Identification by means of molecular tools of the microbiota responsible for the formation of histamine accumulated in commercial cheeses in Spain

Histamine intoxication is an important food safety and public health concern. Ripened cheeses are the most common dairy products in which histamine can accumulate. Histamine is formed by the microbiota present in cheese by decarboxylation of histidine, due to the action of the histidine decarboxylase. This study's objective was to identify the responsible for the formation of histamine accumulated in commercial cheeses. The content of histamine of 39 different types of cheeses marketed in Spain, of varying milk origin, was assessed. About one third of the cheeses analysed contained more than 200 mg/kg histamine; two cheeses exceeded 500 mg/kg histamine, the consumption of such cheeses can be harmful or even toxic for consumers. The five cheeses with the highest histamine concentrations were selected for in-depth molecular analysis. Firstly, bacterial and yeast isolates were obtained, and then the total genetic material from the cheeses was analysed, in order to verify the putative presence of the hdc histidine decarboxylase gene. In order to identify the histamine producing microorganisms, the nucleotide sequences of the histidine decarboxylase genes from the cheeses were amplified, and subjected them to Sanger sequencing. In four of the five selected cheeses, the main histamine producer was identified as Lentilactobacillus parabuchneri, whereas in the remaining cheese it was Tetragenococcus halophilus. The hdc gene was located in an unstable plasmid, only present in that cheese sample. Since all histamine producing microorganisms identified in this study are not part of the species used in cheese starter cultures, an improvement of hygienic manufacturing practices and/or thermal treatments for microbial inactivation in milk may be considered to prevent histamine accumulation in cheeses during ripening

Crossing the phantom divide in an interacting generalized Chaplygin gas

Unified generalized Chaplygin gas models assuming an interaction between dark energy and dark matter fluids have been previously proposed. Following these ideas, we consider a particular relation between dark densities, which allows the possibility of a time varying equation of state for dark energy that crosses the phantom divide at a recent epoch. Moreover, these densities decay during all the evolution of the Universe, avoiding a Big Rip. We find also a scaling solution, i.e. these densities are asymptotically proportional in the future, which contributes to the solution of the coincidence problem.Comment: Improved version, 10 pages, 4 figures, References adde

Consistency equations in Randall-Sundrum cosmology: a test for braneworld inflation

In the context of an inflationary Randall-Sundrum Type II braneworld (RS2) we calculate spectral indices and amplitudes of cosmological scalar and tensor perturbations, up to second order in slow-roll parameters. Under very simple assumptions, extrapolating next-order formulae from first-order calculations in the case of a de Sitter brane, we see that the degeneracy between standard and braneworld lowest-order consistency equations is broken, thus giving different signatures of early-universe inflationary expansion. Using the latest results from WMAP for estimates of cosmological observables, it is shown that future data and missions can in principle discriminate between standard and braneworld scenarios.Comment: 13 pages; v3: supersedes the published version, corrected misprint

A Low-Cost System Using a Big-Data Deep-Learning Framework for Assessing Physical Telerehabilitation: A Proof-of-Concept

The consolidation of telerehabilitation for the treatment of many diseases over the last decades is a consequence of its cost-effective results and its ability to offer access to rehabilitation in remote areas. Telerehabilitation operates over a distance, so vulnerable patients are never exposed to unnecessary risks. Despite its low cost, the need for a professional to assess therapeutic exercises and proper corporal movements online should also be mentioned. The focus of this paper is on a telerehabilitation system for patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease in remote villages and other less accessible locations. A full-stack is presented using big data frameworks that facilitate communication between the patient and the occupational therapist, the recording of each session, and real-time skeleton identification using artificial intelligence techniques. Big data technologies are used to process the numerous videos that are generated during the course of treating simultaneous patients. Moreover, the skeleton of each patient can be estimated using deep neural networks for automated evaluation of corporal exercises, which is of immense help to the therapists in charge of the treatment programs.This work was supported by project PI19/00670 of the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain. The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the NVIDIA Corporation and its donation of the TITAN Xp GPU used in this research. In addition, this work was partially supported by the European Social Fund, as the authors José Miguel Ramírez-Sanz, José Luis Garrido-Labrador, and Alicia Olivares-Gil are the recipients of a pre-doctoral grant (EDU/875/2021) from the Conserjería de Educación de la Junta de Castilla y León

Assistive Devices for Personal Mobility in Parkinson's Disease: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Artículo de revisiónGait abnormalities are a hallmark of Parkinson’s disease and contribute to falling risk. As disease symptoms progress, assistive devices are often prescribed. However, there are no guidelines for choosing appropriate ambulatory devices for gait impairment.This work was supported by the project PI19/00670 of the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain. The authors declare that there are no additional disclosures to report relevant to this work

