Dual-band and spectrally selective infrared absorbers based on hybrid gold-graphene metasurfaces.

In this paper, we propose a dual-band and spectrally selective infrared (IR) absorber based on a hybrid structure comprising a patterned graphene monolayer and cross-shaped gold resonators within a metasurface. Rooted in full-wave numerical simulations, our study shows that the fundamental absorption mode of the gold metasurface hybridizes with the graphene pattern, leading to a second absorptive mode whose properties depend on graphene's electrical properties and physical geometry. Specifically, the central operation band of the absorber is defined by the gold resonators whereas the relative absorption level and spectral separation between the two modes can be controlled by graphene's chemical potential and its pattern, respectively. We analyze this platform using coupled-mode theory to understand the coupling mechanism between these modes and to elucidate the emergence and tuning of the dual band response. The proposed dual-band device can operate at different bands across the IR spectrum and may open new possibilities for tailored sensing applications in spectroscopy, thermal imaging, and environmental monitoring.

Gut bacteriome and mood disorders in women with PCOS.

STUDY QUESTION: How does the gut bacteriome differ based on mood disorders (MDs) in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and how can the gut bacteriome contribute to the associations between these two conditions? SUMMARY ANSWER: Women with PCOS who also have MDs exhibited a distinct gut bacteriome with reduced alpha diversity and a significantly lower abundance of Butyricicoccus compared to women with PCOS but without MDs. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Women with PCOS have a 4- to 5-fold higher risk of having MDs compared to women without PCOS. The gut bacteriome has been suggested to influence the pathophysiology of both PCOS and MDs. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: This population-based cohort study was derived from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (NFBC1966), which includes all women born in Northern Finland in 1966. Women with PCOS who donated a stool sample at age 46 years (n = 102) and two BMI-matched controls for each case (n = 205), who also responded properly to the MD criteria scales, were included. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: A total of 102 women with PCOS and 205 age- and BMI-matched women without PCOS were included. Based on the validated MD criteria, the subjects were categorized into MD or no-MD groups, resulting in the following subgroups: PCOS no-MD (n = 84), PCOS MD (n = 18), control no-MD (n = 180), and control MD (n = 25). Clinical characteristics were assessed at age 31 years and age 46 years, and stool samples were collected from the women at age 46 years, followed by the gut bacteriome analysis using 16 s rRNA sequencing. Alpha diversity was assessed using observed features and Shannon's index, with a focus on genera, and beta diversity was characterized using principal components analysis (PCA) with Bray-Curtis Dissimilarity at the genus level. Associations between the gut bacteriome and PCOS-related clinical features were explored by Spearman's correlation coefficient. A P-value for multiple testing was adjusted with the Benjamini-Hochberg false discovery rate (FDR) method. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: We observed changes in the gut bacteriome associated with MDs, irrespective of whether the women also had PCOS. Similarly, PCOS MD cases showed a lower alpha diversity (Observed feature, PCOS no-MD, median 272; PCOS MD, median 208, FDR = 0.01; Shannon, PCOS no-MD, median 5.95; PCOS MD, median 5.57, FDR = 0.01) but also a lower abundance of Butyricicoccus (log-fold changeAnalysis of Compositions of Microbiomes with Bias Correction (ANCOM-BC)=-0.90, FDRANCOM-BC=0.04) compared to PCOS no-MD cases. In contrast, in the controls, the gut bacteriome did not differ based on MDs. Furthermore, in the PCOS group, Sutterella showed positive correlations with PCOS-related clinical parameters linked to obesity (BMI, r2=0.31, FDR = 0.01; waist circumference, r2=0.29, FDR = 0.02), glucose metabolism (fasting glucose, r2=0.46, FDR < 0.001; fasting insulin, r2=0.24, FDR = 0.05), and gut barrier integrity (zonulin, r2=0.25, FDR = 0.03). LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: Although this was the first study to assess the link between the gut bacteriome and MDs in PCOS and included the largest PCOS dataset for the gut microbiome analysis, the number of subjects stratified by the presence of MDs was limited when contrasted with previous studies that focused on MDs in a non-selected population. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: The main finding is that gut bacteriome is associated with MDs irrespective of the PCOS status, but PCOS may also modulate further the connection between the gut bacteriome and MDs. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): This research was funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Grant Agreement (MATER, No. 813707), the Academy of Finland (project grants 315921, 321763, 336449), the Sigrid Jusélius Foundation, Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF21OC0070372), grant numbers PID2021-12728OB-100 (Endo-Map) and CNS2022-135999 (ROSY) funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and ERFD A Way of Making Europe. The study was also supported by EU QLG1-CT-2000-01643 (EUROBLCS) (E51560), NorFA (731, 20056, 30167), USA/NIH 2000 G DF682 (50945), the Estonian Research Council (PRG1076, PRG1414), EMBO Installation (3573), and Horizon 2020 Innovation Grant (ERIN, No. EU952516). The funders did not participate in any process of the study. We have no conflicts of interest to declare. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: N/A.

