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Background: Congenital heart disease (CHD) are the most common malformations from birth. The severity of the different forms of CHD varies extensively from superficial mild lesions with follow-up for decades without any treatment to complex cyanotic malformations requiring urgent surgical intervention. microRNAs have been found to be crucial in cardiac development, giving rise to possible phenotypes in CHD. Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the expression of miRNAs in 86 children with CHD and divided into cyanotic and non-cyanotic heart defects and 110 controls. Methods: The miRNAs expression of miR-21-5p, miR-155-5p, miR-221-3p, miR-26a-5p, and miR-144-3p were analyzed by RT-qPCR. In addition, the expressions of the miRNAs studied were correlated with the clinical characteristics of both the children and the mothers. Results: The expression levels of miR-21-5-5p, miR-15-5p5, miR-221-3p, and miR-26-5p significantly differed between CHD and control subjects. Moreover, miR-21-5p levels were higher in patients with cyanotic versus non-cyanotic CHD patients. Conclusion: The expression levels of miRNAs of pediatric patients with CHD could participating in the development of cardiac malformations. Additionally, the high expression of miR-21-5p in cyanotic CHD children may be related to greater severity of illness relative to non-cyanotic CHD. Impact:

This study adds to knowledge of the association between microRNAs and congenital heart disease in children.

The expression levels of miR-21-5-5p, miR-15-5p5, miR-221-3p, and miR-26-5p of pediatric patients with CHD could be involved in the development and phenotype present in pediatric patients.

miR-21-5p may help to discriminate between cyanotic and non-cyanotic CHD.

In the future, the miRNAs studied could have applications as clinical biomarkers.

Hearing loss (HL) is a common heterogeneous trait that involves variants in more than 200 genes. In this study, we utilized exome (ES) and genome sequencing (GS) to effectively identify the genetic cause of presumably non-syndromic HL in 322 families from South and West Asia and Latin America. Biallelic GJB2variants were identified in 58 probands at the time of enrollment these probands were excluded. In addition, upon review of phenotypic findings, 38/322 probands were excluded based on syndromic findings at the time of ascertainment and no further evaluation was performed on those samples. We performed ES as a primary diagnostic tool on one or two affected individuals from 212/226 families. Via ES we detected a total of 78 variants in 30 genes and showed their co-segregation with HL in 71 affected families. Most of the variants were frameshift or missense and affected individuals were either homozygous or compound heterozygous in their respective families. We employed GS as a primary test on a subset of 14 families and a secondary tool on 22 families which were unsolved by ES. Although the cumulative detection rate of causal variants by ES and GS is 40% (89/226), GS alone has led to a molecular diagnosis in 7 of 14 families as the primary tool and 5 of 22 families as the secondary test. GS successfully identified variants present in deep intronic or complex regions not detectable by ES.

The concept of proof in mathematics has evolved through centuries from the intuitive notions of justification and validation. Many aspects around proofs and their acceptance have been part of philosophical and mathematical discussions since long time ago, but the insight of what counts or not as a valid mathematical proof has been changed since the advent of computers. Nowadays computer-assisted proofs and methodologies play a relevant role in many scientific areas and in the case of today mathematics some of those proofs can be put on a par with traditional paperand- pencil proofs. This raises the question whether they are just two incarnations of the same idea of proof or some kind of conceptual change is required to elucidate whether a computer-assisted proof can be considered as a valid demonstration in the mathematical practice. In this paper we give some initial remarks and arguments to explore the emergence of possible conceptual changes related to a specific kind of computer-assisted proofs, namely those developed by a human agent with the help of a modern interactive theorem prover or proof-assistant.

