Greater flamingos Phoenicopterus roseus are partial capital breeders

Capital breeding refers to a strategy in which birds use body stores for egg formation, whereas income breeders obtain all resources for egg formation at breeding sites. Capital breeding should occur more in large-bodied species because the relative cost of carrying stores for egg formation becomes smaller with increasing body size. Based on a comparison between stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen in potential prey at wintering sites and eggs, we examined whether greater flamingos use nutrients stored earlier in the year for egg production. Our results suggest that the greater flamingo is a partial income breeder, since prey for egg formation were obtained both in overwintering sites and at the breeding site. This may be because there are selective pressures for nesting females to lay soon after arriving at the breeding site, which may be facilitated by arriving at the breeding site with developed ovarian follicles. © 2011 The Authors.Peer Reviewe

Análisis de la relación que existe entre la prematuridad y diferentes características obstétricas y sociodemográficas maternas

Introducción: El parto prematuro (gestación de < 37 semanas) es un problema de salud pública mundial y el mayor desafío clínico actual de la Medicina Perinatal. Junto con el bajo peso al nacer se consideran los predictores más importantes de morbimortalidad neonatal en todo el mundo. La tasa de parto prematuro se ha incrementado en los últimos años en la mayoría de los países desarrollados. En todo el mundo nacen aproximadamente 12,9 millones de recién nacidos prematuros cada año. En España la tasa es del 8,3%, unos 30000. Aproximadamente el 28% de los 4 millones de muertes neonatales en todo el mundo son directamente atribuibles al parto prematuro. Objetivo: Analizar la relación existente entre los nacimientos de niños prematuros, con características obstétricas y sociodemográficas maternas y neonatales. Metodología: Se trata de un estudio descriptivo retrospectivo de corte transversal en el que se comparan y cruzan diferentes variables maternas y neonatales. La población de estudio son los niños prematuros que nacieron en el Hospital Materno Infantil Miguel Servet de Zaragoza en el año 2015. Resultados: Los niños que no han sido concebidos gracias a técnicas de reproducción asistida tienen mayor edad gestacional. Los niños que han nacido de un embarazo único tienen más edad gestacional. A más edad gestacional, mayor peso. Los niños nacidos gracias a técnicas de reproducción asistida (TRA) presentan mayor edad materna, peso más bajo, embarazo múltiple e hipertensión arterial y preeclampsia. El embarazo múltiple se asocia con hipertensión arterial, preeclamsia y bajo peso. Palabras clave: Parto prematuro, recién nacido prematuro, técnicas de reproducción asistida, parto múltiple y complicaciones del embarazo

ESTUDIO DE LA MERCADOTECNIA EN LA COMPRA Y VENTA DE MIEL: UN ANÃLISIS FACTORIAL

This research describes and analyzes the commercial actions being conducted in six groups of producers bee located on the periphery of the state capital of Puebla, Mexico. We study the guidelines that have developed around the marketing as a discipline dedicated to analysis and implications of commercial actions, taking as a hub consumer preferences. There is some use of marketing tools in selling practices carried out by small groups of producers of honey, with the implementation of factor analysis. We found that the actions that develop commercial producers and honey producers are limited to continue with their daily practice of selling what they produce rather than mainstream approach mercadológico to produce what consumers are willing to buy and pay. The orientation of marketing that is focused primarily applied to the production phase, to ensure the acquisition of its product and promoting its sale, even without incorporating current trends show that the needs and preferences of consumers and the market where participating.Honey, marketing, commercial actions, customers., Agribusiness,

Structural basis of the allergenicity to strawberries due to Fra a 1.02

Strawberry fruits are highly valued due to their flavor, aroma, and benefits for human health. Despite this, 30% of the population with food hypersensitivity also shows adverse reactions to strawberry (Franz-Oberdorf et al, 2016). The FaFra a 1 protein family, homologs of the major birch pollen allergen Bet v 1, is involved in this allergenicity to strawberry. By RNAseq we have identified transcripts for 18 members of the FaFra a 1 family (from 1.01 to 1.18) in strawberry fruits. Although expressed in all tissues analyzed, each family member presents a unique pattern of expression, which suggests functional specialization for each FaFra a 1 protein. FaFra a 1.02 (Fra2 from now on) is the most expressed one in red fruits and is also the most allergenic among the family members tested (Muñoz et al. 2010; Franz- Oberdorf et al, 2016). In order to understand the molecular bases of this allergenicity we crystalized Fra2 and obtained its structure by X-ray diffraction. Fra2 showed a very high structural homology to Bet v 1, and we asked whether the two proteins were recognized by the immune system in a similar way. For this, we generated five different mutant versions of Fra2 in sites described as important for allergenicity in Bet v 1 (Fernandes et al, 2016), and studied their potential allergenicity as well as their crystal structures. Three of the mutants had substitutions in loop 4 (E46R, D48R, E46/48A) and the other two facing the cavity (A141F and Q64W). Compared to Fra2, all the mutants showed a significant reduction in their capacity to be recognized by the serum of patients with allergies to Bet v 1, and their crystal structures revealed conformational changes in the Bet v 1- IgG interaction sites. Together, these results support that Fra2 and Bet v 1 have similar allergenic determinants We hope this research will aid in understanding how human IgGs interact with Fra2 and might help in the development of new cultivars with a lesser allergenic potential.Grants BIO2013-44199R and BES-2014-068723 (MINECO). The authors also acknowledge the support by the Plan Propio from University of Malaga, Campus de Excelencia Internacional de Andalucía