Short-term impact of air pollution, noise and temperature on emergency hospital admissions in Madrid (Spain) due to liver and gallbladder diseases.

BACKGROUND: Very few epidemiological studies have explored the environmental and meteorological risk factors that influence liver diseases and gallbladder disorders, and no studies have addressed the specific case of Spain. METHODS: This is a retrospective ecological study conducted during 2013-2018. We analysed emergency admissions in the central area of the Region of Madrid for the following causes: Liver and gallbladder diseases (L&GB) (ICD-10: K70-K81); disorders of gallbladder (DGB) (ICD 10: K80-K81); liver disease (LD) (ICD 10: K70-K77); alcoholic liver disease (ALD) (ICD-10: K70); viral hepatitis (VH) (ICD10:B15-B19); and hepatic failure, not elsewhere classified (HFNS) (ICD-10: K72). Independent variables used: meteorological (maximum daily temperature (Tmax in °C), minimum daily temperature (Tmin in °C), and relative humidity (RH in %)); chemical air pollution (8-hO3, NO2, PM10, PM2.5 in µg/m3); and noise pollution (equivalent level of daily noise (Ld in dB(A)). Transformed variables: extreme heat in degrees (Theat); wet cold (WC); and high ozone. We fitted Poisson models, negative binomials and zero-inflated Poisson controlled for seasonality, day of the week, holidays, trend, and autoregressive trend. Based on these models, the percentage of cases attributable to statistically significant risk factors was then estimated. RESULTS: In L&GB emergency admissions daily noise is related to 4.4% (CI95%: 0.8 7.9) of admissions; NO2 to 2.9% (CI95%: 0.1 5.7) and wet cold to 0.2% (CI95%: 0.8 7.9). Heat wave temperature was only related to ALD. In addition, the wet cold association with L&GB is also related to HFNS attributing 1.0% (CI95%: 0.3 1.8) of admissions for this cause. CONCLUSIONS: Daily noise and NO2 are associated with more than 7% of urgent L&GB admissions. Both pollutants, are mainly emitted by road traffic. A reduction of traffic in cities would result in a reduction of emergency admissions due to this cause.

Association of tyrosine hydroxylase 01 (TH01) microsatellite and insulin gene (INS) variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) with type 2 diabetes and fasting insulin secretion in Mexican population.

PURPOSE: A variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) in the insulin gene (INS) control region may be involved in type 2 diabetes (T2D). The TH01 microsatellite is near INS and may regulate it. We investigated whether the TH01 microsatellite and INS VNTR, assessed via the surrogate marker single nucleotide polymorphism rs689, are associated with T2D and serum insulin levels in a Mexican population. METHODS: We analyzed a main case-control study (n = 1986) that used univariate and multivariate logistic regression models to calculate the risk conferred by TH01 and rs689 loci for T2D development; rs689 results were replicated in other case-control (n = 1188) and cross-sectional (n = 1914) studies. RESULTS: TH01 alleles 6, 8, 9, and 9.3 and allele A of rs689 were independently associated with T2D, with differences between sex and age at diagnosis. TH01 alleles with ≥ 8 repeats conferred an increased risk for T2D in males compared with ≤ 7 repeats (odds ratio, ≥ 1.46; 95% confidence interval, 1.1-1.95). In females, larger alleles conferred a 1.5-fold higher risk for T2D when diagnosed ≥ 46 years but conferred protection when diagnosed ≤ 45 years. Similarly, rs689 allele A was associated with T2D in these groups. In males, larger TH01 alleles and the rs689 A allele were associated with a significant decrease in median fasting plasma insulin concentration with age in T2D cases; the reverse occurred in controls. CONCLUSION: Larger TH01 alleles and rs689 A allele may potentiate insulin synthesis in males without T2D, a process disabled in those with T2D.

