A team of scientists from the University of Granada led this pioneering study
The PROFITH CTS-977 research group from the University of Granada (UGR) has tested the effects of a multi-ingredient dietary nootropic on concentration levels and cognitive performance. Nootropics are cognitive enhancers that have traditionally been used in the treatment of cognitive pathologies.
Leading this study was Lucas Jurado Fasoli—a researcher from the Scientific Unit of Excellence in Exercise, Nutrition and Health (UCEENS) at the Sport and Health Joint University Institute (iMUDS). He explains that, traditionally, nootropics have been drugs, with their corresponding side-effects. “To address the issue of potential side-effects, different dietary nootropics have emerged as an alternative way to enhance cognitive performance. And these, as is the case in this study, are used by healthy individuals in activities such as preparing for competitive exams or video-game competitions”, explains Jurado Fasoli.
The results of the study showed that the acute intake of this multi-ingredient nootropic decreases the response time across different cognitive tests: in processing speed, inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. It also increases accuracy in tests involving processing speed, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility. These results were accompanied by an increase in positive emotions and a decrease in negative emotions and depression. And, importantly, the favourable effects of this nootropic did not appear to have any effect on the heart-rate of participants.
The ingredients used in the dietary supplement are L-tyrosine, acetyl L-carnitine HCL, sodium citicoline, alpha-GPC, taurine, caffeine, mango leaf extract, and huperzia serrata leaf extract.
A sample comprising 26 young adults (50:50 male/female, with an average age of 25) participated in the study. They were required to undertake various cognitive tests twice, separated by 48 hours, having ingested either the multi-ingredient dietary nootropic or a placebo (randomised and triple-blinded across the sample). Thirty minutes after ingestion, measurements were taken of processing speed, inhibitory control, working memory, cognitive flexibility, creativity, and verbal fluency. Different emotions were also evaluated and the participants’ heart-rate was recorded while they undertook the tests.
The results of this study could have multiple practical applications, especially in situations in which a rapid response, combined with high precision, is required in response to different stimuli. Such areas of application could include, for instance, video games or e-sports; occupations with a heavy cognitive load, such as piloting aircraft; the Armed Forces; computer programming; and activities that involve intensified cognitive demands, such as studying for competitive exams or research.
Bibliography:
Medrano, M., Molina-Hidalgo, C., Alcantara, J., Ruiz, J.R., & Jurado-Fasoli, L. (2022), “Acute Effect of a Dietary Multi-Ingredient Nootropic as a Cognitive Enhancer in Young Healthy Adults: A Randomized, Triple-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Trial”, Frontiers in Nutrition vol. 9.
Professor Javier Alba-Tercedor of the Department of Zoology at the University of Granada conducted a pivotal study using micro-computed tomography to obtain clear images that enabled the insect to be examined and identified
Thanks to an international research collaboration involving the University of Granada (UGR), a hitherto undescribed species of insect has been discovered and described: Calliarcys antiquus, which belongs to the Ephemeroptera (mayfly) order. The specimen itself was located by Arnold Staniczek of Stuttgart’s State Museum of Natural History, set in a piece of Baltic amber estimated to be between 35 and 47 million years old. And, thanks to the specialist contribution of Professor Javier Alba-Tercedor of the UGR’s Department of Zoology, using microtomography to obtain clear images of the insect, it could be studied and described in detail.
Plants such as conifers (and certain legumes) protect themselves by secreting resin—a thick, sticky liquid—as a reaction to damage to the cortex of the specimen. As insects often become trapped in this resin, even those dating back millions of years may still be found to this day, preserved in the hardened, fossilized resin that we know as amber. There are amber deposits located in different parts of the world, including northern Spain, but those located in the Baltic region are the most abundant.
“The conservation of the specimens trapped inside the amber is often excellent, and the transparency of the material that surrounds them enables them to be studied, under a microscope, in great detail,” explains Professor Alba-Tercedor. “But, in other cases, the level of transparency is not good because the areas of opacity that form prevent certain details from being examined,» comments Alba-Tercedor. When this limited transparency is problematic, X-ray microtomography (a technique similar to that used in hospitals to study patients’ organs) is invaluable in studying fossil specimens that are preserved in amber. When Arnold Staniczek—a renowned specialist in Ephemeroptera, with extensive experience in the study of insects preserved in amber—observed this particular piece from the Baltic, it was completely transparent. However, the insect itself presented certain ‘hyaline’ (translucent) areas surrounding certain parts of the body that are essential for characterizing the specimen and distinguishing one species from another, such as the end of the abdomen where the male reproductive apparatus (genitalia) are located. As this translucence impeded the identification process, Staniczek turned to Alba-Tercedor, in his capacity as a specialist in Ephemeroptera and due to his recognized experience in the use of computerized microtomography (micro-CT) applied to the study of insects.
From his base at the microtomography unit of the UGR’s Department of Zoology, Professor Alba-Tercedor reconstructed the entire insect, including those areas otherwise impossible to observe due to the opacity of the amber. This particular specimen belongs to the genus Calliarcys, the first (formally described) species of which is found in the Iberian Peninsula. Thanks to the expert knowledge of Roman Godunko of the Institute of Entomology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, the study of the previously undescribed species of mayfly was then accomplished by comparing it with extant species of the genus. In addition, given the importance of molecular studies in characterizing species and determining their evolutionary position, the input of Polish experts from the University of Łódź was also sought. Hence, researchers Michal Grabowski and Tomasz Rewicz completed the study with a DNA analysis of extant species of the genus.