ObjectiveEffects of tobacco taxation on employment in Mexico are measured by using an applied general equilibrium model.MethodsThe study describes the modelling methodology based on a 2013 social accounting matrix for Mexico, built for analysing the impact of tobacco taxation on employment. Unemployment is treated as an endogenous variable.ResultsSetting the specific component of the Excise Tax on Production and Services (IEPS) at 1.50 pesos per cigarette would lead to the loss of tobacco-related jobs constituting just 0.1% of all jobs nationally. Revenue from IEPS on tobacco would increase by 49%, while consumption would fall by 26%. This minimal loss of employment can be compensated for if the government invests revenue from IEPS on tobacco in some specific sectors. We show this for the case of the health sector. Far from just reducing cigarette consumption, this tax reform would also create 33 781 jobs with a net gain of 32 285 across different sectors of the economy while only reducing 727 jobs in the tobacco industry in the whole country.ConclusionResults suggest the existence of a good margin for increasing tobacco tax beyond the 2020 update of 0.49 pesos per stick. In addition, from a public health point of view, if tobacco tax revenue were allocated as a direct healthcare subsidy this would deliver a double dividend by further discouraging consumption and increasing tobacco tax revenue by almost 50%, with little impact on key macroeconomic variables in Mexico, which could be offset in more dynamic sectors while promoting health, employment and development.

AbstractNeo-noir has been employed since the end of the Franco regime to explore Spain’s dark and turbulent history. This article focuses on Patricia Ferreira’s film Sé quién eres(2000), where she transforms the genre of neo-noir into a vehicle of female empowerment and a powerful tool for societal critique. With a daring approach, Ferreira uses the lens of gender to explore the ‘politics of memory’ in Spain, questioning the validity of the official discourse surrounding the supposed peaceful process of the Spanish Transition, while giving the female subject a privileged role in the process of historical revisionism.

Médicos internos de pregrado y residentes de las distintas especialidades son los primeros en tener contacto con el paciente y solicitar estudios como la gasometría arterial, interpretarla y a partir de eso, dar un diagnóstico y tratamiento adecuado. Sin embargo, el porcentaje de error en la fase preanalítica y en la interpretación puede ser alto. El objetivo de esta investigación es evaluar el nivel de conocimiento que tienen médicos internos y residentes, de la fase preanalítica y de la interpretación de la gasometría arterial.

Dynamic typed languages are characterized by their expressiveness and flexibility to develop prototypes, while static typed languages allow early detection of errors and the optimization of source code. Gradual typing languages allow programmers to make use of both approaches, static and dynamic typing, and thus, obtaining the advantages that both represent. The objective here is to revisit the static part of the approach to a gradual interpretation of union types based on the design of Gradual Union Types through an extension with the record data-structure. This contributes to understand the abstraction and reasoning behind Gradual Typing in order to have useful future extensions for other data-structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a dual sequent calculus for the necessity fragment of the constructive modal logic S4 and show its adequacy for proof-search in the style of modern interactive theorem provers. The main feature of dual systems is the use of two contexts to capture the notions of true and valid formulas, without using any formal semantics. This attribute allows us to give simple rules for the □ operator that, most of the time, grant the substitution of a strict modal reasoning by a pure propositional one, thus simplifying the proof-search process. Moreover, we introduce a formal notion of backward proof corresponding to a bottom-up construction of a derivation tree by means of a left-to-right depth-first proof-search. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

La Sección de Vía Aérea de la Sociedad Catalana de Anestesiología, Reanimación y Terapéutica del Dolor (SCARTD) presenta la actualización de las recomendaciones para la evaluación y manejo de la vía aérea difícil con el fin de incorporar los avances técnicos y los cambios observados en la práctica clínica desde la publicación de la primera edición en 2008.

We present a proof of the equivalence between two deductive systems for the constructive modal logic S4. On one side, an axiomatic characterization inspired by Hakli and Negri's Hilbert-style system of derivations from assumptions for modal logic K. On the other side, the judgmental reconstruction given by Pfenning and Davies by means of a so-called dual natural deduction approach that makes a distinction between valid, true and possible formulas. Both systems and the proof of their equivalence are formally verified using the Coq proof assistant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACTWe present a proof of the equivalence between two deductive systems for constructive necessity, namely an axiomatic characterisation inspired by Hakli and Negri's system of derivations from assumptions for modal logic , a Hilbert-style formalism designed to ensure the validity of the deduction theorem, and the judgmental reconstruction given by Pfenning and Davies by means of a natural deduction approach that makes a distinction between valid and true formulae, constructively. Both systems and the proof of their equivalence are formally verified using the state-of-the-art proof assistant Coq. The proof approach taken throughout the paper unveils the use of some alternative proof methods that allow for a smooth transition from the high-level mathematical proofs to their mechanised counterparts.

