In premenopausal and menopausal women in particular, suboptimal estrogens have been linked to the development of the metabolic syndrome as major contributors to fat accumulation. At the same time, ...estrogens have been described to have a role in regulating body metabolic status. We evaluated how endogenous or administered estrogens impact on the changes associated with high-fat diet (HFD) consumption in 2 different paradigms; ovarian-intact and in ovariectomized mice. When estradiol (E2) was cyclically administered to ovarian-intact HFD-fed mice for 12 weeks, animals gained significantly less weight than ovarian-intact vehicle controls (P < .01). This difference was mainly due to a reduced caloric intake but not to an increase in energy expenditure or locomotor activity. This E2 treatment regime to mice exposed to HFD was overall able to avoid the increase of visceral fat content to levels of those found in mice fed a regular chow diet. In the ovariectomized model, the main body weight and fat content reducing action of E2 was not only through decreasing food intake but also by increasing the whole-body energy expenditure, locomotor activity, and by inducing fat oxidation. Importantly, these animals became responsive to the anorexigenic effects of leptin in contrast to the vehicle-treated and the pair-fed control groups (P < .01). Further, in vitro hypothalamic secretion experiments revealed that treatment of obese mice with E2 is able to modulate the secretion of appetite-regulating neuropeptides; namely, E2 increased the secretion of the anorectic neuropeptide α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone and decreased the secretion of the orexigenic neuropetides neuropeptide Y and Agouti-related peptide. In conclusion, differences in response to E2 treatment of HFD-fed animals depend on their endogenous estrogenic status. Overall, E2 administration overcomes arcuate leptin resistance and partially prevents fat accumulation on these mice.
The promotion system for French academic economists provides an interesting environment to examine the promotion gap between men and women. Promotions occur through national competitions for which we ...have information both on candidates and on those eligible to be candidates. Thus, we can examine the two stages of the process: application and success. Women are less likely to seek promotion, and this accounts for up to 76 percent of the promotion gap. Being a woman also reduces the probability of promotion conditional on applying, although the gender difference is not statistically significant. Our results highlight the importance of the decision to apply.
Este artículo describe a Bio Pappel como una de las 10 mejores empresas mexicanas con Responsabilidad Social Empresarial (RSE), por lo cual, se investigaron sus antecedentes, políticas, y la forma en ...que contribuye a mejorar el medioambiente. Se utilizó una metodología de estudio de caso de tipo descriptiva a través de fuentes documentales como revistas, libros, web, documentos, cuyo objetivo fue realizar análisis de las acciones de responsabilidad social, demostrando que la organización presenta un modelo sustentable que permite a la industria papelera disminuir sus costos, utilizando con cuidado los árboles, agua y energía, reciclando materiales, capacitando a sus empleados en cuestiones de ética, política anti-corrupción y derechos humanos, siendo referente para otras organizaciones. Se concluye que esta organización realiza un impacto positivo en la sociedad ya que fomenta en las nuevas generaciones el reciclaje y separación de basura, ahorro de agua y la importancia de realizarlo, creando conciencia social.
Numerous studies have shown that human dentition traits vary both between and within populations. However, there is still little knowledge about how dental tissue proportions differ between modern ...human groups. In this study, two samples of European and African individuals were compared to assess the possible differences and similarities present in the dental tissue dimensions of their permanent canines. For this purpose, the volumes and surface areas of the coronal dentine and pulp complex and the enamel cap of 127 canines were measured by microcomputed tomography. The results show the existence of interpopulation variability in the dental tissue pattern of both samples, which is mainly due to the presence of a larger enamel component in the African population, while dentine seems to play a less critical role in the differences described between both dental samples. We also observed a similar pattern of sexual dimorphism in the dental tissue proportions of European and African canines, but in this case, the intrapopulation variability was mainly due to the presence of a greater dentine component in males. Therefore, because the dimensions of dental tissues vary at both inter- and intrapopulation levels in modern human groups, our results highlight the importance of selecting comparative samples that are geographically mixed and sex-balanced for future paleoanthropological investigations on dental tissue patterns of extinct and extant species to avoid overestimating or underestimating any possible similarities or differences.
In Argentina, circulation of hepatitis E virus (HEV) genotype 3 has been described, producing sporadic cases of acute and chronic hepatitis. Limited information is available regarding HEV infection ...in children, so we aimed to investigate this virus in a pediatric population from the country. Serum samples from Argentine children (0–18 years old) (n = 213) were studied for IgG anti-HEV, IgM anti-HEV and RNA-HEV: 202 samples belonged to individuals attending health-care centers for routine check-ups, and 11 samples from patients with acute hepatitis of unknown etiology. Seropositivity for IgG anti-HEV was 1.49 % (3/202). One sample from an 18-years-old female patient with acute hepatitis tested positive for IgM anti-HEV detection, negative for IgG anti-HEV and RNA-HEV, but also positive for IgM anti-EBV. The HEV prevalence was low and showed circulation among children in central Argentina.
