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Background Community-acquired pneumonia frequently constitutes a nonsevere infection manageable at home. However, for these low-risk episodes, the epidemiological features have not been carefully analyzed. Objectives To determine the cause of nonsevere community-acquired pneumonia and to investigate if a correlation exists between cause and severity or comorbidity. Methods During a 3-year period, all patients with nonsevere community-acquired pneumonia, according to the Pneumonia Patient Outcome Research Team prognostic classification (patients in groups 1-3), were included in the study. Causes were investigated through the following procedures: cultures of blood, sputum, and pleural fluid; serologic tests; and polymerase chain reaction methods to detect Streptococcus pneumoniae DNA in whole blood or Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydia pneumoniae DNA in throat swab specimens. Results Of 317 initially included patients, 247 were eligible for the study. A microbial diagnosis was obtained in 162 patients (66%), and the main pathogens detected were S pneumoniae (69 patients [28%]), M pneumoniae (40 patients [16%]), and C pneumoniae (28 patients [11%]). For the 58 patients in prognostic group 1, M pneumoniae was the most prevalent cause, and atypical microorganisms constituted 40 (69%) of the isolated agents. In contrast, for patients in prognostic groups 2 and 3, S pneumoniae was the leading agent, and a significant reduction of M pneumoniae cases and a greater presence of other more uncommon pathogens were observed. The existence of comorbid conditions was not a determining factor for particular causes. Conclusions Among low-risk patients with community-acquired pneumonia, there was a certain correlation between severity and cause. In contrast, the existence of a comorbidity did not have a predictive causative value.

Editor—Retinitis pigmentosa (RP, MIM 268000) is the most frequent form of retinal dystrophy world wide. The clinical findings are night blindness and narrowing of the visual field. Examination of the fundus of the eye in RP patients usually shows bone spicula pigmentation of the retina, waxy pallor of the optic disc, attenuation of the retinal blood vessels, and no results detectable by electroretinogram.1 RP shows notable allelic and non-allelic heterogeneity2(RET-GEN-NET htp://www.sph.uth.tm.edu/Retnet/home.htm). By using classical linkage strategies and the direct and indirect candidate gene approach, the number of RP loci identified has grown increasingly since 1989 and to date more than 30 autosomal RP loci have been identified, including syndromic and non-syndromic forms of the disease. Autosomal recessive RP (ARRP) is the commonest form of RP and to date at least 13 independent ARRP loci have been identified.3-15 Our group proposed the hypothesis that the alteration of functions related to neurotransmission in the external plexiform layer of the retina could be related to RP.14 In order to test this model, we used homozygosity mapping to analyse different genes involved in retinal neurotransmission. Using this indirect candidate gene approach, we identified the locus RP25 in an important subgroup of ARRP patients from our cohort. In fact, around 14% of the ARRP families from southern Spain showed linkage to RP25. 14 RP25 is an ARRP locus located on the long arm of chromosome 6 between markers D6S257 and D6S1644 (MIM 602772). This chromosomal region contains the GABRR1 and GABRR2 genes, both being expressed in the retina. These genes encode the rho1 and rho2 subunits of the C type receptor for γ-aminobutyric acid (GABAc receptor).16 17The GABAc …

Two methods are proposed to evaluate rust and eye spot disease resistance in sugarcane using biochemical criteria. Eye spot disease resistance is easily evaluated by a fast conductimetric bioassay of high sensitivity. If desired, the conductimetric values may be converted into grades of field resistance by means of a regression graph based on standard varieties. The main advantages of this method art it's complete objectivity, reproducibility and independence of climatic conditions. It was also found that susceptibility of sugarcane to rust can be recognized very early in the infection process by a striking increment of peroxidase activity. The simplicity of this enzyme reaction, which can easily be automated and the speed of detection during infection are discussed as an option for rust resistance evaluation.

