Mucosal absorption of aflatoxin B1 in lactating dairy cows

The objective of this experiment was to monitor plasma levels of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) aflatoxin B2 (AFB2), aflatoxin G1 (AFG1), aflatoxin G2 (AFG2) and aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in lactating dairy cows fed afltaoxin contaminated corn. Seven lactating Holstein cows were given a bolus of a naturally contaminated corn meal assuring an intake of 4.9mg AFB1, 1.01 mg AFB2, 10.63 mg AFG1 and 0.89 mg AFG2. Vitamin A, at 1,000,000 IU, was also added as a biomarker of intestinal absorption. Blood samples were collected at 0, 15, 30, 60, 120, 180, 270 and 360 min after bolus. Plasma was analyzed by HPLC for AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, AFG2 and AFM1 concentrations. Within the considered time points, the peak plasma AFB1 concentration was obtained as soon as 15 minutes from drenching. The plasma AFM1 concentration was considerable as early as the first collection (15 minutes) and peaked at 270 minutes indicating both a rapid absorption of AFB1 through the rumen wall and metabolization into AFM1 in liver. The plasma palmitate level suggests the intestinal contribution to the aflatoxin plasma level after 120 min

In vivorelease of aflatoxin B1 bound to different sequestering agents in dairy cows

Nine lactating dairy cows, producing 31.08±5.00 kg of milk/cow/day and fed with a Total Mixed Ration (TMR) with an intake of 22.3±0.8 Kg s.s./cow, were used to investigate the resistance of the AFs-SA complex in the rumen and in the gastro-intestinal tract. Two commercial sequestering agents Atox® and Mycosorb® were used. The AFB1 was also mixed to a rumen fluid (R-SA). AFB1 sequestered by Atox®, Mycosorb® and by R-SA were then fed to cows before the morning meal. Milk samples were collected for 6 consecutive milkings and analyzed for AFM1 content. The in vitro binding capacity of the two SA were 94.2% for Atox®, 84.3% for Mycosorb® and 71.86% for the R-SA. Both Atox® and Mycosorb® released some of the sequestered AFB1 determining an increase of the AFM1 in milk as soon as in the 1st milking from oral drenching (4.23±7.33; 23.60±8.23 and 46.06±39.84 ppt for Atox®, Mycosorb® and R-SA respectively). The AFM1 (ng/cow) in milk at the 4th milking was lower (66.04, 661.77 and 1613.04; P<0.05) in Atox® and Mycosorb® than R-SA, respectively. The percentage release of bound AFB1 were 1.63% for Atox®, 20.27% for Mycosorb® and 50.48% for R-SA

Precisely Co-located Cameras with High Geometric and Thermo-mechanical Stability

Hyper-realistic telepresence is achieved by mounting an array of carefully calibrated cameras on a monitor. High-quality, three-dimensional (3D) telepresence is predicated on highly stable camera positions, e.g., cameras calibrated to a fraction of a millimeter, which, during operation, stay in position to within a fraction of a millimeter. The typical, bezel-mounted camera array in a monitor experiences thermally induced post-calibration positional drift large enough to make hyper-realistic telepresence infeasible. This disclosure describes cameras that are mounted in a manner that leverages the thermal stability and isolation of the cover glass of the monitor to achieve extremely stable camera positioning that lasts through the entirety of a video recording or conferencing session, and into future sessions. Mounting cameras directly on the cover glass results in advantages other than thermo-mechanical stability, such as simplified design, modularized assembly, accurate eye-tracking resulting in a better 3D viewing experience, etc

Integrated soil degradation analysis of tierra de Barros region (Badajoz, Spain).

