Dynamical organization towards consensus in the Axelrod model on complex networks

We analyze the dynamics toward cultural consensus in the Axelrod model on scale-free networks. By looking at the microscopic dynamics of the model, we are able to show how culture traits spread across different cultural features. We compare the diffusion at the level of cultural features to the growth of cultural consensus at the global level, finding important differences between these two processes. In particular, we show that even when most of the cultural features have reached macroscopic consensus, there are still no signals of globalization. Finally, we analyze the topology of consensus clusters both for global culture and at the feature level of representation.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures. Final version published in Physical Review

Grape Seeds Proanthocyanidins: An Overview of In Vivo Bioactivity in Animal Models

Over the last decade, proanthocyanidins (PACs) are attracting attention not only from the food industry but also from public health organizations due to their health benefits. It is well-known that grapes are a good source of PACs and for that reason, the industry is also focused on grape by-products identification and bioactivity evaluation. Grape seeds extract (GSPE) is a rich source of PACs, mainly composed of monomeric catechin and epicatechin, gallic acid and polymeric and oligomeric proanthocyanidins. Thus, this review encompasses the state-of-art structure and the most recent evidence about the impact of GSPE on chronic diseases, with a focus on oxidative stress, inflammation and metabolic syndrome (MeS)-related disorders such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular risk disease in vivo to offer new perspectives in the field that allow further research. Despite the controversial results, is undeniable that PACs from grape seeds are highly antioxidants, thus, the capacity of GSPE to improve oxidative stress might mediate the inflammation process and the progress of MeS-related pathologies. However, further well-design animal studies with standardized dosages and GSPE composition are necessary to shed light into the cause-effect relationship in a more accurate way to later allow a deeper study of the effect of GSPE in humans

Handgrip strength and health related quality of life in individuals with copd

In individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), skeletal muscle wasting and changes in muscle fiber composition limit the muscle strength with consequences on daily physical activities. In the present study we aimed to investigate about the interconnection among upper limb strength, body composition and health related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with COPD to verify the impact of muscle mass loss on HRQoL. Twenty-six consecutive patients (69.2% male; age: 69.7±7.29 years) with COPD were included. Patients underwent pulmonary function tests. Body composition was evaluated through Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA); handgrip test was used for measure upper limb strength. St George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) was used to evaluate patients’ HRQoL. Upper limb muscle strength was negatively correlated with SGRQ (Pearson=-0.571; p=0.002) in particular with activity and impact domains (Pearson=-0.668; p<0.001 and Pearson =-0.461; p=0.02). Multivariate linear regression confirm that poor handgrip strength is a predictor of worse SGRQ after adjusting for gender, age, fat free mass index and inhaled corticosteroids use (p=0.012). Upper limb muscle strength and body composition are two essential tools in the multisystemic assessment of patients with COPD. © 2020, Segretariato Italiano Giovani Medici - Associazione Italiana Medici. All rights reserved

New Insight on Phenolic Composition and Evaluation of the Vitamin C and Nutritional Value of Smoothies Sold on the Spanish Market

Fruits and vegetables are a source of a wide range of nutrients, including bioactive compounds. These compounds have great biological activity and have been linked to the prevention of chronic non-communicable diseases. Currently, the food industry is developing new products to introduce these compounds, whereby smoothies are becoming more popular among consumers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the nutritional quality and the polyphenol and vitamin C content of smoothies available on the Spanish market. An evaluation of the nutritional information and ingredients was carried out. The phenolic compounds were determined by HPLC-ESI-TOF-MS; the vitamin C content was quantified using HPLC-UV/VIS; and the antioxidant activity was analyzed by DPPH and FRAP. Among all of the ingredients of the smoothies, coconut and banana have shown a negative impact on the polyphenol content of the smoothies. In contrast, ingredients such as orange, mango, and passion fruit had a positive correlation with the vitamin C content. Moreover, apple and red fruits showed the highest positive correlations with most of the phenolic acids, flavonoids, total phenolic compounds, and antioxidant activities. In addition, a clustering analysis was performed, and four groups were clearly defined according to the bioactive composition determined here. This research is a precious step for the formulation of new smoothies and to increase their polyphenol quality.SHEALTHY project from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program 81793

Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Capacity of Moringa Leaves Grown in Spain Versus 28 Leaves Commonly Consumed in Pre-Packaged Salads

Total antioxidant capacity (TAC) evaluated by ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay, ABTS, DPPH, and Oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay, and total polyphenol content (TPC) by Folin–Ciocalteu were determined in Moringa oleifera leaves (MO) grown in Spain, and compared with 28 different vegetable leaves pre-packaged for consumption as a salad. Total carotenoids, flavonoids, and chlorophylls were also determined in the samples with highest TAC. Two different extraction procedures were applied to obtain the methanolic fraction and the lipophilic and hydrophilic fractions. The highest TAC and TPC contents were found in MO. High values were also found in red chicory, “lollo rosso”, and oak lettuce. The lowest TAC and TPC values were obtained in iceberg lettuce. The correlations between the extraction procedures and methods assayed were high and statistically significant. In the light of these results, we suggest the addition of MO to the existing range of fresh-cut salad foods would increase their antioxidant content by up to six times.Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness RTI2018-099835-A-I0

Comprehensive metabolite profiling of Solanum tuberosum L.(potato) leaves by HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS

The objective of this work was to study the non-targeted metabolite profiling of potato leaves using high performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS). The mass accuracy, true isotopic pattern in both MS and MS/MS spectra provided by QTOF-MS made possible the tentative identification of 109 compounds present in potato leaves, including organic acids, amino acids and derivatives, phenolic acids, flavonoids, iridoids, oxylipins and other polar and semi-polar compounds. Among them, 32 compounds have been found for the first time in potato leaf and in the Solanaceae family. Quinic acid and its derivatives represented more than 45% of the bioactive compounds quantified in the extract. Derivatives of hydroxybenzoic acid and gentisic acid were also founded at considerable concentrations. This study shed light on the composition of potato leaf extract and will serve as a base for further research into activities of the various compounds found in this matrix which has demonstrated a potential use as functional ingredients

Contribution of macro- and micronutrients intake to gastrointestinal cancer mortality in the ONCONUT cohort: Classical vs. modern approaches

The aim of this study was to evaluate the contribution of macro- and micronutrients intake to mortality in patients with gastrointestinal cancer, comparing the classical statistical approaches with a new generation algorithm. In 1992, the ONCONUT project was started with the aim of evaluating the relationship between diet and cancer development in a Southern Italian elderly population. Patients who died of specific death causes (ICD-10 from 150.0 to 159.9) were included in the study (n = 3,505) and survival analysis was applied. This cohort was used to test the performance of different techniques, namely Cox proportional-hazards model, random survival forest (RSF), Survival Support Vector Machine (SSVM), and C-index, applied to quantify the performance. Lastly, the new prediction mode, denominated Shapley Additive Explanation (SHAP), was adopted. RSF had the best performance (0.7653711 and 0.7725246, for macro- and micronutrients, respectively), while SSVM had the worst C-index (0.5667753 and 0.545222). SHAP was helpful to understand the role of single patient features on mortality. Using SHAP together with RSF and classical CPH was most helpful, and shows promise for future clinical applications

New Advances in the Determination of Free and Bound Phenolic Compounds of Banana Passion Fruit Pulp (Passiflora tripartita, var. Mollissima (Kunth) L.H. Bailey) and Their In Vitro Antioxidant and Hypoglycemic Capacities