ResumenEl objetivo de la presente investigación fue estudiar el comportamiento del proceso de fermentación de cerveza artesanal mediante un modelo matemático dinámico. El modelo contiene las tasas de cambio de las variables de estado concentración de glucosa, maltosa y maltotriosa. La variable de salida es la concentración de etanol y como variable auxiliar contempla la concentración de biomasa (levaduras). Este modelo fue programado en el ambiente Matlab-Simulink y para su integración numérica se utilizó el método de Dormand-Prince de cuarto grado con tamaño de paso de integración variable y una tolerancia relativa de 10−8. Para conocer sus parámetros más importantes se realizó un análisis de sensibilidad local. Además se llevó a cabo un experimento para producir cerveza artesanal a una temperatura constante (21°C). Se implementaron 14 unidades experimentales (fermentadores) con las mismas condiciones iniciales. De cada fermentador, se midieron las concentraciones de las variables de estado incluidas en el modelo matemático. Usando los resultados experimentales el modelo se calibró mediante los algoritmos de optimización mínimos cuadrados no lineales y evolución diferencial. De acuerdo con las estadísticas sesgo (BIAS), coeficiente de correlación (r), raíz cuadrada del cuadrado medio (RMSE), error medio absoluto (MAE) y eficiencia de modelación (EF) se encontró un buen ajuste entre las predicciones del modelo y las mediciones de las variables de estado después de la estimación de los parámetros.AbstractThe goal of the current research was to study the behavior of the fermentation process of home-made beer using a mathematical dynamic model. The model contains the rates of change of the concentration state variables of glucose, maltose and maltotriose. An output variable is the ethanol concentration and an auxiliary variable is the biomass (yeast) concentration. The model was programmed in the Matlab-Simulink environment, and for its numerical integration Dormand-Prince method of fourth order with a variable integration step size and a relative tolerance of 10−8 was used. In order to know which model parameters are more important, a local sensitivity analysis was carried out. Furthermore, an experiment was performed to produce home-made beer at constant temperature (21°C). Fourteen experimental units (fermenters) with the same initial conditions were implemented. Using the experimental results the model was calibrated by nonlinear least squares and differential evolution algorithms. According to the statistics bias (BIAS), correlation coefficient (r), squared root of mean squared error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE) and the efficiency of modeling (EF), a good fit between the model predictions and measurements were found after the model parameters estimation.

Objectives Alzheimer's disease (AD) affects people worldwide, and the prevalence is increasing as the population ages. There is an international effort to understand the biology of AD to develop primary and secondary prevention strategies, and to develop effective therapeutic interventions for individuals who are already symptomatic. One of the critically important pieces of all national plans to address AD is the call for the development of service models to deliver quality, effective care based on the best evidence available. Methods We describe one type of care model developed by the Fundacio ACE, Institut Catala de Neurociencies Aplicades (Fundacio ACE, Barcelona, Spain) that integrates diagnosis, therapy, follow-up care, daycare, and a day hospital, and does so in the context of an active clinical research and educational program. Results There were 13,048 individuals newly evaluated and diagnosed in Fundacio ACE between 1996 and 2011. Of these, 6132 had AD (47.0%), 3871 had mild cognitive impairment (MCI) (29.7%), and 1958 had no cognitive impairment (15.0%). Follow-up information is available on 4735 (47.3%) AD and MCI patients, and these data indicate that MCI develops into dementia at a rate of 222.6/1000 person-years. Apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotyping was available in 22.4% of the patients. The e4 allele occurred in 45.7% of the AD patients, in 37.8% of the MCI subjects, and in 31.6% of those without cognitive impairment. Conclusions Fundacio ACE can serve as a model system that can be adapted to other settings within their specific cultural, governmental, and legal constraints.

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is the most common inherited retinal dystrophy, with extensive allelic and nonallelic genetic heterogeneity. Autosomal recessive RP (arRP) is the most common form of RP worldwide, with at least nine loci known and accountable for approximately 10%-15% of all cases. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the major inhibitory transmitter in the CNS. Different GABA receptors are expressed in all retinal layers, and inhibition mediated by GABA receptors in the human retina could be related to RP. We have selected chromosomal regions containing genes that encode the different subunits of the GABA receptors, for homozygosity mapping in inbred families affected by arRP. We identify a new locus for arRP, on chromosome 6, between markers D6S257 and D6S1644. Our data suggest that 10%-20% of Spanish families affected by typical arRP could have linkage to this new locus. This region contains subunits GABRR1 and GABRR2 of the GABA-C receptor, which is the effector of lateral inhibition at the retina.

