A Red-Berry mixture as a Nutraceutical: detailed composition and neuronal protective effect

Recommendations towards increased consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables are well supported by epidemiological and clinical trials. However, in some specific cases, it is difficult to follow these recommendations and the use of nutraceuticals or, in the present work, a freezedried fruits mixture can be recommended in order to afford the optimal consumption of dietary polyphenols naturally present in fruits and vegetables. In this work we have carefully characterized a red-berry mixture in terms of polyphenol composition, encountering mainly anthocyanins, which account for a total of 2.8 mg/g as cyanidin-3-glucoside equivalents. Additionally, we have assayed the red-berry blend in a cell model of neurological damage by differentiating the cells and measuring the effect of red-berry polyphenols on cell viability and redox state by flow cytometry. The berry-fruit extract showed an inhibitory effect on differentiated SH-SY5Y ROS formation at a concentration as low as 250 µg/mL (33% inhibition). The results show the potential of this berry-fruit blend for its nutraceutical use in the prevention of the neurodegeneration associated with age or environmental agents

Productive Performance, Egg Quality and Yolk Lipid Oxidation in Laying Hens Fed Diets including Grape Pomace or Grape Extract

Phenolic compounds from grape products are known to possess antioxidant activity. Furthermore, grape polyphenols (anthocyanins) could be valorised as natural pigments. However, the dietary use of grape products in laying hen husbandry and its effect on egg quality traits and yolk lipid oxidation have been scarcely studied. In the present research work, egg yolk colour and Haugh units were increased with the intake of grape pomace and extract. Moreover, dietary inclusion of grape pomace at 60 g/kg increased the proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the yolk and improved the yolk lipid oxidative stability during the storage of eggs, whereas no effect was obtained with grape extract. Regarding hen performance, both grape products reduced feed intake, feed conversion ratio and average egg weight, but they did not affect daily egg production and mass. Feeding grape pomace, at 60 g/kg, and grape extract, either at 0.5 or 1.0 g/kg, decreased protein digestibility. In conclusion, the addition of grape products in the diet of laying hens improved the egg quality but reduced feed intake and egg weight. Dietary grape pomace showed higher antioxidant potential in egg yolk than grape extract

Combining Grape Byproducts to Maximise Biological Activity of Polyphenols in Chickens

Grape seeds (GS) and grape skins (GK) are natural sources of polyphenols with antioxidant capacity. An experiment was conducted to investigate in chickens the effect of including GS and GK (40 g/kg), individually or combined in different proportions (20 g/kg GS–20 g/kg GK; 30 g/kg GS–10 g/kg GK; 10 g/kg GS–30 g/kg GK), in a corn-soybean diet on growth performance, ileal and excreta contents of total extractable polyphenols (TEP) and tannins, ileal digestibility of protein, plasma and meat α-tocopherol concentration and lipid oxidation (assessed by measuring the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, TBARS) of stored thigh meat. Neither growth performance parameters nor ileal digestibility of protein were affected by dietary treatments. As compared with control birds, chickens fed the grape byproduct diets showed higher ileal (p < 0.001) and excreta (p < 0.001) TEP and tannins contents. Dietary inclusion of grape byproducts increased α-tocopherol concentration both in plasma (p < 0.001) and in thigh meat (p < 0.01 at 1 d; p < 0.001 at 7 d), as compared with the control group. The highest plasma α-tocopherol concentrations were reached with the 30 g/kg GS–10 g/kg GK and 20 g/kg GS–20 g/kg GK combinations. On day 1 of meat storage, no differences on meat α-tocopherol concentration were found among the grape byproducts treatments but on day 7 of storage, the 20 g/kg GS–20 g/kg GK and 10 g/kg GS–30 g/kg GK combinations led to the highest α-tocopherol concentrations in chicken thigh meat. After seven days of refrigerated storage of meat, the TBARS value was lower in chickens fed the grape byproducts diets than in control birds (1.27 vs. 2.49 mg MDA/kg, p < 0.001). Moreover, among the different grape byproduct treatments, the lowest MDA values were reached with the diets containing GK at rates from 20 to 40 g/kg. In conclusion, dietary incorporation of 40 g/kg of GS and GK added separately or combined increased the plasma and meat α-tocopherol content. Furthermore, the combinations of GS and GK with a proportion of GK of at least 50% optimised α-tocopherol concentration both in plasma and in thigh meat and mitigated lipid oxidation in 7-day stored meat