Lattice defects induced by microtubule-stabilizing agents exert a long-range effect on microtubule growth by promoting catastrophes.

Microtubules are dynamic cytoskeletal polymers that spontaneously switch between phases of growth and shrinkage. The probability of transitioning from growth to shrinkage, termed catastrophe, increases with microtubule age, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we set out to test whether microtubule lattice defects formed during polymerization can affect growth at the plus end. To generate microtubules with lattice defects, we used microtubule-stabilizing agents that promote formation of polymers with different protofilament numbers. By employing different agents during nucleation of stable microtubule seeds and the subsequent polymerization phase, we could reproducibly induce switches in protofilament number and induce stable lattice defects. Such drug-induced defects led to frequent catastrophes, which were not observed when microtubules were grown in the same conditions but without a protofilament number mismatch. Microtubule severing at the site of the defect was sufficient to suppress catastrophes. We conclude that structural defects within the microtubule lattice can exert effects that can propagate over long distances and affect the dynamic state of the microtubule end.

Gatorbulin-1, a distinct cyclodepsipeptide chemotype, targets a seventh tubulin pharmacological site.

Tubulin-targeted chemotherapy has proven to be a successful and wide spectrum strategy against solid and liquid malignancies. Therefore, new ways to modulate this essential protein could lead to new antitumoral pharmacological approaches. Currently known tubulin agents bind to six distinct sites at α/ß-tubulin either promoting microtubule stabilization or depolymerization. We have discovered a seventh binding site at the tubulin intradimer interface where a novel microtubule-destabilizing cyclodepsipeptide, termed gatorbulin-1 (GB1), binds. GB1 has a unique chemotype produced by a marine cyanobacterium. We have elucidated this dual, chemical and mechanistic, novelty through multidimensional characterization, starting with bioactivity-guided natural product isolation and multinuclei NMR-based structure determination, revealing the modified pentapeptide with a functionally critical hydroxamate group; and validation by total synthesis. We have investigated the pharmacology using isogenic cancer cell screening, cellular profiling, and complementary phenotypic assays, and unveiled the underlying molecular mechanism by in vitro biochemical studies and high-resolution structural determination of the α/ß-tubulin-GB1 complex.

Unraveling metabolic stress response in dairy cows: genetic control of plasma biomarkers throughout lactation and the transition period.

Breeding animals able to effectively respond to stress could be a long-term, sustainable, and affordable strategy to improve resilience and welfare in livestock systems. In the present study, the concentrations of 29 plasma biomarkers were used as candidate endophenotypes for metabolic stress response in single-SNP, gene- and haplotype-based GWAS using 739 healthy lactating Italian Holstein cows and 88,271 variants. Significant genetic associations were found in all the 3 GWAS approaches for plasma γ-glutamyl transferase concentration on BTA17, for paraoxonase on BTA4, and for alkaline phosphatase and zinc on BTA2. On these chromosomes, single-SNP and gene-based chromosome-wide association studies were performed, confirming GWAS findings. The signals identified for paraoxonase, γ-glutamyl transferase, and alkaline phosphatase were in proximity of the genes coding for them. The heritability of these 4 biomarkers ranged from moderate to high (from 0.39 to 0.54). Plasma biomarkers are known to undergo large changes in concentration during metabolic stress in the transition period, with an inter-individual variability in the rate of change and recovery time. Genetics may account in part for these differences. To assess this, we studied a subset of 139 periparturient cows homozygous at 3 SNPs known to be respectively associated with concentration of plasma ceruloplasmin, paraoxonase and γ-glutamyl transferase. We compared the immune-metabolic profile measured in plasma at -7, +5 and +30 d relative to calving between groups of opposite homozygotes. A significant effect of the genotype was found on paraoxonase and γ-glutamyl transferase plasma concentration at all the 3 time points. No evidence for genotype effect was detected for ceruloplasmin. Understanding the genetic control underlying metabolic stress response may suggest new approaches to foster resilience in dairy cows.

