This work explores the automatic recognition of physical activity intensity patterns from multi-axial accelerometry and heart rate signals. Data collection was carried out in free-living conditions ...and in three controlled gymnasium circuits, for a total amount of 179.80 h of data divided into: sedentary situations (65.5%), light-to-moderate activity (17.6%) and vigorous exercise (16.9%). The proposed machine learning algorithms comprise the following steps: time-domain feature definition, standardization and PCA projection, unsupervised clustering (by k-means and GMM) and a HMM to account for long-term temporal trends. Performance was evaluated by 30 runs of a 10-fold cross-validation. Both k-means and GMM-based approaches yielded high overall accuracy (86.97% and 85.03%, respectively) and, given the imbalance of the dataset, meritorious F-measures (up to 77.88%) for non-sedentary cases. Classification errors tended to be concentrated around transients, what constrains their practical impact. Hence, we consider our proposal to be suitable for 24 h-based monitoring of physical activity in ambulatory scenarios and a first step towards intensity-specific energy expenditure estimators.
The primary objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome (MS) in people between 40-70 years of age in the province of Albacete (Spain).
A population-based, ...cross-sectional study was made of people between 40-70 years of age in three representative municipalities of the province of Albacete. A total of 425 subjects were included, with a mean age of 53.1 years (95% CI: 52.3-54). Women represented 50.4% of the series and males 49.6%. All participants were subjected to general laboratory testing, physical examination and the measurement of anthropometric parameters. MS was defined according to the ATP-III criteria. Prevalence of MS and its distribution according to the different epidemiological characteristics were calculated.
Total prevalence of MS was 20.9% (88/421), with a mean age of 57 years (95% CI: 55.1-59). Prevalence was seen to increase with age, reaching up to one-third of all subjects over 60 years. Significant differences were observed in relationship to a background of ischemic heart disease, ultrasensitive C-reactive protein elevation and the detection of microalbuninuria in MS subjects. Arterial hypertension and abdominal obesity were the most prevalent criteria in MS subjects.
Taking into consideration the important co-morbidity of MS, knowledge of the prevalence and characteristics of the syndrome in our setting and its early identification and intervention targeted to the different factors underlying MS will contribute to reduce the number of cardiovascular events associated with the syndrome.
Glucocorticoid-suppressible hyperaldosteronism is a dominantly inherited form of hypertension believed to be caused by the presence of a hybrid CYP11B1/CYP11B2 gene which has arisen from an unequal ...crossing over between the two CYP11B genes in a previous meiosis. We have studied a French pedigree with seven affected individuals in which two affected individuals also have adrenal tumors and two others have micronodular adrenal hyperplasia. One of the adrenal tumors and the surrounding adrenal tissue has been removed, giving a rare opportunity to study the regulation and action of the hybrid gene causing the disease. The hybrid CYP11B gene was demonstrated to be expressed at higher levels than either CYP11B1 or CYP11B2 in the cortex of the adrenal by RT-PCR and Northern blot analysis. In situ hybridization showed that both CYP11B1 and the hybrid gene were expressed in all three zones of the cortex. In cell culture experiments hybrid gene expression was stimulated by ACTH leading to increased production of aldosterone and the hybrid steroids characteristic of glucocorticoid-suppressible hyperaldosteronism. The genetic basis of the adrenal pathologies in this family is not known but may be related to the duplication causing the hyperaldosteronism.
The idiopathic generalized epilepsies (IGE), for which a genetic cause is widely accepted, account for 20–30% of all epilepsies. Mapping these epilepsies is difficult, but progress in the positional ...cloning of idiopathic epilepsy genes responsible for monogenic forms provide emerging evidence that many idiopathic epilepsies are caused by mutations in genes coding for ion channels. Here, we show the characterization of a balanced translocation present in three members of a nuclear family, two of them affected with IGE. The translocation involved chromosome 6p21 t(4;6) (q35;p21), a region in which a susceptibility locus for IGE (EJM1) has been reported. Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis with YACs and PACs resulted in the identification of a PAC clone that included the 6p21 translocation breakpoint. The genomic sequence of this PAC clone contains two 2-pore potassium channel genes,
TALK-1 and
TALK-2. We characterized the genomic organization of both genes, including three different isoforms of
TALK-1, and investigated them in IGE patients, finding some polymorphisms in the coding sequence of
TALK-1A.
En cáncer de próstata, la vía de señalización intracelular de TNF-α parece estar desviada hacia la activación de p38. p38 podría proteger a las células tumorales de la muerte inducida por TNF-α. Nos ...propusimos estudiar el papel que desempeña p38 tanto in vivo (evaluando algunos factores activados por p38 en cáncer de próstata), como in vitro (en las líneas celulares tumorales de próstata LNCaP y PC3, tratadas previamente con TNF-α).
Para los estudios in vitro se utilizaron las líneas celulares LNCaP y PC3. Los tratamientos se realizaron con TNF-α (diferentes concentraciones) y el inhibidor específico de p38 (SB203580). El índice apoptótico se evaluó mediante DAPI y citometría de flujo. La activación de p38 se determinó mediante Western blot. Para los estudios in vivo se usaron 15 próstatas normales (PN) y 27 de cáncer (CP) procesadas para inmunohistoquímica y Western blot.