Continuous administration of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogues (GnRHa) in patients stimulated for the purpose of IVF might have a direct effect on the ovary. We have evaluated the IVF outcome of patients treated with Buserelin and subsequently with a combination of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and human menopausal gonadotrophin (HMG). Patients were divided into three groups according to the number of oocytes obtained by transvaginal ultrasound-guided follicular aspiration: group 1 (n = 35), in which 1-5 oocytes were retrieved; group 2 (n = 30), in whom 6-10 oocytes were obtained; group 3 (n = 32), in whom greater than or equal to 11 oocytes were collected. Only couples with normal semen samples at oocyte retrieval were included in this study. The dose of Buserelin employed was not different between groups. However, the amount of FSH/HMG necessary to reach an optimal response significantly (P less than 0.01) decreased as follicular development increased. The quality of the oocytes obtained was evaluated based on the appearance of the oocyte-corona-cumulus complex, fertilization rate, morphological appearance of the embryos, and implantation rate. The fertilization rate was significantly (P less than 0.01) decreased in group 3 (57.2%) in comparison with groups 1 (77.1%) and 2 (74.2%). There was no significant difference between the groups in the quality of the embryos obtained or the quality of those replaced into the uterus. The implantation rate per embryo transferred was significantly (P less than 0.05) higher in group 1 (16.5%) in comparison with groups 2 (6.6%) and 3 (8.2%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD) deficiency is the most common hereditary defect of fatty acid oxidation in humans. This deficiency is an autosomal recessive disorder clinically characterized by episodic hypoglycemia, encephalopathy, apnea, and sudden death among children (1). A single A-to-G nucleotide transition at position 985 (nt c985 A→G) of the MCAD gene represents >81% of alleles causing MCAD deficiency (2). The frequency of this allele variant exhibits considerable geographical variation with a high prevalence in Northern Europeans (3). PCR-based technologies are now widely used for the identification of the nt c985 A→G mutation for the MCAD deficiency (4)(5); however, they involve multiple steps and are time-consuming. We used …

Los objetivos de esta investigación fueron determinar los modelos más apropiados para la evaluación genética de variables de crecimiento de bovinos Tropicarne, y su impacto en la estimación de parámetros genéticos y la jerarquización de sementales. Las variables evaluadas (n=1141 a 1523) fueron los pesos al nacimiento (PN), al destete (PD), al año (PA) y a los 18 meses (P18M), y las ganancias de peso del destete al año (GDA) y del destete a los 18 meses de edad (GD18M), en bovinos nacidos de 1977 a 1998. La selección del modelo se inició con un modelo animal univariado completo, que incluyó los efectos fijos de rancho-año-estación-sexo, y las covariables edad de la vaca, proporción de genes Tropicarne, y PD para GDA y GD18M; y como aleatorios los efectos genéticos directo y materno, la covarianza entre éstos y el ambiente permanente de la vaca. Posteriormente, se suprimió uno de estos efectos a la vez, finalizando con el modelo que sólo incluyó el efecto genético directo. La comparación de modelos se realizó con la prueba de proporción de verosimilitudes. Adicionalmente, se compararon los parámetros genéticos obtenidos con los modelos y se estimaron los coeficientes de correlación de rango (r) Spearman entre los valores genéticos de los sementales, predichos con el modelo completo y los otros modelos evaluados. El mejor modelo dependió de la variable en estudio. Los mejores modelos consideraron los efectos genéticos directo y materno para PN, PD y PA, más la covarianza entre éstos para PN; para GDA y GD18M incluyó sólo el efecto genético directo, y para P18M el efecto genético directo más el de ambiente permanente de la vaca. Las diferencias en los estimadores de los parámetros genéticos utilizando los diferentes modelos, podrían resultar en cambios en la jerarquización de los animales. Los valores de r entre los valores genéticos predichos con el modelo completo y el seleccionado variaron de 0.95 a 0.99. Se recomienda seleccionar el modelo más adecuado previamente a la evaluación genética de los bovinos.