Home parenteral nutrition (HPN) registry in spain for the years 2007, 2008 and 2009 (Nadya-SENPE group)

Objetivo: Comunicar los datos del registro de Nutrición Parenteral Domiciliaria (NPD) del grupo de trabajo NADYA-SENPE de los años 2007, 2008 y 2009. Material y métodos: Recopilación de los datos del registro “on-line” introducidos por las Unidades responsables del seguimiento de la NPD desde el 1 de enero de 2007 al 31 de diciembre de 2009 dividido por años naturales. Resultados: Año 2007: Se registraron 133 pacientes con NPD (61 hombres y 72 mujeres), de 21 hospitales. La edad media de los 119 pacientes mayores de 13 años fue de 53,7 ± 14,9 años, y de 3,6 ± 3,6 años la de los 14 pacientes que no los superaban. La patología más frecuente fue la neoplasia (24%) seguida de las alteraciones de la motilidad intestinal y la enteritis posradiación (ambas 14%). En el 43% de los casos el motivo de indicación fue el síndrome de intestino corto, seguido de malabsorción (27%) y obstrucción intestinal (23%). Los catéteres más utilizados fueron los tunelizados (69%) y los reservorios subcutáneos (27%). Las complicaciones mas frecuentes fueron las sépticas relacionadas con el catéter con una tasa de 0,92 infecciones por cada mil días de NPD. La duración de la NPD fue superior a los dos años en el 50% de los casos. Al acabar el año seguía en activo el 71,4% de los pacientes; la muerte fue la principal causa de la finalización de la NPD (57,5%). El 26% de los pacientes se consideraron candidatos al trasplante intestinal. Año 2008: Se registraron 143 pacientes con NPD (62 hombres y 81mujeres), de 24 hospitales. La edad media de los 133 pacientes mayores de 13 años fue de 54,7 ± 13,9 años, y de 3,7 ± 0,6 años la de los 10 pacientes que no los superaban. La patología más frecuente fue la neoplasia (20%) seguida de la enteritis rádica (14%) y las alteraciones de la motilidad intestinal (13%). En el 44% de los casos el motivo de indicación fue el síndrome de intestino corto, seguido de malabsorción (28%) y obstrucción Nutriintestinal (20%). Los catéteres más utilizados fueron los tunelizados (60%) y los reservorios subcutáneos (29%). Las complicaciones mas frecuentes fueron las sépticas relacionadas con el catéter con una tasa de 0,50 infecciones por cada mil días de NPD. La duración de la NPD fue superior a los dos años en el 67% de los casos. Al acabar el año seguía en activo el 71,6% de los pacientes; la muerte fue la principal causa de la finalización de la NPD (52,4%). El 29% de los pacientes se consideraron candidatos al trasplante intestinal. Año 2009: Se registraron 158 pacientes con NPD (62 hombres y 96 mujeres), de 24 hospitales. La edad media de los 149 pacientes mayores de 13 años fue de 55,2 ± 13,0 años. La patología más frecuente fue la neoplasia (25%) seguida de la enteritis rádica (12%) y las alteraciones de la motilidad intestinal (11%). En el 42% de los casos el motivo de indicación fue el síndrome de intestino corto, seguido de malabsorción y obstrucción intestinal (ambas 23%). Los catéteres más utilizados fueron los tunelizados (60%) y los reservorios subcutáneos (36%). Las complicaciones mas frecuentes fueron las sépticas relacionadas con el catéter con una tasa de 0,67 infecciones por cada mil días de NPD. La duración de la NPD fue superior a los dos años en el 58% de los casos. Al acabar el año seguía en activo el 79,2% de los pacientes; el paso a alimentación oral fue la principal causa de la finalización de la NPD (48%). El 23% de los pacientes se consideraron candidatos a trasplante intestinal. Conclusiones: Se observa un aumento progresivo de los pacientes registrados respecto a años anteriores con una prevalencia muy variable según comunidades autónomas. La principal patología sigue siendo la neoplasia, que ocupa el primer