Hydrogeological model of Mijas mountain aquifers under different climate conditions (Málaga, Spain)

Carbonate aquifers represent an important source of freshwater, both for urban and agricultural uses. This is particularly true in semiarid regions, where intensive pumping has often led to aquifer overexploitation. One example is the Mijas mountain carbonate diffuse flow system (80 km2), located to the SW of the city of Malaga, Spain. From a geolo-gical standpoint, this area consists of Triassic dolomitic and calcareous rocks, which overlay Palaeozoic metapelites. The geological structure is formed by ESE-WNW folds and the me-tapelites anticlinal cores have divided the study area into four aquifer systems. The recharge of Mijas mountain aquifers comes from direct infiltration of rainfall, while pumping is the main discharge. To improve the knowledge of geological and hydrodynamic parameters, and therefore to improve water resources management, a hydrogeological model has been developed with Processing Modflow 8.0.42. Piezometric level and spring flows have been modelled, under steady and transient-flow conditions for a 35-year period. Five future scenarios were simulated for different rainfall and pumping conditions. Outcomes confirm that the water level evolution is determined by the quantity and distribution of rainfall during the hydrological year, with the same pumping rate. The results also suggest that current trends are likely to raise sustainability issues in the future.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

The Role of Gut Microbiota in Gastrointestinal Symptoms of Children with ASD

Background and objectives: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired communication, social interaction disorder, and repetitive behavior. Dysbiotic gut microbiota (GM) could be a contributing factor to the appearance of ASD, as gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are comorbidities frequently reported in ASD. As there is a lack of reviews about the role played by GM in the GI symptoms of ASD, this work aimed to carry out a systematic review of current studies comparing the GM of children with ASD and GI symptoms with those of healthy controls in the last six years. Materials and Methods: The systematic review was performed following the PRISMA guidelines. The databases chosen were Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and PsycINFO, and the keywords were (gut* OR intestine* OR bowel* OR gastrointestinal*) AND (microbiota* OR microflora* OR bacteria* OR microbiome* OR flora* OR bacterial* OR bacteria* OR microorganism* OR feces* OR stool*) AND (autistic* OR autism* OR ASD*). Results: A total of 16 articles were included. Ten articles performed correlations analysis between GI symptoms and ASD. Among those 10 articles, 7 found differences between the GI symptoms present in children with ASD and healthy controls. The most common GI symptom was constipation. Among the seven articles that found differences, three performed correlations analysis between GI symptoms and gut microbe abundance. Candida, Prevotella, Streptococcus, and Veillonella showed higher and lower abundance, respectively, in children with ASD and GI symptoms in more than one article. Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Actinomyces, Dorea, Lactobacillus, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, and Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes ratios showed abundance discrepancies. Conclusions: It is still too early to draw a conclusion about the gut microbes involved in GI symptoms of ASD. Future research should consider the relationship between ASD behavior, GM, and GI symptoms in a multidisciplinary way and homogenize sample characteristics

An approach to gut microbiota profile in children with autism spectrum disorder

In recent years, there has been an increase in studies on the implications of gut microbiota (GM) on the behaviour of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) due to a dysbiosis in GM that can trigger onset, development or progression of ASD through the microbiota–gut–brain axis. The aim of this study is to carry out a systematic review of articles from the last 6 years that analyse GM in children with ASD compared to GM in control groups. Children with ASD showed a higher abundance of Roseburia and Candida genera, and lower abundance of Dialister, Bilophila, Veillonella, Streptococcus, Coprococcus and Prevotella genera. Those differences can be attributed to factors such as different nationalities, nature of control groups, place where the sample was taken, gastrointestinal (GI) problems or bacterial detection methods. It is still too early to define a specific GM profile of children with ASD, and future studies should focus on homogenizing the characteristics of samples and control groups. Furthermore, new multicentre studies should also focus on the impact of GM on GI physiology, neurophysiology and behaviour of children with ASD, and on performing psychometric analyses of the correlation between the severity of ASD behavioural symptoms and GM profiles