“In short, it all started with the discovery of a beautiful insect preserved in amber, which attracted the attention of the expert eyes of a scientist. And which ultimately required the enthusiastic collaboration and detective work of five scientists based in research centres located in four countries, who, after applying the latest techniques, were finally able to name and describe an insect that has remained locked inside a drop of amber for millions of years”, recounts Professor Alba-Tercedor.
What is micro-CT?
Micro-CT is a technique for producing a 3D image using X-rays. It uses the same method as computed tomography (CT) in medicine, but on a smaller scale and with a much higher resolution. While CT provides a resolution measured in millimetres, in micro-CT, resolutions of around 0.5 micrometres are achieved. Indeed, the new nano-CTs are increasing the resolution even further and expanding the possibilities the technology can offer. Micro-CT is based on 3D microscopy, which enables the internal structure of extremely small-scale objects to be captured non-invasively. No physical cross-sections or complex pre-treatments are required: with just a single scan, multiple radiographic images can be generated to obtain high-resolution 3D rendered images of the entire internal structure of the sample. And all of this while the sample is left intact for subsequent treatments.
In simple terms, the procedure consists of an X-ray source “illuminating” the object and a flat X-ray detector capturing enlarged projection-images. Using computer software, the X-rays derived from the sample are then transformed into cross-sections that are converted into three-dimensional images using volumetric reconstruction programmes.
Image of the insectProfessor Alba-Tercedor shows a sample of an insect mounted and ready to be scanned
Professor Alba-Tercedor shows a sample of an insect mounted and Javier Alba-Tercedor shows the microtomographic image of the insect that was discoveredready to be scanned
At workwith the microtomograph
Bibliography: Godunko, R. J., Alba-Tercedor J., Grabowski M., Rewicz T., & Staniczek A.H. (2022), “Cenozoic Origins of the Genus Calliarcys (Insecta, Ephemeroptera) Revealed by Micro-CT, with DNA Barcode Gap Analysis of Leptophlebiinae and Habrophlebiinae”. Scientific Reports 12(1): 1–17. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-18234-4
Media enquiries: Professor Javier Alba-Tercedor Department of Zoology Faculty of Science University of Granada Spain Email: jalba@ugr.es Tel.: +34 686 46 43 42 www.YouTube.com/albatercedor
Votación: elecciones generales a Claustro Universitario, Juntas de Facultad y Escuela, Consejos de Departamento y Delegación de Estudiantes de Centros, 2024
The ActiveBrains study, led by the University of Granada, analyzes the effects of a 5-month aerobic and resistance exercise program, performed 3 times a week, in children with overweight/obesity.
The researchers/as have observed that the schoolchildren who performed exercise, compared to a control group, improved their intelligence in a prominent way, and also their cognitive flexibility and academic performance.
Is it possible to make humans smarter? There has been a traditional belief that intelligence is a human being characteristic predominantly stable, that is, a person is born intelligent and is intelligent throughout his/her life and/or the opposite. However, in recent years this conception has begun to change, starting to consider that intelligence can be more modifiable than previously thought. There are well-known benefits of regular physical exercise on physical, mental and cognitive health in people at any age, but to date there was no conclusive evidence confirming whether regular physical exercise could improve people’s intelligence.
Now, a study was led by researchers from the Department of Physical Education and Sports of the University of Granada, in collaboration with Psychology researchers from the same university and with national and international external collaborators, has demonstrated that schoolchildren who perform physical exercise are more intelligent and perform better academically.
This work, that the prestigious journal JAMA Network Open publishes this week, has demonstrated that in a stage of growth and cognitive and brain development, childhood, physical exercise practiced regularly for almost half a year improve total intelligence, and especially, crystallized intelligence, which is the kind of intelligence associated with verbal vocabulary and wisdom acquired throughout life in a school context and beyond.
In addition, the exercise program significantly improved cognitive flexibility, which is a person’s mental ability to adapt to changing tasks or rules, maintain multiple concepts simultaneously and shift attention between different tasks/rules. It is important to note that the exercise program also improved overall academic performance, with mathematics and problem solving being the most benefited capacities.
“From these findings, we extract an important take-home message for mothers and fathers: if your children do not perform well academically, do not punish them by not playing out or exercising, or withdraw them from an after-school sports activity, do just the opposite”, Francisco Ortega says, Professor at the University of Granada and principal investigator for the study.
60 minutes per day of exercise
“We need to try to ensure a minimum of daily physical exercise, ideally 60 minutes per day of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity, including at least 3 days a week of high-intensity physical activity and also activities that stimulates muscle and bone strengthening as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO)”, says the UGR Professor, who participated in the development of these physical activity recommendations from the WHO in 2020.
It is important to understand that overweight and obesity are a major health problem in the developed and developing world, being especially worrying in Spain, one of the leading countries in the ranking of overweight/obesity levels in Europe with 1 in 3 children presenting this condition. Obesity has negative effects on general health and, more recently, it has also been observed that it has effects at the cognitive and brain level.
“The present study has important implications for this population exposed to increased risks”, José Mora says, Associate Professor from the Department of Physical Education and Sports of the University of Granada, since “This study shows that physical exercise is an effective tool to counteract the negative effects of obesity at a cognitive and academic level”.
Finally, the researchers from the UGR says that the type of physical exercise performed in this study is transferable to the school environment. The exercise program was based on group games, without advanced equipment, which involved running on an outdoor court and strength work with their own body weight or their partners’ body weight. All this was performed at a relatively high intensity, with the average intensity of the full session being around 70% of the maximum heart rate of the children, who exercised an average of 3 sessions per week of 90 minutes each, which would add 4.5 hours of exercise weekly.
“If we could increase the number of hours of physical education up to 1h daily, as is already done in other European countries and is being demanded in Spain, we could improve the physical and mental health of children and, as this study demonstrates, also the intelligence, cognitive and academic performance”, concludes Francisco Ortega.
