Carrera acadèmica i atracció de talent: una necessitat i una oportunitat per a la UAB

Com modificar les polítiques de formació i selecció de professorat per a captar el millor talent forà (professors i investigadors

Academic career and talent attraction: a need and an opportunity for the UAB

How to change professor training and recruitment policies with the aim of seizing the best foreign talent (teachers and researchers

Microbiota-derived short-chain fatty acids as modulators of intestinal serotonin transporter

Serotonin is a key neuromodulator of intestinal physiology. Serotonin transporter (SERT) is responsible for serotonin uptake, modulating its availability and consequently, serotonergic signalling. Recently, microbiota has been described to affect intestinal homeostasis through microbiota recognition receptors (TLRs). In fact,TLRs activation seems to regulate intestinal serotonergic system. However, whether intestinal microbiota can modulate SERT by short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) is unknown. Microbiota-derived short-chain fatty acids such as acetate, propionate and butyrate, are important metabolites from non-digestible dietary fibers bacterial fermentation. These metabolites have been shown to maintain intestinal homeostasis through protecting epithelial barrier integrity, promoting IgA production and regulating T-cell differentiation. In this study human enterocyte-like Caco-2/TC7 cells were used as intestinal epithelial cells model, which expresses serotonin transporter. Caco-2/TC7 cells were treated for 24 h with different concentrations of acetate, propionate and butyrate and then, and 5-HT uptake was measured. SERT molecular expression was analysed by measuring both, mRNA levels by real-time PCR and protein expression by western blotting. Our results show that the treatment with SCFA modulates SERT function and expression, in a different way for each fatty acid. Consequently, a different production of SCFA by microbiota could differently modulate SERT and affect to serotonergic signalling and intestinal physiology. Our study contributes to growing evidence about the key role of microbiota on host physiology regulation, and it opens a cutting-edge opportunity of microbiota modulation to balance serotonergic signalling alterations

Gut microbiota-derived short-chain fatty acids: novel regulators of intestinal serotonin transporter

Serotonin (5-HT) is a key neurotransmitter synthesized both in the gut and the central nervous system. It exerts its signaling through specific receptors (5-HTR), which regulate numerous behaviors and functions such as mood, cognitive function, platelet aggregation, gastrointestinal motility, and inflammation. Serotonin activity is determined mainly by the extracellular availability of 5-HT, which is controlled by the serotonin transporter (SERT). Recent studies indicate that, by activation of innate immunity receptors, gut microbiota can modulate serotonergic signaling by SERT modulation. As part of its function, gut microbiota metabolize nutrients from diet to produce different by-products, including short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs): propionate, acetate, and butyrate. However, it is not known whether these SCFAs regulate the serotonergic system. The objective of this study was to analyze the effect of SCFAs on the gastrointestinal serotonergic system using the Caco-2/TC7 cell line that expresses SERT and several receptors constitutively. Cells were treated with different SCFAs concentrations, and SERT function and expression were evaluated. In addition, the expression of 5-HT receptors 1A, 2A, 2B, 3A, 4, and 7 was also studied. Our results show that the microbiota-derived SCFAs regulate intestinal serotonergic system, both individually and in combination, modulating the function and expression of SERT and the 5-HT1A, 5-HT2B, and 5-HT7 receptors expression. Our data highlight the role of gut microbiota in the modulation of intestinal homeostasis and suggest microbiome modulation as a potential therapeutic treatment for intestinal pathologies and neuropsychiatric disorders involving serotonin

Intestinal serotonergic system is modulated by Toll-like receptor 9

Intestinal serotonergic system is a key modulator of intestinal homeostasis; however, its regulation is still unclear. Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9), an innate immune receptor, detects different external agents in the intestine, preserving intestinal integrity. Since little is known about TLR9 role in the intestine, our aim was to address the potential regulation between TLR9 and intestinal serotonergic system. Caco-2/TC7 cell line and intestinal tract of Tlr9−/− mice were used in this study. Serotonin uptake studies were performed, and molecular expression of different serotonergic components was analyzed by western blot and real-time PCR. Our results show that TLR9 activation inhibits serotonin transporter activity and expression, involving p38/MAPK and ERK/MAPK intracellular pathways, and reciprocally, serotonin increases TLR9 expression. Supporting this interaction, serotonin transporter, serotonin receptors and serotonin producer enzymes were found altered in intestinal tract of Tlr9−/− mice. We conclude that TLR9 could contribute to intestinal homeostasis by modulation of intestinal serotonergic system

Color changes in beef meat during pan cooking: kinetics, modeling and application to predict turn over time