Quantitative proteomics in medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw: a proof-of-concept study

Objective: Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) is a paradoxical effect associated with bone-modifying agents (BMAs) and other drugs. Currently, no valuable diagnostic or prognosis biomarkers exist. The goal of this research was to study MRONJ-related salivary proteome. Materials and Methods: This case–control aimed to study salivary proteome in MRONJ versus control groups (i) formed from BMAs consumers and (ii) healthy individuals to unravel biomarkers. Thirty-eight samples of unstimulated whole saliva (18 MRONJ patients, 10 BMA consumers, and 10 healthy controls) were collected. Proteomic analysis by SWATH-MS coupled with bioinformatics analysis was executed. Results A total of 586 proteins were identified, 175 proteins showed significant differences among MRONJ versus controls. SWATH-MS revealed differentially expressed proteins among three groups, which have never been isolated. These proteins had distinct roles including cell envelope organization, positive regulation of vesicle fusion, positive regulation of receptor binding, or regulation of low-density lipoprotein particle clearance. Integrative analysis prioritized 3 proteins (MMP9, AACT, and HBD). Under receiver-operating characteristic analysis, this panel discriminated MRONJ with a sensitivity of 90% and a specificity of 78.9%. Conclusion: These findings may inform a novel biomarker panel for MRONJ prediction or diagnosis. Nonetheless, further research is needed to validate this panelS

Proyecto PREDIRCAM 2. Análisis preliminar de uso y valoración de la plataforma

En la actualidad, la prevalencia de las enfermedades no transmisibles (Non-communicable diseases NCD) y la cantidad de muertes causadas por éstas es muy elevada, en su mayoría, consecuencia del envejecimiento de la población, el aumento de la obesidad y los hábitos de vida sedentarios. En este trabajo se describen el funcionamiento y los resultados preliminares del proyecto Predircam 2, destinado al desarrollo y validación de una plataforma inteligente de tecnologías biomédicas para la monitorización, prevención y tratamiento personalizados del sobrepeso, la obesidad y la prevención de enfermedades asociadas como la diabetes, hipertensión arterial o alteraciones del metabolismo lipídico. El objetivo de este trabajo es presentar los resultados preliminares del análisis del uso de la plataforma, la evaluación de la usabilidad y la valoración de la atención recibida por los pacientes en relación a los profesionales sanitarios

Effectiveness of a clinical practice guideline implementation strategy for patients with anxiety disorders in primary care: cluster randomized trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Anxiety is a common mental health problem seen in primary care. However, its management in clinical practice varies greatly. Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) have the potential to reduce variations and improve the care received by patients by promoting interventions of proven benefit. However, uptake and adherence to their recommendations can be low.</p> <p>Method/design</p> <p>This study involves a community based on cluster randomized trial in primary healthcare centres in the Madrid Region (Spain). The project aims to determine whether the use of implementation strategy (including training session, information, opinion leader, reminders, audit, and feed-back) of CPG for patients with anxiety disorders in primary care is more effective than usual diffusion.</p> <p>The number of patients required is 296 (148 in each arm), all older than 18 years and diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and panic attacks by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV (DSM-IV). They are chosen by consecutive sampling.</p> <p>The main outcome variable is the change in two or more points into Goldberg anxiety scale at six and twelve months. Secondary outcome variables include quality of life (EuroQol 5D), and degree of compliance with the CPG recommendations on treatment, information, and referrals to mental health services. Main effectiveness will be analyzed by comparing the patients percentage improvement on the Goldberg scale between the intervention group and the control group. Logistic regression with random effects will be used to adjust for prognostic factors. Confounding factors or factors that might alter the effect recorded will be taken into account in this analysis.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>There is a need to identify effective implementation strategies for CPG for the management of anxiety disorders present in primary care. Ensuring the appropriate uptake of guideline recommendations can reduce clinical variation and improve the care patients receive.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>ISRCTN: <a href="http://www.controlled-trials.com/ISRCTN83365316">ISRCTN83365316</a></p