Results from this investigation were presented this week by the Professor of the UGR at the European Congress of Sports Science, the most important Congress of Sport Sciences in Europe, which is held in Sevilla.
Reference:
Ortega FB, Mora-Gonzalez J, Cadenas-Sanchez C, Solis-Urra P, Verdejo-Román J, Rodriguez-Ayllon M, Molina-Garcia P, Ruiz JR; Martinez-Vizcaino V, Hillman CH, Erickson KI, Kramer AF, Labayen I, Catena A. Effects of an Exercise Program on Brain Health Outcomes for Children With Overweight or Obesity: The Active Brains Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(8):e2227893.
The UGR research team that has carried out this work.A moment of intervention with schoolchildren.
Contact:
Francisco B. Ortega Professor at the Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, and co-director of the PROFITH research group: http://profith.ugr.es/ Email: ortegaf@ugr.es
José Rafael Mora González Assistant Professor at the Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada. E-mail: jmorag@ugr.es
A study led by the University of Granada has found that men with prostate cancer have lower levels of melatonin compared to those without this illness, regardless of their urinary symptoms and the extent and aggressiveness of the tumour
This hormone regulates circadian cycles, is produced in the absence of light, and is linked to the light–dark cycle
A study led by researchers from the Biohealth Research Institute in Granada (ibs.GRANADA) of the University of Granada (UGR) has revealed that men with prostate cancer have lower levels of melatonin, the sleep-inducing hormone, than men who are not suffering this illness, regardless of their urinary symptoms and the extent and aggressiveness of the tumour in question.
This work is part of the CAPLIFE (prostate cancer and lifestyles) Study (principal investigator: Rocío Olmedo Requena of the UGR’s Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health) and has been published in the Journal of Urology. The work forms part of the results of the doctoral thesis conducted by Macarena Lozano Lorca and supervised by José Juan Jiménez Moleón and Rocío Olmedo Requena.
As Olmedo explains, “circadian cycles regulate many of our bodily functions; they last approximately 24 hours and are regulated by melatonin levels. This hormone is produced in the absence of light and is linked to the light–dark cycle”.
The level of melatonin in the body reaches its peak at night, although its production is affected by age (dropping as we get older) and can be influenced by the seasons (lower during the months of spring–summer). Light pollution can also affect melatonin levels, for example from using electronic devices at night. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies night-work as a probable carcinogen, and melatonin may be one of the factors that underlie this link.
Despite the fact that we spend a third of our lives sleeping, to date, little attention has been paid to this important habit and its relationship to health. Sleep studies can be carried out from multiple approaches (sleep duration and quality; shift-work, including night shifts or rotating shifts; level of light pollution, etc.), although the most objective measurement is through analysis of the circadian rhythm based on melatonin levels at different times of day.
To undertake the first-ever analysis of the link between melatonin levels and prostate cancer, in this study, six saliva samples per participant were collected over a 24-hour period, among 40 male subjects recently diagnosed with prostate cancer and 41 men without this pathology. This enabled the researchers to measure the variations in the level of this hormone over the course of the 24 hours, its amplitude (defined by the maximum peak of melatonin production), and the acrophase (time of maximum melatonin peak).
A lower melatonin spike
The scientists observed that, in those subjects with prostate cancer, melatonin levels were systematically lower than in those without this pathology, regardless of age, season of the year, symptoms associated with prostate cancer, and the degree of progression of the disease. In addition, the time of day at which it was produced was later. They concluded that, in the sample under study, melatonin levels in men with prostate cancer—regardless of urinary symptoms, tumour extension, and tumour aggressiveness—were always lower than those of men without this pathology.
This study was carried out at the ibs.GRANADA Institute thanks to collaboration between researchers from the UGR, the International Institute of Melatonin, the Urology Services of the ‘Virgen de las Nieves’ and the ‘Clínico San Cecilio’ Teaching Hospitals, the Andalusian School of Public Health, and the Granada-Metropolitan Health District. In addition, some of the authors of this article are members of CIBERFES and CIBERESP (the Biomedical Research Networking Centres for Fragility and Healthy Aging, and Epidemiology and Public Health, respectively).
Bibliography:
Lozano-Lorca M, Olmedo-Requena R, Rodríguez-Barranco M, Redondo-Sánchez D, Jiménez-Pacheco A, Vázquez-Alonso F, Arana-Asensio E, Sánchez MJ, Fernández-Martínez J, Acuña-Castroviejo D, & Jiménez-Moleón JJ (2022), ‘Salivary Melatonin Rhythm and Prostate Cancer: CAPLIFE Study’, 207 Journal of Urology, 565–572.
DOI: 10.1097/JU.0000000000002294. PMID: 34694161
Image caption:
The research team that conducted this study.
Media enquiries:
Rocío Olmedo Requena Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health School of Medicine, University of Granada Tel.: +34 958 243543 Email: rocioolmedo@ugr.es
A recent study has shown howthe degree of dependency among the elderly can automatically be measured in a non-intrusive way, using only a smart wristband, while they carry out their everyday activities
This solution can save time for health professionals and healthcare systems thanks to the early detection of dependency and other diseases or impairments
Researchers from the Departments of Software Engineering and Physiotherapy of the University of Granada (UGR) have developed a new method of assessing the state of dependency of people over the age of 65, based on artificial intelligence (AI).
The study, published in the International Journal of Medical Informatics,confirms that it is possible to automatically measure the degree of dependency among elderly people in a non-intrusive way, using only a smart wristband, while they perform their day-to-day activities. This solution can save time for health professionals and healthcare systems thanks to the early detection of dependency and other diseases or impairments.
