Internal preference mapping of milk–fruit beverages: Influence of color and appearance on its acceptability

The individual preferences of 100 consumers between 20 and 30 years old for the color of 16 milk–fruit juice beverages (MFJB) were investigated by preference mapping technique. Consumers were asked to evaluate, just by looking at the samples, how much they liked them (from “Extremely dislike” to “Extremely like”). The color of the samples was analyzed by two different instrumental techniques. Results obtained from the instrumental color measurement showed the wide diversity in hues of the beverages available in the market, and correlations between techniques proved that both of them were appropriate to analyze color. Results showed that participants preferred samples with orangish appearance instead of those with a whiter look. Anyway, punctuations given by the consumers suggest that generally, color of these products is not highly evaluated by consumers, as the best mean punctuation was 6.6.Consejería de Innovación Ciencia y Empresa, Junta de Andalucía P11-AGR-778

Abnormal Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Levels and Other Risk Factors Associated with Lung Function Impairment at 6 and 12 Months after Hospitalization Due to COVID-19: A Cohort Study

Respiratory function deficits are common sequelae for COVID-19. In this study, we aimed to identify the medical conditions that may influence lung function impairment at 12 months after SARS-CoV2 infection and to analyze the role of alpha-1 antytripsin (AAT) deficiciency (AATD). A cohort study was conducted on hospitalized COVID-19 pneumonia patients in Granada (Spain) during the first infection wave who were referred to a post-COVID-19 hospital clinic. The patients were monitored with three follow-up visits from May 2020 to May 2021. Previous medical history, hospital admission data, baseline parameters and physical examination data were collected at the first visit. Pulmonary function tests were performed at 6 and 12 months together with the determination of AAT level and AATD genotype. After 12 months, 49 out of 157 patients (31.2%) continued to have lung function impairment. A multivariate analysis showed a statistically significant association of lung function impairment with: higher Charlson index; pneumonia with a central and/or mixed distribution; anemia on admission; time in intensive care; need for corticosteroid boluses; abnormal respiratory sounds at 6 months; elevated lactate dehydrogenase at 12 months; abnormal AAT; and MZ genotype. Our results suggest that these medical conditions predispose COVID-19 patients to develop long-term lung function sequelae

Adaptation and validation of the Euthanasia Attitude Scale into Spanish

Background: Considering the extensive debate that is currently taking place in Spain regarding euthanasia, it is important to examine the attitude of professionals who perform most of their duties at the bedside of these patients and their families. Objectives: The aim of the present study was to present an adaptation and validation of the Euthanasia Attitude Scale and to evaluate its psychometric properties among a sample of nursing students in Spain. Research design: A cross-sectional study design was conducted. Participants and research context: Non-probabilistic sampling was used to recruit 396 Spanish nursing students. Methods: A self-report questionnaire, including socio-demographic data and the Euthanasia Attitude Scale, were used for data collection. The psychometric properties of the Euthanasia Attitude Scale were assessed, including reliability and validity. Fit indices of the overall model were computed. Ethical considerations: This study was approved by the Hospital Ethical Committee. Students were informed of the aims and procedures and provided written informed consent prior to data collection. Results: The factorial solution comprised four domains and the scale demonstrated adequate internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha ¼ .878). For the exploratory factor analysis, the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin index of sampling adequacy was .905 and the Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity was 2972.79 (p < .001). The initial factorial solution revealed four factors with eigenvalues of 6.78 for the first factor, 1.90 for the second one, 1.29 for the third, and 1.10 for the fourth factor. Moreover, there was a significant relationship between religiosity and the domains of the Euthanasia Attitude Scale. Discussion: This study obtained a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of .88 which is in consonance with the findings reported by other studies whereby none of the items were removed and the initial structure based on four domains was conserved, with a factorial solution that explains 52.79% of the total variance. The displacement of some items of the domain may be explained by certain religious and/or cultural components as, in accordance with other studies, people with firm religious beliefs are more inclined to refuse euthanasia. Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, the Euthanasia Attitude Scale is a reliable and valid instrument to measure the attitudes toward euthanasia in a sample of Spanish nursing students. This Spanish adaptation will be valuable in future studies examining the attitude and implication of nurses, understanding that nurses are key figures in the euthanasia debate