Pesticide residues and autism spectrum disorder

El trastorno del espectro autista (TEA) engloba a un conjunto de trastornos del neurodesarrollo que se caracterizan por una interacción social deficiente, comunicación restringida y comportamientos repetitivos y estereotipados. La etiología del TEA es desconocida a día de hoy, por lo que diversos equipos de investigación multidisciplinares están realizando grandes esfuerzos para intentar dilucidar los factores y mecanismos que intervienen en su aparición. En este sentido, existe un creciente interés en el estudio de factores ambientales como la exposición a residuos de plaguicidas ya que se dispone de suficiente evidencia científica sobre los efectos neurotóxicos que éstos pueden provocar. Por lo tanto, pueden ser formuladas hipótesis de asociaciones específicas entre el TEA y los residuos de plaguicidas. Este trabajo realiza una revisión sistemática sobre la influencia de la exposición a residuos de plaguicidas y la aparición del TEA. La metodología para llevar a cabo este trabajo de revisión sistemática siguió las directrices marcadas por el método PRISMA, encontrándose un total de siete artículos elegibles para su discusión. Los residuos de plaguicidas estudiados por los artículos seleccionados fueron los organofosforados y sus metabolitos; los organoclorados, incluidos el endosulfán y los bifenilos policlorados junto a sus metabolitos; los carbamatos; los piretroides, incluida la cipermetrina; y el glufosinato de amonio. El estudio de la acción de estos plaguicidas se centró en el periodo prenatal, investigándose su exposición en madres gestantes que vivían en zonas próximas a campos de cultivo donde se aplican pesticidas, en modelos animales de ratón y en cultivos de células cerebrales. Se encontró que existe relación entre la exposición a plaguicidas en el periodo prenatal y el riesgo de aparición de TEA en la descendencia junto a una disbiosis en la microbiota intestinal en ratones. Por lo tanto, es importante evaluar el factor de riesgo de exposición a residuos de plaguicidas en la aparición del TEA con más datos, para lo cual se requieren más estudios tanto in vitro como in vivo con el fin de dilucidar los mecanismos bioquímicos precisos involucrados.Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) encompasses a group of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by poor social interaction, restricted communication, and repetitive and stereotyped behaviors. The etiology of ASD is unknown today, so various multidisciplinary research teams are making great efforts to try to elucidate the factors and mechanisms involved in its appearance. In this sense, there is a growing interest in the study of environmental factors such as exposure to pesticide residues since there is sufficient scientific evidence on the neurotoxic effects that these can cause. Therefore, specific associations between TEA and pesticide residues can be hypothesized. This work carries out a systematic review on the influence of exposure to pesticide residues and the appearance of ASD. The methodology to carry out this systematic review followed the guidelines set by the PRISMA method, finding a total of seven articles eligible for discussion. The pesticide residues studied by the selected articles were organophosphates and their metabolites; organochlorines, including endosulfan and polychlorinated biphenyls together with their metabolites; carbamates; pyrethroids, including cypermethrin; and glufosinate ammonium. The study of the action of these pesticides focused on the prenatal period, investigating their exposure in pregnant mothers who lived in areas close to fields where pesticides are applied, in mouse animal models and in brain cell cultures. It was found that there is a relationship between exposure to pesticides in the prenatal period and the risk of the appearance of ASD in the offspring together with a dysbiosis of the gut microbiota in mice. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the risk factor of exposure to pesticide residues in the appearance of ASD with more data, for which more studies are required both in vitro and in vivo in order to elucidated the accurate biochemical mechanisms involved

A Meta-analysis of Gut Microbiota in Children with Autism

Previous studies have reported dysbiosis in the gut microbiota (GM) of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), which may be a determining factor on child development through the microbiota-gut-brain axis. However, it is not clear if there is a specific group of dysbiotic bacteria in ASD. The aim of this study was to carry out a meta-analysis on the studies that analyze GM in children with ASD. 18 studies fulfilled our selection criteria. Our results showed a lower relative abundance of Streptococcus (SMD+ = − 0.999; 95% CI − 1.549, − 0.449) and Bifidobacterium genera (SMD+ = − 0.513; 95% CI − 0.953, − 0.073) in children with ASD. Overall, the Bifidobacterium genera is involved. However, differences found between studies are attributed to factors such as reporting bias

Beneficial Effects of Organosulfur Compounds from Allium cepa on Gut Health: A Systematic Review

Dietary changes affect the composition and structure of gut microbiota (GM) in animals and humans. One of the beneficial effects of consuming products derived from plants is the positive influence on immunity and gastrointestinal health. Species belonging to the genus Allium contain many organosulfur compounds (OSCs) that have been widely studied showing their biological properties and beneficial effects on intestinal health and GM. This is the first systematic review of OSCs from Allium performed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, and it is based on the evidence that we found in literature about the benefits on the GM and intestinal health demonstrated by OSCs from Allium, and specifically from onion. OSCs from Allium cepa have shown a significant antibacterial activity against a broad spectrum of antibiotic-resistant Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. In addition, the intake of OSCs from onion was able to modulate the composition of GM, increasing the beneficial bacterial populations in animal models. Moreover, the beneficial effects observed in murine models of colitis suggest that these compounds could be suitable candidates for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or reverse the dysbiosis caused by a high-fat diet (HFD). Despite the evidence found both in vitro and in vivo, we have not found any article that tested OSCs different from allicin in clinical trials or dietary intervention studies in humans. In this sense, it would be interesting to conduct new research that tests the benefits of these compounds in human GM