Global cross-cultural validation of a brief measure for identifying potential suicide risk in 42 countries.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the P4 suicide screener in a multinational sample. The primary goal was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the scale and investigate its convergent validity by analyzing its correlation with depression, anxiety, and substance use. STUDY DESIGN: The study design is a cross-sectional self-report study conducted across 42 countries. METHODS: A cross-sectional, self-report study was conducted in 42 countries, with a total of 82,243 participants included in the final data set. RESULTS: The study provides an overview of suicide ideation rates across 42 countries and confirms the structural validity of the P4 screener. The findings indicated that sexual and gender minority individuals exhibited higher rates of suicidal ideation. The P4 screener showed adequate reliability, convergence, and discriminant validity, and a cutoff score of 1 is recommended to identify individuals at risk of suicidal behavior. CONCLUSIONS: The study supports the reliability and validity of the P4 suicide screener across 42 diverse countries, highlighting the importance of using a cross-cultural suicide risk assessment to standardize the identification of high-risk individuals and tailoring culturally sensitive suicide prevention strategies.

52-Week Mid-term Efficacy of Tildrakizumab in Moderate-to-severe Psoriasis: A Real-life Multicenter Experience. / [Artículo traducido] Eficacia a medio plazo (52 semanas) de tildrakizumab en el tratamiento de la psoriasis moderada a severa: un estudio multicéntrico de práctica clínica.

Tildrakizumab is an IL-23-inhibitor that has been approved to treat plaque psoriasis. However, few reports have become available on its efficacy profile in the real-world. Our objective was to study the mid-term efficacy of tildrakizumab in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis in the Spanish routine clinical practice setting. This was a retrospective multicenter study that included a total of 91 psoriatic patients on tildrakizumab. The mean Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) was 9.09 (SD, 5.30). The overall tildrakizumab survival rate was 93.47% for a mean treatment exposure of 30.18 weeks (SD, 16.57). No drug discontinuation was associated with drug tolerability, or adverse reactions. Absolute PASI ≤3 was reached by 91.3% and 96.5% of the patients on weeks 28 and 52, respectively. Response was not impacted by weight, age (>65), metabolic syndrome, presence of arthritis, or previous number of biological therapies used. Based on our own experience tildrakizumab is an effective strategy to treat plaque psoriasis and difficult-to-treat-areas.

52-Week Mid-term Efficacy of Tildrakizumab in Moderate-to-severe Psoriasis: A Real-life Multicenter Experience.

Tildrakizumab is an IL-23-inhibitor that has been approved to treat plaque psoriasis. However, few reports have become available on its efficacy profile in the real-world. Our objective was to study the mid-term efficacy of tildrakizumab in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis in the Spanish routine clinical practice setting. This was a retrospective multicenter study that included a total of 91 psoriatic patients on tildrakizumab. The mean Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) was 9.09 (SD, 5.30). The overall tildrakizumab survival rate was 93.47% for a mean treatment exposure of 30.18 weeks (SD, 16.57). No drug discontinuation was associated with drug tolerability, or adverse reactions. Absolute PASI ≤3 was reached by 91.3% and 96.5% of the patients on weeks 28 and 52, respectively. Response was not impacted by weight, age (>65), metabolic syndrome, presence of arthritis, or previous number of biological therapies used. Based on our own experience tildrakizumab is an effective strategy to treat plaque psoriasis and difficult-to-treat-areas.

A comprehensive resilience assessment of Mexican tree species and their relationship with drought events over the last century.

The resilience of forests to drought events has become a major natural resource sustainability concern, especially in response to climate change. Yet, little is known about the legacy effects of repeated droughts, and tree species ability to respond across environmental gradients. In this study, we used a tree-ring database (121 sites) to evaluate the overall resilience of tree species to drought events in the last century. We investigated how climate and geography affected the response at the species level. We evaluated temporal trends of resilience using a predictive mixed linear modeling approach. We found that pointer years (e.g., tree growth reduction) occurred during 11.3% of the 20th century, with an average decrease in tree growth of 66% compared to the previous period. The occurrence of pointer years was associated with negative values of the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI, 81.6%) and Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI, 77.3%). Tree species differed in their resilience capacity, however, species inhabiting xeric conditions were less resistant but with higher recovery rates (e.g., Abies concolor, Pinus lambertiana, and Pinus jeffreyi). On average, tree species needed 2.7 years to recover from drought events, with extreme cases requiring more than a decade to reach pre-drought tree growth rates. The main abiotic factor related to resilience was precipitation, confirming that some tree species are better adapted to resist the effects of droughts. We found a temporal variation for all tree resilience indices (scaled to 100), with a decreasing resistance (-0.56 by decade) and resilience (-0.22 by decade), but with a higher recovery (+1.72 by decade) and relative resilience rate (+0.33 by decade). Our results emphasize the importance of time series of forest resilience, particularly by distinguishing the species-level response in the context of legacy of droughts, which are likely to become more frequent and intense under a changing climate.

