Lácteos S.A., más allá de una ventaja competitiva

La ventaja competitiva de una empresa se identifica a partir del análisis de todo el conjunto de atributos y características de la misma. Partiendo de la evaluación profunda del plan de marketing, en donde intervienen, el diseño del producto o servicio, fabricación, comercialización, entrega, servicio post venta venta, entre otros. (Porter, M. E. 2015). El caso “Lácteos S.A, más allá de una ventaja competitiva” es pertinente para el área de marketing pues le permitirá a los lectores, determinar e identificar la ventaja competitiva de la empresa, y a partir de ella, evaluar las decisiones ejecutadas por la junta directiva, con el objetivo de tomar una posición frente a estas y determinar el plan de acción a futuro.Historia- introducción. Sector de leche en Colombia. Desarrollo del producto. Precios de la categoría de lácteos en Colombia. Tendencias de consumo en Colombia. Evolución histórica y situación actual. Principales competidores. La decisión. Anexos. Referencias bibliográficas. Índice de ilustraciones.Magíster en Dirección de Marketing. CESA.Maestrí

The Effect of Atmospheric Pollution on the Thymus

Air pollution is a high-risk factor in megacities’ dwellers because of its effects on health. One of the most important components of the pollution is particulate matter (PM) on which metals are adhered. One element adhered to its surfaces is vanadium (V), and through this route, PM reaches the respiratory system, then the systemic circulation and the rest of the organs. Vanadium is released in the atmosphere as a consequence of the combustion of fossil fuels. Vanadium pentoxide is the compound liberated after the combustion and adhered into PM. Previous studies from our group have reported effects on diverse systems in a mouse model. Besides the morphological changes in the spleen and the decreased function of the immune humoral response, the thymus was also affected. Vanadium inhalation diminished thymic dendritic cells (DCs) and the biomarkers: CD11c and MHCII; in addition, thymic cytoarchitecture changed, demonstrated by cytokeratin-5, and also, modification in the expression of 3-nitrotyrosine was observed. Our findings suggest that autoreactive T cells could be released into the systemic circulation and favor the increase in autoimmune diseases in cities with high concentrations of PM

The Breast Cancer Resistance Protein (BCRP/ABCG2) influences the levels of enterolignans and their metabolites in plasma, milk and mammary gland

P. 648-654Lignans are phytoestrogens widely used in dietary supplements and functional foods. After oral ingestion, these polyphenols are metabolized to enterolignans, the main gut microbiota-derived metabolites with weak estrogenic/anti-estrogenic activities. The ABCG2 transporter is highly expressed in the mammary gland and could be responsible for enterolignan accumulation. We aimed here at evaluating the levels of enterolignans and their conjugates in plasma, milk and mammary tissue from wild-type and knockout Abcg2-/- female mice after a lignan-enriched diet for one week. In vitro transepithelial transport of enterolignans was also assayed with ABCG2- transduced cells. Enterolactone and enterodiol levels were higher in plasma and lower in milk from Abcg2-/- compared with wild-type mice. Both enterolactone and enterodiol were accumulated in the mammary gland but with significant differences only for enterolactone. Our results suggest that ABCG2 may be determinant for plasma and milk levels of enterolignans whose accumulation could exert chemopreventive effects against breast cancerS

Transporters in the Mammary Gland—Contribution to Presence of Nutrients and Drugs into Milk

[EN] A large number of nutrients and bioactive ingredients found in milk play an important role in the nourishment of breast-fed infants and dairy consumers. Some of these ingredients include physiologically relevant compounds such as vitamins, peptides, neuroactive compounds and hormones. Conversely, milk may contain substances—drugs, pesticides, carcinogens, environmental pollutants—which have undesirable effects on health. The transfer of these compounds into milk is unavoidably linked to the function of transport proteins. Expression of transporters belonging to the ATP-binding cassette (ABC-) and Solute Carrier (SLC-) superfamilies varies with the lactation stages of the mammary gland. In particular, Organic Anion Transporting Polypeptides 1A2 (OATP1A2) and 2B1 (OATP2B1), Organic Cation Transporter 1 (OCT1), Novel Organic Cation Transporter 1 (OCTN1), Concentrative Nucleoside Transporters 1, 2 and 3 (CNT1, CNT2 and CNT3), Peptide Transporter 2 (PEPT2), Sodium-dependent Vitamin C Transporter 2 (SVCT2), Multidrug Resistance-associated Protein 5 (ABCC5) and Breast Cancer Resistance Protein (ABCG2) are highly induced during lactation. This review will focus on these transporters overexpressed during lactation and their role in the transfer of products into the milk, including both beneficial and harmful compounds. Furthermore, additional factors, such as regulation, polymorphisms or drug-drug interactions will be described.S

Parques científicos y tecnológicos: Una aglomeración con repercusión en el tejido empresarial

