiescent liver tissue from E2F2(-/-) mice resembles the phenotype of proliferating E2F2(+/+) liver tissue, characterized by a decreased phosphatidylcholine to phosphatidylethanolamine ratio and a reprogramming of genes involved in generation of choline and ethanolamine derivatives. The diversity of fatty acids in total lipid, triglycerides and phospholipids was essentially preserved on E2F2 loss both in proliferating and non-proliferating liver tissue, although notable exceptions in inflammation-related fatty acids of defined phospholipid classes were detected. Overall, our results indicate that E2F2 activity sustains the hepatic homeostasis of major membrane glycerolipid components while it is dispensable for storage glycerolipid balance.

Integrated treatment of first episode psychosis with online training (e-learning): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Background: The integrated treatment of first episode psychosis has been shown to improve functionality and negative symptoms in previous studies. In this paper, we describe a study of integrated treatment (individual psychoeducation complementary to pharmacotherapy) versus treatment as usual, comparing results at baseline with those at 6-month re-assessment (at the end of the study) for these patients, and online training of professionals to provide this complementary treatment, with the following objectives: 1) to compare the efficacy of individual psychoeducation as add-on treatment versus treatment as usual in improving psychotic and mood symptoms; 2) to compare adherence to medication, functioning, insight, social response, quality of life, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor, between both groups; and 3) to analyse the efficacy of online training of psychotherapists. Methods/design: This is a single-blind randomised clinical trial including patients with first episode psychosis from hospitals across Spain, randomly assigned to either a control group with pharmacotherapy and regular sessions with their psychiatrist (treatment as usual) or an intervention group with integrated care including treatment as usual plus a psychoeducational intervention (14 sessions). Training for professionals involved at each participating centre was provided by the coordinating centre (University Hospital of Alava) through video conferences. Patients are evaluated with an extensive battery of tests assessing clinical and sociodemographic characteristics (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, Scale to Assess Unawareness of Mental Disorders, Strauss and Carpenter Prognostic Scale, Global Assessment of Functioning Scale, Morisky Green Adherence Scale, Functioning Assessment Short Test, World Health Organization Quality of Life instrument WHOQOL-BREF (an abbreviated version of the WHOQOL-100), and EuroQoL questionnaire), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels are measured in peripheral blood at baseline and at 6 months. The statistical analysis, including bivariate analysis, linear and logistic regression models, will be performed using SPSS. Discussion: This is an innovative study that includes the assessment of an integrated intervention for patients with first episode psychosis provided by professionals who are trained online, potentially making it possible to offer the intervention to more patients.

Physiological modules for generating discrete and rhythmic movements: action identification by a dynamic recurrent neural network

In this study we employed a dynamic recurrent neural network (DRNN) in a novel fashion to reveal characteristics of control modules underlying the generation of muscle activations when drawing figures with the outstretched arm. We asked healthy human subjects to perform four different figure-eight movements in each of two workspaces (frontal plane and sagittal plane). We then trained a DRNN to predict the movement of the wrist from information in the EMG signals from seven different muscles. We trained different instances of the same network on a single movement direction, on all four movement directions in a single movement plane, or on all eight possible movement patterns and looked at the ability of the DRNN to generalize and predict movements for trials that were not included in the training set. Within a single movement plane, a DRNN trained on one movement direction was not able to predict movements of the hand for trials in the other three directions, but a DRNN trained simultaneously on all four movement directions could generalize across movement directions within the same plane. Similarly, the DRNN was able to reproduce the kinematics of the hand for both movement planes, but only if it was trained on examples performed in each one. As we will discuss, these results indicate that there are important dynamical constraints on the mapping of EMG to hand movement that depend on both the time sequence of the movement and on the anatomical constraints of the musculoskeletal system. In a second step, we injected EMG signals constructed from different synergies derived by the PCA in order to identify the mechanical significance of each of these components. From these results, one can surmise that discrete-rhythmic movements may be constructed from three different fundamental modules, one regulating the co-activation of all muscles over the time span of the movement and two others elliciting patterns of reciprocal activation operating in orthogonal directions.