Banana passion fruit (Passiflora tripartite L.H. Bailey) is a lesser known species of the genus Passiflora. This fruit typically grows in the Andean region of Ecuador and it is locally known as tumbo, taxo or curuba. The juice of this fruit is highly appreciated in South America. Extracts of banana passion fruit were characterized for their content levels of free and bound phenolic compounds by high performance liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry detector (HPLC-ESI-TOF-MS). A total of 82 polar compounds classified as phenolic acid derivatives, organic acids, benzophenones, flavan-3-ols, flavonols and flavones were detected in the extracts. The total phenolic content was 2356 mg 100 g−1 dry matter, with the bound phenolic fraction representing 37.7% of total amounts. Flavan-3-ols, such as (epi)catechin, (epi)azfelechin and their derivatives, were the main phenolic compounds in the free phenolic fraction; however, phenolic acids represented the most abundant class of bound phenolic extracts. The antioxidant and hypoglycemic capacities reported for banana passion fruit were higher than for other fruits. To our knowledge, this is the first time that bound phenolic compounds have been described in banana passion fruit pulp.Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) RYC-2015-18795 FJCI-2017-33216Ministerio de Educacion y Formacion Profesional FPU16/0253

Mathematical modelling of drying kinetics of avocado peels and its influence on flavan-3-ols content and antioxidant activity

This study was supported by project RTI2018-099835-A-I00 financed by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/FEDER “Una manera de hacer Europa”, and by the project Proyectos I + D + i del Programa Operativo FEDER 2020 cod. B-AGR-506-UGR20.Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Granada / CBUAAvocado peel is one of the main by-products of avocado processing and is considered a promising source of phenolic compounds with various bioactivities. The drying step is essential for its storage at the industrial level, and it is the first step in the strategy of transforming by-products into functional ingredients. Therefore, this research evaluates the effect of the convective air-drying of avocado peels at three different temperatures (40, 60 and 80 ◦C) and airflows (0, 0.8 and 1.6 m/s) on the flavan-3-ols content and antioxidant activity. Moreover, the mathematical modelling of its drying kinetic was developed. A decrease in the flavan-3-ol and antioxidant content was found with increasing temperatures. However, a high impact of the airflow reducing the drying time and limiting the decrease in interesting compounds was found. Among the tested mathematical models, the Page model reported the highest values of R2 (from 0.9907 to 0.9973) and the lowest errors for most of the tem- peratures and airflows tested. However, at 80 ◦C with airflow, the Lewis model seemed to fit better (R2 = 0.9982). Finally, the drying conditions that showed the lowest decrease in procyanidin and antioxidants were 40 ◦C and an airflow of 1.6 m/s for 105 min.MCIN/AEI/FEDER "Una manera de hacer Europa" RTI2018-099835-A-I00Project Proyectos I + D + i del Programa Operativo FEDER 2020 B-AGR-506-UGR2

New Advances in the Phenolic Composition of Tiger Nut (Cyperus esculentus L.) By-Products

Acknowledgments: Vito Verardo thanks the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) for “Ramon y Cajal” contract (RYC-2015-18795). The authors would like to thank the Puleva company for providing “horchata” by-products.“Horchata” is a well-known Spanish beverage obtained from pressing tiger nuts. Its by-product is a potential source of sugar and fiber but also contains polyphenols; thus, it could be used as a new ingredient in the food industry. The aim of this work is to determine the phenolic compounds and compare the phenolic profile of two tiger nut by-products. A Box–Behnken design has been carried out to optimize the extraction of phenolic compounds from tiger nut by-products by ultrasound technology. The independent factors were time (min), ethanol/water (% v/v), and solvent/sample ratio (v/w). The model was validated and confirmed by ANOVA. A Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) of Valencia and a non-Protected Designation of Origin (n-PDO) tiger nut by-products were extracted under the optimal conditions and were characterized by HPLC-DADESI- TOF-MS (High Performance Liquid Chropatography coupled to a photodiode array time-offlight mass detector). Moreover, their antioxidant activities measured by three different methods (DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), ABTS (2,20-Azinobis [3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid]- diammonium salt) and FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power)) were compared. A total of 45 polar compounds were identified, and the phenolic ones were quantified, some of them for the first time. PDO tiger nut by-product has been demonstrated to be richer in phenolic acids and other polyphenols and has higher antioxidant activity; meanwhile, n-PDO tiger nut by-product is richer in phenol precursors