Exploratory analysis of human urine by LC–ESI-TOF MS after high intake of olive oil: understanding the metabolism of polyphenols

Olive oil polyphenols have important biological properties which closely depend on their bioavailability, therefore it is essential to understand how polyphenols are absorbed, metabolized and eliminated from the body. An analytical methodology based on rapid resolution liquid chromatography (RRLC) coupled to mass spectrometry detection with a time of flight analyzer (RRLC-ESI-TOF MS) was developed for the determination of the main olive oil phenolic compounds and their metabolites in human urine. Urine samples from ten healthy volunteers were collected before and 2, 4 and 6 h after the intake of 50 mL of extra-virgin olive oil. The proposed method includes liquid-liquid extraction with ethyl acetate that provides extraction recoveries of the phenolic compounds studied between 35 and 75% from spiked urine samples. Good repeatability was obtained, since the relative standard deviations (RSDs) of peak areas in the intra- and inter-day studies were 4.3 and 6.5%, respectively. Statistical studies allowed us to discriminate between the urine samples before and after the intake, and facilitated to find out the m/z values responsible of this discrimination. Based on the very accurate mass information and the isotopic pattern provided by TOF-MS analyzer, together with other available information, ten of these biomarkers and more than 50 metabolites, obtained through phase I and phase II biotransformation reactions, were tentatively identified. Additionally, kinetic studies of the metabolites identified as possible biomarkers were developed, obtaining maximal values in the first two hours for most compounds.The authors are very grateful to Ministry of Education and Science (FPU, AP2005-4356 and Project AGL 2008- 05108-613 CO3-03/ALI), and Junta de Andalucía (P07-AGR-02629 and P09-FQM-5469)

Gaia Early Data Release 3: Catalogue validation

[Context] The third Gaia data release is published in two stages. The early part, Gaia EDR3, gives very precise astrometric and photometric properties for nearly two billion sources together with seven million radial velocities from Gaia DR2. The full release, Gaia DR3, will add radial velocities, spectra, light curves, and astrophysical parameters for a large subset of the sources, as well as orbits for solar system objects. [Aims] Before the publication of the catalogue, many different data items have undergone dedicated validation processes. The goal of this paper is to describe the validation results in terms of completeness, accuracy, and precision for the Gaia EDR3 data and to provide recommendations for the use of the catalogue data. [Methods] The validation processes include a systematic analysis of the catalogue contents to detect anomalies, either individual errors or statistical properties, using statistical analysis and comparisons to the previous release as well as to external data and to models. [Results] Gaia EDR3 represents a major step forward, compared to Gaia DR2, in terms of precision, accuracy, and completeness for both astrometry and photometry. We provide recommendations for dealing with issues related to the parallax zero point, negative parallaxes, photometry for faint sources, and the quality indicators.Fabricius, C., et al.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and University (MICIU/FEDER, UE) through grants RTI2018-095076-B-C21, ESP2016-80079-C2-1-R, and the Institute of Cosmos Sciences University of Barcelona (ICCUB, Unidad de Excelencia ‘María de Maeztu’) through grants MDM-2014-0369 and CEX2019-000918-M. T.M., D.B., A.G. and E.L. acknowledge financial support from the Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI) provided through contracts 2014-025-R.0, 2014-025-R.1.2015 and 2018-24-HH.0 to the Italian Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica. P.K. acknowledges support from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 695099 (project CepBin), and the French Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR), under grant ANR-15-CE31-0012-01 (UnlockCepheids). This research has made an extensive use of Aladin and the SIMBAD, VizieR databases operated at the Centre de Données Astronomiques (Strasbourg) in France and of the software TOPCAT (Taylor 2005)