The kinetics of heat-induced color changes in beef meat was determined and implemented in a numerical model for doublesided pan cooking of steak. The CIELab color space was used to obtain the lightness (coordinate L∗ ) and the reddish tone (coordinate a∗ ) of the cooked meat. L∗ was the CIELab coordinate that contributed the most to the change in the absolute color. Two response surfaces were found to describe the evolution with time and temperature of both color coordinates, L∗ and a∗ . The model results were successfully verified with experimental data of the two coordinates along the thickness of the meat for three degrees of cooking. The Root-Mean-Squared Errors (RMSE) for coordinate L∗ were 5.17 (very rare), 2.02 (medium rare) and 3.83 (done), and for coordinate a∗ 1.44 (very rare), 1.26 (medium rare) and 0.89 (done). The applicability of the model for practical cooking purposes was illustrated by determining the optimum turn over time to achieve a similar color profile on both sides of the meat. The turn over time depended on the desired degrees of cooking, and were comprised between one-half and two-thirds of the final cooking time, increasing from very rare cooking degree to done cooking degree

Modeling domestic pancake cooking incorporating the rheological properties of the batter. Application to seven batter recipes

A 2D axisymmetric model for coupled transient heat and mass transfer was developed to simulate pancake cooking on a domestic induction hob. Unlike previous models, the current model considers a variable thermal contact conductance resulting from the crust formation at the bottom of the batter. It aims to take into account the heat transfer phenomena between the pan surface and the batter influenced by the physicochemical changes that the batter undergoes during the cooking process. To quantify the variation of the heat flow that this change in the structure of the batter involves, a normalized relationship between batter viscosity and the temperature was introduced in the model. The performance of seven cereal and legume flour-based batters was evaluated in an experimental setup. The proposed model is capable of adequately predicting the weight loss and the average surface temperature of the batter using parameters related with the rheological properties of the batter and its composition

Comparación entre métodos implícitos y explícitos para la simulación computacional de la contracción del tejido músculo esquelético

El presente trabajo de fin de máster tiene como objetivo global la simulación computacional del comportamiento del tejido músculo esquelético utilizando algoritmos de integración temporal implícitos e explícitos. La comparación entre las diferentes estrategias se abordará inicialmente en geometrías musculares idealizadas y posteriormente en un modelo del globo ocular más los músculos extraoculares para poder abordar la simulación del movimiento ocular.<br /

Redes sociales y variables de marketing en tiempos de COVID-19: el caso de los bares y restaurantes de la ciudad de Huesca

El uso de las redes sociales como medio de comunicación por parte de empresas y consumidores es innegable y en tiempos de pandemia su crecimiento es un hecho. El objetivo de este TFG es observar de qué manera se han utilizado las redes sociales en el sector de bares y restaurantes en la ciudad de Huesca durante la pandemia, tanto desde el punto de vista de la oferta como del consumidor. También se han analizado posibles cambios en el producto, precio y distribución tras la llegada del COVID-19. Tras realizar diferentes encuestas a propietarios de bares y restaurantes y a clientes, se observa que se ha incrementado el uso de redes por parte del sector como medio de comunicación, pero no tanto de interacción con los clientes. No se han introducido grandes cambios en el producto o el precio, siendo el servicio a domicilio una herramienta clave para sobrevivir. Los clientes, siguen cuentas de bares y restaurantes para mostrar su apoyo en tiempos difíciles y mantenerse informados de menús y posibilidades de servicio a domicilio. Las redes sociales han sido uno de los aspectos a los que el sector de hostelería ha tenido que adaptarse, siendo en su opinión imprescindibles en la actualidad.<br /

Cultura científica mediante el Trabajo Fin de Grado

Durante el curso 2015-16 se ha llevado a cabo una experiencia innovadora en la Facultad de Veterinaria de la Universidad de Zaragoza consistente en la realización de dos Trabajos Fin de Grado (TFG) que, manteniendo su objetivo y carácter académico, han contribuido además a difundir las líneas de investigación sobre las que se trabaja en la Facultad, mediante sendos blogs temáticos desarrollados específicamente y de forma complementaria, dentro del ámbito de la divulgación científica. Estimamos de fundamental importancia la comunicación pública de la ciencia desde los entornos académicos para transmitir y hacer comprensible el conocimiento, utilizando los medios digitales que llegan a la sociedad actual y realizando una divulgación científica veraz y de calidad (Allueva et al., 2016). En este sentido, potenciar los sitios web en abierto que, sin perder el rigor científico y contrastando la información, lleguen de forma divulgativa a la población se situaría entre las metas que promueve la universidad. Asumiendo estos objetivos los autores de esta comunicación conformamos un equipo multidisciplinar que ha codirigido estos dos TFG en la titulación de Ciencia y Tecnología de los Alimentos. Los trabajos han consistido en la realización de una revisión bibliográfica y la elaboración de dos sitios web de carácter divulgativo acerca de cómo los alimentos que contienen probióticos, polifenoles o fibra dietética pueden modular la microbiota intestinal y ayudar a mejorar determinadas enfermedades digestivas. Los excelentes resultados de esta experiencia animan a continuar con esta línea de trabajo y este curso académico se ha ofertado un nuevo TFG en la titulación de Veterinaria para divulgar el trabajo de investigación que se está realizando, concretamente, en el tema de mecanismos fisiopatológicos implicados en las alteraciones intestinales producidas durante la sepsis del conejo