lugar desde 2003. Se aprecia una disminución de las complicaciones sépticas relacionadas con el catéter en los dos últimos años, siendo la tasa de 2008 la más baja desde la creación del registroObjective: To report the data of the Home Parenteral Nutrition (HPN) registry of the NADYA-SENPE working group for the years 2007, 2008 and 2009. Methodology: We compiled the data from the on-line registry introduced by the responsible Units for the monitoring of HPN from January 1st 2007 to December 31st 2009. Included fields were: age, sex, diagnosis and reason for HPN, access path, complications, beginning and end dates, complementary oral or enteral nutrition, activity level, autonomy degree, product and fungible material supply, withdrawal reason and intestinal transplant indication. Results: 2007: 133 patients with HPN were registered (61 males and 72 females), belonging to 21 hospitals. Average age for the 119 patients older than 13 years old was 53.7 ± 14.9 years, and 3.6 ± 3.6 y. for the 14 patients under 14 years old. Most frequent pathology was neoplasm (24%), followed by intestinal motility disorders and actinic enteritis (14% both). The reason for HPN provision was short bowel syndrome (43%), malabsorption (27%), and intestinal obstruction (23%). Tunnelled catheters were mostly used (69%), followed by implanted port-catheters (27%). Catheter related infections were the most frequent complications, with a rate of 0.92 episodes/103 HPN days. HPN was provided for more than two years in 50% of the cases. By the end of 2007, 71.4% of the patients remained active; exitus was the most frequent reason to end HPN (57.5%). 26% of the patients were eligible for intestinal transplant. 2008: 143 patients with HPN were registered (62 males and 81 females), belonging to 24 hospitals. Average age for the 133 patients older than 13 years old was 54.7 ± 13.9 years, and 3.7 ± 0.6 y. for the 10 patients under 14 years old. Most frequent pathology was neoplasm (20%), followed by actinic enteritis (14%) and intestinal motility disorders (13% ). The reason for HPN provision was short bowel syndrome (44%), malabsorption (28%), and intestinal obstruction (20%). Tunnelled catheters were mostly used (60%), followed by implanted port-catheters (29%). Catheter related infections were the most frequent complications, with a rate of 0.50 episodes/103 HPN days. HPN was provided for more than two years in 67% of the cases. By the end of 2008, 71.6% of the patients remained active; exitus was the most frequent reason to end HPN (52.4%). 29% of the patients were eligible for intestinal transplant. 2009: 158 patients with HPN were registered (62 males and 96 females), belonging to 24 hospitals. Average age for the 149 patients older than 13 years old was 55.2 ± 13.0 years. Most frequent pathology was neoplasm (25%), followed by actinic enteritis (12%) and intestinal motility disorders (11%). The reason for HPN provision was short bowel syndrome (42%), malabsorption, and intestinal obstruction (23% both). Tunnelled catheters were mostly used (60%), followed by implanted port-catheters (36%). Catheter related infections were the most frequent complications, with a rate of 0.67 episodes/103 HPN days. HPN was provided for more than two years in 58% of the cases. By the end of 2009, 79.2% of the patients remained active; full oral nutrition was the most frequent reason to end HPN (48%). 23% of the patients were eligible for intestinal transplant. Conclusions: We observe an increase in registered patients with respect to previous years, with a very different prevalence among regions. Neoplasia remains as the main pathology since 2003. We observe a decrease in catheter-related infections in the last two years, being the 2008 rate the smallest since the register’s beginning

Home parenteral nutrition registry in Spain for the year 2010: NADYA-SENPE group

Objetivos: Comunicar los datos del Registro del Grupo NADYA SENPE de Nutrición Parenteral Domiciliaria NPD en España del año 2010. Material y métodos: Estudio descriptivo de la base de datos del Registro de ámbito nacional de NPD del grupo NADYA-SENPE (1 de enero de 2010 al 31 de diciembre de 2010). Para el cálculo de prevalencias se utilizó los últimos datos publicados por el Instituto Nacional de Estadística. Resultados: Se registraron 148 pacientes procedentes de 23 hospitales, 86 mujeres (58,11%) y 9 niños (6,08%). La edad media de los 139 pacientes adultos fue de 53,06 ± 15,41 años. La duración media de la NPD fue de 316,97 días/paciente. El diagnóstico más frecuente en los niños (menores de 14 años) fue intestino corto traumático con 5 casos (55,55%) y en los adultos la neoplasia en tratamiento paliativo 29 (19,59%). El motivo de la indicación de la NPD fue el síndrome de intestino corto en 74 ocasiones (47%). La vía de acceso más frecuentemente registrada fue el catéter tunelizado en 36 (22,78%) casos seguido del reservorio en 13 (8,23%) y otras vías en 3 ocasiones (1,90%). Se registraron 23 infecciones relacionadas con el catéter (82,14%), lo que representa 0,49/1000 días de NP y todas ellas ocurrieron en los adultos. A lo largo del año finalizaron 24 episodios de NPD, la causa más frecuente fue el paso a la vía oral en 12 episodios (50%). Se registró que los pacientes tenían una actividad normal en 70 episodios de NPD (44,30%) con una total autonomía en 88 de episodios (55,69%). Se identificaron 39 (24,68%) posibles candidatos para trasplante intestinal. Conclusiones: El número de pacientes registrados es discretamente inferior al del año anterior, aunque el número de hospitales participantes es el mismo. La complicación más frecuente sigue siendo la infección relacionada con el catéter aunque ha disminuido su incidencia respecto a años anteriores, presentándose la tasa más baja desde la creación del registro. Las diferencias en la participación en el registro observadas por Comunidades Autónomas lleva a plantear el desarrollo de estrategias de implementación del registro. Se observa un aumento progresivo de la duración de los días de NPD a lo largo de los años que hace pensar en la cronicidad de algunos pacientes, pero nos obliga a estudiar la existencia de un posible factor de confusión, en el caso de que existiera un olvido de cierre de algún episodio por lo que se hace necesario actualizar el registro con sistemas de alertas periódicas que faciliten la revisión de los pacientes incluidos y optimice la validez del registroObjectives: To report the Group Registry NADYASENPE data about home parenteral nutrition (HPN) in Spain in 2010. Material and methods: A descriptive study of the database of the national registry of HPN of NADYA-SENPE (December 10, 2009 to December 10, 2010). For the calculation of prevalence the latest data published by the Institute National Statistics Office (01/01/2009) was used. Results: There were registered 148 patients from 23 hospitals, 86 women (58.11%) and 9 children (6.08%). The average age of the 139 patients older than 14 years was 53.06 ± 15.41 years. The average duration of HPN was 316.97 days/patient. The most common diagnosis in those younger than 14 years was short bowel traumatic with 5 cases (55.55%) and in those older than 14 years, palliative care cancer with 29 cases (19.59%). The reason for the indication for HPN was short bowel syndrome in 74 cases (47%). The access via most frequently recorded was tunneled catheter in 36 cases (22.78%) followed by implanted port-catheters in 13 cases (8.23%) and other pathways in 3 cases (1.90%). There were 23 catheterrelated infections (82.14%) which represented 0.49 /1,000 days of PN, all of which occurred in cases older than 14 years. During the year 24 episodes of HPN ended, the most frequent cause was the transition to oral nutrition in 12 episodes (50%). It was reported that patients had a normal activity in 70 episodes of HPN (44.30%) with complete autonomy in 88 episodes (55.69%). Some patients 39 (24.68%) were potential candidates for intestinal transplantation. Conclusions: The number of registered patients is slightly lower than the previous year, although the number of participating hospitals is the same. The most frequent complication remains catheter-related infection but its incidence has decreased from previous years, presenting the lowest rate since the creation of the record. Differences in participation in the registry observed in the Autonomous Communities causes the development of implementation strategies. There is a gradual increase in day length of HPN over the years, which suggests the chronic treatments of some patients and obliges to study the existence of a possible confounding factor, in case there is an oversight of closing an episode. Therefore, it is necessary to update the registry with warning systems that facilitate periodic review of the patients and optimize the validity of registratio

Greener Method to Obtain a Key Intermediate of Vitamin E over Cu-ZSM-5

The catalytic oxidation of 2,3,5-trimethylphenol was performed over transition metals modified ZSM-5 zeolites employing hydrogen peroxide as oxidant under mild reaction conditions. Catalysts samples were characterized by several techniques (XRD, FTIR, BET, AA) and cristallinity and orthorhombic symmetry were confirmed for all of them. Best catalytic results were obtained for Cu-ZSM-5 sample, so further activity studies were done over this material. 2,3,5-trimethyl-1,4-benzoquinone was obtained as the main product of the selective oxidation. Reaction parameters (nature of the solvent, hydrogen peroxide concentration, reaction time, catalyst mass, substrate initial concentration and reaction temperature) were evaluated to reach the optimum reaction conditions. According to the obtained results, an apparent activation energy of 52.33 kJ/mol was calculated.Fil: Saux, Clara. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Cordoba. Centro de Investigacion y Tecnologia Quimica; Argentina. Universidad Tecnologica Nacional. Facultad Regional Cordoba; ArgentinaFil: Renzini, Maria Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Cordoba. Centro de Investigacion y Tecnologia Quimica; Argentina. Universidad Tecnologica Nacional. Facultad Regional Cordoba; ArgentinaFil: Gómez, Silvina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Cordoba. Centro de Investigacion y Tecnologia Quimica; Argentina. Universidad Tecnologica Nacional. Facultad Regional Cordoba; ArgentinaFil: Pierella, Liliana Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Cordoba. Centro de Investigacion y Tecnologia Quimica; Argentina. Universidad Tecnologica Nacional. Facultad Regional Cordoba; Argentin