Selenium and impaired physical function in US and Spanish older adults

Background: Selenium (Se) is a trace element with a narrow safety margin. Objectives: To evaluate the cross-sectional and longitudinal dose-response association between Se exposure and measures of impaired physical function and disability in older adults. Design: NHANES 2011–2014 cross-sectional (US, n = 1733, age ≥60 years) and Seniors-ENRICA-2 2017–2019 cross-sectional and longitudinal (Spain, n = 2548 and 1741, respectively, age ≥65 years) data were analyzed. Whole blood and serum Se levels were measured using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Lowerextremity performance was assessed with the Short Physical Performance Battery, and muscle weakness with a dynamometer. Incident mobility and agility limitations, and disability in instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) were ascertained with standardized questionnaires. Analyses were adjusted for relevant confounders, including physical activity. Results across studies were pooled using random-effects meta-analysis. Results: Meta-analyzed odds ratios (95% confidence interval) per log2 increase in whole blood Se were 0.54 (0.32; 0.76) for weakness, 0.59 (0.34; 0.83) for impaired lower-extremity performance, 0.48 (0.31; 0.68) for mobility limitations, 0.71 (0.45; 0.97) for agility limitations, and 0.34 (0.12; 0.56) for disability in at least one IADL. Analyses for serum Se in NHANES showed similar results. Findings suggest the inverse association with grip strength is progressive below 140 μg/L (p-value for non-linear trend in the Seniors-ENRICA-2 study = 0.13), and above 140 μg/L (p-value for non-linear trend in NHANES = 0.11). In the Seniors-ENRICA-2 cohort, with a 2.2 year follow-up period, a doubling in baseline Se levels were associated with a lower incidence of weakness [odds ratio (95% confidence interval): 0.45 (0.22; 0.91)], impaired lower-extremity performance [0.63 (0.32; 1.23)], mobility [0.43 (0.21; 0.91)] and agility [0.38 (0.18; 0.78)] limitations. Discussion: In US and Spanish older adults, Se concentrations were inversely associated with physical function limitations. Further studies are needed to elucidate underlying mechanisms.Instituto de Salud Carlos III European Commission PI18/287 16/609State Secretary of R + D + I PID2019-108973RB-C21/C22European Social Fund (ESF) European Commissio

<i>Gaia</i> Data Release 1. Summary of the astrometric, photometric, and survey properties

Context. At about 1000 days after the launch of Gaia we present the first Gaia data release, Gaia DR1, consisting of astrometry and photometry for over 1 billion sources brighter than magnitude 20.7. Aims. A summary of Gaia DR1 is presented along with illustrations of the scientific quality of the data, followed by a discussion of the limitations due to the preliminary nature of this release. Methods. The raw data collected by Gaia during the first 14 months of the mission have been processed by the Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC) and turned into an astrometric and photometric catalogue. Results. Gaia DR1 consists of three components: a primary astrometric data set which contains the positions, parallaxes, and mean proper motions for about 2 million of the brightest stars in common with the HIPPARCOS and Tycho-2 catalogues – a realisation of the Tycho-Gaia Astrometric Solution (TGAS) – and a secondary astrometric data set containing the positions for an additional 1.1 billion sources. The second component is the photometric data set, consisting of mean G-band magnitudes for all sources. The G-band light curves and the characteristics of ∼3000 Cepheid and RR-Lyrae stars, observed at high cadence around the south ecliptic pole, form the third component. For the primary astrometric data set the typical uncertainty is about 0.3 mas for the positions and parallaxes, and about 1 mas yr−1 for the proper motions. A systematic component of ∼0.3 mas should be added to the parallax uncertainties. For the subset of ∼94 000 HIPPARCOS stars in the primary data set, the proper motions are much more precise at about 0.06 mas yr−1. For the secondary astrometric data set, the typical uncertainty of the positions is ∼10 mas. The median uncertainties on the mean G-band magnitudes range from the mmag level to ∼0.03 mag over the magnitude range 5 to 20.7. Conclusions. Gaia DR1 is an important milestone ahead of the next Gaia data release, which will feature five-parameter astrometry for all sources. Extensive validation shows that Gaia DR1 represents a major advance in the mapping of the heavens and the availability of basic stellar data that underpin observational astrophysics. Nevertheless, the very preliminary nature of this first Gaia data release does lead to a number of important limitations to the data quality which should be carefully considered before drawing conclusions from the data

Keys to the success of the CB Conquero

Cuando un club consigue éxitos deportivos a nivel profesional, existe un gran interés por investigar cuales han sido los factores claves de ese éxito. En esta investigación, se pretende analizar la influencia de diferentes factores como el contexto deportivo, el contexto social y aspectos del entrenamiento deportivo en el éxito del Club Baloncesto Conquero a través de la percepción de 13 informantes clave por su vinculación con el equipo y con el baloncesto onubense. Se realizó una entrevista, relacionada con los factores y las claves del éxito. Los resultados mostraron que la planificación de la plantilla junto al gran trabajo del cuerpo técnico, cuerpo médico y el preparador físico han sido las claves para que el club obtuviera los éxitos deportivos.When a team gets sport successes to level profesional, generates the topics that will be investigated such as the key factors of the succes. The main aim of this study is to analyze the influencie of different factors like the sports context, the social context and training aspects in the success of the Club Baloncesto Conquero through direct perception of thirteen informants associated with the team and the basketball in Huelva. An interview was carried out, related with those factors and the keys to success. The results revealed that workforce planning along the great work of coaching staff, medical staff and physical trainer have been key to the team gets sport successes