Traditionally, the dependency status of people over 65 years of age is assessed with tests or questionnaires that are self-reported or administered by others—such as the Lawton & Brody questionnaire. In this approach, elderly people are asked to perform tasks relating to 8 ‘domains of function’—known as Instrumental Activities of Daily Living or IADLs—while a health professional observes whether they perform them adequately or if they have any difficulties.
These activities include the ability to use the telephone, do the shopping, prepare food, wash their clothes, etc. In general, these types of observation-based evaluations require considerable time and, in addition, present a subjective dimension. Therefore, they are often not carried out because they are resource-intensive.
In a bid to overcome these drawbacks, the authors of this UGR-based study used wearable devices such as smartwatches and wristbands to collect physiological data (objective data on vital signs) from the elderly subjects during a complex and highly comprehensive IADL, such as supermarket shopping.
After analysing the data, combined with machine learning techniques, the researchers successfully validated a model capable of distinguishing between dependent and independent people—accurately, non-intrusively, and inexpensively.
Bibliography:
M. Garcia-Moreno, M. Bermudez-Edo, E. Rodríguez-García, J. M. Pérez-Mármol, J. L.
Garrido, & M. J. Rodríguez-Fórtiz (2022), ‘A machine learning approach for semi-automatic assessment of IADL dependence in older adults with wearable sensors’, 157 International Journal of Medical Informatics, 104625. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2021.104625
Media enquiries:
Francisco M. García Moreno
Department of Software Engineering, University of Granada
This ground-breaking finding, published in the scientific journal Theranostics, may represent a great advance in the prevention of the development of metastases in cancer patients
The Liquid Biopsy and Cancer Interception research group—part of the Biohealth Research Institute in Granada (ibs.GRANADA), in which researchers from the University of Granada (UGR) participate—has discovered that tumour cells pass themselves off as platelets to go undetected in the bloodstream.
This finding constitutes a paradigm shift in terms of how the metastatic process unfolds, and may contribute not only to a better understanding of the tumour process but also to the development of treatments for intercepting the process of tumour dissemination and, ultimately, the appearance of metastasis.
Metastasis is the leading cause of cancer-related death, due to the release of tumour cells from a primary tumour into the bloodstream, where they can travel to another organ and create a secondary tumour. These cells are known as Circulating Tumour Cells (CTCs) and, despite being known for their prognostic and predictive value as cancer biomarkers, little is known about their biology. CTCs are capable not only of detaching from the tumour mass but also of withstanding attacks from the immune system and colonising distant organs.
This team of scientists from ibs.GRANADA , the UGR, GENyO, and the ‘Virgen de las Nieves’ Teaching Hospital in Granada have demonstrated for the first time that platelets are capable of transferring biomolecules such as lipids, proteins, and ribonucleic acid to the CTCs, which helps them to go unnoticed in the bloodstream. In other words, tumour cells acquire part of the configuration of platelets to ‘trick’ the body into believing they are platelets, enabling them to take over other organs.
Therefore, this study reveals how platelets can phenotypically, genetically, and functionally modify tumour cells, indicating which ones could play a crucial role in metastasis by interacting with and modifying CTCs.
This research was led by Dr. María José Serrano, researcher on the ‘Nicolás Monardes’ programme at the GENyO Center and in the ‘Virgen de las Nieves’ Teaching Hospital. The study was the result of collaboration with Dr. Pedro Real of the UGR, renowned oncologist Dr. Christian Rolfo of the Center for Thoracic Oncology at the Tisch Cancer Institute, Mount Sinai, member of the external advisory committee of ibs.GRANADA, and Dr. Massimo Cristofanilli of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University.
About the research group
The Liquid Biopsy and Cancer Interception research group of ibs.GRANADA is led by Dr. José Expósito Hernández and Dr. María José Serrano. It is an active research group with multiple ongoing collaborations with other groups at regional, national, and international levels. It aims to bring clinical and basic knowledge together in a practical, useful approach for patients and to support the evaluation of healthcare services.
Rodríguez-Martínez A, Simon-Saez I, Perales S, Garrido-Navas C, Russo A, de Miguel-Pérez D, Puche-Sanz I, Alaminos C, Ceron J, Lorente JA, Molina MP, González C, Cristofanilli M, Ortigosa-Palomo A, Real PJ, Rolfo C, & Serrano MJ (2022), ‘Exchange of cellular components between platelets and tumor cells: Impact on tumor cells behavior’, Theranostics 12(5):2150-2161.
In light of COVID-19 concerns, research led by the UGR’s Francisco Peco Torres proposes that hotel firms should segment their communication and marketing plans according to clients’ resilience and risk perception of the pandemic
The perception of physical and emotional risk caused by COVID-19 among hotel clients influences their decision-making when it comes to deciding whether to stay in this type of establishment. Hence, hotel firms that base the design of their marketing and communication campaigns on this variable will find it helps make their offer appealing.
This is demonstrated by a study led by Francisco Peco-Torres of the Department of Marketing and Market Research at the University of Granada, together with Ana Isabel Polo-Peña and Professor Dolores María Frías-Jamilena.
The study also seeks to determine how resilience—the individual’s ability to readily recover from stressful situations and adapt to contexts characterised by uncertainty—can help consumers adjust to the ‘new normal’ caused by COVID-19 in the hotel sector.
A quantitative empirical study was conducted among Spanish hotel clients. The analysis showed that, when the client perceives physical and emotional risk attached to staying at a hotel due to COVID-19, this reduces their intention to resume their consumption of hotel accommodation in the wake of the pandemic while the virus is still present in the population. Physical risk is the degree to which the consumer perceives that it is possible to contract the virus at a hotel, while emotional risk is the concern that, due to the situation caused by the pandemic, the hotel experience will not prove satisfactory and may cause extreme mental overwhelm. In this scenario, according to Peco Torres, “consumer resilience helps reduce perceived physical and emotional risk”.
