Patricia Henríquez

Mediterranean diet and depression

OBJECTIVE The adherence to a Mediterranean Dietary Pattern ensures an adequate intake of B vitamins and w-3 fatty acids. A protective role on depression has been suggested for both nutrients. DESIGN Cross-sectional analysis from the SUN (Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra) prospective cohort study. Data from 9670 participants (4211 men and 5459 women) were analised. Logistic regression analyses were fitted to assess the association between B-vitamins and w-3 fatty acids intake (quintiles) and the prevalence of depression. RESULTS Folate intake was inversely associated with depression prevalence among men, especially smokers. Among women, B12 vitamin intake was inversely associated with depression, especially among smokers and physically active women. No significant associations were observed for w-3 fatty acids intake. CONCLUSIONS The adherence to a Mediterranean Dietary Pattern ensures an adequate intake of fruits, nuts, vegetables, cereals, legumes or fish, important sources of nutrients linked to depression prevention.

Characterization of Healthy and Pathological Voice Through Measures Based on Nonlinear Dynamics

In this paper, we propose to quantify the quality of the recorded voice through objective nonlinear measures. Quantification of speech signal quality has been traditionally carried out with linear techniques since the classical model of voice production is a linear approximation. Nevertheless, nonlinear behaviors in the voice production process have been shown. This paper studies the usefulness of six nonlinear chaotic measures based on nonlinear dynamics theory in the discrimination between two levels of voice quality: healthy and pathological. The studied measures are first- and second-order Renyi entropies, the correlation entropy and the correlation dimension. These measures were obtained from the speech signal in the phase-space domain. The values of the first minimum of mutual information function and Shannon entropy were also studied. Two databases were used to assess the usefulness of the measures: a multiquality database composed of four levels of voice quality (healthy voice and three levels of pathological voice); and a commercial database (MEEI Voice Disorders) composed of two levels of voice quality (healthy and pathological voices). A classifier based on standard neural networks was implemented in order to evaluate the measures proposed. Global success rates of 82.47% (multiquality database) and 99.69% (commercial database) were obtained.

Review of Automatic Fault Diagnosis Systems Using Audio and Vibration Signals

The objective of this paper is to provide a review of recent advances in automatic vibration- and audio-based fault diagnosis in machinery using condition monitoring strategies. It presents the most valuable techniques and results in this field and highlights the most profitable directions of research to present. Automatic fault diagnosis systems provide greater security in surveillance of strategic infrastructures, such as electrical substations and industrial scenarios, reduce downtime of machines, decrease maintenance costs, and avoid accidents which may have devastating consequences. Automatic fault diagnosis systems include signal acquisition, signal processing, decision support, and fault diagnosis. The paper includes a comprehensive bibliography of more than 100 selected references which can be used by researchers working in this field.

On Automatic Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease Based on Spontaneous Speech Analysis and Emotional Temperature

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most prevalent form of progressive degenerative dementia; it has a high socioeconomic impact in Western countries. Therefore, it is one of the most active research areas today. Alzheimer’s disease is sometimes diagnosed by excluding other dementias, and definitive confirmation is only obtained through a postmortem study of the brain tissue of the patient. The work presented here is part of a larger study that aims to identify novel technologies and biomarkers for early AD detection, and it focuses on evaluating the suitability of a new approach for early diagnosis of AD by noninvasive methods. The purpose is to examine, in a pilot study, the potential of applying machine learning algorithms to speech features obtained from suspected Alzheimer’s disease sufferers in order to help diagnose this disease and determine its degree of severity. Two human capabilities relevant in communication have been analyzed for feature selection: spontaneous speech and emotional response. The experimental results obtained were very satisfactory and promising for the early diagnosis and classification of AD patients.

Dietary fat intake and quality of life: the SUN project

BackgroundFew studies have related nutritional factors with quality of life in healthy populations. The purpose of the study was to assess whether dietary fat intake is associated to mental and physical quality of life.MethodsThis analysis included 8,430 participants from the SUN (Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra) Project. The intake of saturated fatty acids (SFA), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), trans unsaturated fatty acids (TFA), and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) was assessed through a 136-item food frequency questionnaire at baseline. Quality of life was measured with the SF-36 Health Survey after 4 years of follow-up. Generalized Linear Models were fitted to assess the regression coefficients (b) and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for the 8 domains of the SF-36 according to successive quintiles of each kind of fatty acids intake.ResultsThe multivariate-adjusted models revealed a significant inverse association for SFA intake (in quintiles) and two of the physical domains (physical functioning and general health). E.g. for general health domain: (highest quintile of intake (Q5) vs. lowest quintile (Q1), b = -1.6; 95% CI = -3.1, -0.1. General health also showed a dose-response relationship (p for trend < 0.05). For TFA intake (in quintiles), a significant inverse association was found for most of the mental domains (vitality, social functioning and role emotional). E.g. for vitality domain (Q5) vs. (Q1), b = -2.0, 95% CI = -3.4 to -0.6. We also found an inverse association between TFA intake and the bodily pain domain: (Q5 vs. Q1), b = -2.6; 95% CI = -4.4 to -0.8, with a statistically significant dose-response relationship (p for trend < 0.05). Except for TFA intake and the mental domains, the rest of the associations were attenuated when we repeated the analysis adjusting for adherence to the Mediterranean diet.ConclusionsA detrimental relationship between TFA intake at baseline and most of the SF-36 mental domains measured 4 years later were found, whereas weak inverse associations were found for SFA intake and some physical domains.

Empirically derived dietary patterns and health-related quality of life in the SUN project.

