Estudio del protocolo reproductivo en la “Fundación ONCE del Perro Guía (FOPG)”

La “Fundación ONCE del Perro Guía” está destinada a ofrecer perros guía a los discapacitados visuales. Para ello es muy importante controlar el ciclo reproductivo tanto de machos como de hembras con el fin de obtener el mayor número de animales aptos para su labor. El control se basa, en el caso de la hembra, en la detección de celo, la monta natural o inseminación artificial, el diagnóstico de gestación y el control de éste y del parto. En el caso del macho se basa fundamentalmente en el análisis de la calidad de su esperma. Además la fundación está llevando a cabo un novedoso programa de congelación de semen con el fin de conservar los individuos mejorantes.The Guide Dog ONCE Foundation is appointed to offer guide dogs to blind people. The most important thing is to control the reproductive cycle of males and females in order to obtain the bigger sum of able animals to work. The control is based, in the female, in the detection of estrous, covering or artificial insemination, pregnancy test and control of this and the birth. In case of the male, it´s essentially a quality sperm control. Also, the Foundation is developing a new freezing semen program to preserve the best

Mechanochemically Scaled-Up Alpha Cyclodextrin Nanosponges: Their Safety and Effectiveness as Ethylene Scavenger

Aiming at the development of a greener ethylene removal alternative, the goal of this study was to scale up and ensure the safety of α-cyclodextrin nanosponges (α-CD-NS) for further use as ethylene scavengers. The solvent-free synthesis of α-CD-NS was successfully scaled up using α-cyclodextrin and N,N′-carbonyldiimidazole as cross-linkers (1:4 molar ratio) by means of mechanical alloying using a PM 100 ball mill by focusing on varying the rotation frequency, as determined by FTIR-ATR, X-ray diffraction, and TGA. α-CD-NS washing optimization was performed in water by monitoring the imidazole concentration in the washing solution through the validation of a fast and sensitive HPLC-DAD method. After 6 h at 40 °C, all imidazole was extracted, allowing a faster and less energy-dependent extraction. α-CD-NS absorbent capacity and porosity were also evaluated through BET isotherms and ethylene absorption experiments using α-CD-NS and commercially available absorbents (zeolite and bentonite) were performed by means of gas chromatography (GC) coupled to a flame ionization detector (FID). With a 93 µL h−1 kgadsorbent−1 ethylene removal capacity, α-CD-NS revealed the best ethylene scavenging activity when compared to the other absorbents, opening the doors for a safer, innovative, and eco-friendlier ethylene removal active packaging

Innovative eco-friendly active packaging strategy aimed for ethylene removal

Within the scope of sustainability, this work tackles both food waste and food safety by studying the ethylene scavenging potencial of α-cyclodextrin nanosponges produced by solvent-free synthesis and the food safety evaluation of the compostable packaging for food contact applications where the nanosponges will be incorporated

Current status of L. infantum infection in stray cats in the Madrid region (Spain): implications for the recent outbreak of human leishmaniosis?

BACKGROUND: Since 2009, the incidence of human leishmaniosis in the SW of the Madrid region has been unusually high. Although dogs are the main reservoir for this disease, a role played by dogs in this outbreak has been ruled out and investigators are now considering other hosts (eg. cats, rabbits, hares) as possible alternative reservoirs. This study was designed to examine the Leishmania infantum status of stray cats in Madrid to assess its possible implications in the human leishmaniosis outbreak. METHODS: 346 captured stray cats were tested for antibodies against L. infantum by the indirect fluorescent antibody technique (IFAT) and nested-PCR methods were used to detect Leishmania DNA in blood samples of cats testing seropositive for L. infantum and/or retroviruses infection. Cats were also tested for Toxoplasma gondii using the direct agglutination test (DAT) and feline leukemia virus (FeLV) antigen and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) antibodies (PetChek* FIV/FeLV). The presence of intestinal parasites was determined using a routine coprological method. RESULTS: The seroprevalence of L. infantum infection (cut off ≥ 1/100) was 3.2% (11/346). However, it was not possible to amplify Leishmania DNA in any of the blood samples. Seropositivity was not associated with sex, age, capture site, clinical status, retrovirus infection or T. gondii seropositivity. Of the 11 cats seropositive for L. infantum, 3 also tested positive for FIV, none for FeLV and 6 for T. gondii. It should be mentioned that the prevalence of FeLV p27 antigen was 4% and of FIV antibody was 9.2%. Although the seroprevalence of T. gondii was quite high at 53.5%, no T. gondii oocysts were found in any of the faeces samples analysed (n = 287). In contrast, intestinal parasites were detected in 76 (26.5%) samples, Toxocara cati being the most prevalent. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest a stable L. infantum infection situation among the stray cats of the Madrid area; the disease is uncommon and no clinical cases have been reported to date. The detection of other zoonotic parasites such as T. gondii and T. cati in stray cats indicates a need to adopt strict control measures in this population

Migración de sustancias desde materiales en contacto con alimentos/simulantes alimentarios

Estudio de evaluación de la migración desde un material de envase basado en ácido poliláctico combinado con un poliéster biodegradable a yogurt y a los simulantes correspondientes a este, optimizando un método de extracción para ello.<br /

Síndrome Nefrótico secundario a Leptospirosis

Un caso clínico de Leptospirosis canina con sintomatología neurológica aguda de tipo convulsiv

HIV drug resistance patterns in pregnant women using next generation sequence in Mozambique

BACKGROUND: Few data on HIV resistance in pregnancy are available from Mozambique, one of the countries with the highest HIV toll worldwide. Understanding the patterns of HIV drug resistance in pregnant women might help in tailoring optimal regimens for prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV (pMTCT) and antenatal care. OBJECTIVES: To describe the frequency and characteristics of HIV drug resistance mutations (HIVDRM) in pregnant women with virological failure at delivery, despite pMTCT or antiretroviral therapy (ART). METHODS: Samples from HIV-infected pregnant women from a rural area in southern Mozambique were analysed. Only women with HIV-1 RNA >400c/mL at delivery were included in the analysis. HIVDRM were determined using MiSeq(R) (detection threshold 1%) at the first antenatal care (ANC) visit and at the time of delivery. RESULTS: Ninety and 60 samples were available at the first ANC visit and delivery, respectively. At first ANC, 97% of the women had HIV-1 RNA>400c/mL, 39% had CD4+ counts <350 c/mm3 and 30% were previously not on ART. Thirteen women (14%) had at least one HIVDRM of whom 70% were not on previous ART. Eight women (13%) had at least one HIVDRM at delivery. Out of 37 women with data available from the two time points, 8 (21%) developed at least one new HIVDRM during pMTCT or ART. Twenty seven per cent (53/191), 32% (44/138) and 100% (5/5) of the mutations that were present at enrolment, delivery and that emerged during pregnancy, respectively, were minority mutations (frequency <20%). CONCLUSIONS: Even with ultrasensitive HIV-1 genotyping, less than 20% of women with detectable viremia at delivery had HIVDRM before initiating pMTCT or ART. This suggests that factors other than pre-existing resistance, such as lack of adherence or interruptions of the ANC chain, are also relevant to explain lack of virological suppression at the time of delivery in women receiving antiretrovirals drugs during pregnancy

Detectives de alimentos: un trabajo en equipo para la investigación de toxiinfecciones alimentarias

Proyecto de Innovación Docente en el que los estudiantes realizan un trabajo cooperativo mediante el método del puzle para diseñar fichas descriptivas de patógenos de transmisión alimentaria y resolver un caso de toxiinfección alimentari