Exposure to mercury among 9-year-old Spanish children: Associated factors and trend throughout childhood
Mercury is considered a neurotoxicant and human exposure occurs mainly from the consumption of marine species. We aimed to describe total mercury concentrations (THg) and associated factors in 9-year old children, as well as to explore the trend in THg from 4 to 9 years of age. The study population consisted of 9-year-old children participating in the INMA (Environment and Childhood) birth cohort study in Valencia, Spain (n = 405, 2013–2014). THg in hair samples was measured by atomic absorption spectrometry at the age of 4 and 9 years. Sociodemographic and dietary data was obtained through questionnaires. Multiple linear regression was used to explore the association between THg and covari…
Procedimento estratégico em três estágios de seleção de variáveis para a obtenção de resultados equilibrados na pesquisa em saúde pública
Multidisciplinary research in public health is approached using methods from many scientific disciplines. One of the main characteristics of this type of research is dealing with large data sets. Classic statistical variable selection methods, known as “screen and clean”, and used in a single-step, select the variables with greater explanatory weight in the model. These methods, commonly used in public health research, may induce masking and multicollinearity, excluding relevant variables for the experts in each discipline and skewing the result. Some specific techniques are used to solve this problem, such as penalized regressions and Bayesian statistics, they offer more balanced results a…
Food Allergy Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices: A Pilot Study of the General Public and Food Handlers
Objective: We have assessed the factors that might improve the free food allergen at the restaurants. In addition, we have compared food handlers knowledge with the general public knowledge about food allergens. Design: Cross-sectional, via questionnaires. Participants: A total of 182 participants (80 food handlers and 102 of general public). Main Outcome Measures: Dependent variables: Food allergy knowledge, attitudes and practices. Analysis: The analysis of variance (ANOVA) and independent t-test. Questionnaires were hand coded and data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 19.0. Results: The survey showed that food handlers and general public had some …
Urinary Arsenic Species and Methylation Efficiency During Pregnancy: Concentrations and Associated Factors in Spanish Pregnant Women
Background: Arsenic (As) is considered to be toxic for humans, the main routes of exposure being through drinking water and the diet. Once ingested, inorganic arsenic can be methylated sequentially to monomethyl and dimethyl arsenicals. Several factors can affect both As exposure and methylation efficiency. Objectives: To describe the urinary concentrations of the different As species and evaluate the methylation effi-ciency during pregnancy, as well as their associated factors in a birth cohort of pregnant Spanish women. Methods: Participants in this cross-sectional study were 1017 pregnant women from two areas of Spain who had taken part in the INMA (Environment and Childhood) project (20…
Neutron capture cross section measurements for nuclear astrophyisics at CERN n_TOF
A series of neutron capture cross section measurements of interest to nuclear astrophysics have been recently performed at n_TOF, the neutron spallation source operating at CERN. The low repetition frequency of the proton beam driver, the extremely high instantaneous neutron flux, and the low background conditions in the experimental area are optimal for capture cross section measurements on low-mass or radioactive samples. An overview of the measurements performed during the two experimental campaigns in 2002 and 2003 is presented with special emphasis on the measurement of the capture cross sections of the Os isotopes relevant for the cosmochronology based on the Re/Os clock. http://www.s…
A genetic algorithm for the minimum generating set problem
Graphical abstractDisplay Omitted HighlightsWe propose a novel formulation for the MGS problem based on multiple knapsack.The so-conceived MGS problem is solved by a novel GA.The GA embeds an intelligent construction method and specialized crossover operators.We perform a thorough comparison with regards to state-of-the-art algorithms.The proposal proves to be very competitive, specially for large and hard instances. Given a set of positive integers S, the minimum generating set problem consists in finding a set of positive integers T with a minimum cardinality such that every element of S can be expressed as the sum of a subset of elements in T. It constitutes a natural problem in combinat…
Dietary Assesment of Free-Living Elderly Spanish People with Disabilities.
Nutritional research in elderly disabled is difficult in noninstitutionalized people. The dietary intake of a noninstitutionalized disabled population of the eastern region of Spain was evaluated to detect possible nutritional deviations. A total of 329 participants aged 65 and over were recruited. Most participants were overweight. Carbohydrates did not reach 50% of total Kcal/day. Insufficient micronutrient intakes and high consumption of simple carbohydrates and saturated fats (SFA) were found. A decreasing trend of water intake (p < .05) as well as an increasing trend of alcohol consumption (p < .05) with increasing age was found. The area of residence had a relevant impact on nutrition…
Professional counseling in women with serious mental illness: achieving a shift toward a more effective contraceptive method.
