Sexual practices and risk behaviours towards human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection among Ecuadorian university students: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: To describe the sexual practices and behaviour towards HIV infection among Ecuadorian university students.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study carried out between February 2019 and August 2020 among university students from all over the country. Students aged 18 years and older of each participating institution were contacted by an official email account and invited to fill out a survey through Google Forms.

Effect of Physical Exercise on Telomere Length: Umbrella Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Telomere length (TL) is a marker of cellular health and aging. Physical exercise has been associated with longer telomeres and, therefore, healthier aging. However, results supporting such effects vary across studies.

Modulatory effect of Echium plantagineum oil on the n-3 LC-PUFA biosynthetic capacity of chicken (Gallus gallus).

Poultry can be a sustainable source of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) through the bioconversion of dietary alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, 18:3n-3). However, this process is currently limited by the high n-6/n-3 ratio in poultry diets affecting the competition between n-6 and n-3 fatty acids (FA) for the same biosynthetic enzymes, and the rate-limiting Δ6 desaturase which act at both, the first and final steps of DHA synthesis pathway. Echium plantagineum oil (EO) is an unusual source of stearidonic acid (SDA, 18:4n-3) which bypasses the first Δ6 desaturase step potentially increasing n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) synthesis.

Skeletal and Adipose Manifestations of Stress in a Contemporary Pediatric Sample.

Introduction: Adverse experiences leading to physiological disruptions (stress) in early life produce cascade effects on various biological systems, including the endocrine and metabolic systems, which, in turn, shape the developing skeletal system. To evaluate the effects of stress on adipose and skeletal tissues, we examine the relationship between skeletal indicators of stress (porotic hyperostosis [PH] and cribra orbitalia [CO]), bone mineral density (BMD), vertebral neural canal (VNC) diameters, and adipose tissue distribution in a contemporary pediatric autopsy sample.

Methods: Data is from 702 (409 males, 293 females) individuals from a pediatric (0.