This study assesses the soil degradalion in Tierra de Barros region (Badajoz province, Spain (280.900 ha). The sludy emphasizes on lhe soil susceptibilily to sealing and crusting, compactation and soilloss by water erosion

Short-term effects of traffic noise on suicides and emergency hospital admissions due to anxiety and depression in Madrid (Spain)

Studies show a relationship between some mental illnesses and suicides and different environmental variables such as air pollution, characterized by stress at the neuropsychological level. Despite the fact that traffic noise is also a powerful neurological stressor, studies that relate traffic noise to these mental disorders are practically non-existent. The objective is to analyze the short-term impact that chemical air pollution, traffic noise and thermal extremes have on emergency hospital admissions due to anxiety, dementia and suicides in the city of Madrid. This ecological, longitudinal study uses generalized linear models with Poisson link to analyze the short-term impact of the average daily concentrations of chemical pollutants (NO2, PM10, PM2.5, O3), noise pollution indicators (Leqday, Leqnight and Leq24h) and temperatures during heat waves (Theat) and cold waves (Tcold) on daily admissions to emergency services in the city of Madrid from 2010 to 2013 due to anxiety (ICD-10: F32), depression (ICD-10: F40-F42) and suicide (ICD-10: X60-X84). The results show no association between any of the chemical pollutants considered and the dependent variables studied. On the contrary, the values of Leqday are associated with the three variables analyzed in lag 0 for the cases of anxiety and depression and in lag 1 for suicides, with RR: 1.20 (IC95% 1.14 1.26), RR: 1.11 (IC95% 1.06 1.16) and RR: 1.17 (IC95% 1.05 1.30), respectively, for increases of 1 dB(A) in the values of Leqday. An association was also found between Tcold and admissions for anxiety in lag 9 with RR: 1.62 (IC95% 1.18 2.22) for increases of 1 °C in the values of Tcold. Traffic noise can be considered an important risk factor related to the illnesses and anxiety and depression and for suicides in the city of Madrid, although new studies are needed to support the findings shown here.The authors gratefully acknowledge Project ENPY 376/18 and Project ENPY 107/18 grants from the Institute of Health Carlos III.S

Different Dietary Approaches, Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Cardiovascular Disease: A Literature Review

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the first cause of chronic liver disease and is also associated with other harmful entities such as obesity, metabolic syndrome, dyslipidemia, and diabetes. NAFLD is a significant public health concern worldwide, impacting individuals of all ages, and its prevalence is projected to increase in the near future due to its connection with obesity. Intrinsic (genetics) and external (lifestyle) factors may also modulate NAFLD, and, in turn, may partly explain the observed relationship between NAFLD and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Although many drugs are been tested to treat NAFLD, to date, no drug has indication to specifically treat this disorder. Thus, the current management of NAFLD relies on lifestyle modifications and specifically on weight loss, physical activity, and the intake of a healthy diet. In the present narrative review, we will discuss the effects of certain dietary patterns on NAFLD incidence and progression

Polyurethane-based bioadhesive synthesized from polyols derived from castor oil (Ricinus communis) and low concentration of chitosan

[EN] Polyurethane-based bioadhesive was synthesized with polyols derived from castor oil (chemically modified and unmodified) and hexamethylene diisocyanate with chitosan addition as a bioactive filler. The objective was to evaluate the effect of type of polyols with the incorporation of low-concentrations of chitosan on the mechanical and biological properties of the polymer to obtain suitable materials in the design of biomaterials. The results showed that increasing physical crosslinking increased the mechanical and adhesive properties. An in vitro cytotoxic test of polyurethanes showed cellular viability. The biocompatibility of the polyurethanes favors the adhesion of L929 cells at 6, 24, and 48 h. The polyurethanes showed bacterial inhibition depending on the polyol and percentage of chitosan. The antibacterial effect of the polyurethanes for Escherichia coli decreased 60-90% after 24 h. The mechanical and adhesive properties together with biological response in this research suggested these polyurethanes as external application tissue bioadhesives.This work was supported by the Universidad de La Sabana under grant number ING-176-2016 and by Colciencias under scholarship grant 617-2-2014. CIBER-BBN is an initiative funded by the VI National R&D&I Plan 2008-2011, Iniciativa Ingenio 2010, Consolider Program. CIBER Actions are financed by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III with assistance from the European Regional Development Fund. J.A.G.T. and A.V.L. acknowledge the support of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) through project DPI2015-65401-C3-2-R (including FEDER financial support). Finally, the authors thank the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia for assistance and advice with the equipment.Uscátegui, YL.; Arevalo-Alquichire, SJ.; Gómez-Tejedor, J.; Vallés Lluch, A.; Diaz, LE.; Valero, MF. (2017). Polyurethane-based bioadhesive synthesized from polyols derived from castor oil (Ricinus communis) and low concentration of chitosan. Journal of Materials Research. 32(19):3699-3711. https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2017.371S36993711321

Identification and analysis of seven effector protein families with different adaptive and evolutionary histories in plant-associated members of the Xanthomonadaceae.