Mental disorders in reproductive-aged women have significant implications for the risk of unintended pregnancies. The objective of this study is to assess the professional counseling in clinical practice based on motivational interview in women with serious mental illness (SMI) in order to achieve a change to a more effective contraceptive method.A prospective observational cohort study (2012-2017) was conducted in a convenience sample of women with severe-moderate psychiatric disorders (After evidence-based counseling, 51.6% of participants changed their contraceptive method to a more effective one. This change was associated with gender violence (β coefficient = 1.58,Evidence-based contra…
Results of the 1999 H8 beam tests of ATLAS-SCT prototypes
Abstract During the August–September 1999 test beam in H8 at CERN three half-modules, equipped with different types of fast binary Front End electronics, have been tested. The results indicate that all three SCT electronics candidates satisfy ATLAS efficiency and noise occupancy requirements. In addition, a study on the effect of detector bias voltage on efficiency (ballistic deficit) is reported.
Spatial learning and long-term memory impairments in RasGrf1 KO, Pttg1 KO, and double KO mice
© 2018 The Authors.
Exposure to metals and metalloids among pregnant women from Spain: Levels and associated factors
This study was funded by Grants from EU (FP7-ENV-2011 cod 282957 and HEALTH.2010.2.4.5-1); Spain: ISCIII (Red INMA G03/176, CB06/02/0041; FIS-FEDER: PI03/1615, PI04/1509, PI04/1112, PI04/1931, PI05/1079, PI05/1052, PI06/0867, PI06/1213, PI07/0314, PI09/00090, PI09/02647, PI11/01007, PI11/02591, PI11/02038, PI13/1944, PI13/2032, PI13/02187, PI14/00891, PI14/01687, PI16/1288, PI17/00663, PI18/01142 and PI19/1338; Miguel Servet FEDER MS15/00025, MS20/0006, CPII16/00051, and FIS-FSE: 17/00260); CIBERESP; Generalitat Valenciana: FISABIO (UGP 15-230, UGP-15-244, and UGP-15-249), AICO/2020/285, and Alicia Koplowitz Foundation 2017; Generalitat de Catalunya-CIRIT 1999SGR 00241; Department of Health…
Neutron cross section measurements at n_TOF for ADS related estudies
A neutron Time-of-Flight facility (n_TOF) is available at CERN since 2001. The innovative features of the neutron beam, in particular the high instantaneous flux, the wide energy range, the high resolution and the low background, make this facility unique for measurements of neutron induced reactions relevant to the field of Emerging Nuclear Technologies, as well as to Nuclear Astrophysics and Fundamental Nuclear Physics. The scientific motivations that have led to the construction of this new facility are here presented. The main characteristics of the n_TOF neutron beam are described, together with the features of the experimental apparata used for cross-section measurements. The main res…
A portable telescope based on the ALIBAVA system for test beam studies
Abstract A test beam telescope has been built using the ALIBAVA system to drive its data acquisition. The basic telescope planes consist of four XYT stations. Each station is built from a detector board with two strip sensors, mounted one in each side (strips crossing at 90°). The ensemble is coupled to an ALIBAVA daughter board. These stations act as reference frame and allow a precise track reconstruction. The system is triggered by the coincidence signal of the two scintillators located up and down stream. The telescope can hold several devices under tests. Each ALIBAVA daughter board is linked to its corresponding mother board. The system can hold up to 16 mother boards. A master board …
Estudios clínicos sobre la enfermedad celíaca (2014-2019): revisión sistemática de la prevalencia de la presentación clínica y enfermedades asociadas por edades
Introducción: La enfermedad celíaca (EC) se caracteriza por una gran variedad de signos, síntomas y enfermedades asociadas en su forma de presentación, incluso puede cursar de forma asintomática. Recientes estudios muestran la variación del espectro clínico según la edad. En niños y niñas pequeñas predomina la forma clásica con síntomas como distensión abdominal, disminución del apetito, diarrea y pérdida de peso. Las manifestaciones atípicas frecuentes en niños mayores son dolor abdominal, estreñimiento, reflujo, vómitos, fatiga, talla baja. En adultos se observa una reducción de la forma de presentación clásica e incremento de la no clásica.Material y métodos: Se realizó una revisión sist…
Prenatal manganese exposure and neuropsychological development in early childhood in the INMA cohort.
Abstract Introduction Manganese (Mn) is an essential element, diet being its main source. Some epidemiological studies have found that a prenatal excess of Mn could negatively affect neuropsychological development during infancy, but the evidence is inconclusive. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between maternal serum Mn concentrations and child neuropsychological development assessed at 1 year of age. Methods study subjects were 1179 mother–child pairs from two Spanish cohorts (Valencia and Gipuzkoa) of the INMA (Environment and Childhood) Project. Mn was measured in serum samples collected during the first trimester of pregnancy. Child neuropsychological development w…
GRASP with exterior path-relinking and restricted local search for the multidimensional two-way number partitioning problem
In this work, we tackle multidimensional two-way number partitioning (MDTWNP) problem by combining GRASP with Exterior Path Relinking. In the last few years, the combination of GRASP with path relinking (PR) has emerged as a highly effective tool for finding high-quality solutions for several difficult problems in reasonable computational time. However, in most of the cases, this hybridisation is limited to the variant known as interior PR. Here, we couple GRASP with the "exterior form" of path relinking and perform extensive experimentation to evaluate this variant. In addition, we enhance our GRASP with PR method with a novel local search method specially designed for the MDTWNP problem. …
Serum metal levels in a population of Spanish pregnant women
Objective: To describe serum levels of calcium, copper, selenium, magnesium, iron and zinc and evaluate their relationship with maternal socio-demographic characteristics and dietary variables in women in the first trimester of pregnancy. Method: Cross-sectional study with 1279 participants from the INMA cohorts. Results: The concentrations of the elements analyzed were within the normal range. Associations with higher levels of these metals were found for calcium with white meat intake (p = 0.026), for cop-per with excess body weight (p 71 g/day) (p = 0.014) and having been born in Spain (p = 0.001). Further, lower iron levels were associated with being overweight (p = 0.021) or obese (p <…
Bioaccessibility and bioavailability of bioactive compounds from yellow mustard flour and milk whey fermented with lactic acid bacteria.
Microbial fermentation with lactic acid bacteria (LAB) is a natural food biopreservation method. Yellow mustard and milk whey are optimum substrates for LAB fermentation. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the bioaccessibility and bioavailability of bioactive compounds from yellow mustard flour and milk whey both with and without LAB fermentation. All extracts were subjected to a simulated digestion process. Total polyphenols, DL-3-phenyllactic acid (PLA), lactic acid, and the antioxidant activity were determined in the studied matrices before and after simulated digestion. Yellow mustard flour was significantly richer in total polyphenols, whereas significantly higher concentrati…
Exposure to mercury among 9-year-old children and neurobehavioural function
Abstract Mercury (Hg) is an environmental neurotoxicant whose main route of exposure in humans is the consumption of seafood. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between Hg exposure at 9 years old and behaviour assessed at 9 and 11 years old. Study subjects were mother–child pairs participating in the INMA (Environment and Childhood) Project in Valencia (Spain). Total Hg (THg) was measured in hair samples from the children at 9 years old. Behaviour and emotions were assessed at 9 (n = 472) years and 11 (n = 385) years of age using the Child Behaviour Checklist test (CBCL) and the Conners Parents Rating Scale-Revised: Short Form (CPRS-R:S). Furthermore, the attention functi…
Prenatal arsenic exposure, arsenic methylation efficiency, and neuropsychological development among preschool children in a Spanish birth cohort.
Abstract Background Prenatal arsenic (As) exposure could negatively affect child neuropsychological development, but the current evidence is inconclusive. Objectives To explore the relationship between prenatal urinary total As (TAs) concentrations, the As species and the methylation efficiency, and child neuropsychological development in a Spanish birth cohort. We also studied the effect modification produced by sex and several nutrients and elements. Materials and methods Study subjects were 807 mother–child pairs participating in the INMA (Childhood and Environment) Project. Urinary TAs and its metabolites, monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), inorganic As (iAs) and …
A hybrid metaheuristic for the cyclic antibandwidth problem
We propose a hybrid artificial bee colony algorithm for the cyclic antibandwidth problem.We present a computational comparison of different parameter settings.We derive a fine-tuning hybrid artificial bee colony algorithm.The proposal is very competitive with the state-of-the-art algorithm for the cyclic antibandwidth problem. In this paper, we propose a hybrid metaheuristic algorithm to solve the cyclic antibandwidth problem. This hard optimization problem consists of embedding an n-vertex graph into the cycle Cn, such that the minimum distance (measured in the cycle) of adjacent vertices is maximized. It constitutes a natural extension of the well-known antibandwidth problem, and can be v…
Large area strip edgeless detectors fabricated by plasma etching process
This work presents the last results from large area edgeless detector, fabricated by Plasma Etching Process to reduce the conventional width of the terminating structure of position sensitive detectors to the detector rim.. A current terminating ring is used to decouple the electrical behavior of the surface from the sensitive volume within a few tens of micrometers. The detectors have been illuminated using an infrared laser and their surface scanned in order to understand their collection behavior at the cut edge. The detectors have very high efficiency up to the insensitive area which is located about 60 mum from the detector edge.