Objective The analysis of dietary patterns has become a valuable tool to examine diet-disease relationships but little is known about their effects on quality of life. Our aim was to ascertain the association between major dietary patterns and mental and physical quality of life after 4 years of follow-up. Materials and Methods This analysis included 11,128 participants from the “Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra” (SUN) cohort. Dietary habits were assessed using a validated food-frequency questionnaire. Factor analysis was used to derive dietary patterns. Quality of life was measured with the validated Spanish version of the SF-36 Health Survey. Results Two major dietary patterns were identified, the ‘Western’ dietary pattern (rich in red meats, processed pastries and fast-food) and the “Mediterranean” dietary pattern (high in fruits, vegetables and olive oil). After controlling for confounders, the Western dietary pattern was associated with quality of life in all domains. The magnitude of these differences between the subjects in the highest (quintile 5) and the lowest quintile of adherence to the Western pattern ranged from −0.8 (for mental health) to −3.5 (for vitality). On the contrary, the Mediterranean dietary pattern was associated with better quality of life domains: differences ranged from +1.3 (for physical functioning) to +3.4 (for vitality) when comparing extreme quintiles of adherence. Additional sensitivity analyses did not change the reported differences. Conclusions Whereas baseline adherence to a Western dietary pattern was inversely associated with self-perceived quality of life after 4 years of follow-up, baseline adherence to a Mediterranean dietary pattern was directly associated with better scores in quality of life four years later in the SUN Project.

Nutritional determinants of plasma total homocysteine distribution in the Canary Islands

Objective:We sought to define plasma homocysteine reference values in healthy individuals in the Canary Islands and to determine its relations to folate and vitamin B12 intakes and concentrations.Design:Cross-sectional study.Setting:Population-based representative sample of 557 participants, aged 18–65 years, from the Canary Islands Nutrition Survey (ENCA).Subjects:All participants completed two 24-h dietary recalls and a general questionnaire collecting socio-demographic and health-related lifestyle information.Interventions:Plasma homocysteine and serum vitamin B12 levels were measured by immunoassay, whereas folate levels through an automated ionic capturing method.Results:Median plasma homocysteine was 11.9 μmol/l, higher in men (13.1 μmol/l) than in women (10.9 μmol/l) (P<0.001) and positively associated with age in both sexes (P<0.001). The prevalence of hyperhomocysteinaemia (⩾15 μmol/l), 21.4%, was also greater in men (32.2%) than in women (13.4%). There were significant negative correlations between plasma homocysteine and serum (r=−0.32, P<0.001) and erythrocyte (r=−0.26, P<0.001) folate, as well as serum vitamin B12 (r=−0.28, P<0.001) concentrations. When divided in quartiles of vitamin intakes or concentrations, men with the lowest vitamin B12 and folate serum values had significantly higher plasma homocysteine concentrations than those in the other three quartiles. In women, hyperhomocysteinaemia was higher in the lowest quartiles of folate intake and serum and erythrocyte folate concentrations.Conclusions:These data provide further evidence that hyperhomocysteinaemia is a sensitive marker of inadequate folate and vitamin B12 status, allowing for the identification of those with greatest need for nutritional interventions.

Nonlinear dynamics characterization of emotional speech

This paper proposes the application of complexity measures based on nonlinear dynamics for emotional speech characterization. Measures such as mutual information, dimension correlation, entropy correlation, Shannon entropy, Lempel-Ziv complexity and Hurst exponent are extracted from the samples of three databases of emotional speech. Then, statistics such as mean, standard deviation, skewness and kurtosis are applied on the extracted measures. Experiments were conducted on the Polish emotional speech database, on the Berlin emotional speech database and on the LCD emotional database for a three-class problem (neutral, fear and anger emotional states). A procedure for feature selection is proposed based on an affinity analysis of the features. This feature selection procedure is accomplished to select a reduced number of features over the Polish emotional database. Finally, the selected features are evaluated in the Berlin emotional speech database and in the LDC emotional database using a neural network classifier in order to assess the usefulness of the selected features. Global success rates of 72.28%, 75.4% and 80.75%, were obtained for the Polish emotional speech database, the Berlin emotional speech database and the LDC emotional speech database respectively.

Serum manganese concentrations in a representative sample of the Canarian population

Serum manganese (Mn) concentrations of 368 individuals 6–75 yr of age (179 males and 189 females) living in the Canary Islands were determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. The mean manganese concentration was 1.06 ± 0.62 µg/L, ranging between 0.19 and 3.33 µg/L. Most of the analyzed samples (63.3% of the samples) fall within the reference interval (0.54–1.76 µg/L) for apparently healthy people. Individuals from Fuerteventura presented with mean Mn concentrations significantly higher than individuals from the rest of the islands. This could be attributed to differences in the Mn content of soil and/or differences in dietary habits of the population. Serum Mn concentration did not vary with gender, and individuals younger than 18 yr old had the highest mean Mn concentration, compared to the rest of the age groups considered. No relation to socioeconomic status, educational level, and tobacco or alcohol consumption was found. However, the serum Mn concentration tended to decrease when increasing the consumption of wine or beer. Sportsmen presented significantly higher serum Mn concentrations than the rest.

Application of nonlinear dynamics characterization to emotional speech

This paper proposes the application of nonlinear measures based on nonlinear dynamics for emotional speech characterization. Measures such as mutual information, dimension correlation, entropy correlation, Shannon entropy, Lempel-Ziv complexity and Hurst exponent are extracted from the samples of a database of emotional speech. Then, statistics such as mean, standard deviation, skewness and kurtosis are applied on the extracted measures. Experiments were conducted on the Berlin emotional speech database for a three-class problem (neutral, fear and anger emotional states). Feature selection is accomplished to select a reduced number of features. In order to evaluate the discrimination ability of the selected features a neural network classifier is used. A global success rate of 93.78% is obtained.