The Xanthomonadaceae family consists of species of non-pathogenic and pathogenic γ-proteobacteria that infect different hosts, including humans and plants. In this study, we performed a comparative analysis using 69 fully sequenced genomes belonging to this family, with a focus on identifying proteins enriched in phytopathogens that could explain the lifestyle and the ability to infect plants. Using a computational approach, we identified seven phytopathogen-enriched protein families putatively secreted by type II secretory system: PheA (CM-sec), LipA/LesA, VirK, and four families involved in N-glycan degradation, NixE, NixF, NixL, and FucA1. In silico and phylogenetic analyses of these protein families revealed they all have orthologs in other phytopathogenic or symbiotic bacteria, and are involved in the modulation and evasion of the immune system. As a proof of concept, we performed a biochemical characterization of LipA from Xac306 and verified that the mutant strain lost most of its lipase and esterase activities and displayed reduced virulence in citrus. Since this study includes closely related organisms with distinct lifestyles and highlights proteins directly related to adaptation inside plant tissues, novel approaches might use these proteins as biotechnological targets for disease control, and contribute to our understanding of the coevolution of plant-associated bacteria

Pulsatile flow in coronary bifurcations for different stenting techniques

The objective of this work is to analyze the local hem odynamic changes caused in a coronary bifurcation by three different stenting techniques: simple stenting of the main vessel, simple stenting of the main vessel with kissing balloon in the side branch and culotte. To carry out this study an idealized geometry of a coronary bifurcation is used, and two bifurcation angles, 45º and 90º, are chosen as representative of the wide variety of re al configurations. In order to quantify the influence of the stenting technique on the local blood flow, both numeri- cal simulations and experimental measurements are performed. First, steady simulations are carried out with the commercial code ANSYS-Fluent, and then, experimental measurements with PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry) obtained in the laboratory are used to validate the numerical simulation. The steady computational simulations show a good overall agreement with the experimental data. Second, pulsatile flow is considered to take into account the tran- sient effects. The time averaged wall shear stress, scillatory shear index and pressure drop obtained numerically are used to compare the behavior of the stenting techniques

Determination of heat wave definition temperatures in Spain at an isoclimatic level: time trend of heat wave duration and intensity across the decade 2009–2018

Background: In line with WHO guidelines for the implementation of public health prevention plans targeted at the impacts of high temperatures, a heat wave defnition temperature (Tthreshold) was calculated for 182 so called “isoclimatic zones” (IZ) in Spain. As the dependent variable for determining this Tthreshold, we analysed daily all-cause mortality data (ICD-10: A00-R99) for each IZ across the period 2009–2018. The independent variable used was the mean value of the maximum daily temperature of the summer months recorded at meteorological observatories in each IZ. We used Box–Jenkins models to ascertain mortality anomalies, and scatterplots to link these anomalies to the temperatures at which they occurred, thereby determining the Tthreshold for each IZ. We then calculated how many heat waves had occurred in each IZ, as well as their intensity, and analysed their time trend over this period. Results: The results showed that in 52.5% of the IZ, the percentile of the maximum temperatures series of the summer months to which Tthreshold corresponded was below the 95th percentile of the meteorological heat wave defnition in Spain: indeed, it only coincided in 30.7% of cases. The geographical distribution of these percentiles displayed great heterogeneity as a consequence of the local factors that infuence the temperature–mortality relationship. The trend in the number of heat waves analysed indicated an overall increase in Spain at a rate of 3.9 heat waves per decade, and a similar rise in mean annual intensity of 9.5 °C/decade. These time-trend values were higher than those yielded by analysing the trend in meteorological heat waves based on the 95th percentile. Conclusions: The results obtained in this study indicate the need to use a heat wave defnition based on epidemiological temperature–mortality studies, rather than on values based on meteorological percentiles. This could be minimising estimated health impacts in analyses of future impacts attributable to heat.Acknowledgements and funding The authors would like to express their gratitude for the following grants from the Carlos III Institute of Health (Instituto de Salud Carlos III/ISCIII) for the ENPY 304/20, and ENPY 436/21 projects.S