Technology of p-type microstrip detectors with radiation hard p-spray, p-stop and moderated p-spray insulations
5 pages, 8 figures.-- PACS nrs.: 29.40.Gx; 29.40.-- ISI Article Identifier: 000249604700010.
Prenatal Se concentrations and anthropometry at birth in the INMA study (Spain).
Abstract We assessed whether prenatal selenium (Se) exposure is associated with anthropometry at birth, placental weight and gestational age. Study subjects were 1249 mother-child pairs from the Valencia and Gipuzkoa cohorts of the Spanish Childhood and Environment Project (INMA, 2003–2008). Se was determined in serum samples taken at the first trimester of pregnancy. Socio-demographic and dietary characteristics were also collected by questionnaires. Mean (SD) serum Se concentration was 79.57 (9.64) μg/L. Se showed weak associations with both head circumference and gestational age. The association between serum Se concentration and birth weight and length was negative, and direct for place…
Tabu search with strategic oscillation for the quadratic minimum spanning tree
The quadratic minimum spanning tree problem consists of determining a spanning tree that minimizes the sum of costs of the edges and pairs of edges in the tree. Many algorithms and methods have been proposed for this hard combinatorial problem, including several highly sophisticated metaheuristics. This article presents a simple Tabu Search (TS) for this problem that incorporates Strategic Oscillation (SO) by alternating between constructive and destructive phases. The commonalties shared by this strategy and the more recently introduced methodology called iterated greedy search are shown and implications of their differences regarding the use of memory structures are identified. Extensive …
Measurement of the 151Sm n,gamma 152Sm cross section at n_TOF
The 151 Sm(n, γ ) 152 Sm cross section, which is important for the interpretation of the 151 Sm branching as an s -process thermometer, was measured from 1 eV up to 1 MeV at the innovative n_TOF facility at CERN. Based on these data, the Maxwellian-averaged cross section at k T = 30 keV is found to be 3100±160 mb. This value can be used to constrain the thermodynamical conditions in Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars during He-shell burning.
Effect of cost on early removal of contraceptive implants: a prospective cohort study
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the effect of the cost of subdermal etonogestrel implant (SEI) on the continuation rate one year after insertion, and to assess the reasons given by users to remove the implant before the expiration date. METHODS Prospective cohort study conducted among 265 women who chose the SEI as a contraceptive method in a sexual and reproductive health center in the eastern region of Spain, between October/2012 and October/2017. The sample was divided into two cohorts depending on the cost of the implant for the user (free-of-charge or requiring partial payment). Kaplan-Meier survival curves were used to compare the cumulative removal rates of free implants with partially paid i…
Calf circumference is an independent predictor of mortality in older adults: An approach with generalized additive models.
BACKGROUND There is a wide variation in the cutoff points of body mass index (BMI) and calf circumference (CC) , and it is necessary to assess their adequacy in predicting mortality, especially in the older adults in the community. This study aimed to investigate the association of low muscle mass and underweight with mortality in older adults, comparing different cutoff points. METHODS This was a prospective study that included 796 older adults, not institutionalized, from a Brazilian city. Generalized additive models (GAMs) were used to identify cutoff points for CC and BMI, which were compared with values available in the literature. Survival analysis using Cox regression models was used…
Proteomics evaluation of enniatins acute toxicity in rat liver
Abstract Enniatins (ENs) are emerging mycotoxins produced by Fusarium fungi which are cytotoxic also at low concentrations due to its ionophoric properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the hepatic toxicity of ENs exposure at different concentrations in Wistar rats through a proteomic approach. Animals were intoxicated by oral gavage with medium (EN A 256, ENA1 353, ENB 540, ENB1 296 μg/mL) and high concentrations (ENA 513, ENA1 706, ENB 1021, ENB1 593 μg/mL) of an ENs mixture and sacrificed after 8 h. Protein extraction was performed using powdered liver. Peptides were analyzed using a liquid chromatography coupled with a quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Proteins were …
Adherence to dietary treatment and clinical factors associated with anti-transglutaminase antibodies in celiac disease during the follow-up
Introduction In clinical practice, celiac disease (CD) is monitored through anti-transglutaminase (TGA-IgA) antibody levels. The normalization of serum levels in successive periodic measurements indicates good response and adherence to dietary treatment. Objectives To evaluate the factors associated with the evolution of TGA-IgA antibodies and their association with dietary non-compliance and diseases related to CD. Methods This prospective observational study was carried out in 254 participants, who were recruited from patients from a hospital in southern Spain. Information about sex, age, serological test results, HLA DQ2/DQ8 haplotypes, mucosal atrophy, gastrointestinal and extra-intesti…
