Impact of acute consumption of beverages containing plant-based or alternative sweetener blends on postprandial appetite, food intake, metabolism, and gastro-intestinal symptoms: Results of the SWEET beverages trial

Project SWEET examined the barriers and facilitators to the use of non-nutritive sweeteners and sweetness enhancers (hereafter "S&SE") alongside potential risks/benefits for health and sustainability. The Beverages trial was a double-blind multi-centre, randomised crossover trial within SWEET evaluating the acute impact of three S&SE blends (plant-based and alternatives) vs. a sucrose control on glycaemic response, food intake, appetite sensations and safety after a carbohydrate-rich breakfast meal. The blends were: mogroside V and stevia RebM; stevia RebA and thaumatin; and sucralose and acesulfame-potassium (ace-K). At each 4 h visit, 60 healthy volunteers (53% male; all with overweight/obesity) consumed a 330 mL beverage with either an S&SE blend (0 kJ) or 8% sucrose (26 g, 442 kJ), shortly followed by a standardised breakfast (∼2600 or 1800 kJ with 77 or 51 g carbohydrates, depending on sex). All blends reduced the 2-h incremental area-under-the-curve (iAUC) for blood insulin (p 0.05 for all). Compared with sucrose, there was a 3% increase in LDL-cholesterol after stevia RebA-thaumatin (p < 0.001 in adjusted models); and a 2% decrease in HDL-cholesterol after sucralose-ace-K (p < 0.01). There was an impact of blend on fullness and desire to eat ratings (both p < 0.05) and sucralose-acesulfame K induced higher prospective intake vs sucrose (p < 0.001 in adjusted models), but changes were of a small magnitude and did not translate into energy intake differences over the next 24 h. Gastro-intestinal symptoms for all beverages were mostly mild. In general, responses to a carbohydrate-rich meal following consumption of S&SE blends with stevia or sucralose were similar to sucrose

Factores estructurales, bioquímicos y moleculares de la simbiosis Bradyrhizobium sp. (Lupinus)-Lupinus

The present revision summarises some of the original works carried out in our Department to study different aspects of the peculiar symbiosis Bradyrhyzobium sp. Lupinus, by integrating structure and function. The first part of the revision is focused to a structural study on the infection mechanisms, since differ of other legumes. This study was realized by applying immunofluorescent techniques with the green fluorescent protein, immunocytochemistry and different microscopies. It could be observed that the infection by the Bradyrhizobium follows the intercellular way. The infection study includes the presence of enzymatic components, as MAPKs (Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase) and aldehyde oxidase in the first steps of the symbiosis. Both enzymes are very much related with auxins and cell multiplication. The second part takes up the physiological, biochemical and genetic mechanisms that regulates nitrogen fixation, speccially those related to oxygen diffusion, since nitrogenase activity is very sensible to oxygen and needs a microaerobic atmosphere for its function. Between these mechanisms, the leghemoglobine and the oxygendiffusion resistance barrier have been considered the more important in oxygen regulation. Finally it is included the results of a genetic study carried out to know the genes implicated in nodule oxygen diffusion as: lenod 2, leghemoglobin and nifH.La presente revisión es un resumen de algunos trabajos originales realizados en nuestro Departamento para el estudio de diferentes aspectos de esta peculiar simbiosis, siempre integrando estructura y función. La primera parte está dedicada a un estudio estructural llevado a cabo con el fin de conocer los mecanismos de infección, que difieren de la mayoría de las leguminosas estudiadas. Para este fin se aplicaron técnicas de immunofluorescencia con la green fluorescent protein (GPT), técnicas de inmunocitoquímica y de hibridación in situ. Mediante estos estudios se ha observado que la infección se realiza por vía intercelular. Junto al estudio estructural se describen algunos componentes enzimáticos del nódulo, MAPKinasas (Mitogen-activated protein kinase) y aldehído oxidasa, presentes en estadios tempranos del reconocimiento bacteria-planta. Ambos enzimas están relacionados con la mitosis y la multiplicación de las células radicales. La segunda parte se refiere a los mecanismos fisiológicos, bioquímicos y moleculares que regulan la simbiosis, especialmente los relacionados con la regulación de oxígeno en el nódulo, de gran importancia para la fijación de N2, ya que la nitrogenasa necesita una atmósfera microaeróbica para fijar nitrógeno. Se describen algunos mecanismos de regulación, como la leghemoglobina y la barrera de resistencia a la difusión de O2. Por último también se incluye el estudio genético que realizamos para conocer los genes que regulan la difusión de O2 en el nódulo: lenod 2, leghemoglobin y nifH

Factors influencing terrestriality in primates of the Americas and Madagascar

Among mammals, the order Primates is exceptional in having a high taxonomic richness in which the taxa are arboreal, semiterrestrial, or terrestrial. Although habitual terrestriality is pervasive among the apes and African and Asian monkeys (catarrhines), it is largely absent among monkeys of the Americas (platyrrhines), as well as galagos, lemurs, and lorises (strepsirrhines), which are mostly arboreal. Numerous ecological drivers and species-specific factors are suggested to set the conditions for an evolutionary shift from arboreality to terrestriality, and current environmental conditions may provide analogous scenarios to those transitional periods. Therefore, we investigated predominantly arboreal, diurnal primate genera from the Americas and Madagascar that lack fully terrestrial taxa, to determine whether ecological drivers (habitat canopy cover, predation risk, maximum temperature, precipitation, primate species richness, human population density, and distance to roads) or species-specific traits (body mass, group size, and degree of frugivory) associate with increased terrestriality. We collated 150,961 observation hours across 2,227 months from 47 species at 20 sites in Madagascar and 48 sites in the Americas. Multiple factors were associated with ground use in these otherwise arboreal species, including increased temperature, a decrease in canopy cover, a dietary shift away from frugivory, and larger group size. These factors mostly explain intraspecific differences in terrestriality. As humanity modifies habitats and causes climate change, our results suggest that species already inhabiting hot, sparsely canopied sites, and exhibiting more generalized diets, are more likely to shift toward greater ground use

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Estado del arte de propiedades térmicas de peloides termales

ACTInternational audienc

Bioactive phytochemicals from sesame oil processing by-products

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is an oil crop that belongs to the family Pedaliaceae. It is cultivated all over the world. Sesame seeds possess nutritional value being a rich source of proteins, dietary fibers, carbohydrates, fats, and vitamins. Sesame seeds and oil have several biological potentials: antioxidant, antimutagenic, estrogenic, and hypolipidemic. Many phytochemical constituents were observed in sesame seeds and/or oil as phenolic acids, flavonoids, lignans, phytosterols, and unsaturated fatty acids. The total world production of sesame is around seven million tons with a production of two million tons of sesame oil with nearly 70% of agri-industrial by-product in the form of the cake counterpart. Some studies focused on the cake by-product’s phytochemical composition and biological potential, reflecting the valorization of such agri-industrial by-products where the effective utilization of them could lead to sustainability in the industry of food supplements, nutraceuticals, and non-food applications

In house customized 3D printed and designed device for marsupialization of a mandibular odontogenic cyst. Technical note

Depto. de CirugíaFac. de MedicinaTRUEpubDescuento UC

In house customized 3D printed and designed device for marsupialization of a mandibular odontogenic cyst. Technical note

Depto. de CirugíaFac. de MedicinaTRUEpubDescuento UC

An exploratory study of fibre microplastics pollution in different process stages of salt production by solar evaporation in Spain

Microplastics are a pollutant of growing concern. Several studies have found microplastics in table salt worldwide in the last decade, although most have focused on already prepackaged salt. To the best of our knowledge, there is no previous research analysing the entire salt production process. In this study focused on solar evaporation salinas, brine and salt samples were obtained from each stage of production, starting with the entrance of seawater/brine until the final stage of ready-to-sell salt, in six sites in Spain. We extracted microplastics from each sample after 30 % H2O2 digestion and filtration through cellulose nitrate 5 μm pore filters. Microplastic fibres were optically analysed with an Olympus DSX1000. Results indicate that microplastics are present both in seawater and air, with atmospheric fallout identified as the primary source. Microplastic concentrations from the entrance to the salina till the inlet to the crystallizers ranges from 256 to 1500 items per liter and from 79 to 193 microplastics per kg for packaged salt were estimated. Artisanal salina F shows the highest content in microplastics. This study hopes to give insight into the origin and causes of microplastic pollution in solar evaporation salinas and contribute to preventing this form of pollution in food-grade salt