Papel del prelímbico en la adquisición de la memoria de preferencia hacia estímulos asociados a la cocaína

I Jornades d'Investigació per als estudiants de la Facultat de Ciències de la SalutIntroducción: Hallazgos previos sugieren que el desarrollo de la adicción a las drogas puede ser entendido en términos de interacción entre los mecanismos cerebrales de memoria pavloviana e instrumental que subyacen a la búsqueda e ingesta de drogas. Se argumenta que el consumo de drogas es un comportamiento inicialmente dirigido a un objeto, pero después de la experiencia repetida puede convertirse en un hábito desencadenado automáticamente por los estímulos asociados al consumo. En este caso, uno de los procesos que subyace a este cambio de comportamiento es la adqui-sición de la memoria de preferencia hacia las señales ambientales asociadas a la droga. La evidencia apoya que la red prefronto-estriado-límbica sustenta el almacena-miento de estas memorias inducidas por drogas. objetivo y métodos: El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo evaluar los efectos de la inactivación de la corteza prefron-tal medial (prelímbica-infralímbica) (cPfm) en la adquisición de la preferencia hacia una señal de olor emparejada con la cocaína (cS+). La inactivación del cPfm se llevó a cabo mediante la infusión de lidocaína en dicha región diez minutos antes del entre-namiento. resultados: Los resultados indicaron que la inactivación de la cPfm au-mentó hasta el 100 % el porcentaje de animales que adquieren preferencia condicio-nada por la cocaína. conclusiones: Nuestros resultados demuestran que el desarrollo de la preferencia condicionada inducida por la cocaína se promueve cuando la activi-dad del cPfm disminuye. Por lo tanto, estos resultados sugieren que la corteza pre-frontal medial trabaja en la adquisición de la inhibición de memorias emocionales rela-cionadas con las drogas.Introduction: Previous findings suggest that the development of drug addiction can be understood in terms of interactions between Pavlovian and instrumental memory mechanisms in the brain that underlie drug seeking and taking. It is argued that drug use is a behavior initially goal-directed, but after repeated experience it can become a habit automatically triggered by drug-associated stimuli. In this case, one of the processes underlying this behavioral shift is the acquisition of preference memories towards drug-related environmental cues. Evidence supports that prefronto-striatal-limbic networks underpin storage of these drug-induced memories. Aim and meth-ods: The present study aimed at evaluating the effects of medial prefrontal cortex (mPfc) deactivations on the acquisition of preference towards an odour cue paired to cocaine (cS+). Medial Pfc deactivation was accomplished by infusing lidocaine into the region ten minutes before training. results: The results indicated that deactiva-tion of mPfc increased up to 100 % the percentage of animals acquiring conditioned preference for cocaine. conclusions: Our findings demonstrated that the develop-ment of cocaine-induced conditioned preference is promoted when mPfc activity de-creases. Therefore, these results suggest that the medial prefrontal cortex works on inhibiting acquisition of drug-related emotional memories

Component-resolved diagnosis of wheat flour allergy in baker's asthma.

Baker's asthma is one of the most common types of occupational asthma and its prevalence is increasing in the last years. Diagnosis of occupational asthma is complex. The poor specificity of current diagnostic approaches may be associated with insufficient purity of wheat extracts or lack of inclusion of major allergens in them. In this work, we use microarray technology to characterize the allergenic profiles of baker's asthma patients from three regions in Spain and to analyze the influence of other environmental allergens on the sensitization pattern

Applying the adverse outcome pathway (AOP) for food sensitization to support in vitro testing strategies

Background Before introducing proteins from new or alternative dietary sources into the market, a compressive risk assessment including food allergic sensitization should be carried out in order to ensure their safety. We have recently proposed the adverse outcome pathway (AOP) concept to structure the current mechanistic understanding of the molecular and cellular pathways evidenced to drive IgE-mediated food allergies. This AOP framework offers the biological context to collect and structure existing in vitro methods and to identify missing assays to evaluate sensitizing potential of food proteins. Scope and approach In this review, we provide a state-of-the-art overview of available in vitro approaches for assessing the sensitizing potential of food proteins, including their strengths and limitations. These approaches are structured by their potential to evaluate the molecular initiating and key events driving food sensitization. Key findings and conclusions The application of the AOP framework offers the opportunity to anchor existing testing methods to specific building blocks of the AOP for food sensitization. In general, in vitro methods evaluating mechanisms involved in the innate immune response are easier to address than assays addressing the adaptive immune response due to the low precursor frequency of allergen-specific T and B cells. Novel ex vivo culture strategies may have the potential to become useful tools for investigating the sensitizing potential of food proteins. When applied in the context of an integrated testing strategy, the described approaches may reduce, if not replace, current animal testing approaches