Chronic renal failure (CKD) is associated with the presence of increased platelet reactivity and lower clinical benefit of clopidogrel. Ticagrelor has a more favorable pharmacodynamic and ...pharmacokinetic profile compared to clopidogrel, which has translated into better clinical outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). We conducted a prospective mechanistic cohort study in order to investigate the impact of renal failure on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of ticagrelor in patients with acute ACS.
Patients were divided into two groups based on their estimated renal clearances (eGFR ≥ 60 mL/min and eGFR < 60 mL/min). Platelet function was determined using the VerifyNow system at baseline, after the ticagrelor loading dose and at discharge. In addition, levels of ticagrelor and its active metabolite (AR-C124910XX) were determined in the first hour after loading dose.
48 patients were recruited (eGFR ≥ 60 mL/min: 35 and eGFR < 60 mL/min: 13). There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of platelet inhibition after the loading or after 7 days of treatment (p = 0.219). However, the levels of ticagrelor and its active metabolite were lower in subjects with normal renal function than in CKD, especially at 4 (p = 0.02 and 0.04 respectively) and 6 h of loading (p = 0.042 and 0.08 respectively).
No differences in platelet inhibition were observed after treatment with ticagrelor in patients with different renal function, although patients with renal impairment showed higher levels of ticagrelor and AR-C124910XX after 4 h of the loading dose.
Neurotrophins (NTs), once believed to be neural-specific trophic factors, are now known to also provide developmental cues to non-neural cells. In the ovary, NTs contribute to both the formation and ...development of follicles. Here we show that oocyte-specific deletion of the Ntrk2 gene that encodes the NTRK2 receptor (NTRK2) for neurotrophin-4/5 and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) results in post-pubertal oocyte death, loss of follicular organization, and early adulthood infertility. Oocytes lacking NTRK2 do not respond to gonadotropins with activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-AKT-mediated signaling. Before puberty, oocytes only express a truncated NTRK2 form (NTRK2.T1), but at puberty full-length (NTRK2.FL) receptors are rapidly induced by the preovulatory gonadotropin surge. A cell line expressing both NTRK2.T1 and the kisspeptin receptor (KISS1R) responds to BDNF stimulation with activation of Ntrk2 expression only if kisspeptin is present. This suggests that BDNF and kisspeptin that are produced by granulosa cells (GCs) of periovulatory follicles act in concert to mediate the effect of gonadotropins on Ntrk2 expression in oocytes. In keeping with this finding, the oocytes of NTRK2-intact mice fail to respond to gonadotropins with increased Ntrk2 expression in the absence of KISS1R. Our results demonstrate that the preovulatory gonadotropin surge promotes oocyte survival at the onset of reproductive cyclicity by inducing oocyte expression of NTRK2.FL receptors that set in motion an AKT-mediated survival pathway. They also suggest that gonadotropins activate NTRK2.FL expression via a dual communication pathway involving BDNF and kisspeptin produced in GCs and their respective receptors NTRK2.T1 and KISS1R expressed in oocytes.
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is often associated to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) due to influenza A/H1N1 virus infection. The profile of angiogenic and inflammatory factors in ARDS ...patients may be relevant for AKI. We analyzed the serum levels of several angiogenic factors, cytokines, and chemokines in 32 patients with A/H1N1 virus infection (17 with ARDS/AKI and 15 ARDS patients who did not developed AKI) and in 18 healthy controls. Significantly higher levels of VEGF, MCP-1, IL-6, IL-8 and IP-10 in ARDS/AKI patients were detected. Adjusting by confusing variables, levels of MCP-1 ≥150pg/mL (OR=12.0, p=0.04) and VEGF ≥225pg/mL (OR=6.4, p=0.03) were associated with the development of AKI in ARDS patients. Higher levels of MCP-1 and IP-10 were significantly associated with a higher risk of death in patients with ARDS (hazard ratio (HR)=10.0, p=0.02; HR=25.5, p=0.03, respectively) even taking into account AKI. Patients with influenza A/H1N1 infection and ARDS/AKI have an over-production of MCP-1, VEGF and IP-10 possibly contributing to kidney injury and are associated to a higher risk of death.
•AKI is often associated to ARDS due to influenza A/H1N1 virus infection.•We examine levels of inflammatory mediators in blood from patients with ARDS/AKI.•High levels of MCP-1 and VEGF are associated with AKI in ARDS patients.•High levels of MCP-1 and IP-10 are associated with mortality in ARDS patients.
•The paper aims at establishing the different ways in which economic and political institutions affect growth.•We use a mixture of regression models that allows for the endogenous determination of ...both the number of growth regimes and the variables that determines to which regime a country belongs.•We find that political institutions are a key determinant of regime membership, but have no direct impact on growth within regimes.•In contrast, economic institutions affect growth within regimes and are particularly important for countries with weak political institutions.
After a decade of research on the relationship between institutions and growth, there is no consensus about the exact way in which these two variables interact. In this paper we re-examine the role that institutions play in the growth process using data for developed and developing economies over the period 1975–2005. Our results indicate that the data is best described by an econometric model with two growth regimes. Political institutions are the key determinant of which regime an economy belongs to, while economic institutions have a direct impact on growth rates within each regime. These findings support the hypothesis that political institutions are one of the deep causes of growth, setting the stage in which economic institutions and standard covariates operate.
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