The results show that the more resilient the consumer, the better he or she will adapt to the new situation and the less risk they will perceive. In turn, the less risk they perceive, the greater their intention to return to staying in hotels again, even with COVID-19 still present.
Adapting hotel marketing and communications
The research has highlighted the role of resilience in consumer decision-making, showing that hotel firms must take this individual capacity into account when designing their marketing and communication plans. “One way of incorporating consumer resilience into these plans would be to segment consumers based on their degree of resilience, distinguishing between two types of consumers”, explains Francisco Peco.
On the one hand, less resilient individuals will perceive a higher degree of risk and present a low intention to resume their consumption of hotel accommodation. According to this study, firms wanting to target this segment in their communications should emphasize the anti-COVID-19 safety measures being taken by the hotel, in order to demonstrate that protecting their clients is their top priority. It would also be useful to emphasize the emotional cost of unnecessarily missing out on safe tourism experiences.
On the other hand, consumers with more personal resilience will perceive hotels to present a lower degree of risk and will show a higher level of intention to return to staying in them. Communication aimed at this segment should adopt a more commercial approach that motivates consumers to return to enjoying touristic experiences. It would also be appropriate to take a social approach to communications targeted at this profile of consumer, to convey how important their custom and their trust are for the survival of the hotel sector and all the employment it generates.
Bibliography:
Francisco Peco-Torres, Ana I. Polo-Peña, Dolores M. Frías-Jamilena, ‘The effect of COVID-19 on tourists’ intention to resume hotel consumption: The role of resilience, International’, 99 Journal of Hospitality Management, 2021.
Media enquiries: Francisco Torres Department of Marketing and Market Research Faculty of Economics and Business University of Granada Email: fpeco@ugr.es
A study led by the UGR reveals that men with periodontitis who are also diagnosed with erectile dysfunction are almost four times more likely to suffer a major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE)
The onset of erectile dysfunction among men with periodontitis could be a warning sign of potentially much more serious (cardiovascular) conditions and events in the near future, such as cerebral infarction, non-fatal myocardial infarction, cardiovascular death, heart failure, acute coronary syndrome (stable and unstable angina), coronary artery bypass grafting, or percutaneous coronary intervention
A team of researchers led by the University of Granada (UGR) has shown in a prospective study that men with periodontitis who are also diagnosed with erectile dysfunction are almost four times more likely to suffer a major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE).
These pathologies refer specifically to cerebral infarction, non-fatal myocardial infarction, cardiovascular death, heart failure, acute coronary syndrome (stable and unstable angina), coronary artery bypass grafting, or percutaneous coronary intervention. They were found to occur, on average, four years after the sexual dysfunction was diagnosed.
This study, published in the prestigious Journal of Periodontology (the official publication of the American Academy of Periodontology), was conducted by the ‘CTS 583’ research group, led by the UGR’s Francisco Mesa (from the Department of Stomatology), in collaboration with the Urology Service of the ‘Clínico San Cecilio’ Teaching Hospital in Granada. The Director of the Service is Miguel Arrabal of the Department of Surgery and Surgical Specialties at the UGR.
Epidemiological study
These results are of particular importance, given that MACEs are life-threatening in middle-aged men. Thanks to its longitudinal design, this epidemiological association-study provides the greatest volume of scientific evidence among studies of its kind, to date.
Although it was not the aim of the research to identify the cause of this link, the authors attribute it to an accelerated atherosclerotic process triggered by periodontitis—first, in the small vessels of the corpus cavernosum of the penis, and, later, in the rest of the arterioles of other vital organs. Therefore, in the case of men with periodontitis, the onset of erectile dysfunction could be a warning sign of potentially much more serious (cardiovascular) conditions and events in the near future. This line of research was initiated by the authors in 2017 in a case–control (observational) study, in which they demonstrated that men with periodontitis were 2.17 times more likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction.
References:
Francisco Mesa, Miguel Ángel Arrabal-Polo, Antonio Magán-Fernández, Miguel Arrabal, Amada Martin, Ricardo Muñoz, Alejandro Rodríguez-Agurto, & Manuel Bravo (December 2021), ‘Patients with periodontitis and erectile dysfunction suffer a greater incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events: A prospective study in a Spanish Population’, Journal of Periodontology.
The UGR researchers who conducted this study. From left to right: Miguel Ángel Arrabal, Miguel Arrabal, Francisco Mesa, Antonio Magán, and Alejandro Rodríguez
Wearing FFP2-type facemasks for any length of time produces a concentration of CO2 between the face and the mask that is higher than the normal atmospheric concentration, due to the gas we exhale when breathing. CO2 rebreathing can cause adverse health effects, even in healthy people, such as general malaise, headaches, fatigue, shortness of breath, dizziness, sweating, increased heart rate, muscle weakness, and drowsiness
Now, a new mask, designed at the UGR, sends an alert to the wearer via their smartphone when the recommended healthy CO2 limits inside the facemask are exceeded
Scientists and engineers from the University of Granada (UGR) have developed and tested a ‘smart’ FFP2 facemask that notifies the user via their smartphone when the permitted carbon dioxide (CO2) limits inside the mask are exceeded.