El objetivo fue evaluar la bondad de ajuste de 16 ecuaciones para ajustar curvas de lactancia en seis genotipos bovinos. Se analizaron registros semanales o mensuales de producción de leche de vacas Pardo Suizo Americano (n=826 lactancias), Bos indicus (BI, n=52), ¾BI¼Bos taurus (BT, n=507), ½BI½BT (n=462), BIBT (n=167) y ¼BI¾BT (n=62). Los parámetros de las ecuaciones se estimaron, para cada lactancia individual, por regresión lineal y no lineal, y las comparaciones se realizaron con base en los cuadrados medios de residuales, mediante la jerarquización dentro de genotipo utilizando la prueba de Suma de Rangos de Friedman. Otros criterios adicionales fueron la proporción de casos con producción de leche diaria anormal y los casos con autocorrelación positiva. Existieron diferencias (P

[spa] El modo en que se concibe el ejercicio de la parentalidad ha cambiado sustancialmente en nuestra sociedad. Ello no sólo se debe a la gran variedad de formas familiares y diversidad de culturas que conviven actualmente en su seno, sino también a un cambio conceptual que afecta al núcleo básico de la tarea parental. Nos referimos a la necesidad de sustituir el concepto de autoridad parental, centrado únicamente en la necesidad de lograr metas de obediencia y disciplina en los hijos e hijas, por otro más complejo y demandante como es el concepto de responsabilidad parental. Según este concepto, la cuestión clave no es si las figuras parentales deben ejercer la autoridad para que sus hijos/as les obedezcan, sino cómo ejercerla de modo responsable para que se preserven los derechos de los mismos, sin menoscabar los de padres y madres, y se fomenten sus capacidades críticas y de participación en el proceso de socialización, al mismo tiempo que se promueve progresivamente su autonomía y contribución a la vida comunitaria. Ante este cambio cualitativo en la manera de entender las responsabilidades parentales, se alzan muchas voces de desánimo entre los propios padres y madres, quienes en ocasiones se ven impotentes en su tarea al no saber cómo actuar para lograr metas educativas tan complejas y sentir, al mismo tiempo, que están perdiendo capacidades de control sobre sus hijos e hijas. En otras ocasiones, el desánimo y el estrés ante la tarea parental no surge por no saber llevarla a cabo sino por no poder hacerlo adecuadamente debido a la situación de la persona que educa en solitario o en pareja sin contar con redes de apoyo apropiadas. Esto crea situaciones límite que repercuten negativamente en todos y cada uno de los miembros de la familia, especialmente en los más vulnerables., [eng] Our conception of what parenting should look like has changed considerably in our society. This is due not only to the large variety of family structures and the diversity of cultures that currently co-exist in our society, but also to a shift in mindset that touches the very heart of the parenting task. This can be expressed as the need to replace the concept of parental authority, which focuses solely on meeting aims related to the child’s obedience and discipline, with the much more complex and demanding concept of parental responsibility. Here, the key question is not whether the parent figure should exert the necessary authority to ensure a child’s obedience. Rather, it is about how this authority can be exerted responsibly in a way that protects the child’s rights - without of course neglecting the mother’s and father’s rights - and that fosters the child’s skills in critical thinking and participation in the socialisation process, while at the same time progressively fostering the child’s autonomy and contribution to community life. There has been much concern expressed in response to this qualitative shift in how a parent’s responsibilities are viewed, including amongst mothers and fathers themselves. Parents often feel powerless to act, as they do not know how to achieve such complex parenting goals, and feel like they are losing control over their children. Other times, feelings of discouragement and stress arise not because parents do not how to go about the task of parenting, but rather because they find themselves unable to do so, as may be the case for single parents or couples raising children without the necessary support networks. This can lead to extreme situations which can have a negative impact on the entire family, and especially its most vulnerable members.

SummaryRecent data from animal models indicate that the eNOS null mice present a phenotype that resemble the human metabolic syndrome (hypertension, insulin resistance and hypertriglyceridemia). In this work, we have studied whether NOS3 gene, previously related to endothelial dysfunction, might have a role in metabolic syndrome susceptibility in hypertensive patients. To carry out the study, we genotyped 105 hypertensive patients ≤ 60 years old with two polymorphisms of NOS3 gene: 1132 T>C and 7164 G>T (GeneBank:AF519768.1).To check the allelic frequency of these polymorphisms in our geographical area, we also genotyped 94 unselected healthy controls (control group). To perform sample genotyping, we designed a novel FRET system coupled to real time PCR. There were no differences in genotypic distribution or allelic frequency between hypertensive patients and the control group. However, we observed that 786CC genotype was significantly more frequent in hypertensive patients with metabolic syndrome than in those without the syndrome (p=0.0022). When both polymorphisms were analyzed, we identified the 786C894G as the risk haplotype for metabolic syndrome susceptibility (p=0.011). These data suggest a role of the NOS3 gene in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome in hypertensive patients.