Bronchial Challenge With Tri a 14 as an Alternative Diagnostic Test for Baker's Asthma

BACKGROUND: Baker's asthma (BA) is the most prevalent occupational respiratory disease in developed countries. It is caused by inhalation of wheat dust in the working environment and affects 1%-10% of workers in the baking industry. Diagnosis of BA is based on bronchial challenge with wheat, a technique that carries a high risk for patients. The wheat lipid transfer protein Tri a 14 is a major allergen in BA. OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to characterize Tri a 14 as a marker of BA in order to prevent patients from having to undergo bronchial challenge with wheat. METHODS: The study population comprised 55 patients selected at the Rio Hortega Hospital, Valladolid, Spain. Patients with BA were diagnosed using a skin prick test (SPT) with wheat and Tri a 14 and bronchial challenge test (BCT) with wheat. Patients with food allergy had a clear clinical history of allergy to peach confirmed by positive SPT to peach extract and Pru p 3. RESULTS: All patients in the BA group had a positive SPT result with wheat (100%), and most had positive results with Tri a 14 (95%). A positive BCT result with Tri a 14 was also observed in 22 of 27 of the patients with BA (82%). The response to Tri a 14 was specifically associated with BA. CONCLUSION: Tri a 14 is a good marker of BA and can be used in SPT and BCT as an alternative diagnostic method, thus avoiding bronchial challenge with wheat and reducing the risk associated with this technique

Enriched mannose glycosylation contributes to Act d 2 allergenicity.

Allergens are responsible for the Th2 response in patients as part of complex mixtures of proteins, fatty acids and other molecules. Plant allergens have hitherto been included in several protein families that share no common biochemical features. Their physical, biochemical and immunological characteristics have been widely studied, but no definite conclusion has been reached about what makes a protein an allergen. N-glycosylation is characteristic of plant allergen sources but is not present in mammals

Análisis del “fouling” procedente de la combustión de pellet de pino y pellet de paja en una caldera de baja potencia: influencia de los parámetros de combustión

El “fouling”, es decir, la formación de depósitos sobre las superficies sometidas principalmente a convección, es uno de los principales problemas en las calderas de combustión de biomasa. La acumulación de estos depósitos puede causar una significante pérdida de eficiencia energética. Su principal causa es la propia composición inorgánica de la biomasa utilizada. Sin embargo, en las calderas de baja potencia, donde los intercambiadores de calor están relativamente cerca de la cámara de combustión, se observa cómo los depósitos están compuestos por una gran parte de material orgánico, existiendo pocos estudios al respecto. Además, no sólo la composición química de la biomasa repercute en la formación de depósitos sino también los parámetros de la combustión, obteniéndose un punto óptimo de operación de la caldera. El estudio realizado consistió en la evaluación de la materia orgánica e inorgánica que componen el “fouling” procedente de la combustión de dos tipos de pellet diferentes, uno de madera de pino y otro de paja, en una caldera de lecho fijo y baja potencia. Primero, se compararon teóricamente ambos tipos de combustibles a través de índices de deposición teóricos. A continuación, se realizaron distintas combustiones variando los siguientes parámetros operativos: la duración de la combustión, la distribución del caudal de aire primario y secundario y el caudal de aire total suministrado. De cada uno de estos ensayos, se recogieron los depósitos del tubo intercambiador de calor. Se distinguieron dos capas; el “fouling adherido”, que se corresponde con la capa más interior pegada al tubo y el “fouling depositado”, que se corresponde con la capa más superficial depositada sobre la anterior. Se observó que ambas capas tenían comportamientos y composiciones ligeramente diferentes. A través de termogravimetría (TG-DSC) se determinó cuantitativamente el contenido de materia orgánica presente en las muestras y su comportamiento térmico. El análisis químico se llevó a cabo usando microscopía electrónica de barrido con espectroscopía de energía dispersiva de rayos X (SEM-EDS) determinando la composición elemental total de cada muestra. Los resultados indicaron que los depósitos tenían una gran cantidad de materia orgánica. Además, en general, en los depósitos de pino, el contenido en materia orgánica de las muestras disminuye cuando la duración de la combustión, el caudal de aire total y el caudal de aire primario aumentan. Lo cual queda corroborado por la cantidad de C obtenido en las muestras con SEM-EDS. Asimismo, se obtuvo una mayor cantidad de Si, sobre todo, pero también de Cl y K, en los depósitos de paja, causando los mayores problemas de combustión experimentados.Los autores agradecen el apoyo financiero del Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad a través del proyecto ENE2012-36405