This important scientific advance addresses a problem that has been particularly spotlighted since the COVID-19 pandemic began: that of the CO2 that we rebreathe inside our facemasks. Wearing FFP2-type facemasks for any length of time produces a concentration of CO2 between the face and the mask that is higher than the normal atmospheric concentration (~0.04%), due to the gas we exhale when breathing. CO2 rebreathing can cause adverse health effects, even in healthy people, such as general malaise, headaches, fatigue, shortness of breath, dizziness, sweating, increased heart rate, muscle weakness, and drowsiness
Furthermore, these negative effects are known to be linked to both the duration of exposure and the concentration of the gas itself. For example, some health regulations recommend a maximum value of 0.5% CO2 in the working environment (averaged over an 8-hour day), or that a 30-minute exposure to 4% CO2 be considered very harmful to health.
“Since the global pandemic was declared by the World Health Organization due to the spread of COVID-19, the universal use of facemasks has been recommended or imposed among the general population, in a bid to prevent the rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2. Notwithstanding the generalized evidence in favour of facemasks to reduce transmission throughout the population, there is also broad agreement on the possible adverse effects caused by their prolonged use, mainly as a consequence of the increase in respiratory resistance and the re-inhalation of the CO2 that accumulates inside the mask”, explain the authors of this research.
The new FFP2 facemask designed at the UGR makes it possible to ascertain the level of CO2 rebreathed in real time, using a smartphone application. This method—a wearable gas-monitoring system that is characterized by its low cost, scalability, reliability, and convenience—represents a significant advance with important health benefits.
This study, published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications, was conducted by the “ECsens” multidisciplinary research team pertaining to the Departments of Analytical Chemistry and Electronics and Computer Technology of the UGR. Together, they developed this wireless, real-time, portable gas-detection system that monitors CO2 levels inside the FFP2 facemask.
Sensors that measure specific parameters of interest
While standard facemasks simply act as air filters for the nasal and/or mouth passage, the inclusion of sensors to measure specific parameters of interest provides added value that improves their use and effectiveness, creating a new paradigm of ‘smart’ facemasks.
“The system we propose is based on inserting a flexible ‘tag’ into a standard FFP2 mask. This tag comprises an innovative, custom-developed opto-chemical CO2 sensor, together with the necessary signal-processing electronics. Both the sensor and the circuitry are fabricated onto a lightweight, flexible polymeric substrate, forming the so-called ‘sensing tag’, which causes no discomfort to the wearer”, note the authors. The tag does not require batteries as it is powered wirelessly by the near-field communication (NFC) link—similar to that used for making wireless payments, for example—of a smartphone, using an Android app. This custom-developed app is also used for data processing, alert management, and display and sharing of results.
The UGR scientists have conducted preliminary tests of this ‘smart facemask’ on both subjects conducting sedentary activity and those performing physical exercise. “Our results, which are in line with previous clinical trials, present CO2 values of between 2% during low-work-rate (sedentary) activities and a peak value of almost 5% during high-intensity physical exercise. These values are significantly higher than the typical range of 0.04%–0.1% of CO2 found in atmospheric air or in typical work environments that are considered healthy. Although the performance tests we carried out do not constitute a formal clinical trial, they are intended to give an indication of the potential of this system in the field of wearable sensors for non-invasive health monitoring”, the authors explain.
The scientists emphasize that this facemask is 100% environmentally friendly, as it does not require batteries, relying instead on standard wireless smartphone technology.
All of the aforementioned characteristics underline the potential multiple applications of this low-cost device in the fields of non-invasive health monitoring, pre-clinical research, and diagnostics using portable electronic devices. Other sensors can also be included, to detect other gases of interest.
Bibliography
Escobedo, P., Fernández-Ramos, M.D., López-Ruiz, N. et al. (2022) ‘Smart facemask for wireless CO2 monitoring’, Nat. Commun. 13, 72.
Overview of the NFC-based smart FFP2 facemask communicating with the smartphone
The flexible sensing tag, inside and outside the FFP2 facemask
The UGR researcher Pablo Escobedo Araque, one of the authors of this work
The researchers insert the sensing tag into a standard FFP2 mask, which requires no batteries as it is powered by wireless technology via smartphone
The team that conducted this research, at the entrance to the Research Centre for Information and Communications Technologies (CITIC-UGR)
Information video about this new device, produced by the UGR’s Communications Management Office:
Media enquiries:
Pablo Escobedo Araque “Juan de La Cierva” Postdoctoral Research Fellow, CITIC-UGR, Department of Electronics and Computer Technology, University of Granada Email: pabloescobedo@ugr.es
Luis Fermín Capitán-Vallvey Professor, Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of Granada Email: lcapitan@ugr.es
Alberto J. Palma Professor, Department of Electronics and Computer Technology, CITIC-UGR, IMUDS, University of Granada Email: ajpalma@ugr.es Tel.: +34 958 242300 ECsens research group website: http://wpd.ugr.es/~ecsens/ Twitter: @ECsens_UGR
Researchers from the University of Granada have conducted a review of the scientific literature on the role of the ‘fat mass and obesity-associated’ (FTO) gene in the relationship between depression and obesity
Scientists from the University of Granada (UGR) have highlighted that the possible role attributed to the ‘fat mass and obesity-associated’ (FTO) gene in the comorbidity of depression and obesity can only be confirmed by conducting more studies involving individuals suffering from both diseases, together with more in-depth analysis of the different clinical subtypes of depression, as some are more prone to being accompanied by obesity than others.
In their study, which has been published in the prestigious journal Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, the researchers conducted an exhaustive systematic review of the scientific literature published to date on this topic, to better understand the role of this gene in the relationship between these two diseases.
Depression and obesity are both extremely common diseases in our society, with serious implications not only on a personal and family level but also for public, occupational, and economic health. Depression is currently considered the world’s leading cause of disability. No less serious, obesity is considered a pandemic constituting the main risk factor for other diseases that cause mortality, such as cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, or cancer.
