Balance embólico-hemorrágico en el paciente anciano con fibrilación auricular

El envejecimiento progresivo de la población está condicionando un aumento en la prevalencia de enfermedades crónicas como la fibrilación auricular (FA). En la práctica clínica, establecer el balance embólico-hemorrágico del paciente anciano con FA supone un gran reto que dificulta la toma de decisiones, especialmente en lo que respecta al inicio o continuación del tratamiento anticoagulante. El objetivo de la presente tesis es analizar el riesgo embólico, hemorrágico y la mortalidad de una cohorte nacional de pacientes ancianos con FA . Por otro lado, prentendemos evaluar el impacto de la edad extrema, del estado nutricional o del deterioro cognitivo en el balance embólico-hemorrágico. En nuestro trabajo observamos que, en pacientes ancianos con FA, la anticoagulación oral (ACO) se asocia de forma significativa con una menor mortalidad y un menor número de eventos embólicos, así como con un aumento del riesgo de sangrado. Hemos observado un beneficio de la ACO en pacientes nonagerios, especialmente en aquellos tratados con un anticoagulante de acción directa (ACOD) Sin embargo, el balance embólico-hemorrágico resultó neutro o negativo (predominio de eventos hemorrágicos mayores) en pacientes ancianos con algún grado de malnutrición o con demencia de grado al menos moderado. Por todo ello, concluimos que se debería realizar una aproximación individualizada al balance embólico-hemorrágico en todo paciente anciano con FA mediante una valoración geriátrica integral que incluya el estado nutricional y el grado de demencia

A recente crise econômica mundial e o bem-estar das crianças: o caso de cuba

Como Consequência da natureza profundamente interdependente do mundo de hoje, Cuba também foi afetada pela recessão mundial e pela situação crítica do comércio e das finanças internacionais. Contudo, o governo cubano manteve uma política constante para proteção dos pobres e das crianças, através do aumento na alocação de recursos para educação e saúde, e através da promoção de maior participação popular nesse programa. Este artigo descreve a melhoria nas áreas de nutrição, saúde e educação, e dos problemas ainda persistentes na área de habitação. Mostra que a melhoria observada alcançou a maioria da população, eliminando grandes disparidades.

Metatranscriptomic Approach to Analyze the Functional Human Gut Microbiota

The human gut is the natural habitat for a large and dynamic bacterial community that has a great relevance for health. Metagenomics is increasing our knowledge of gene content as well as of functional and genetic variability in this microbiome. However, little is known about the active bacteria and their function(s) in the gastrointestinal tract. We performed a metatranscriptomic study on ten healthy volunteers to elucidate the active members of the gut microbiome and their functionality under conditions of health. First, the microbial cDNAs obtained from each sample were sequenced using 454 technology. The analysis of 16S transcripts showed the phylogenetic structure of the active microbial community. Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcaceae, Bacteroidaceae, Prevotellaceae, and Rickenellaceae were the predominant families detected in the active microbiota. The characterization of mRNAs revealed a uniform functional pattern in healthy individuals. The main functional roles of the gut microbiota were carbohydrate metabolism, energy production and synthesis of cellular components. In contrast, housekeeping activities such as amino acid and lipid metabolism were underrepresented in the metatranscriptome. Our results provide new insights into the functionality of the complex gut microbiota in healthy individuals. In this RNA-based survey, we also detected small RNAs, which are important regulatory elements in prokaryotic physiology and pathogenicity

Legacy and emerging pollutants in marine bivalves from the Galician coast (NW Spain)