Metabolites of the gut microbiota involved in the autism spectrum disorder

En los últimos años, ha habido un aumento de los estudios que buscan comprender la relación existente entre el microbiota intestinal (MI) con el trastorno del espectro autista (TEA), que debe producirse a través del eje microbiota-intestino-cerebro. A pesar de que los distintos autores señalan que los cambios encontrados en distintos filos, familias y géneros bacterianos están implicados en el TEA, no hay consenso científico a día de hoy. Algunos autores apuntan a la posible relación existente entre dichas poblaciones bacterianas con ciertos productos de excreción o metabolitos como el ácido propiónico ya que aparecen con frecuencia en niños con TEA. Aunque en los últimos años la MI comienza a acumular evidencia científica, en términos de neurociencia, el estudio de la metabolómica asociada a la misma y los mecanismos mediante los cuales estos metabolitos pueden influir en la aparición y desarrollo del TEA aún permanece en sus primeros estadios.In recent years, there has been an increase in studies that seek to understand the relationship between gut microbiota (GM) with the behavior of people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), which must occur through the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Although the different authors point out that the changes found in different phyla, families and bacterial genera are involved in ASD, there is no scientific consensus to date. Some authors point to the possible relationship between these bacterial populations with certain products of excretion or metabolites such as propionic acid since they frequently appear in children with ASD. Although in recent years the GM has begun to accumulate scientific evidence, in terms of neuroscience, the study of the metabolomics associated with it and the mechanisms by which these metabolites can influence the appearance and development of ASD remains in its first stages

Spinal shapes in sagittal plane and hamstring flexibility in active and sedentary post-menopausal women

Se valoró la disposición sagital del raquis dorsal y lumbar mediante un inclinómetro ISOMED Unilevel en bipedestación relajada, sedentación asténica y flexión del tronco máxima (test dedos-suelo), así como la extensibilidad isquiosural mediante el test de elevación de pierna recta. Se valoró a 79 mujeres postmenopaúsicas que participaban en programas de ejercicio físico organizados por instituciones públicas (ACT), así como a 45 mujeres sedentarias de las mismas características (SED). En bipedestación, la curva dorsal media fue de 46,51º+10,19º (SED) y 44,15º+10,69º (ACT) (p>0,05). Para la curva lumbar, la media fue de 37,00º+8,36º (SED) y 37,36º+9,00º (ACT) (p>0,05). En disposición dedos-suelo, la curva dorsal media fue de 57,76º+12,13º (SED) y de 56,21º+11,8º para el grupo ACT (p>0,05). Para la curva lumbar, el grupo SED presenta una media de 13,47º+12,84º, y el grupo ACT de 15,94+13,42 (p>0,05). En sedentación asténica, la curva dorsal media del grupo SED fue de 46,62º+11,2º y de 44,54º+12,93º en el grupo ACT (p>0,05). La curva lumbar fue de –4,00º+12,00º en el grupo SED y de –2,88º+11,50º en el grupo ACT (p > 0,05). Tras la valoración de la extensibilidad isquiosural con el test de elevación de la pierna recta, la media del grupo SED fue de 80,64º+16,3º para la pierna izquierda y de 79,67º+13,69º para la pierna derecha, mientras que en el grupo ACT la media fue de 83,96º+13,9º para la pierna izquierda y de 82,10º+14,73º para la pierna derecha (p>0,05). No se encontraron diferencias significativas entre ambos grupos, posiblemente porque en los programas de ejercicio físico no se realizan actividades específicas de higiene postural.Actividad Física y DeporteTerapia y Rehabilitació

Propiedades psicométricas del pain and sensitivity reactivity scale (psrs) en población neurotípica joven adulta

La investigación de las respuestas sensoriales a los estímulos se ha incrementado en los últimos años, siendo su valoración compleja, ya que se considera una respuesta subjetiva y dependiente de diferencias individuales, pero que está presente tanto en población no-clínica como en población clínica. Existen algunas escalas y cuestionarios para su valoración, pero tienen limitaciones para su posterior uso, están indicados principalmente para población clínica y la mayoría son unidimensionales. La prueba Pain and Sensitivity Reactivity Scale (PSRS) está compuesto por 50 ítems que miden el dolor, la hiposensibilidad e hipersensibilidad. Para su análisis se recogieron los datos mediante una encuesta online respondida por una muestra no clínica de 1122 adolescentes y adultos (M = 22.39, DT = 7.32). En los primeros resultados descriptivos aparecen diferencias de género en algunas de las escalas de la prueba, y una buena consistencia interna tanto para la prueba total como para las escalas que lo componen. Además, en el análisis factorial exploratorio aparecen las tres dimensiones principales de la prueba. Los primeros resultados muestran que la prueba puede ser útil para medir las variables. Estos resultados tienen implicaciones importantes porque podrán poner en referencia el malestar físico, la hiposensibilidad e hipersensibilidad en una muestra neurotípica ofreciendo la posibilidad de contextualizar la evaluación y el manejo de estas variables en población clínica.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech