Sperm DNA fragmentation: A critical assessment of clinical practice guidelines

Artículo escrito por un elevado número de autores, solo se referencian el que aparece en primer lugar, el nombre del grupo de colaboración, si le hubiere, y los autores pertenecientes a la UAMSperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) is implicated in male infertility and adverse reproductive outcomes. With the publication of many studies regarding the etiologies and contributors to SDF, as well as the effects of SDF, guidelines are necessary to aid clinicians in the application of SDF for male fertility evaluation. Two recent clinical practice guidelines were published by Agarwal et al. and Esteves et al. In this article, we have evaluated and compared both guidelines. We have found fairly similar recommendations between the two guidelines and have also highlighted the differences between them. Finally, we have summarized and combined the best practice recommendations from both guideline

Proyecto para la rehabilitación energética de un edificio protegido

El presente proyecto de final de máster consiste en el análisis de un edificio ya existente que se encuentra protegido con un nivel B ubicado en la C/ Elkano, 11 de Barcelona, con el propósito de redactar un proyecto de rehabilitación energética de dicho edificio basado en las mejores soluciones posibles. El objetivo principal pretende analizar el edificio escogido y llevar a cabo una serie de propuestas para su rehabilitación, con la finalidad de mejorarlo en criterios de sostenibilidad, además de reducir la demanda y el consumo energético global del edificio en cuestión. Utilizaremos como punto de partida los resultados obtenidos del Certificado de Eficiencia Energética del edificio, generado a partir del programa CE3X. En este proyecto se estudiará la incorporación de mejoras energéticas, tanto en los sistemas activos, instalaciones del edificio, como en los sistemas pasivos y se especificarán los materiales a utilizar. La selección de cada sistema y material se realizará mediante una comparativa de las distintas soluciones posibles, valorando su impacto medioambiental, la vida útil del material, su origen y el consumo energético durante la vida de los materiales. Para finalizar el análisis se incorpora una valoración económica estimada de las actuaciones seleccionadas, a través de la cual podremos establecer la viabilidad y los periodos de amortización de la intervención. Mediante la elaboración de este proyecto se desea establecer mejoras en el sistema constructivo de los edificios históricos construidos en Barcelona a finales del siglo XIX y principios del siglo XX, aportando soluciones innovadoras como el aislamiento térmico, la incorporación de energías renovables o las cubiertas verdes

Desarrollo e innovación de prototipos de trufa de chocolate fusión con dátil (Phoenix dactlyfera) cv Bolica y maca (Lepidium meyenii)

Una de las nuevas tendencias en el desarrollo e innovación de alimentos es la combinación de nuevos ingredientes, no tradicionales de una cultura, los llamados alimentos étnicos. Así el dátil (Phoenix dactylifera) y la maca (Lepidium meyenii) muy utilizados en la gastronomía musulmana y andina, respectivamente, son una excelente opción para innovar cualquier producto tradicional como son las trufas de chocolate (trufa). Las propiedades beneficiosas para la salud del cacao, la maca y el dátil son bien conocidas en sus países de origen. Los objetivos de este trabajo fueron el estudiar la viabilidad tecnológica del empleo del dátil y la maca a través de sus propiedades tecnofuncionales (capacidad de retención de agua y aceite, capacidad de emulsión y estabilidad de esta y capacidad de hinchamiento) y el desarrollar un prototipo de trufa, que sea estable y apreciada por el consumidor. Los prototipos, tipo trufa, se realizaron de acuerdo con la práctica industrial utilizando chocolate negro (52% cacao), nata (35% materia grasa) y cacao en polvo puro y harina de dátil (hd) (fórmula control FC1) y FC1 + hd (FC2) y 3 formulaciones con diferentes concentraciones de harina de maca (hm) T1: (FC+2.5% hm); T2: (FC+5% hm); T3: (FC+7.5% hm). Se analizaron las propiedades tecno-funcionales, pH, aw color (CIELAB) composición proximal (AOAC) tanto de materias primas como de producto terminado. La Aw en todas las formulaciones se encontraron entre el rango de valores de 0,754 y 0,770, y para el pH valores entre 5,29 (T3) y 5,49 (FC), siendo menores en las formulaciones con hm, afectando de forma positiva (entre el pH y la Aw) a la estabilidad del producto. Respecto a su valor nutricional, la incorporación de hm redujo el contenido de grasa y proteínas en el producto y a su vez aumentó el contenido de cenizas. En relación con el color, todos los parámetros estudiados disminuyeron al adicionar hd. Sin embargo, al añadir conjuntamente las harinas, todos estos parámetros aumentaron a excepción del tono, donde en todas las concentraciones donde había hd y hm, el tono (h*) fue mayor a las muestras controles. La utilización de harina de dátil y maca, en la formulación de los distintos prototipos, es viable tecnológicamente y pueden ser ingredientes con interesantes aplicaciones en el sector de los chocolates y que además pueden incorporar nutrientes (fibra dietética) que no son habituales en este tipo de productosOne of the new trends in food development and innovation is the combination of new, ethnic non-traditional ingredients, the so-called ethnic foods. Thus, dates (Phoenix dactylifera) and maca (Lepidium meyenii), widely used in Muslim and Andean gastronomy, respectively, are an excellent option to innovate any traditional product such as, the chocolate truffles (truffles). The cocoa, maca, and dates’ healthy properties are well known in their countries. The objectives of this work were to study the technical feasibility of the use of dates and maca through their techno-functional properties (water and oil retention capacity, emulsion capacity and stability thereof, and swelling capacity) and to develop a truffle prototype, which will be stable and appreciated by the consumer. The truffle-type prototypes were made in accordance with industrial practice using dark chocolate (52% cocoa), dairy cream (35% fat) and pure cocoa powder and date flour (hd). The following formulations were developed, control formula (FC1) and FC2 (FC1 + hd) and 3 formulations with different concentrations of maca flour (hm) T1: (FC+2.5% hm); T2: (HR+5% hm); T3: (HR+7.5% hm). The techno-functional properties, pH, Aw color (CIELAB) and proximal composition (AOAC) of both raw materials and finished product were analyzed. The Aw in all the formulations were found between the range of values of 0.754 and 0.770, and for the pH values between 5.29 (T3) and 5.49 (FC), being lower in the formulations with hm., affecting in a way positive (between pH and Aw) to the stability of the product. Regarding its nutritional value, the addition of hm reduced the fat and protein content in the product and in the opposite the ash content was increased. In relation to the color, all the parameters studied decreased when adding hd. However, when the flours were added together, all these parameters increased except for hue, where in all concentrations where hd and hm were present, the hue (h*) was higher than the control samples. The use of date and maca flour, in the formulation of the different prototypes, is technologically feasible and can be ingredients with interesting applications in the chocolate sector and that can also incorporate nutrients (dietary fiber) that are not common in this type of product

Multi-objective optimization of environmentally conscious chemical supply chains under demand uncertainty

In this work, we analyze the effect of demand uncertainty on the multi-objective optimization of chemical supply chains (SC) considering simultaneously their economic and environmental performance. To this end, we present a stochastic multi-scenario mixed-integer linear program (MILP) with the unique feature of incorporating explicitly the demand uncertainty using scenarios with given probability of occurrence. The environmental performance is quantified following life cycle assessment (LCA) principles, which are represented in the model formulation through standard algebraic equations. The capabilities of our approach are illustrated through a case study. We show that the stochastic solution improves the economic performance of the SC in comparison with the deterministic one at any level of the environmental impact.The authors wish to acknowledge support from the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (ENE2011-28269-C03-03, ENE2011-22722, DPI2012-37154-C02-02, CTQ2009-14420-C02, CTQ2012-37039-C02) and Programa DRAC de la Xarxa Vives d’Universitats

Pobreza en España: jóvenes y mujeres en los espacios sociales de la vulnerabilidad

This number of Quaderns presents the results of two research projects of the program I+D+i financed by the Spanish Ministry of Education for the period 2008 to 2011. The first project is called 'New poverty and social exclusion among youth in Spain' and was supervised by Ph. D. Ignasi Brunet. The second project was developed under the name of 'Poverty, social exclusion and gender inequality in Spain' and was supervised by Ph. D. Ángel Belzunegui. Both projects counted with a group formed by researchers from six Spanish universities from different regions where field work was carried out: Andalucía, Aragón, Cataluña, Comunidad Valenciana, Murcia y País Vasco. The first project has analyzed poverty and youth exclusion in Spain, focusing on the logic that lays behind the social processes of impoverishment and exclusion that effect young people. The second project intended to analyze from a gender perspective the logic of impoverishment processes that affect women, as well as to analyze how women interpret and define poverty

Economic and full environmental assessment of electrofuels via electrolysis and co-electrolysis considering externalities

Electrofuels from CO2 and H2O have recently emerged as a promising alternative to reduce the carbon footprint of fossil fuels, yet their full economic and environmental performance remains unclear. Here, the production of renewable petrol from electrolysis and co-electrolysis-based processes is critically assessed, combining a palette of tools encompassing process simulation, costing evaluation, life-cycle assessment, and uncertainty analysis. Our results show that electrofuels are currently very expensive (10.4-fold higher cost compared to petrol), even when considering externalities (indirect cost of environmental impacts). Electrofuels could become cheaper than the fossil analogue, yet this would require relying on low-cost renewable electricity, which may find alternative uses. From an environmental perspective, we found that despite reducing the carbon footprint of the fossil counterpart, electrofuels could exacerbate impacts on human health due to burden-shifting. Overall, our work highlights the need to embrace impacts beyond climate change to ensure a comprehensive assessment of alternative fuels, and to monetise them to underpin a fair comparison with the fossil analogue

Steady-state global optimization of metabolic non-linear dynamic models through recasting into power-law canonical models

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Design of newly engineered microbial strains for biotechnological purposes would greatly benefit from the development of realistic mathematical models for the processes to be optimized. Such models can then be analyzed and, with the development and application of appropriate optimization techniques, one could identify the modifications that need to be made to the organism in order to achieve the desired biotechnological goal. As appropriate models to perform such an analysis are necessarily non-linear and typically non-convex, finding their global optimum is a challenging task. Canonical modeling techniques, such as Generalized Mass Action (GMA) models based on the power-law formalism, offer a possible solution to this problem because they have a mathematical structure that enables the development of specific algorithms for global optimization.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Based on the GMA canonical representation, we have developed in previous works a highly efficient optimization algorithm and a set of related strategies for understanding the evolution of adaptive responses in cellular metabolism. Here, we explore the possibility of recasting kinetic non-linear models into an equivalent GMA model, so that global optimization on the recast GMA model can be performed. With this technique, optimization is greatly facilitated and the results are transposable to the original non-linear problem. This procedure is straightforward for a particular class of non-linear models known as Saturable and Cooperative (SC) models that extend the power-law formalism to deal with saturation and cooperativity.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results show that recasting non-linear kinetic models into GMA models is indeed an appropriate strategy that helps overcoming some of the numerical difficulties that arise during the global optimization task.</p

Cumulus Cell DNA damage as an index of human oocyte competence

The determination of oocyte quality is crucial for achieving effective syngamy post-sperm injection and embryonic development. Cumulus cells (CCs) have been proposed as biomarkers of oocyte quality because of their close bio-dynamic relationship with the oocyte. To determine the quality of the oocyte, CCs were sampled during oocyte preparation for ICSI to determine a CC DNA fragmentation index (CCDFI) of each individual oocyte using a variant of the chromatin dispersion test. One hundred and thirty oocytes were selected and studied from two Spanish fertility clinics, 90 of which were fertilized and developed to embryos. Significant differences were found between the CCDFI of unfertilized and fertilized oocytes (p <.001) and between the CCDFI of embryos that were discarded and those that developed suitable for transfer or cryopreservation (p <.001). Oocyte quality was negatively correlated with CCDFI (Spearman’s rho = − 0.45; p <.001). Receiver operator characteristics curves (ROC) suggested that a cut-off value of 24% CCDFI was able to discriminate the capacity of the gametes to result in syngamy with a sensitivity and specificity of 75.6% and 65%, respectively. This cut-off supports the application of CCDFI as potential index for the evaluation of the reproductive potential of oocytes prior to fertilizatio

Long-term Follow-up after Feminizing Genital Reconstruction in Patients with Ambiguous Genitalia and High Vaginal Confluence

We evaluated the long-term results of feminizing genital reconstruction in patients with genital ambiguity with high vaginal confluence. The medical records of 10 consecutive patients with ambiguous genitalia and high vaginal confluence who underwent feminizing genital reconstruction from 1996 to 2007 were reviewed. Seven patients had congenital adrenal hyperplasia, one had mixed gonadal dysgenesis, one had partial androgen insensitivity, and one had 5-alpha reductase deficiency syndrome. Median age at operation was 21 months (range, 2-47 months). Median follow up was 7.7 yr. Of the six patients who underwent feminizing genital reconstruction with the Gonzalez method, three had good results. Of the other three patients, one had a urethrovaginal fistula and underwent fistula repair 9 yr after, one had distal vaginal stenosis and underwent revision vaginoplasty 9 yr after, and one had a urethrovaginal fistula and urethral stricture. The patient with urogenital mobilization had persistent urogenital sinus. Feminizing genitoplasty using the Gonzalez method showed good long-term results in patients with ambiguous genitalia and Congenital adrenal hyperplasia. The procedure is less invasive than other approaches and results in excellent cosmetic outcomes; and complications can be corrected by relatively simple procedures