Background The etiology of complex diseases is due to the combination of genetic and environmental factors, usually many of them, and each with a small effect. The identification of these small-effect contributing factors is still a demanding task. Clearly, there is a need for more powerful tests of genetic association, and especially for the identification of rare effects Results We introduce a new genetic association test based on symbolic dynamics and symbolic entropy. Using a freely available software, we have applied this entropy test, and a conventional test, to simulated and real datasets, to illustrate the method and estimate type I error and power. We have also compared this new entropy test to the Fisher exact test for assessment of association with low-frequency SNPs. The entropy test is generally more powerful than the conventional test, and can be significantly more powerful when the genotypic test is applied to low allele-frequency markers. We have also shown that both the Fisher and Entropy methods are optimal to test for association with low-frequency SNPs (MAF around 1-5%), and both are conservative for very rare SNPs (MAF Conclusions We have developed a new, simple, consistent and powerful test to detect genetic association of biallelic/SNP markers in case-control data, by using symbolic dynamics and symbolic entropy as a measure of gene dependence. We also provide a standard asymptotic distribution of this test statistic. Given that the test is based on entropy measures, it avoids smoothed nonparametric estimation. The entropy test is generally as good or even more powerful than the conventional and Fisher tests. Furthermore, the entropy test is more computationally efficient than the Fisher's Exact test, especially for large number of markers. Therefore, this entropy-based test has the advantage of being optimal for most SNPs, regardless of their allele frequency (Minor Allele Frequency (MAF) between 1-50%). This property is quite beneficial, since many researchers tend to discard low allele-frequency SNPs from their analysis. Now they can apply the same statistical test of association to all SNPs in a single analysis., which can be especially helpful to detect rare effects.

Context Obesity is a multifactorial disorder, that is, a disease determined by the combined effect of genes and environment. In this context, polygenic approaches are needed. Objective To investigate the possibility of the existence of a crosstalk between the CALPAIN 10 homologue CALPAIN 5 and nuclear receptors of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors family. Design Cross-sectional, genetic association study and gene-gene interaction analysis. Subjects The study sample comprise 1953 individuals, 725 obese (defined as body mass index ≥ 30) and 1228 non obese subjects. Results In the monogenic analysis, only the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta (PPARD) gene was associated with obesity (OR = 1.43 [1.04–1.97], p = 0.027). In addition, we have found a significant interaction between CAPN5 and PPARD genes (p = 0.038) that reduces the risk for obesity in a 55%. Conclusion Our results suggest that CAPN5 and PPARD gene products may also interact in vivo.

Tesis doctoral inédita leída en la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Facultad de Formación de Profesorado y Educación. Departamento de Didáctica y Teoría de la Educación. Fecha de lectura: 20-12-2017, La mayoría de los países han establecido una serie de políticas públicas tendientes a lograr una mejora en el ámbito educativo, por tanto, esta investigación tiene como finalidad examinar desde un método cualitativo las gestiones del gobierno colombiano en las instituciones educativas oficiales a nivel secundario y determinar si la implementación de estas son elementos claves para conseguir una buena formación en competencias digitales, para mejorar la calidad educativa y promover la inclusión en las aulas, para esto, se planteó como objetivo caracterizar la implementación, los efectos (eficacia) y alcances de estas políticas en la calidad de la Educación y TIC a través de las percepciones de 500 estudiantes y 5 rectores; y nivel de satisfacción de 7 coordinadores. Para la muestra se utilizaron 2 modelos de encuestas y una de entrevista cualitativa semiestructurada AdHoc. Posteriormente se hizo un análisis estadístico con el programa SPSS y la rejilla categoría de datos emergentes. Al realizar el cruce de categorías y subcategorías, revisar los niveles de significación y construir una triangulación, se concluyó que existe una considerada incidencia de la implementación de las políticas en la educación y que los participantes perciben las políticas como relevantes pero sin repercusiones contundentes. Asimismo, se determinó que los avances en los colegios no han sido muy notorios ni dentro ni fuera de las aulas. Se recomienda que el diseño, implementación y seguimiento de las políticas se basen en realidades existentes y no en una planificación alejada del entorno educativo.