Native species facing climate changes: Response of calafate berries to low temperature and UV radiation

Calafate (Berberis microphylla G. Forst) is a wild bush plant widely distributed in the south of Argentina and Chile. Their blue colored fruits present particular flavor and health benefits attributed to high polyphenol contents biosynthesized by the plant under stress. Studies about correlation of abiotic conditions with anthocyanin profiles and physicochemical features of calafate beneath wild origin environment are not described yet. Hence, this research aimed to evaluate the physicochem- ical changes, antioxidant activity and anthocyanin content of calafate fruit in relationship to UV solar radiation (W.m−2) and air temperature (◦C) environment condition during three consecutive years (2017, 2018, 2019). Variations in fruit anthocyanins were determined by comparison between high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC-DAD-ESI)/MSn and CIEL*a*b* colors parameters. Correlations were analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA). Radiation was negatively correlated with fruit size and weight. Physicochemical aspects such as pH, soluble solids, color, total anthocyanins, flavanols and other phenolic compounds were positively correlated with temperature changes. The quantities of monomeric anthocyanins were dependent on both low temperature and global radiation (reaching 20.01 mg g−1 FW in calafate fruit). These results constitute a valuable resource to understand the structural and physiological plasticity of calafate in facing climate changes for future domestication research as well as for agri-food industrial application.This work has been supported by FONDECYT grant 1160899 (CONICYT, Chile) and Secretary of Higher Education of Science, Technology and Innovation of Ecuador (SENESCYT, Ecuador)

Calafate berry extracts encapsulated by spray-drying and stability assessment

[SPA] La tendencia del consumo de alimentos funcionales ha puesto de manifiesto el interés por las frutas de tipo baya debido a sus características de alta promoción de la salud propiedades antinflamatorias, antidiabéticas e hipoglucémicas. Chile produce varias bayas y una de ellas es el calafate (Berberis microphylla G. Forst) que posee un alto contenido de antocianinas. Varios estudios han demostrado el potencial de las antocianinas, sin embargo, su uso es limitado debido a la baja estabilidad en condiciones ambientales y/o la interacción con otros compuestos. En ese sentido, el uso de técnicas como la encapsulación es una opción. Este trabajo se centró en el desarrollo de una formulación para obtener microcápsulas de calafate mediante la técnica de secado por aspersión donde se obtuvo un 60 % de recuperación de compuestos bioactivos y tras la evaluación de la degradación de las antocianinas después del almacenamiento a temperatura ambiente se logró mantener estables en un 45 % las antocianinas mayoritarias (delphinidina-3-glucósido y petunidina-3-glucósido) de calafate durante 4 semanas.[ENG] The trend of functional foods consumption has remarked a huge interest for berry-type fruits due to its characteristics as high health-promoting and anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and hypoglycaemic properties. Chile produces several berries and one of them is calafate (Berberis microphylla G. Forst). which has a high content of anthocyanins. Several studies have shown the potential of anthocyanins in preventive and curative treatments; however, their use is limited due to low stability under environmental conditions and / or interaction with other compounds. In that sense, the use of techniques such as encapsulation is an option. This work focuses on developing a formulation to get calafate microcapsules by using spray drying technique where 60 % recovery of bioactive compounds was obtained. The evaluation of anthocyanins degradation after storage at room temperature allow to keep the calafate anthocyanins (delphinidin-3-glucoside and petunidine-3-glucoside) stable at 45 % after 4 weeks at room temperature.Este trabajo ha sido apoyado por FONDECYT proyecto 1160899 (CONICYT, Chile) y SENESCYT, Ecuador quien financia la beca de ME. Romero-Román. La Doctoranda hace un reconocimiento especial a Mª Dolores López, Directora de Posgrado de Agronomía de la Universidad de Concepción (UdeC), Chile, por la gestión para la firma del Convenio ETSIA-UPCT con la UdeC que permite la realización de la Tesis Doctoral bajo el régimen de cotutela