Birth Weight, Working Memory and Epigenetic Signatures in IGF2 and Related Genes: A MZ Twin Study

Neurodevelopmental disruptions caused by obstetric complications play a role in the etiology of several phenotypes associated with neuropsychiatric diseases and cognitive dysfunctions. Importantly, it has been noticed that epigenetic processes occurring early in life may mediate these associations. Here, DNA methylation signatures at IGF2 (insulin-like growth factor 2) and IGF2BP1-3 (IGF2-binding proteins 1-3) were examined in a sample consisting of 34 adult monozygotic (MZ) twins informative for obstetric complications and cognitive performance. Multivariate linear regression analysis of twin data was implemented to test for associations between methylation levels and both birth weight (BW) and adult working memory (WM) performance. Familial and unique environmental factors underlying these potential relationships were evaluated. A link was detected between DNA methylation levels of two CpG sites in the IGF2BP1 gene and both BW and adult WM performance. The BW-IGF2BP1 methylation association seemed due to non-shared environmental factors influencing BW, whereas the WM-IGF2BP1 methylation relationship seemed mediated by both genes and environment. Our data is in agreement with previous evidence indicating that DNA methylation status may be related to prenatal stress and later neurocognitive phenotypes. While former reports independently detected associations between DNA methylation and either BW or WM, current results suggest that these relationships are not confounded by each other.

Bipolar disorder comorbid with alcohol use disorder: Focus on neurocognitive correlates

Bipolar disorder (BD) and alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are usually comorbid, and both have been associated with significant neurocognitive impairment. Patients with the BD-AUD comorbidity (dual diagnosis) may have more severe neurocognitive deficits than those with a single diagnosis, but there is paucity of research in this area. To explore this hypothesis more thoroughly, we carried out a systematic literature review through January 2015. Eight studies have examined the effect of AUDs on the neurocognitive functioning of BD patients. Most studies found that BD patients with current or past history of comorbid AUDs show more severe impairments, especially in verbal memory and executive cognition, than their non-dual counterparts. Greater neurocognitive dysfunction is another facet of this severe comorbid presentation. Implications for clinical practice and research are discussed. Specifically, the application of holistic approaches, such as clinical staging and systems biology, may open new avenues of discoveries related to the BD-AUD comorbidity.

Physiological modules for generating discrete and rhythmic movements: Component analysis of EMG signals

A central question in Neuroscience is that of how the nervous system generates the spatiotemporal commands needed to realize complex gestures, such as handwriting. A key postulate is that the central nervous system (CNS) builds up complex movements from a set of simpler motor primitives or control modules. In this study we examined the control modules underlying the generation of muscle activations when performing different types of movement: discrete, point-to-point movements in eight different directions and continuous figure-eight movements in both the normal, upright orientation and rotated 90 degrees. To test for the effects of biomechanical constraints, movements were performed in the frontal-parallel or sagittal planes, corresponding to two different nominal flexion/abduction postures of the shoulder. In all cases we measured limb kinematics and surface electromyographic activity (EMB) signals for seven different muscles acting around the shoulder. We first performed principal component analysis (PCA) of the EMG signals on a movement-by-movement basis. We found a surprisingly consistent pattern of muscle groupings across movement types and movement planes, although we could detect systematic differences between the PCs derived from movements performed in each sholder posture and between the principal components associated with the different orientations of the figure. Unexpectedly we found no systematic differences between the figute eights and the point-to-point movements. The first three principal components could be associated with a general co-contraction of all seven muscles plus two patterns of reciprocal activatoin. From these results, we surmise that both "discrete-rhythmic movements" such as the figure eight, and discrete point-to-point movement may be constructed from three different fundamental modules, one regulating the impedance of the limb over the time span of the movement and two others operating to generate movement, one aligned with the vertical and the other aligned with the horizontal.

Evolución y características del sector de las máquinas-Herramientas en España y en el País Vasco

Castellano: La Máquina-herramienta es el bien de equipo por excelencia y en ello radica el origen de la industria moderna tal y como la conocemos. El presente trabajo trata de identificar ideas clave y datos que ayuden a comprender qué es el sector, cuál ha sido su evolución, qué tipo de ayudas recibe y el papel que ocupa en la economía internacional. Además, se plantea cómo evolucionará el sector en un futuro próximo y qué medidas se están tomando para hacerle frente.

Evolución de la competitividad de la economía española

En este trabajo se analiza la evolución de la competitividad de la economía española desde el año 2000 al 2013 a través de los cambios que se han producidos en los componentes que afectan a este indicador de forma directa como son los flujos comerciales, los precios, la productividad o los costes laborales. Para ello se utilizan los índices de competitividad que se desglosan para lograr un estudio más detallado del comportamiento de sus factores. Uniendo todos los componentes analizados se llega al resultado final de que hasta el estallido de la crisis económica en el 2008 hubo una pérdida de competitividad en precio y costes que junto al aumento de los costes laborales unitarios y el aumento de las exportaciones dio lugar a un fenómeno llamado “la paradoja española”. A partir del año 2008 la tendencia cambió y se produjo un aumento competitivo por la caída de los costes laborales unitarios y el aumento de la productividad.