Inclusión. Aula Estable con alumnos con discapacidad intelectual: perfil y desarrollo de los alumnos. Una propuesta para alumnos/as del Grado de Pedagogía

Memoria del Proyecto de Innovación docente número 221, de la convocatoria 2019/20 (continuación del Proyecto 41 de la anterior convocatoria)

COVID-19 Severity and Survival over Time in Patients with Hematologic Malignancies: A Population-Based Registry Study

Mortality rates for COVID-19 have declined over time in the general population, but data in patients with hematologic malignancies are contradictory. We identified independent prognostic factors for COVID-19 severity and survival in unvaccinated patients with hematologic malignancies, compared mortality rates over time and versus non-cancer inpatients, and investigated post COVID-19 condition. Data were analyzed from 1166 consecutive, eligible patients with hematologic malignancies from the population-based HEMATO-MADRID registry, Spain, with COVID-19 prior to vaccination roll-out, stratified into early (February–June 2020; n = 769 (66%)) and later (July 2020–February 2021; n = 397 (34%)) cohorts. Propensity-score matched non-cancer patients were identified from the SEMI-COVID registry. A lower proportion of patients were hospitalized in the later waves (54.2%) compared to the earlier (88.6%), OR 0.15, 95%CI 0.11–0.20. The proportion of hospitalized patients admitted to the ICU was higher in the later cohort (103/215, 47.9%) compared with the early cohort (170/681, 25.0%, 2.77; 2.01–3.82). The reduced 30-day mortality between early and later cohorts of non-cancer inpatients (29.6% vs. 12.6%, OR 0.34; 0.22–0.53) was not paralleled in inpatients with hematologic malignancies (32.3% vs. 34.8%, OR 1.12; 0.81–1.5). Among evaluable patients, 27.3% had post COVID-19 condition. These findings will help inform evidence-based preventive and therapeutic strategies for patients with hematologic malignancies and COVID-19 diagnosis.Depto. de MedicinaFac. de MedicinaTRUEFundación Madrileña de Hematología y HemoterapiaFundación Leucemia y LinfomaAsociación Madrileña de Hematología y Hemoterapiapu

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

Protein hydrolysates from animal processing by-products as a source of bioactive molecules with interest in animal feeding: A review

Industrial processing of livestock, poultry and fish produces a large amount of waste in a solid or liquid form that can either be destroyed or be used to make compost, biogas or other low-added value products. However, the by-products from animal processing industries have a potential for conversion into useful products of higher value, such as protein hydrolysates, with interesting applications in animal feed. Low amounts of animal protein hydrolysates included in aqua-feeds may enhance growth rate and feed conversion of farmed fish and crustacean. Animal protein hydrolysates may also be incorporated in diets to enhance the nonspecific immunity of fish. As well, these hydrolysates can be used as a good source of amino acids for newly weaned animals. Protein hydrolysates from animal by-products including antimicrobials, antioxidants, opioid-like and/or other interesting bioactive molecules have promising and interesting applications on companion and production animals. By-products from animal processing industries are therefore a promising source of bioactive peptides of considerable interest for animal care, always within the framework of the existing legislation. Possible drawbacks and future trends of the use of animal by-products and/or production of protein hydrolysates from those materials are also discussed.Depto. de Genética, Fisiología y MicrobiologíaFac. de Ciencias BiológicasTRUEpu