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Effect of intermittent fasting on C-reactive protein and calprotectin levels in a Patient with Ulcerative Colitis: A case report
Get PDFIntroducción: la colitis ulcerosa es una enfermedad cuyas causan son multifactoriales. Las terapias actuales, como los anticuerpos monoclonales, presentan riesgos, impulsando la búsqueda de alternativas no farmacológicas como el ayuno intermitente. Para la detección de los cuadros inflamatorios se miden los niveles de calprotectina y proteína reactiva C.
Objetivo: evaluar los efectos del ayuno intermitente en una paciente de 34 años con colitis ulcerosa, sobre los marcadores inflamatorios calprotectina y proteína reactiva C (PCR).
Reporte de caso: mujer caucásica de 34 años diagnosticada con colitis ulcerosa en remisión, participó en un estudio piloto de 8 semanas sobre ayuno intermitente. Tras la intervención, se observó que no hubo cambios significativos en sus niveles de PRC, sin embargo, la calprotectina aumentó de 15 mg/kg a 1279 mg/kg, indicando un cuadro inflamatorio intestinal en etapa inicial dado que la paciente era asintomática.
Conclusiones: la determinación de la calprotectina es un marcador más adecuado para identificar inflamación intestinal en etapas tempranas. El ayuno intermitente podría ser una estrategia terapéutica complementaria para extender los periodos de remisión de síntomas en esta enfermedad
Holocene sedimentary history of the Silala River (Antofagasta Region, Chile)
No full textAssessing past and ongoing climate change in the central Andes is critical for understanding the impact of future environmental changes under anthropogenic warming. Emerging from springs located in Bolivia and flowing into northern Chile's Atacama Desert, the Silala River contains inset, terraced wetland (or in‐stream) deposits that provide a unique opportunity to study the impact of past hydroclimate change in a sensitive groundwater system with a small catchment area. After an initial (late Pleistocene) period of deep incision to form the present ravine, in‐stream wetland fine‐grained deposits formed during three phases of aggradation dated to >8.5–1.9 ka (Unit 1), >0.65–0.2 ka (Unit 2), and 1.5 m in some areas) throughout sectors of the Silala where dried‐out standing vegetation can be seen. Such recent incision may be due to multiple different factors, including recent climate change coupled with intense extraction of groundwater resources by the copper mining industry.
This article is categorized under:
Human Water > Water Governance
Science of Water > Hydrological Processes
Science of Water > Water and Environmental Chang
Building a novel noble metal-free Cu3P/ZnS/g-C3N4 ternary nanocomposite with multi interfacial charge transfer pathways for highly enhanced photocatalytic water splitting
No full textFor renewable energy, it is crucial to create effective photocatalysts with enhanced photo charge separation and transfer to produce photocatalytic hydrogen (H2) efficiently utilizing light energy. Due to their distinct qualities and features, carbonaceous materials have so far been shown to be high-performance co-catalysts to substitute some conventionally costly metal materials in photocatalytic water splitting. Here, a novel ternary nanocomposite, simple hydrothermal process ball milling assisted and wet impregnation approach, a promising ternary nanocomposite is created as an efficient solar light driven photocatalyst. Utilizing a variety of analytical techniques, 3 % Cu3P/ZnS/g-C3N4 nanocomposites as catalysts were characterized in order to check the hydrogen production and investigate their structural properties. The hydrogen production capability of the catalyst is studied by irradiating Na2SO3 + Na2S solutes using a halogen bulb (250 W). The results demonstrated that in terms of photocatalytic activity towards H2 production, 3 % Cu3P/ZnS/g-C3N4 catalyst performed better than 3 % Cu3P/ZnS, Cu3P, ZnS, and g-C3N4. A composite containing 7.5 wt% g-C3N4 demonstrated exceptional durability during photocatalytic hydrogen production, resulting in a 23,086 mol h− 1 g− 1 rate. Higher stability in electron-hole pairs created a higher absorption level of solar light could be responsible for this remarkable performance
Reflections of Physical Education teachers in training in Chile. A vision on gender stereotypes, sexism and construction of hegemonic masculinity
Get PDFLas prácticas sexistas y discriminatorias que son comunes en el deporte no han estado ajenas de influir en la disciplina de la Educación Física, dando espacio a sinergias con el deporte al emplearse como recurso pedagógico. Por otro lado, la práctica deportiva misma actúa como un dispositivo de validación de masculinidad hegemónica. Esta investigación ha considerado los siguientes objetivos: analizar estereotipos de género en las prácticas físico-deportivas en estudiantes hombres de carreras de Pedagogía en Educación Física de universidades públicas y privadas chilenas, y comprender en qué aspectos este mismo estudiantado visualiza o reconoce el sexismo a nivel educacional en las clases de educación física desde sus expresiones de masculinidad. Se empleó un diseño mixto concurrente CUAN + CUAL. Los datos recopilados por medio de cuestionario se analizaron con estadística descriptiva y la información obtenida en entrevistas se analizó de manera inductiva. Los resultados destacan una mayor presencia de estereotipos de género vinculados al deporte y la actividad física en las personas que se identifican con el género masculino, asimismo, esta población tiende a realizar prácticas deportivas fuertemente estereotipadas al género masculino, como también a sus preferencias profesionales. Además, se observó que las masculinidades se validan por medio de la competitividad entre hombres, naturalizándose la agresividad. Este estudio confirma la existencia de estereotipos de género en las masculinidades, y sugiere que la Educación Física influye en la construcción de la masculinidad hegemónica
Wearable biosensors for human health: A bibliometric analysis from 2007 to 2022
Get PDFObjective: This study aimed to determine the status of scientific production on biosensor usage for human health monitoring.