Geographic conditioning in dietary, social, and health patterns in elderly population with disabilities
Abstract Objective The aim of this study was to identify the most relevant variables defining the dietary, social, and health patterns of elderly populations with disabilities, considering their geographic profile. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out in a sample of 354 disabled, free-living elderly adults from three different geographic profiles (metropolitan, rural, and mixed profile). The dietary data were obtained through a validated food habit questionnaire. The data regarding health status, cohabitation unit, and social benefits were obtained through the public social services. A standardized principal component analysis was used to select the most relevant variables, by co…
Trends in Incidence and Transmission Patterns of COVID-19 in Valencia, Spain
Importance Limited information on the transmission and dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 at the city scale is available. Objective To describe the local spread of SARS-CoV-2 in Valencia, Spain. Design, Setting, and Participants This single-center epidemiological cohort study of patients with SARS-CoV-2 was performed at University General Hospital in Valencia (population in the hospital catchment area, 364 000), a tertiary hospital. The study included all consecutive patients with COVID-19 isolated at home from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic on February 19 until August 31, 2020. Exposures Cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed by the presence of IgM antibodies or a positive polymerase chain reacti…
Measurements of the 90,91,92,94,96 Zr n, gamma cross-sections at n_TOF
Neutron capture cross sections of the 90,91,92,94,96Zr have been measured over the energy range from 1 eV to 1 MeV at the spallation neutron facility n TOF at CERN in 2003. The innovative features of the neutron beam, in particular the high instantaneous flux, the high energy resolution and low background, together with improvements of the neutron sensitivity of the capture detectors make this facility unique for neutron-induced reaction cross section measurements with much improved accuracy. The preliminary results of the Zr measurements show capture resonance strengths generally smaller than in previous measurements. Peer Reviewed
Radiation-hard semiconductor detectors for SuperLHC
An option of increasing the luminosity of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN to 10^35 cm^(- 2) s(- 1) has been envisaged to extend the physics reach of the machine. An efficient tracking down to a few centimetres from the interaction point will be required to exploit the physics potential of the upgraded LHC. As a consequence, the semiconductor detectors close to the interaction region will receive severe doses of fast hadron irradiation and the inner tracker detectors will need to survive fast hadron fluences of up to above 1016 cm 2. The CERN-RD50 project ''Development of Radiation Hard Semiconductor Devices for Very High Luminosity Colliders'' has been established in 2002 to explore…
Reproducibility and Validity of a Short Food Frequency Questionnaire for Dietary Assessment in Children Aged 7–9 Years in Spain
The purpose of this study was to examine if the short semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) is a reliable and valid tool to assess the diet of Spanish children aged 7&ndash
The role of pumpkin pulp extract carotenoids against mycotoxin damage in the blood brain barrier
Some mycotoxins such as beauvericin (BEA), ochratoxin A (OTA), and zearalenone (ZEA) can cross the blood brain barrier, which is why we tested the anti-inflammatory action of a pumpkin carotenoid extract (from the pulp) against these mycotoxins and their combinations (OTA+ZEA and OTA+ZEA+BEA) on a blood brain barrier model with co-cultured ECV304 and C6 cells using an untargeted metabolomic approach. The cells were added with mycotoxins at a concentration of 100 nmol/L per mycotoxin and pumpkin carotenoid extract at 500 nmol/L. For control we used only vehicle solvent (cell control) or vehicle solvent with pumpkin extract (extract control). After two hours of exposure, samples were analysed…
DNA methylation changes associated with prenatal mercury exposure:A meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies from PACE consortium
Mercury (Hg) is a ubiquitous heavy metal that originates from both natural and anthropogenic sources and is transformed in the environment to its most toxicant form, methylmercury (MeHg). Recent studies suggest that MeHg exposure can alter epigenetic modifications during embryogenesis. In this study, we examined associations between prenatal MeHg exposure and levels of cord blood DNA methylation (DNAm) by meta-analysis in up to seven independent studies (n = 1462) as well as persistence of those relationships in blood from 7 to 8 year-old children (n = 794). In cord blood, we found limited evidence of differential DNAm at cg24184221 in MED31 (β = 2.28 × 10-4, p-value = 5.87 × 10-5) in relat…