miR-33a has been described as a key regulator in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. However, its role in arterial hypertension (HTA) has not been elucidated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the association between the expression of miR-33a (5p and 3p) and the carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) in samples of monocytes and serum from hypertensive patients. The miR-33a-5p and miR-33a-3p expression in monocytes and serum from Mexican hypertensive patients were examined by RT-PCR. This study involved 84 subjects (42 normotensive subjects and 42 patients with essential hypertension). Our study revealed that miR-33a-5p expression was significantly upregulated in the monocytes of hypertensive patients compared with the control group (p?=?0.001), while miR-33a-3p was significantly downregulated (p?=?0.013). miR-33a-5p upregulation [OR: 5.53, 95% CI: 2.01–15.20; p?=?0.001], as well as miR-33a-3p downregulation [OR: 3.32, 95% CI: 1.45–7.60; p?=?0.004] in monocytes, was associated with an increased risk of developing hypertension. In addition, miR-33a-5p upregulation in hypertensive patients was associated with an increased risk of presenting cIMT [OR: 5.99, 95% CI: 1.10–32.85; p?=?0.039]. Moreover, we found no significant differences in the expression of both strands of miR-33a in serum of our patients. Our results showed an upregulation of miR-33a-5p and downregulation of miR-33a-3p in monocytes, these data are associated with cIMT, which could be a risk factor for the development of hypertension. In addition, upregulation of miR-33a-5p in monocytes from Mexican hypertensive patients could be involved in the development of atherosclerosis.

We present new observations of crustal anisotropy in the southern Cascadia fore arc from tectonic tremor. The abundance of tremor activity in Oregon and northern California during slow-slip events offers an enormous amount of information with which to measure and analyze anisotropy in the upper brittle continental crust. To accomplish this, we performed analyses of wave polarization and shear wave splitting of tectonic tremor signals by using three component broadband seismic stations. The splitting times range between 0.11 and 0.32 s and are consistent with typical values observed in the continental crust. Fast polarization azimuths are, in general, margin parallel and trend N-S, which parallels the azimuths of the maximum compressive stresses observed in this region. This pattern is likely to be controlled by the stress field. Comparatively, the anisotropic structure of fast directions observed in the northern section of the Cascadia margin is oblique with respect to the southern section of Cascadia, which, in general, trends E-W and is mainly controlled by active faulting and geological structures. Source distribution analysis using a bivariate normal distribution that expresses the distribution of tremors in a preferred direction shows that in northern California and Oregon, the population of tremors tends to distribute parallel to fast polarization azimuths and maximum compressive stresses, suggesting that both tremor propagation and anisotropy are influenced by the stress field. Results show that the anisotropy reflects an active tectonic process that involves the northward movement of the Oregon Block, which is rotating as a rigid body. In northern Cascadia, previous results of anisotropy show that the crust is undergoing a shortening process due to velocity differences between the Oregon Block and the North America plate, which is moving more slowly with respect to the Oregon Block, making it clash against Vancouver Island. Crustal anisotropy from tectonic tremor signals in Oregon and Northern CaliforniaTectonic deformation processes established from crustal anisotropy

La estructura de la demanda laboral en los países industrializados ha cambiado y ha provocado el incremento de la desigualdad salarial entre los distintos grupos de trabajadores (calificados y no calificados); por su parte, en los países en vías de desarrollo esta desigualdad ha disminuido. El presente trabajo analiza los factores que determinan la desigualdad salarial que existe en países con fronteras colindantes, como México y los Estados Unidos de América (EE.UU.). El análisis estadístico se realizó para el periodo 2005-2012, con información de la Encuesta Nacional de Ocupación y Empleo(enoe) y de la Current Population Survey(cps). Se desagregó el índice de Gini con un enfoque de juegos cooperativos; los resultados revelan que en México, durante el periodo de análisis, se redujo la desigualdad salarial, mientras que en los EE.UU. se incrementó.