Methods: We used bibliometrics based on the data and metadata retrieved from the Web of Science between 2007 and 2022. Articles unrelated to health and medicine were excluded. The databases were processed using the VOSviewer software and auxiliary spreadsheets. Data extraction yielded 275 articles published in 161 journals, mainly concentrated on 13 journals and 881 keywords plus.
Results: The keywords plus of high occurrences were estimated at 27, with seven to 30 occurrences. From the 1595 identified authors, 125 were consistently connected in the coauthorship network in the total set and were grouped into nine clusters. Using Lotka's law, we identified 24 prolific authors, and Hirsch index analysis revealed that 45 articles were cited more than 45 times. Crosses were identified between 17 articles in the Hirsch index and 17 prolific authors, highlighting the presence of a large set of prolific authors from various interconnected clusters, a triad, and a solitary prolific author.
Conclusion: An exponential trend was observed in biosensor research for health monitoring, identifying areas of innovation, collaboration, and technological challenges that can guide future research on this topic
Population dynamics and cultural niche construction during the Late Holocene in a mediterranean ecosystem (central Chile, 32°S-36°S)
No full textUnderstanding socio-ecological systems over the long term can shed light on past adaptive strategies in environmentally sensitive regions. Central Chile is an emblematic case study for mediterranean ecosystems, where a progressive and sustained population increase began approximately 2000 years ago alongside significant landscape changes. In this work we analyzed regional paleo-demographic trends by compiling a new database of archaeological dates over the last 3000 years, and integrating population dynamics theory with an analysis of the spatio-temporal variation of regional cultural stages. Results show three moments of marked acceleration in population growth: just before agricultural adoption, during the Archaic Period (c. 700-300 BCE); during the second half of the ECP (500–900 CE); and during the Late Intermediate Period (1200–1400 CE). We also identified periods of deceleration in per capita growth rates, although population size continued to increase (300 BCE−500 CE, 900–1200 CE and after 1400 CE). These large shifts in the per capita growth rates coincide with major cultural changes associated with social and economic aspects. The pulses of major occupation show in general terms a more intensive use of the valleys as the population size increased, although the remaining ecosystems never ceased to be occupied with different economic and symbolic emphases
Caffeine placebo effect in sport and exercise: A systematic review
Get PDFThe objective of this review article is to systematically identify the caffeine placebo effect in sport and exercise activities. We selected randomized controlled trial studies to better understand the impact of caffeine and its placebo effect on sports performance. We extracted a set of articles that refer strictly to the topics of caffeine and its placebo effect in sport and exercise, considering the databases integrated to the Core Collection Web of Science and Scopus, as well as the registration of the documents in PubMed®, a system with a selection process aligned with the guidelines for the PRISMA methodology, establishing the eligibility criteria of the articles with the PICOS tool, to which a systematic review is applied. Finally, the results show that caffeine improves anaerobic capacity and endurance, while placebo perceived as caffeine can also increase performance by reducing pain and improving concentration. This finding underscores the influence of expectations and placebo on physical performance, suggesting that managing these expectations may be an effective strategy for improving athletic performance
Phytools 2.0: An updated R ecosystem for phylogenetic comparative methods (and other things)
Get PDFPhylogenetic comparative methods comprise the general endeavor of using an estimated phylogenetic tree (or set of trees) to make secondary inferences: about trait evolution, diversification dynamics, biogeography, community ecology, and a wide range of other phenomena or processes. Over the past ten years or so, the phytools R package has grown to become an important research tool for phylogenetic comparative analysis. phytools is a diverse contributed R library now consisting of hundreds of different functions covering a variety of methods and purposes in phylogenetic biology. As of the time of writing, phytools included functionality for fitting models of trait evolution, for reconstructing ancestral states, for studying diversification on trees, and for visualizing phylogenies, comparative data, and fitted models, as well numerous other tasks related to phylogenetic biology. Here, I describe some significant features of and recent updates to phytools, while also illustrating several popular workflows of the phytools computational software