Synthesis and Structure-Activity Relationship Studies of C(13)-Desmethylene-(-)-Zampanolide Analogs.

We describe the synthesis and biochemical and cellular profiling of five partially reduced or demethylated analogs of the marine macrolide (-)-zampanolide (ZMP). These analogs were derived from 13-desmethylene-(-)-zampanolide (DM-ZMP), which is an equally potent cancer cell growth inhibitor as ZMP. Key steps in the synthesis of all compounds were the formation of the dioxabicyclo[15.3.1]heneicosane core by an intramolecular HWE reaction (67-95 % yield) and a stereoselective aza-aldol reaction with an (S)-BINOL-derived sorbamide transfer complex, to establish the C(20) stereocenter (24-71 % yield). As the sole exception, for the 5-desmethyl macrocycle, ring-closure relied on macrolactonization; however, elaboration of the macrocyclization product into the corresponding zampanolide analog was unsuccessful. All modifications led to reduced cellular activity and lowered microtubule-binding affinity compared to DM-ZMP, albeit to a different extent. For compounds incorporating the reactive enone moiety of ZMP, IC50 values for cancer cell growth inhibition varied between 5 and 133 nM, compared to 1-12 nM for DM-ZMP. Reduction of the enone double bond led to a several hundred-fold loss in growth inhibition. The cellular potency of 2,3-dihydro-13-desmethylene zampanolide, as the most potent analog identified, remained within a ninefold range of that of DM-ZMP.

Maytansinol Functionalization: Towards Useful Probes for Studying Microtubule Dynamics.

Maytansinoids are a successful class of natural and semisynthetic tubulin binders, known for their potent cytotoxic activity. Their wider application as cytotoxins and chemical probes to study tubulin dynamics has been held back by the complexity of natural product chemistry. Here we report the synthesis of long-chain derivatives and maytansinoid conjugates. We confirmed that bulky substituents do not impact their high activity or the scaffold's binding mode. These encouraging results open new avenues for the design of new maytansine-based probes.

Maytansinol Functionalization: Towards Useful Probes for Studying Microtubule Dynamics.

Invited for the cover of this issue are the groups of Professors Passarella and Pieraccini at the University of Milan, in collaboration with some of the members of TubInTrain consortium. The image depicts work with the elements of nature, in particular the destabilising effect of maytansinol (the constellation) on microtubules (the trees). Read the full text of the article at 10.1002/chem.202203431.

Short-term impact of noise, other air pollutants and meteorological factors on emergency hospital mental health admissions in the Madrid region.

BACKGROUND: A number of environmental factors, such as air pollution, noise in urbanised settings and meteorological-type variables, may give rise to important effects on human health. In recent years, many studies have confirmed the relation between various mental disorders and these factors, with a possible impact on the increase in emergency hospital admissions due to these causes. The aim of this study was to analyse the impact of a range of environmental factors on daily emergency hospital admissions due to mental disorders in the Madrid Autonomous Region (MAR), across the period 2013-2018. METHODOLOGY: Longitudinal ecological time series study analysed by Generalised Linear Models with Poisson regression, with the dependent variable being daily Emergency Hospital Mental Health Admissions (EHMHA) in the MAR, and the independent variable being mean daily concentrations of chemical pollutants, noise levels and meteorological variables. RESULTS: EHMHA were related statistically significantly in the short term with diurnal noise levels. Relative risks (RRs) for total admissions due to mental disorders and self-inflicted injuries, in the case of diurnal noise was RR: 1.008 95%CI (1.003 1.013). Admissions attributable to diurnal noise account for 5.5% of total admissions across the study period. There was no association between hospital admissions and chemical air pollution. CONCLUSION: Noise is a variable that shows a statistically significant short-term association with EHMHA across all age groups in the MAR region. The results of this study may serve as a basis for drawing up public health guidelines and plans, which regard these variables as risk factors for mental disorders, especially in the case of noise, since this fundamentally depends on anthropogenic activities in highly urbanised areas with high levels of traffic density.

