Proyectos

Proyecto Nº 1900120473. Objetivo de la investigación: Evaluar el efecto de la suplementación con miel chilena sobre el desempeño de deportistas seleccionados durante la realización de una actividad física establecida.

Global health cannot be viewed in isolation; it is "dependent on a person's living environment, on factors such as education, the environment, climate, water and food" (BMZ Position 02/2019: Global health, an investment in the future). The One Health approach involves the "development and implementation of programmes, policies, laws and research in which multiple sectors communicate and collaborate to achieve better public health outcomes" /https://www.who.int/features/qa/one-health/en/). The overall objective is to improve global health conditions by understanding the structural health problems caused by the living environment and developing context-specific approaches in a holistic and participatory approach to development cooperation with a focus on education and training. Research serves above all as a means of imparting research competence. The network uses competence-based pedagogy and activating learning methods developed in the past within the framework of the Center for International Health (CIHLMU), expands them, and uses ICT-based learning methods.

Durante el siglo XX se tendió a medicalizar y tecnificar la asistencia sanitaria al nacimiento bajo el argumento de la seguridad. A finales de 2019 apareció una nueva situación que ha producido profundos cambios en la atención a la salud y que mantiene el planeta en estado de alarma: la pandemia de SARS-COV-2. En el caso de la atención al parto, pone en tela de juicio el concepto de seguridad que se había otorgado al parto hospitalario. Pretendemos profundizar en el conocimiento de las diversas formas de vulnerabilidad, violencia y pérdida de derechos, a las que las mujeres gestantes se ven expuestas. Así como interrogamos sobre el concepto de seguridad en el parto y el lugar idóneo para su asistencia, para promover cambios que permitan una atención acorde con la dignidad y el derecho de autonomía de las mujeres en este nuevo escenario. El estudio combina diferentes metodologías y se desarrollará en 4 fases: a) Establecimiento del punto de partida, b) Diagnóstico de la situación, c) Elaboración estrategia de acción y d) Implementación de un programa formativo piloto con contenidos específicos en aspectos asistenciales, bioéticos y comunicativos dirigido a los profesionales sanitarios.

Estudio de casos de Diabetes Mellitus de nueva aparición

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a prevalent and multifactorial endocrine disorder in women, which is characterized by reproductive and metabolic alterations that include hyperandrogenism, polycystic ovarian morphology, anovulation, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia and obesity with a high risk to develop type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. However, the mechanisms that contribute to the development of metabolic abnormalities are not completely understood. Currently, DNA methylation, an epigenetic mechanism that regulates gene expression, has been proposed as an attractive possibility that might explain the heterogeneity of the syndrome linking the effect of environmental factors on susceptible genes to the presence of metabolic features. Data from women with PCOS and animal models of hyperandrogenism have found differential methylation patterns in several gene promoters related to glucose and lipid metabolism leading to a dysregulation of the expression of these genes and metabolic disorders. On the other hand, several environmental factors that may contribute with the establishment of these epigenetic modifications in women with PCOS remain unidentified. In this regard, it is widely accepted that different foods and nutrients have an impact on the regulation of epigenetic mechanisms, among them it has been proposed that elevated folic acid (FA) levels could induce an hypermethylation of the DNA which could reduce the expression of important regulatory genes including those asociated with metabolic function. Interestingly, women with PCOS show changes in folate and homocysteine levels suggesting an altered folate metabolism, which could be associated to changes in the methylation patterns of metabolic genes. In the present research project, we propose that androgen excess disrupts the folate cycle leading to folate excess in women with PCOS compared to control women. This alteration leads to hypermethylation of candidate genes involved in glucose and lipid metabolism (PPARG, FOXO1, GPAM and APOA2) which may impact the metabolic phenotype of women with PCOS. To test this hypothesis, 37 women with PCOS and 37 control women will be recruited to assess the effect of androgen excess in women with PCOS on folate metabolism circulating biomarkers such as folates, vit B12 and homocysteine (Hcy) (Specific aim 1). These results will be categorized according to quartiles of folate consumption according to the dietary pattern, using a validated food frequency questionnaire, and associated with circulating androgen levels. In addition, to evaluate whether androgen excess induces changes in folate cycle enzymes, gene expression analyses will be performed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) (Specific aim 2). To establish the causality of our hypothesis, we will evaluate the effect of androgen excess on the folate cycle using a cellular model. For this, gene and protein expression of the enzymes involved on the folate cycle (MAT, SAHH, MS, MTHFR, FOL1R y AHCY) will be analyzed in an hepatocyte cell line stimulated with testosterone (Specific aim 3). To check the specificity of androgen action we will use androgen blockers and aromatase inhibitors. Finally, to determine the effect on genes associated to glucose and lipid metabolism, DNA methylation in promoter regions and gene expression of candidate genes associated to glucose and lipid metabolism (PPARG, FOXO1, GPAM and APOA2) will be analyzed (Specific aim 4). We expect to find an increase in folate and homocysteine levels, and decreased levels of vitamin B12 in women with PCOS, asociated with a decreased expression of folate metabolism enzymes. On the other hand, in the in vitro model, we expect high levels of folic acid and a decrease in the expression of genes involved in folate metabolism in hepatocytes stimulated with androgens. This dysregulation in folate metabolism induced by androgen excess may result in hypermethylation of genes involved in lipid and glucose metabolism such as PPARG, FOXO1, GPAM and APOA2, leading to a lower gene expression which may impact the metabolic parameters of PCOS women. The results obtained from this proposal will help to identify new mechanisms involved in the pathophysiology of metabolic alterations in PCOS leading to the development of more effective strategies of prevention and therapy

Proyecto Nº 1900120473. Objetivo de la investigación: Evaluar el efecto de la suplementación con miel chilena sobre el desempeño de deportistas seleccionados durante la realización de una actividad física establecida.