p53 and FBXW7: Sometimes Two Guardians Are Worse than One

Too much of a good thing can become a bad thing. An example is FBXW7, a well-known tumor suppressor that may also contribute to tumorigenesis. Here, we reflect on the results of three laboratories describing the role of FBXW7 in the degradation of p53 and the possible implications of this finding in tumor cell development. We also speculate about the function of FBXW7 as a key player in the cell fate after DNA damage and how this could be exploited in the treatment of cancer disease.España, MINECO SAF2017-87358España, Junta de Andalucía grant number 2017/BIO-21

ApoD, a Glia-Derived Apolipoprotein, Is Required for Peripheral Nerve Functional Integrity and a Timely Response to Injury

Producción CientíficaGlial cells are a key element to the process of axonal regeneration, either promoting or inhibiting axonal growth. The study of glial derived factors induced by injury is important to understand the processes that allow or preclude regeneration, and can explain why the PNS has a remarkable ability to regenerate, while the CNS does not. In this work we focus on Apolipoprotein D (ApoD), a Lipocalin expressed by glial cells in the PNS and CNS. ApoD expression is strongly induced upon PNS injury, but its role has not been elucidated. Here we show that ApoD is required for: (1) the maintenance of peripheral nerve function and tissue homeostasis with age, and (2) an adequate and timely response to injury. We study crushed sciatic nerves at two ages using ApoD knock-out and transgenic mice over-expressing human ApoD. The lack of ApoD decreases motor nerve conduction velocity and the thickness of myelin sheath in intact nerves. Following injury, we analyze the functional recovery, the cellular processes, and the protein and mRNA expression profiles of a group of injury-induced genes. ApoD helps to recover locomotor function after injury, promoting myelin clearance, and regulating the extent of angiogenesis and the number of macrophages recruited to the injury site. Axon regeneration and remyelination are delayed without ApoD and stimulated by excess ApoD. The mRNA and protein expression profiles reveal that ApoD is functionally connected in an age-dependent manner to specific molecular programs triggered by injury.2015-09-1

Impact of amyloid-PET in daily clinical management of patients with cognitive impairment fulfilling appropriate use criteria

To evaluate the use of amyloid-positron emission tomography (PET) in routine clinical practice, in a selected population with cognitive impairment that meets appropriate use criteria (AUC). A multicenter, observational, prospective case-series study of 211patients from 2 level-3 hospitals who fulfilled clinical AUC for amyloid-PET scan in a naturalistic setting. Certainty degree was evaluated using a 5-point Likert scale: 0 (very low probability); 1 (low probability); 2 (intermediate probability); 3 (high probability); and 4 (practically sure), before and after amyloid PET. The treatment plan was considered as cognition-specific or noncognition-specific. Amyloid-PET was positive in 118 patients (55.9%) and negative in 93 patients (44.1%). Diagnostic prescan confidence according amyloid-PET results showed that in both, negative and positive-PET subgroup, the most frequent category was intermediate probability (45.7% and 55.1%, respectively). After the amyloid-PET, the diagnostic confidence showed a very different distribution, that was, in the negative-PET group the most frequent categories are very unlikely (70.7%) and unlikely (29.3%), while in the positive- PET group were very probable (57.6%) and practically sure (39%). Only in 14/211 patients (6.6%) the result of the amyloid-PET did not influence the diagnostic confidence, while in 194 patients (93.4%), the diagnostic confidence improved significantly after amyloid- PET results. The therapeutic intention was modified in 93 patients (44.1%). Specific treatment for Alzheimer disease was started, before amyloid-PET, in 80 patients (37.9%). This naturalistic study provides evidence that the implementation of amyloid-PET is associated with a significant improvement in diagnostic confidence and has a high impact on the therapeutic management of patients with mild cognitive impairment fulfilled clinical AUC