Short-term effects of air pollution and noise on emergency hospital admissions in Madrid and economic assessment.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to study the effect of air pollution and noise has on the population in Madrid Community (MAR) in the period 2013-2018, and its economic impact. METHODS: Time series study analysing emergency hospital admissions in the MAR due to all causes (ICD-10: A00-R99), respiratory causes (ICD-10: J00-J99) and circulatory causes (ICD-10: I00-I99) across the period 2013-2018. The main independent variables were mean daily PM2.5, PM10, NO2, 8-h ozone concentrations, and noise. We controlled for meteorological variables, Public Holidays, seasonality, and the trend and autoregressive nature of the series, and fitted generalised linear models with a Poisson regression link to ascertain the relative risks and attributable risks. In addition, we made an economic assessment of these hospitalisations. RESULTS: The following associations were found: NO2 with admissions due to natural (RR: 1.007, 95% CI: 1.004-1.011) and respiratory causes (RR: 1.012, 95% CI: 1.005-1.019); 8-h ozone with admissions due to natural (RR: 1.049, 95% CI: 1.014-1.046) and circulatory causes (RR: 1.088, 95% CI: 1.039-1.140); and diurnal noise (LAeq7-23h) with admissions due to natural (RR: 1.001, 95% CI: 1.001-1.002), respiratory (RR: 1.002, 95% CI: 1.001-1.003) and circulatory causes (RR: 1.003, 95% CI: 1.002-1.005). Every year, a total of 8246 (95% CI: 4580-11,905) natural-cause admissions are attributable to NO2, with an estimated cost of close on €120 million and 5685 (95% CI: 2533-8835) attributed to LAeq7-23h with an estimated cost of close on €82 million. CONCLUSIONS: Nitrogen dioxide, ozone and noise are the main pollutants to which a large number of hospitalisations in the MAR are attributed, and are thus responsible for a marked deterioration in population health and high related economic impact.

Short-term effects of tropospheric ozone and other environmental factors on emergency admissions due to pregnancy complications: A time-series analysis in the Madrid Region.

Air pollution has been linked to adverse neonatal outcomes, mainly in the case of prolonged exposures. This study focuses on the short-term effects on maternal health. We conducted a retrospective ecological time-series study in the Madrid Region covering the period 2013-2018. The independent variables were mean daily concentrations of tropospheric ozone (O3), particulate matter (PM10/PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), as well as noise levels. The dependent variables were daily emergency hospital admissions due to complications in pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium. Poisson generalised linear regression models were fitted to quantify the relative and attributable risks, controlling for trend, seasonality, the autoregressive nature of the series, and a number of meteorological factors. There were 318 069 emergency hospital admissions due to obstetric complications across the 2191 days of study. Of this total: 13 164 (95%CI: 9930-16 398) admissions were attributable to exposure to O3, the only pollutant to show a statistically significant (p < 0.05) association with admissions due to hypertensive disorders; and 10 575 (95%CI: 3573-17 566) admissions were attributable to daytime noise levels, while admissions due to hyperemesis gravidarum and vomiting were related to exposure to night noise. Other pollutants which also displayed statistically significant associations were: NO2 concentrations, with admissions due to vomiting and preterm labour; PM10 concentrations, with premature rupture of membranes: and PM2.5 concentrations, with total complications. Exposure to a range of air pollutants, and ozone in particular, is associated with a higher number of emergency hospital admissions due to gestational complications. Hence, surveillance of environmental effects on maternal health should be intensified, and plans and strategies to minimise these should be drawn up.

How heat waves, ozone and sunlight hours affect endocrine and metabolic diseases emergency admissions? A case study in the region of Madrid (Spain).

