Socioeconomic position, gender, health behaviours and biomarkers of cardiovascular disease and diabetes

Socio-economic gradients in cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes have been found throughout the developed world and there is some evidence to suggest that these gradients may be steeper for women. Research on social gradients in biological risk factors for CVD and diabetes has received less attention and we do not know the extent to which gradients in biomarkers vary for men and women. We examined the associations between two indicators of socio-economic position (education and household income) and biomarkers of diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) for men and women in a national, population-based study of 11,247 Australian adults. Multi-level linear regression was used to assess associations between education and income and glucose tolerance, dyslipidaemia, blood pressure (BP) and waist circumference before and after adjustment for behaviours (diet, smoking, physical activity, TV viewing time, and alcohol use). Measures of glucose tolerance included fasting plasma glucose and insulin and the results of a glucose tolerance test (2 h glucose) with higher levels of each indicating poorer glucose tolerance. Triglycerides and High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) Cholesterol were used as measures of dyslipidaemia with higher levels of the former and lower levels of the later being associated with CVD risk. Lower education and low income were associated with higher levels of fasting insulin, triglycerides and waist circumference in women. Women with low education had higher systolic and diastolic BP and low income women had higher 2 h glucose and lower HDL cholesterol. With only one exception (low income and systolic BP), all of these estimates were reduced by more than 20% when behavioural risk factors were included. Men with lower education had higher fasting plasma glucose, 2 h glucose, waist circumference and systolic BP and, with the exception of waist circumference, all of these estimates were reduced when health behaviours were included in the models. While low income was associated with higher levels of 2-h glucose and triglycerides it was also associated with better biomarker profiles including lower insulin, waist circumference and diastolic BP. We conclude that low socio-economic position is more consistently associated with a worse profile of biomarkers for CVD and diabetes for women.

Vilsmeier-Haack reaction of 1-methyl-34-dihydroisoquino lines-unexpected formation of 2,3-bisdimethylamino-5,6-dihydropyrrolo [2,1-Image]isoquinolines

Novel pyrroloisoquinolines 4 are obtained from 1-methyl-3,4-dihydroisoquinolines 1 by the action of POCl3 and DMF, along with the expected mono- and dialdehydes 2 and 3 respectively and also directly from N-acetyl-2-phenethylamines.

多晶Hg_(1-x)Cd_xTe薄膜电极 多硫氧化还原电对溶液的界面现象研究

测量了系列(1-x)值的电沉积多晶Hg_(1-x)Cd_xTe薄膜电极在多硫氧化还原电对溶液中的交流阻抗和光电流光谱,据此确定出不同(1-x)值时的平带电位Φ(?)和禁带宽度E(?).当(1-x)值增大时,平带电位正移,禁带宽度E(?)变小,导带位置下降(负移),价带位置基本保持不变.系列Hg_(1-x)Cd_xTe薄膜电极在多硫溶液中的开路光电压比由平带电位Φ_(fb)推算出的极限开路光电压低,因此存在着提高实际开路光电压的潜力.

Familias migrantes y sistema escolar.

El artículo forma parte de un dossier titulado: Nuevas y viejas desigualdades. Resumen basado en la publicación

When the rising dragon sees fading stars: China's view of the European Union. CEPS Special Report No. 73, 29 November 2012

This CEPS Special Report gives an overview of China’s perceptions of the EU and the protection of Chinese investments in Europe since the outbreak of the European sovereign debt crisis, especially since the more concrete talks in late 2011 on possible financial support from China. Although the top leadership of the communist party of China (CPC) changed in its recent handover, the perceptions described in this paper are likely to remain the same, just as the main tenets of China’s foreign policy are unlikely to change in the near future. The report argues that while the EU’s image has suffered greatly from the sovereign debt crisis and the way it has been handled, there is room to improve China’s view of Europe and for the EU to maintain a relatively strong negotiation position towards China.

Platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 inhibits platelet response to thrombin and von Willebrand factor by regulating the internalization of glycoprotein Ib via AKT/glycogen synthase kinase-3/dynamin and integrin αIIbβ3

OBJECTIVE: Platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1) regulates platelet response to multiple agonists. How this immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motif-containing receptor inhibits G protein-coupled receptor-mediated thrombin-induced activation of platelets is unknown. APPROACH AND RESULTS: Here, we show that the activation of PECAM-1 inhibits fibrinogen binding to integrin αIIbβ3 and P-selectin surface expression in response to thrombin (0.1-3 U/mL) but not thrombin receptor-activating peptides SFLLRN (3×10(-7)-1×10(-5) mol/L) and GYPGQV (3×10(-6)-1×10(-4) mol/L). We hypothesized a role for PECAM-1 in reducing the tethering of thrombin to glycoprotein Ibα (GPIbα) on the platelet surface. We show that PECAM-1 signaling regulates the binding of fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled thrombin to the platelet surface and reduces the levels of cell surface GPIbα by promoting its internalization, while concomitantly reducing the binding of platelets to von Willebrand factor under flow in vitro. PECAM-1-mediated internalization of GPIbα was reduced in the presence of both EGTA and cytochalasin D or latrunculin, but not either individually, and was reduced in mice in which tyrosines 747 and 759 of the cytoplasmic tail of β3 integrin were mutated to phenylalanine. Furthermore, PECAM-1 cross-linking led to a significant reduction in the phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase-3β Ser(9), but interestingly an increase in glycogen synthase kinase-3α pSer(21). PECAM-1-mediated internalization of GPIbα was reduced by inhibitors of dynamin (Dynasore) and glycogen synthase kinase-3 (CHIR99021), an effect that was enhanced in the presence of EGTA. CONCLUSIONS: PECAM-1 mediates internalization of GPIbα in platelets through dual AKT/protein kinase B/glycogen synthase kinase-3/dynamin-dependent and αIIbβ3-dependent mechanisms. These findings expand our understanding of how PECAM-1 regulates nonimmunoreceptor signaling pathways and helps to explains how PECAM-1 regulates thrombosis.

Molecular dynamics simulations on devitrification: the PbF2 case

In this work molecular dynamics simulations were performed to reproduce the kinetic and thermodynamic transformations occurring during melt crystallization, vitrification, and glass crystallization (devitrification) of PbF2. Two potential parameters were analyzed in order to access the possibility of modeling these properties. These interionic potentials are models developed to describe specific characteristic of PbF2, and thermodynamic properties were well reproduced by one of them, while the other proved well adapted to simulate the crystalline structure of this fluoride. By a modeled nonisothermal heat treatment of the glass, it was shown that the devitrification of a cubic structure in which the Pb-Pb distances are in good agreement with theory and experiment. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.

Platelet-rich plasma stimulates cytokine expression and alkaline phosphatase activity in osteoblast-derived osteosarcoma cells

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of PRP on SAOS-2 cells in terms of cytokine expression, cell activity and oxidative stress. Design: Cell line SAOS-2 (1 x 10(5) cells/mL) were grown in culture medium alpha-MEM with 10% FBS for 24 h and stimulated (or not) with PRP at concentrations of 3, 10 and 20%, LPS (E. coli, 10 g/mL) and IL-1 beta (1 mg/mL) for 24 h. The supernatant was collected and analyzed for the expression of cytokines in a panel array, ALP using a commercial kit and NO2- with Griess reaction method. Also, the cells were analyzed using Western blot for RANKL and slot blotting for nitrotyrosine expression. Result: There were no significant differences amongst the groups in terms of NO2-, protein nitrotyrosine content and RANKL expression. However, all stimuli increased ALP activity and in case of PRP, it was in a dose-dependent manner (p < 0.001). Also, all stimuli induced an increase in cytokines and chemokines expression, but only PRP promoted an increase of component C5, sICAM-1 and RANTES expression. Whilst IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) expression was down-regulated by PRP, both LPS and IL-1 beta caused up-regulation of this cytokine. Conclusions: PRP can stimulate osteoblast activity and cytokine/chemokine release, as well as indicate some of the mediators that can (and cannot) be involved in this activation. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Un paseo por el lado oscuro de la red: Entrevista con Evgeny Morozov

En 2011, con sólo 26 años y un único libro publicado -El desengaño de Internet: los mitos de la libertad en la red-, Evgeny Morozov (Bielorrusia, 1984) se convirtió en una figura de referencia a la hora de hablar del papel que desempeñan las nuevas tecnologías de la comunicación en nuestro mundo político, económico y cultural. Miembro de New American Foundation, editor de la revista Foreign Policy y profesor visitante en la Universidad de Standford, colabora habitualmente con cabeceras como The Economist, The New York Times, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal o El País. Su enfoque afiliado y escéptico ha quedado de nuevo de manifiesto en su segundo libro- To Save Everything, Click Here (2013)-, en el que aborda la tendencia contemporánea a buscar soluciones tecnológicas a lo que en el fondo son problemas políticos, morales o incluso antropológicos.