Juan Antonio Zarza Rebollo, a researcher from the UGR’s Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology II and the main author of this work, explains: “Depression and obesity have a strong bidirectional relationship—that is, obesity increases the risk of developing depression; and vice-versa, people with depression are at higher risk of becoming obese. Furthermore, it is common for depression and obesity to present as comorbidities—that is, they appear at the same time and coexist in the same individual, which poses an even greater health risk”.
There are different factors that increase the risk that an individual will develop depression and obesity simultaneously. These factors include having low self-esteem, having suffered maltreatment or abuse in childhood, social stigma, or a low level of family and social support. All of these can impact on the biology of each individual, where there are certain physiological mechanisms (which involve the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis or inflammation) or genetic risk variants that can play an important role in the appearance of these pathologies.
According to the “Ramón y Cajal” research fellow Margarita Rivera (coordinator of this work and of the research on physical health and mental health of this group and also a lecturer in the UGR’s Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology II): “The study of the underlying genetic factors involved in the comorbidity between depression and obesity is one of the active lines of research of our group. Specifically, the FTO gene has been investigated by this and other international research groups as a possible genetic link between both pathologies”.
A limited but important role
The role of genes in the development of these diseases is limited and cannot be considered a determining factor (that is, there is no “obesity gene” or “depression gene”). Esther Molina, a co-author of this research and lecturer at the UGR’s Department of Nursing, explains, however, that “there are genetic variants common to both disorders that confer a greater risk of developing these diseases on those who carry those variants because they can interact with the environment, giving rise to an individual risk for these pathologies. Hence, we find that some individuals are more likely to develop them than others”.
This systematic review was undertaken to derive insights from the published scientific evidence on the possible role that one particular gene, the FTO gene, may play in comorbid depression and obesity. This gene contains an area that varies from person to person, known as a polymorphism.
“The presence of the so-called ‘risk’ variant of this polymorphism has been linked by numerous studies to a greater probability of suffering from obesity and to an increase in body weight in humans. Although there are no studies that associate it with depression independently, the FTO gene is highly expressed in the brain, and recent studies have described functions that may participate in important brain mechanisms. All of this leads us to believe that this gene may play a key role in the appearance of comorbid depression and obesity”, notes Zarza-Rebollo.
The authors of this work, all of whom belong to the “Federico Olóriz” Institute of Neurosciences and the Biomedical Research Centre of the UGR, have shown that there are very few studies analysing the role of this gene in comorbid obesity and depression. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct more studies where individuals with both pathologies are analysed simultaneously. According to Margarita Rivera, “at the same time, it is important that future studies take into account the different subtypes of depression, since they have different characteristics not only at the clinical level but also in terms of metabolism and weight-gain. Different subtypes of depression are likely to have different genetic profiles. By characterising the samples by the different depression subtypes, we may be able to illuminate the role played by the FTO gene and possibly other genes in those depression subtypes that are more prone to triggering weight-gain”.
“A better understanding of the role of genetics in comorbid depression and obesity opens the door to early detection of those individuals with a higher risk of developing this comorbidity and to being able to design more personalized (and more effective) prevention and treatment strategies for them”, stresses Esther Molina.
Bibliography:
Juan Antonio Zarza-Rebollo, Esther Molina, and Margarita Rivera (2021), ‘The role of the FTO gene in the relationship between depression and obesity: A systematic review’, Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 127, 630–7.
Image caption:
The UGR research team that carried out this work
Media enquiries:
Esther Molina Rivas, Department of Nursing, “Federico Olóriz” Institute of Neurosciences and the Biomedical Research Centre of the University of Granada
Tel.: Laboratory: +34 958 241000 ext. 20342. Faculty of Health Sciences Office: +34 958 248750
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology II, “Federico Olóriz” Institute of Neurosciences and the Biomedical Research Centre of the University of Granada
Tel.: Laboratory and office: +34 958 241000 ext. 20343
An international study, in which the University of Granada (UGR) is participating as part of the ProyectORCE project, has obtained new data on the Prehistoric humans who inhabited the Guadix-Baza basin, thanks to an analysis of the teeth of herbivorous animals such as mammoths, hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses, horses, deer, and bison
This study, in which the University of Helsinki (Finland) is also participating, reveals that our ancestors could only inhabit this area when Mediterranean ecosystems provided extra productivity, since these first hominids required a high amount of energy, and resources there were insufficient during the cooler and drier climatic phases
The first humans to inhabit the Guadix-Baza basin (Province of Granada) during Prehistory (from 1.5 million to 400,000 years ago) looked for areas of high vegetation in order to survive, but they could only inhabit this area when the productivity of Mediterranean ecosystems was especially abundant, since these ancestors required a high amount of energy, and resources there were insufficient during the cooler and drier climatic phases.
These are the main conclusions drawn from a study led by researchers from the Universities of Helsinki and Granada and published in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews. This was an interdisciplinary, international study in which, as well as the aforementioned universities, the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES, Tarragona) and the Universities of Zaragoza, Barcelona, Salamanca, Complutense de Madrid, and Tübingen (Germany) also participated. The work was conducted within the framework of the ProyectORCE project, coordinated by the UGR and financed by the Junta (regional government) of Andalusia.
4.5 million years of history reflected in teeth
To arrive at these conclusions, the scientists analysed the teeth of herbivorous animals—such as mammoths, hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses, horses, deer, and bison—found at the different archaeological sites at Orce (Granada). This is the first study to analyse the faunal evolution and the ecological changes that took place over a period of four million years in the Guadix-Baza basin, which is located in the Granada Geopark.