Morfometría y diagnóstico molecular de larvas de Anisakis (Nematoda: Ascaridida) en Merluccius gayi (Chordata: Gadiformes) y Dosidicus gigas (Mollusca: Teuthida) en la región del Biobío, Chile
Get PDFLas especies del género Anisakis (Nematoda: Anisakidae) son parásitos marinos con ciclo de vida indirecto. Los crustáceos planctónicos actúan como primeros hospedadores intermediarios, mientras que peces y cefalópodos intervienen como segundos hospedadores intermediarios o paraténicos, finalmente el ciclo se cierra en los cetáceos, mamíferos marinos que son los principales hospedadores definitivos del género. En el ciclo de vida, las larvas de Anisakis pueden ser ingeridas por el hombre interviniendo como huésped accidental, lo que puede ocasionar anisakiasis, una zoonosis adquirida a través del consumo de peces y cefalópodos crudos o marinados. Estos nemátodos tienen una distribución cosmopolita, sin embargo, su diversidad ha sido escasamente estudiada en el hemisferio Sur. Por tanto, se evaluó la diversidad de las larvas de Anisakis spp., presentes en dos especies de hospederos de Chile, combinando el análisis morfométrico y genético. Para ello, se recolectaron larvas de Anisakis spp. en la cavidad abdominal de la merluza Merluccius gayi y el calamar Dosidicus gigas, procedentes de terminales pesqueros de la región del Biobío, Chile. La caracterización morfométrica de las larvas de Anisakis spp., consistió en la medición de la longitud del esófago, ventrículo esofágico, cola, longitud total y ancho máximo del cuerpo. Para los análisis genéticos se usó la región molecular nuclear ITS (ITS1-ITS2) y mitocondrial COX2. Los resultados morfométricos revelaron que las larvas extraídas de D. gigas son significativamente de mayor longitud que las recolectadas en M. gayi, sugiriendo una alta variabilidad fenotípica hospedador-dependiente. Los análisis moleculares y filogenéticos determinaron la presencia de Anisakis pegreffii en ambos hospedadores, sin embargo, demostraron una baja diferenciación genética y diversidad nucleotídica entre las secuencias, indicando una escasa variabilidad genética para el conjunto de datos. Este trabajo constituye el primer registro molecular de A. pegreffii en hospedadores intermediario o paraténicos de la costa de Chile
Biomass characterization and solvent extraction as tools to promote phenol production from urban pruning
No full textNowadays, leaves, bark, and branches are generated from the tree-pruning process in urban places, where their management is a problem because of the necessity of disposal. These wastes are lignocellulosic biomasses with poor properties for use in biofuel production, but with interesting projections for building block products such as phenol compounds. Therefore, extensive biomass characterization of urban pruning from Liquidambar styraciflua L. was developed to evaluate its composition as a tool for phenol production through thermal processing, in which solvent extraction is a complementary tool for selectivity improvement. The results showed high lignin content in bark and leaves at 45 and 28 %, respectively, compared with that in branches (14 %). Additionally, high extractives in leaves (14 %) could be an additional source of phenols. The lignin units were analyzed by Raman dispersion, revealing p–hydroxyphenyl (H) units in the bark, guaiacyl (G) units in the bark and leaves, and syringyl (S) units only in the branches. Furthermore, the micropyrolysis coupled with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry assay realized at 600 ◦C showed high presence of phenolic compounds in the three biomass investigated, where a high phenol concentration was identified in leaves, probably due to the S unit degradation during pyrolysis. With these results, an assay for bio-oil production was performed in a low-temperature pyrolysis reactor using leaves as feedstock, reaching a low bio-oil yield with high water content favored for the high inorganic content of leaves (13 %). The produced bio-oil was used for liquid–liquid extraction evaluation, where 1-octanol and methyl isobutyl ketone were identified as interesting solvents for catechol and phenol extraction, respectively. This article presents the challenge of characterizing each part of urban trees, which could be a tool to promote the use of urban pruning by studying the thermal degradation mechanism to implement processes for high-value products, such as phenols produced from L. styraciflua L