The presence of pollutants in estuary and oceanic systems is a global problem and a serious concern to human and environmental health. Usually, environmental monitoring studies consider classical persistent organic pollutants (POPs). However, the lists of POPs keep continuously growing and new POPs and other emerging pollutants should be considered in new monitoring programs. So, this study aimed to investigate the distribution and profile of classical POPs (polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)), new POPs and emerging pollutants (polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), novel halogenated flame retardants (NFRs) and UV filters) in bivalve mollusc samples (both raft-cultivated and wild mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis; cockle, Cerestoderma edule; and clam, Ruditapes descussatus) collected in nine Galician Rias during the period February 2012 to February 2013. A predominance of PAHs (6.8–317 ng/g dry weight (dw)) followed by PCBs (0.47–261 ng/g dw), UV filters (1.4–157 ng/g dw), PFCs (0.53–62 ng/g dw), OCPs (0.07–29 ng/g dw), PBDEs (0.31–6.6 ng/g dw) and NFRs (0.07–3.2 ng/g dw) was found in the studied bivalves, being the UV filter octocrylene the compound found at the highest concentration (141 ng/g dw in a cockle sample), while the PAHs chrysene and benzo(b)fluoranthene were the compounds with the highest average concentration (20 and 14 ng/g dw, respectively). Inter-species, temporal and geographical variations on pollutants concentration were assessed by multifactorial analysis of variance. Statistically significant differences among the type of mollusc were observed for levels of organochlorinated and organobrominated pollutants considered (PCBs, OCPs and PBDEs), which were detected at higher concentrations in wild mussel. On the other hand, the main PFCs and UV filters showed a higher detection frequency in cockle samples. Location played significant role for PAHs, PCBs and the main PBDEs, being the most polluted rias those more industrialized and populated, i.e. A Coruña, Ferrol and/or Vigo. Finally, sampling timepoint was also a significant factor for most of the families considered but with different profiles. Thus, PAHs and PCBs showed higher concentrations in both February 2012 and 2013 and lower in August 2012, while the main PBDEs were measured at higher concentrations in November 2012 and lower in February 2012; and the main NFRs, PFCs and UV filters were present at lower levels in February 2013The authors acknowledge the financial support provided by Galician Government (Conselleria de Economía e Industria, Xunta de Galicia) in the framework of Projects 10MDS700006PR and ED431C2017/36 and by the Spanish Government through the Research Projects CTM2014-56628-C3-2-R, CTM2017-84763-C3-2-R and FEDER fundsS

Desarrollo tecnológico de ovoproductos funcionales con un alto contenido en ácidos grasos n-3

Eggs are good candidates to be employed as functional food and to provide people with bioactive compounds such as n-3 PUFAs. However, in most cases, development of eggs with high content of n-3 PUFAs was carried out by modifying the hens’ feed. In the present work, egg-derived sticks with high content of n-3 PUFAs were technologically developed through addition of three different sources of n-3 PUFAs: linseed oil, fish oil and microalgae oil. The developed products were compared to conventional egg-derived products for their proximate composition, fatty acid profile, colour and consumer acceptability. Additionally, lipid oxidation was investigated after 30 days of frozen storage. Nutritional composition, colour parameters and consumer acceptability revealed that egg-derived product obtained by addition of linseed oil was the most adequate. Egg-derived functional foods developed by technological methods are viable and could be considered as an interesting alternative, especially for catering companiesLos huevos son buenos candidatos para ser empleados como alimentos funcionales y de este modo proporcionar a las personas compuestos bioactivos, tales como los ácidos grasos n-3. Sin embargo, en la mayoría de los casos, el desarrollo de huevos con alto contenido en ácidos grasos n-3 se realizó mediante la modificación de la alimentación aviar. En el presente trabajo, se desarrollaron ovoproductos con alto contenido en ácidos grasos n-3 de modo tecnológico mediante la adición de tres fuentes diferentes de n-3: aceite de linaza, aceite de pescado y aceite de microalgas. Los ovoproductos desarrollados se compararon con ovoproductos convencionales en su composición nutricional, perfil lipídico, color y aceptabilidad por parte del consumidor. Además, se investigó su oxidación lipídica después de 30 días de almacenamiento en congelación. Combinando los resultados obtenidos, el ovoproducto elaborado con aceite de linaza resultó ser el más adecuado. De este modo, los ovoproductos funcionales elaborados mediante métodos tecnológicos son viables y pueden ser considerados una alternativa interesante, especialmente para las empresas de restauración colectivaThe authors wish to thank the Centro para el Desarrollo Técnico Industrial (CDTI) from the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad for financial supportS

Occurrence of persistent and mobile chemicals and other contaminants of emerging concern in Spanish and Portuguese wastewater treatment plants, transnational river basins and coastal water