In vitro, el aumento de la concentracion de TNF-α indujo apoptosis en LNCaP, pero no en PC3. El tratamiento con TNF-α produjo un aumento de la fosforilacion de p38 en concentraciones intermedias, mientras que en PC3 no se observaron cambios en la activacion. El pretratamiento con SB203580 y TNF-α produjo un aumento significativo de la apoptosis en LNCaP.
In vivo todos los pacientes con PN resultaron positivos para p-Elk-1 y p-ATF-2 (núcleo de células epiteliales). En CP no sólo aumenta la expresión de estos factores, sino que se localizaron tanto en núcleo como en citoplasma.
Nuestros datos in vitro e in vivo sugieren que p38 juega un importante papel en la progresión del cáncer de próstata. Estas observaciones sugieren que tratamientos centrados en el control de la activación de p38 podrían ser efectivos en el tratamiento contra el cáncer de próstata.
TNF-α transduction pathway in prostate cancer seems to be diverted towards p38 activation. P38 may protect prostate tumoral cells from TNF-α apoptosis induced. The aim of this study was study the role of p38 in vivo (were evaluated some p38 downstream factors), as well as in vitro (in prostatic tumoral cell lines, LNCaP and PC3, pre-treated with TNF-α).
Two prostatic tumoral cell lines (LNCaP and PC3) were used in in vitro studies. Two different experiments were made: with TNF-α (several concentrations) and p38 specific inhibitor (SB203580). The apoptotic index were evaluated using DAPI staining and flow cytometry. P38 activation was measured by Western blot analysis. 15 normal samples (NP) and 27 prostate cancer samples (PC) were used in in vivo study, all of them were processed for immunohistochemistry and Western-blot.
In vitro, TNF-α induced apoptosis in LnCap when we increased its concentration but not in PC3. TNF-α stimulation led to increase a time-dependent p38 phosphorylation in two intermediate doses whereas in PC3 not changes were found. In LNCaP after its preincubation with SB203580 and TNF-α treatment showed a significative increasing of apoptosis.
In vivo, all NP samples were found positives to p-Elk-1 and p-ATF-2 (nuclei of epithelial cells). In PC the expression of p-Elk-1 or p-ATF-2 increased and was located in the nucleus and cytoplasm of epithelial cells.
Our data in vitro and in vivo suggest that p38 plays a very important role in prostatic tumour progression. These data suggest that the control activation of p38 might be a possible target to cancer prostate treatment.
Patients undergoing long-term hemodialysis are at high risk of acquiring hepatitis B yet tend to have poor rates of response to hepatitis B vaccine. The effect of recombinant human gamma-interferon ...(2 million units/m2) on the response to a recombinant hepatitis B vaccine was evaluated in a prospective, randomized controlled trial in 81 hemodialysis patients. A similar proportion of both groups of vaccinees ultimately developed antibody to HBsAg including 81% of the 41 recipients of vaccine alone (group I) and 89% of the 40 recipients of vaccine with gamma-interferon (group II). However, the antibody to HBsAg response occurred earlier in recipients of vaccine with gamma-interferon, so that at 4 mo 63% of group I and 88% of group II had antibody to HBsAg (p less than 0.025). Furthermore, titers of antibody to HBsAg tended to be higher in the vaccinees given interferon; the final geometric mean titers were 232 IU/L in group I and 330 IU/L in group II (p = not significant). Retrospective testing for antibody to hepatitis C virus revealed that 21 (26%) hemodialysis patients were seropositive at entry into this trial, but the presence of antibody to hepatitis C virus did not appear to affect the response rate to the hepatitis B vaccine. These results suggest that the effects of gamma-interferon as an adjuvant in increasing the response rate to hepatitis B vaccination deserve further evaluation perhaps most appropriately in persons who have not responded to an initial course of vaccine.
To assess the impact of using data from the National Death Index (NDI) of Spain to estimate breast cancer survival rates among residents of Girona and Zaragoza diagnosed in 1995-1999.
This was an ...observational, longitudinal epidemiologic study, using two population-based cancer registries. Data collected were of female residents of Girona or Zaragoza who had been diagnosed with breast cancer in 1995-1999. Observed and relative 5-year survival rates were estimated, first using the information available from the Girona and Zaragoza cancer registries, and then with the inclusion of NDI data. The 5-year relative survival rate and corresponding 95% Confidence Intervals were estimated using the Hakulinen method. The Kaplan-Maier method and Log Rank test were used to compare survival curves.
No statistically significant difference in survival curves was observed in Girona for the data obtained before and after cross-matching with the NDI. However, there was a significant difference in Zaragoza. A comparison of the relative survival rates of each of the two registries before NDI cross-matching showed differences of 3.9% (5-year) and 16.1% (10-year) between the two, whereas after the cross-match, the difference was only 0.5% (5-year) and 1.2% (10-year).
In Spain it is imperative that there be systematic use of NDI data to supplement cancer registries, so that comparisons of relative survival rates between registries can be improved.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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