Monovarietal extra-virgin olive oil classification: a fusion of human sensory attributes and an electronic tongue

Olive oil quality grading is traditionally assessed by human sensory evaluation of positive and negative attributes (olfactory, gustatory, and final olfactorygustatory sensations). However, it is not guaranteed that trained panelist can correctly classify monovarietal extra-virgin olive oils according to olive cultivar. In this work, the potential application of human (sensory panelists) and artificial (electronic tongue) sensory evaluation of olive oils was studied aiming to discriminate eight single-cultivar extra-virgin olive oils. Linear discriminant, partial least square discriminant, and sparse partial least square discriminant analyses were evaluated. The best predictive classification was obtained using linear discriminant analysis with simulated annealing selection algorithm. A low-level data fusion approach (18 electronic tongue signals and nine sensory attributes) enabled 100 % leave-one-out cross-validation correct classification, improving the discrimination capability of the individual use of sensor profiles or sensory attributes (70 and 57 % leave-one-out correct classifications, respectively). So, human sensory evaluation and electronic tongue analysis may be used as complementary tools allowing successful monovarietal olive oil discrimination.This work was co-financed by FCT/MEC and FEDER under Program PT2020 (Project UID/EQU/50020/2013); by Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia under the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit; and by Project POCTEP through Project RED/AGROTEC-Experimentation network and transfer for development of agricultural and agro industrial sectors between Spain and Portugal

Psicoterapia y problemas actuales. Debates y alternativas

Ante la proliferación de fenómenos psicosociales, como el suicidio, la violencia sexual, los trastornos del comportamiento alimenticio y las crisis de identidad, emerge esta obra, como una respuesta reflexiva que aborda desde una pluralidad de perspectivas el quehacer psicoterapéutico, para favorecer una comprensión amplia de estas situaciones problema y ofrecer, desde la experiencia de sus autores, alternativas de entendimiento y de desarrollo de tratamientos para la atención de quienes las viven. El objetivo es compartir una comprensión innovadora de la práctica del psicoterapeuta, desde una mirada caracterizada por el diálogo interdisciplinario. Ello a partir de la recuperación de las estrategias implementadas frente a distintas coyunturas, así como a través de la reflexión personal en torno a la formación y el ejercicio profesional del psicoterapeuta, que pueden favorecer la retroalimentación y la generación de formas de intervención más adecuadas a la realidad de algunos dilemas contemporáneos y de los entornos en que estos se desenvuelven. Un libro recomendable para estudiantes, docentes y profesionales en el campo de la psicoterapia y la salud psicosocial.ITESO. A.C

The state of the Martian climate

60°N was +2.0°C, relative to the 1981–2010 average value (Fig. 5.1). This marks a new high for the record. The average annual surface air temperature (SAT) anomaly for 2016 for land stations north of starting in 1900, and is a significant increase over the previous highest value of +1.2°C, which was observed in 2007, 2011, and 2015. Average global annual temperatures also showed record values in 2015 and 2016. Currently, the Arctic is warming at more than twice the rate of lower latitudes

Subtidal macrozoobenthos communities from northern Chile during and post El Niño 1997–1998

Despite a large amount of climatic and oceanographic information dealing with the recurring climate phenomenon El Niño (EN) and its well known impact on diversity of marine benthic communities, most published data are rather descriptive and consequently our understanding of the underlying mechanisms and processes that drive community structure during EN are still very scarce. In this study, we address two questions on the effects of EN on macrozoobenthic communities: (1) how does EN affect species diversity of the communities in northern Chile? and (2) is EN a phenomenon that restarts community assembling processes by affecting species interactions in northern Chile? To answer these questions, we compared species diversity and co-occurrence patterns of soft-bottoms macrozoobenthos communities from the continental shelf off northern Chile during (March 1998) and after (September 1998) the strong EN event 1997–1998. The methods used varied from species diversity and species co-occurrence analyses to multivariate ordination methods. Our results indicate that EN positively affects diversity of macrozoobenthos communities in the study area, increasing the species richness and diversity and decreasing the species dominance. EN represents a strong disturbance that affects species interactions that rule the species assembling processes in shallow-water, sea-bottom environments