BACKGROUND: Studies which analyse the joint effect of acoustic or chemical air pollution variables and different meteorological variables on neuroendocrine disease are practically nonexistent. This study therefore sought to analyse the impact of air pollutants and environmental meteorological variables on daily unscheduled admissions due to endocrine and metabolic diseases in the Madrid Region from January 01, 2013 to December 31, 2018. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We conducted a longitudinal, retrospective, ecological study of daily time series analysed by Poisson regression, with emergency neuroendocrine-disease admissions in the Madrid Region as the dependent variable. The independent variables were: mean daily concentrations of PM10, PM2.5, NO2 and O3; acoustic pollution; maximum and minimum daily temperatures; hours of sunlight; relative humidity; wind speed; and air pressure above sea level. Estimators of the statistically significant variables were used to calculate the relative risks (RRs). RESULTS: A statistically significant association was found between the increase in temperatures in heat waves, RR: 1.123 95% CI (1.001-1.018), and the number of emergency admissions, making it the main risk factor. An association between a decrease in sunlight and an increase in hospital admissions, RR: 1.005 95% CI (1.002 1.008), was likewise observed. Similarly, ozone, in the form of mean daily concentrations in excess of 44 µg/m3, had an impact on admissions due to neuroendocrine disease, RR: 1.010 95% CI (1.007-1.035). The breakdown by sex showed that in the case of women, NO2 was also a risk factor, RR: 1.021 95% CI (1.007-1.035). CONCLUSION: The results obtained in this study serve to identify risk factors for this disease, such as extreme temperatures in heat waves, O3 or NO2. The robust association found between the decrease in sunlight and increase in hospital admissions due to neuroendocrine disease serves to spotlight an environmental factor which has received scant attention in public health until now.

Fecal microbiota composition is related to brown adipose tissue 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake in young adults.

OBJECTIVE: Human brown adipose tissue (BAT) has gained considerable attention as a potential therapeutic target for obesity and its related cardiometabolic diseases; however, whether the gut microbiota might be an efficient stimulus to activate BAT metabolism remains to be ascertained. We aimed to investigate the association of fecal microbiota composition with BAT volume and activity and mean radiodensity in young adults. METHODS: 82 young adults (58 women, 21.8 ± 2.2 years old) participated in this cross-sectional study. DNA was extracted from fecal samples and 16S rRNA sequencing was performed to analyse the fecal microbiota composition. BAT was determined via a static 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography-computed tomography scan (PET/CT) after a 2 h personalized cooling protocol. 18F-FDG uptake was also quantified in white adipose tissue (WAT) and skeletal muscles. RESULTS: The relative abundance of Akkermansia, Lachnospiraceae sp. and Ruminococcus genera was negatively correlated with BAT volume, BAT SUVmean and BAT SUVpeak (all rho ≤ - 0.232, P ≤ 0.027), whereas the relative abundance of Bifidobacterium genus was positively correlated with BAT SUVmean and BAT SUVpeak (all rho ≥ 0.262, P ≤ 0.012). On the other hand, the relative abundance of Sutterellaceae and Bifidobacteriaceae families was positively correlated with 18F-FDG uptake by WAT and skeletal muscles (all rho ≥ 0.213, P ≤ 0.042). All the analyses were adjusted for the PET/CT scan date as a proxy of seasonality. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that fecal microbiota composition is involved in the regulation of BAT and glucose uptake by other tissues in young adults. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings. CLINICAL TRIAL INFORMATION: ClinicalTrials.gov no. NCT02365129 (registered 18 February 2015).

Lateral wedge insoles and their use in ankle instability.

The aim of the present study is to assess the immediate effects of applying lateral wedge insoles of different heights (0.00, 0.3, 0.4, and 0.6 cm) in patients with chronic ankle instability (CAI) in normal and supinated feet during a Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) and in the reflex response of Peroneus Longus (PL), Peroneus Brevis (PB), and Tibialis Anterior (TA) over a 30° inversion of the feet. The effects of the height of the wedges were assessed using a double-blind, crossover design. In total, 25 participants were allocated into two groups, depending on the foot posture (Normal = 12, Supinated = 13) and performed the tests in a random fashion. Reaction time (RT) of stabilizing muscles of the ankle was measured using superficial electromyography (EMG) and postural balance with the SEBT. Foot posture did not show any significant effects on the analyzed variables. Nonetheless, the use of a 0.3 cm external rearfoot wedge (PB p = 0.002; PL p = 0.066 and TA p = 0.006) and 0.6 cm (PB p = 0.043; PL p = 0.058 and TA p = 0.071) reduces RT in stabilizing muscles of the ankle and improves results in SEBT, except for the anterolateral direction, in subjects with CAI. Therefore, our results suggest that the use of lateral wedge insoles could reduce RT and improve dynamic balance in chronic ankle instability.