This work investigated, during one year, the occurrence and fate of 52 contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in transnational river basins and coastal areas of the North of Portugal and Galicia (NW Spain) and the wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) discharging on these environments. The different CECs investigated included pharmaceuticals, personal care products, industrial chemicals, among others, of which ca. 90 % would fulfill the persistence, mobility and toxicity criteria proposed by the German Environmental Agency. The results showed the ubiquitous presence of these CECs and an incomplete removal of over 60 % of them with current conventional WWTPs. These findings highlight the requirement of a prominent and coordinated upgrade of WWTP treatments in order to meet the future European Union regulations on urban wastewater treatment and surface water quality. In fact, even some compounds exhibiting high removals, such as caffeine or xylene sulfonate, were frequently detected in river and estuarine waters at the high ng L−1 level. Thus, our preliminary risk assessment study concluded that 18 of the CECs presented a potential risk for the environment, being caffeine, sulpiride, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), diclofenac, fipronil and perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) the most concerning ones. Yet, additional toxicity data as well as a more robust information on persistence and mobility of CECs are necessary for better estimating the magnitude of the problem and improve risk assessment. As an example, in the case of the antidiabetic metformin, recent research has revealed toxicity for model fish species at concentration levels below those found in 40 % of the river water samples analyzed in this workThis work was financed by the European Regional Development Fund through the Interreg V-A Spain-Portugal Programme (POCTEP) 2014-2020 (ref. 0725_NOR_WATER_1_P), the Agencia Estatal de Investigación MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 (ref. PID2020-117686RB-C32) and the Consellería de Cultura, Educación y Universidades da Xunta de Galicia (ref. ED431C 2021/06). The study was also supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the projects [UIDB/04423/2020 and UIDP/04423/2020]. R.M. acknowledges Banco Santander and Universidade de Santiago de Compostela for her outstanding researcher contract, N. A. acknowledges the FCT for his Ph.D. grant DFA/BD/6218/2020 and T.N. acknowledges FCT Individual Call to Scientific Employment Stimulus 2022 (2022.02925.CEECIND). The authors also want to acknowledge Agilent Technologies for providing the equipment described in Section 2.4 and the different entities which have collaborated in the sampling campaign: VIAQUA, Augas de Galicia, Confederación Hidrográfica do Miño-Sil, Águas do Porto, Efacec and Águas do NorteS

Probiotic Effects against Virus Infections: New Weapons for an Old War

This review aimed to gather the available literature investigating the effects of probiotics against the most common viral infections using in vitro trials in cell lines and in vivo clinical trials in both experimental animals and humans. Probiotics were employed to prevent and reduce symptoms of infections caused by common viruses, especially respiratory tract viruses, but also for viral digestive infections (such as rotavirus, coronavirus, or norovirus) and other viral infections (such as viruses that cause hepatitis, human papillomavirus, human immunodeficiency virus, and herpes simplex virus). Different probiotics have been studied to see their possible effect against the abovementioned viruses, among which different Lactobacillus species, Bifidobacterium, Clostridium, Enterococcus, and Streptococcus can be highlighted. In many cases, mixtures of various probiotic strains were used. Although the results obtained did not show similar results, in most cases, probiotic supplementation improved both barrier and biochemical immune responses, decreased susceptibility to viral infections, and enhanced the effects of concomitant vaccines. Works collected in this review show a beneficial effect of probiotics in the prevention and treatment of different viral infections. We found interesting results related to the prevention of viral infections, reduction of the duration of diseases, and decrease of symptomsThe authors thank the European Regional Development Funds (FEDER), grant ED431C 2018/05, and Programa Iberoamericano de Ciencia y Tecnología para el Desarrollo (CyTED), grant PCI2018-093245 for covering the cost of publicationS

Towards a HAB forecast service in the Galician region

We will present the recent developments of our forecasting capabilities to warn of impending harmful algal blooms (HABs) in Galicia, where aquaculture has a strong socio-economic impact. A HAB warning service for monitoring agencies and the aquaculture industry has been developed as a demonstration of a Copernicus marine downstream service coupled to the MyOcean service. In this contribution, we describe the Galician ASIMUTH forecast system and demonstrate its skill in predicting HAB transport and its usefulness to provide assessment for the management of the areas affected by toxic outbreaks. We also describe the Galician pilot HAB bulletins, aimed at distributing forecasts of HAB events that might induce closures of harvesting areas or, when the areas are already closed, at giving information on forthcoming oceanographic conditions that could favour or hamper the opening of an area. Our results show that the model forecasts and the bulletins can provide early warning of the risk of Dinophysis spp. events and the risk of closures linked to the presence of toxins above regulatory levels in harvesting areas.Instituto Español de Oceanografí