Teeth are anatomical structures that are directly related to diet. To determine the significance of the main types of vegetables consumed in that epoch, two techniques developed by Mikael Fortelius (lecturer at the University of Helsinki and Visiting Scholar at the UGR) were applied to a dozen sites that date back as far back as 4.5 million years ago (Baza-1 site) to as recently as 400,000 years ago (Solana del Zamborino site, Fonelas). The two techniques involved studying patterns of wear in the animal teeth and the structural characteristics of their dental remains (known as the “ecometric method”).
On the one hand, dental wear is linked to the nature of the food consumed by the animal: the harder it is (and the lower the consumption of vegetables), the greater the deterioration of the teeth. On the other hand, the presence or absence of certain dental functional traits correlates closely with rainfall and, above all, with primary productivity—that is, with the quantity and quality of plant matter available to herbivores.
Habitat type revealed
One of the great debates that have surrounded the first human settlement of the European continent is the type of habitat that our oldest ancestors occupied. Some scholars claim that the first humans went out “in pursuit” of the habitat of origin—that is, the savannah. But the results of this study, led by Juha Saarinen of the University of Helsinki, show that, in fact, these primitive groups lived in habitats very similar to those still in existence today in much of the Iberian Peninsula: Mediterranean woodland. It is well known that the climate associated with these ecosystems is extremely seasonal, with summers dominated by a persistent drought, in which productivity falls to a minimum, especially when coupled with extended autumn and spring droughts.
The maximum productivity is found at Solana del Zamborino (Fonelas), a very interesting archaeological site dated to approximately 400,000 years ago, which coincides with one of the warmest and most humid periods of the last two million years. Following this, in terms of productivity, is a paleontological site, Baza-1, in which, due to its age (4.5 million years old), the presence of hominids is not to be expected.
At the opposite extreme are the paleontological sites with the lowest productivity: Huélago (2.5 million years), Fonelas-P1 (2 million years), and the Orce-based sites of Fuente Nueva-1 (2.2 million years) and Venta Micena (1.6 million years). The likelihood of finding evidence of a human presence at these sites is very low or inexistent. In between, with high productivity, are the emblematic sites of Barranco León (1.4 million years old) and Fuente Nueva-3 (1.2 million), the oldest locations with evidence of a human presence in the western part of Europe.
Human presence is also documented at Huéscar-1 (1 million years) and Cúllar-Baza-1 (Cúllar, 800,000 years) albeit on a very small scale. Finally, there are other sites that could likely have been home to our ancestors but that, for the moment, yield no clear evidence: Barranco del Paso (Orce, 1.8 million years old) and Mencal-9 (Pedro Martínez, 1.7 million years). Therefore, this study constitutes a hugely significant methodological contribution in the quest for locations that would potentially have been habitable for the very first Europeans.
Humans, major energy consumers
But why did our most distant ancestors require such productive habitats? “In the first place, because we are a very gregarious species that needed to live in relatively large groups, possibly of more than 30 individuals”, explains Juan Manuel Jiménez Arenas, the director of ProyectORCE and a researcher from the UGR’s Department of Prehistory and Archaeology.
“This gave us an important evolutionary advantage in relation to, on the one hand, inbreeding (probably one of the triggers for the disappearance of Neanderthals) and, on the other, the presence of predators. Likewise, social cohesion would contribute to survival in a complex and conflictive environment. In addition, humans have tremendously large brains relative to our body mass. Remember that this organ consumes an extraordinary amount of energy for its low weight (just 2% of total body mass vs. 20% of energy consumption in today’s humans)”, notes Jiménez Arenas.
Furthermore, the inability to produce fire or work with it would render certain foods of plant origin inedible. Lastly, the lithic technology or tools available to the first settlers of the European continent did not lend themselves to making intensive use of the available resources. “To exemplify this, our study reveals that our ancestors could not currently live in the Orce area. Hence, given the means to which they had access, the earliest settlers of Europe could not cope with an overexploitation of the territory, as is the case today. Therefore, it was Nature that determined the presence of our ancestors—it was not they who imposed themselves on Nature”, concludes Jiménez Arenas.
Bibliography:
Saarinen J, Oksanen O, Žliobaitė I, Fortelius M, DeMiguel D, Azanza B, Bocherens H, Luzón C, Solano-García JA, Yravedra J, Courtenay LA, Blain H-A, Sánchez-Bandera C, Serrano-Ramos A, Rodríguez-Alba JJ, Viranta S, Barsky D, Tallavaara M, Oms O, Agustí J, Ochando J, Carrión J, Jiménez-Arenas JM (2021), ‘Pliocene to Middle Pleistocene climate history in the Guadix-Baza Basin, and the environmental conditions of early Homo dispersal in Europe’, Quaternary Science Reviews 268: 107132.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2021.107132
Image captions:
Reconstruction of the palaeoenvironment that would have been found in Orce 1.5 million years ago. Recreation by Mauricio Antón from data derived from the Georgian site of Dmanisi
Juha Saarinen, main author of the work, at the Venta Micena site (Orce, Granada) during the 2018 campaign. Photo by Susana Girón
Evolution of productivity over the last 4.5 million years from the main paleontological and archaeological sites of the Guadix-Baza basin. The full squares correspond to sites where evidence of a human presence has been found. The blank squares represent those without evidence of a human presence. The section of the graph shadowed with grey lines indicates the range of productivity where the probability of human presence is low. The dotted lines represent the interval where the appearance of a human presence is highly probable. CG-B = Guadix-Baza Basin. Modified from Saarinen et al. (2021)
The present-day landscape at Orce. Photo by Susana Girón
Media enquiries:
Juan Manuel Jimenez Arenas, Department of Prehistory and Archaeology, University of Granada