Background/Objectives: Motivational Enhancement Treatment in Spanish (METS) is a brief intervention aimed at resolving patient ambivalence towards behavior change that has demonstrated efficacy in substance use disorder treatment to reduce use and increase treatment engagement in different populations. In order to have evidence for its implementation in Mexico, a multi-site, randomized, two-arm, controlled clinical trial was conducted at three outpatient addiction treatment centers in the country to compare the effect of METS with Counseling as Usual (CAU). Method: One hundred and twenty patients were randomized to receive three sessions of METS (n=54) or CAU (n=66) during the first four weeks of treatment and were assessed during the following 12 weeks. Primary outcome measures were self-reported days of substance use and of treatment services utilization, which were tested using Generalized Estimating Equations. Results: Results associated both conditions with significant changes in substance use over, whereas there were no differences between conditions in substance use or in service utilization. Conclusions: Findings do not support the hypothesis that METS is more effective than CAU, but suggest that brief interventions at treatment initiation may improve patient outcomes.

To upgrade biogas, carbon dioxide has to be selectively removed from methane. Lithium ceramics have been found to be efficient materials for the retention of CO2at temperatures as high as 800 °C. However, they do not perform well at low temperatures. In this work, lithium hydrotalcites with various Li:Al ratios were synthesized in the presence of microwave irradiation. The effects of irradiation time, lithium content, and precipitation pH on the structure and textural features were studied. The resulting materials contained bayerite and were tested for the reversible adsorption of CO2or CH4at room temperature, resulting in an isosteric heat of 12 kJ/mol for CO2and an insignificant adsorption of CH4. Furthermore, to prove the efficiency of these materials in biogas purification, a sample was used for the separation of CO2from synthetic biogas. The results show that Li-hydrotalcite/bayerite composites are promising materials for biogas upgrading at room temperature.

ABSTRACTDehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), an adrenal hormone, has a protective role against cancer. We previously shown that DHEA inhibits the proliferation and migration of cell lines derived from breast cancer; however, the role of DHEA in others events related with these effects are unknown. We hypothesized that DHEA inhibits the expression of proteins and some events related with cell migration and metastasis. We determined the migration in Boyden chambers, the invasion in matrigel, anchorage-independent growth and the formation of spheroids in 3 cell lines (MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, ZR-75-30) derived from breast cancer exposed to DHEA. The secretion of metalloproteinases (MMPs), tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs), and several pro-inflammatory molecules in the secretome of these cells was also evaluated.  DHEA inhibited the migration in transwells and the invasion in matrigel of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. Besides, DHEA inhibited the anchorage-independent growth on agar and decreased the size of spheroids, and also reduced the secretion of IL-1α, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α in all cell lines. Metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) secretion was slightly decreased by DHEA treatment in MDA-MB-231 cells. Our results also showed that inhibition of migration and invasion induced by DHEA in breast cancer cells is correlated with the decrease of cytokine/chemokine secretion and the diminution of tumor cells growth.  MCF-7 cells were the most responsive to the exposure to DHEA, whereas ZR-75-30 cells responded less to this hormone, suggesting that DHEA could be used in the treatment of breast cancer in early stages.

En este trabajo se realiza un examen detallado del efecto redistributivo logrado por el sistema fiscal mexicano incluyendo la carga tributaria y las transferencias monetarias condicionadas dirigidas a los hogares pobres y vulnerables en el año 2014. Se calculan los efectos del sistema fiscal para responder a la siguiente pregunta: ¿será el impacto del sistema fiscal mexicano en favor de los pobres y hogares vulnerables? es decir, ¿de tipo pro-pobre? Concebimos este análisis con un enfoque en el que el Banco Mundial está de acuerdo, el enfoque pro-pobrede tal manera que se pueda establecer, si los impuestos y los subsidios realmente pueden compensar a los grupos pobres e inducir una reducción en la pobreza en términos generalizados. Además, esta medición es novedosa, ya que se reconstruye el ingreso pre-fiscal con base a la escala de equivalencia del conevaly con datos del Método de Medición Integrada de la Pobreza (mmip), comparando la carga fiscal y la distribución de las transferencias aplicadas en ambas bases de datos con sus correspondientes umbrales e incidencia de pobreza. Se procede a elaborar un conjunto básico de recomendaciones para la mejora del sistema fiscal y su efecto entre los pobres.