During the past few decades average life expectancy has dramatically increased worldwide; specifically by 2050 the number of older adults will overcome the number of young people in Chile. This leads to a major challenge due to multiple chronic diseases highly prevalent in elderly. Aging process is defined as a series of time-dependent physiological changes that decrease reserve and functional capacity of skeletal muscle. Several studies have proposed that aging is caused by damage of macromolecules by reactive oxygen species (ROS) and decreased autophagy levels, a process that is essential for skeletal muscle regeneration, homeostasis and function. Exercise is a novel strategy used in elderly, which has shown to improve muscle mass, muscle function and decrease chronic diseases in old individuals. However, the molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways involved on the benefits of exercise in aged skeletal muscle are not completely clear. While exercise regulations of oxidative stress and autophagy have been studied separately, a direct interplay between exercise inducing autophagy via a ROS-dependent pathway has not yet been addressed in young or aged human skeletal muscle. Moreover, studies in human skeletal muscle examining the autophagy modulation after endurance exercise are limited and controversial. Although it is known that resting autophagy levels are decreased in aged skeletal muscle, the effects of acute exercise on skeletal muscle autophagy between young and older adults remain to be elucidated and could shed light on regulation of autophagy in humans. Additionally, it is also not known if a controlled exercise-training program can induce similar increases in autophagy levels in older adults. Recently, we have shown that the non-mitochondrial sources of ROS, NADPH oxidases 2 (NOX2), plays a major role in ROS production in skeletal muscle, both at rest and during contracting activity. Furthermore, our preliminary results show that NOX2 expression is increased during the aging process and strongly correlates with decreased autophagy levels detected in aged human skeletal muscle. Moreover, we also show that 12 weeks of endurance exercise training reduced the NOX2 levels in aged human muscle. We speculate that a decrease in NOX2 associated with a decrease in ROS levels in aged skeletal muscle induced by exercise training will improve aged muscle function by re-stablishing autophagy up to young skeletal muscle levels

During the past few decades average life expectancy has dramatically increased worldwide; specifically by 2050 the number of older adults will overcome the number of young people in Chile. This leads to a major challenge due to multiple chronic diseases highly prevalent in elderly. Aging process is defined as a series of time-dependent physiological changes that decrease reserve and functional capacity of skeletal muscle. Several studies have proposed that aging is caused by damage of macromolecules by reactive oxygen species (ROS) and decreased autophagy levels, a process that is essential for skeletal muscle regeneration, homeostasis and function. Exercise is a novel strategy used in elderly, which has shown to improve muscle mass, muscle function and decrease chronic diseases in old individuals. However, the molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways involved on the benefits of exercise in aged skeletal muscle are not completely clear. While exercise regulations of oxidative stress and autophagy have been studied separately, a direct interplay between exercise inducing autophagy via a ROS-dependent pathway has not yet been addressed in young or aged human skeletal muscle. Moreover, studies in human skeletal muscle examining the autophagy modulation after endurance exercise are limited and controversial. Although it is known that resting autophagy levels are decreased in aged skeletal muscle, the effects of acute exercise on skeletal muscle autophagy between young and older adults remain to be elucidated and could shed light on regulation of autophagy in humans. Additionally, it is also not known if a controlled exercise-training program can induce similar increases in autophagy levels in older adults. Recently, we have shown that the non-mitochondrial sources of ROS, NADPH oxidases 2 (NOX2), plays a major role in ROS production in skeletal muscle, both at rest and during contracting activity. Furthermore, our preliminary results show that NOX2 expression is increased during the aging process and strongly correlates with decreased autophagy levels detected in aged human skeletal muscle. Moreover, we also show that 12 weeks of endurance exercise training reduced the NOX2 levels in aged human muscle. We speculate that a decrease in NOX2 associated with a decrease in ROS levels in aged skeletal muscle induced by exercise training will improve aged muscle function by re-stablishing autophagy up to young skeletal muscle levels

La propuesta tiene como objetivo describir la relación entre el nivel de estrés, medido a través del nivel de cortisol, con una de las funciones ejecutivas, memoria de trabajo, a través de distintos niveles socioeconómicos. Estas interacciones son de interés ya que la capacidad de la memoria de trabajo es predictiva del desempeño académico en contextos educativos formales, y a su vez, hay una relación entre la capacidad de memoria de trabajo y el nivel socioeconómico. Sin embargo, hay evidencia de que no sería el nivel socioeconómico propiamente tal lo que afecta la capacidad de la memoria de trabajo, sino que el nivel de estrés asociado a dicho contexto social. Por tanto, se explorarán en las interacciones entre las variables cortisol, capacidad de memoria de trabajo y nivel socioeconómico. Esto se hará en dos cohortes de estudiantes de prebásica (70 estudiantes de prekinder y 90 de kínder) de un colegio sin selección (método aleatorio), y que por lo tanto tiene estudiantes de distintos niveles socioeconómicos en los mismos cursos. Es el primer estudio de este tipo realizado en Chile a la fecha, y se espera encontrar evidencia suficiente para diseñar programas de intervención temprana que regulen el nivel de estrés en niños con el fin de disminuir los niveles de cortisol, evitando así un efecto perjudicial en la memoria de trabajo. Esto, esperando que resulte en un mayor desempeño académico independiente del nivel de estrés que pudiese estar asociado a ciertos niveles socioeconómicos.