Este artículo tiene por objetivo analizar la importancia de las concentraciones empresariales, específicamente los parques científicos y tecnológicos, como mecanismo que contribuye al tejido empresarial de un determinado país. Para llevarlo a cabo, primero se describen las economías de aglomeración y las razones que conllevan a que las empresas se localicen cerca de otras. Seguido, se analizan los datos de los parques científicos y tecnológicos de España. Es un trabajo empírico con un análisis descriptivo que permite observar la evolución de esta concentración entre los años 1997 y 2015 mediante los datos de la Asociación de Parques Científicos y Tecnológicos de España en variables tales como número de parques, número de empleados, volumen de facturación, comunidad autónoma donde están situados y sector al que pertenecen las empresas que los componen. Se concluye que estos parques son un modelo de aglomeración que presenta beneficios para las empresas y las regiones, configurándolo como una alternativa de localización que deben tener en cuenta no sólo en países como España, sino en otros donde estas iniciativas aún son incipientes. This article aims to analyze the importance of business concentrations, specifically science and technology parks, as a mechanism that contributes to the fabric business of a given country. To carry it out, the agglomeration economies are first described and the reasons that lead companies to locate themselves close to others. Followed by, the data of the scientific and technological parks of Spain is analyzed. It is an empirical work with a descriptive analysis that allows to observe the evolution of this concentration between 1997 and 2015 through the data of the Association of Science and Technology Parks of Spain in variables such as number of parks, number of employees, turnover, autonomous community where they are located and sector to which the companies that compose them belong. It is concluded that these parks are a model of agglomeration that presents benefits for companies and regions, configuring it as an alternative location that should be taken into account not only in countries such as Spain, but in others where these initiatives are still incipient

Ivermectin reduces secretion of meloxicam into milk by inhibition of ABCG2 transporter in sheep

[EN] The ATP-binding cassette transporter G2 (ABCG2) is an efflux protein involved in the bioavailability and secretion into milk of several compounds including anti- inflammatory drugs. The aim of this work was to determine the effect in sheep of an ABCG2 inhibitor, such as the macrocyclic lactone ivermectin, on the secretion into milk of meloxicam, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug widely used in veterinary medicine, and recently reported as an ABCG2 substrate in mice. In vitro meloxicam transport assays in ovine ABCG2-transduced cells have shown that meloxicam is a substrate of ovine ABCG2 and that ivermectin is an efficient inhibitor of in vitro transport of meloxicam mediated by ovine ABCG2. In addition, the role of ovine ABCG2 in secretion into milk of meloxicam was corroborated using Assaf lactating sheep coadministered with ivermectin. Animals were administered subcutaneously with meloxicam (0.5 mg/kg) with or without ivermectin (0.2 mg/kg). A significantly lower concentration of meloxicam in milk was detected when ivermectin was coadministered, revealing a major role of ABCG2 in the secretion into milk of meloxicam and a relevant drug-drug interaction affecting this process. These results will contribute to the understanding of the potential factors that modulate the transfer of anti-inflammatory drugs into milk, opening their potential use in lactating ruminants, and the effect of drug coadministration on the presence of milk residues of these compounds.S

Relación entre la localización y los resultados empresariales: Análisis en los Parques Científicos y Tecnológicos de España.

En este trabajo se analiza la importancia de la localización como determinante en los resultados empresariales, sobre la base teórica que es uno de los factores clave en el entendimiento de la rentabilidad y de su papel como generador de ventajas competitivas. Se recogen brevemente las perspectivas teóricas que han analizado formas y modelos de localización, así como también se describen algunos tipos de concentraciones empresariales, que soportadas en el marco de las economías de aglomeración, redundan en beneficios para las empresas. Se especifica que la unidad de localización objeto de este estudio son los Parques Científicos y Tecnológicos de España, se toman dos muestras de empresas localizadas “dentro” y “fuera” de estos parques en las Comunidades Autónomas de Andalucía y Aragón. Se aplica una prueba estadística llamada Análisis de Contingencia, que permite identificar la existencia de relaciones de dependencia entre las variables escogidas: la localización y algunos indicadores empresariales entendidos para este trabajo como rentabilidad sobre activos, endeudamiento e inmovilizado inmaterial. Los resultados arrojan una relación de dependencia estadísticamente significativa para alguna de las variables utilizadas, cuando la muestra utilizada tiene un tamaño significativo, lo que sugiere la continuación del estudio con un análisis por sectores y con todas las comunidades españolas

The Breast Cancer Resistance Protein (BCRP/ABCG2) as a key player in the tissue distribution of flaxseed lignans and their metabolites

25 p.Lignans are dietary polyphenols, which are metabolized by the gut microbiota into the phytoestrogenic metabolites enterolignans, mainly enterolactone and enterodiol. The Breast Cancer Resistance Protein (BCRP/ABCG2) is an efflux transporter that affects plasma and milk secretion of several drugs and natural compounds. We hypothesized here that Abcg2 could influence levels of lignans and their derived metabolites in target tissues. Consequently, we aimed to evaluate the role of Abcg2 in the tissue distribution of these compounds. We used Abcg2-/- knockout and wild-type male mice fed with a lignanenriched diet for one week and analysed plasma, small intestine, colon, liver, kidneys and testicles. High levels of lignans as well as enterolignans and their glucuronide and sulfate conjugates in the small intestine and colon were detected, with higher concentrations of the conjugates in the wild-type compared with Abcg2-/- mice. Particularly relevant was the detection of 24-fold and 8-fold higher concentrations of enterolactone-sulfate and enterolactone-glucuronide, respectively, in the kidney of Abcg2-/- compared with wild-type mice. In conclusion, our study showed that lignans and their derived metabolites were in vivo substrates of Abcg2, which affected their plasma and tissue levels. These results highlight the role of Abcg2 in influencing the health-beneficial properties of dietary lignan

Flaxseed-enriched diets change milk concentration of the antimicrobial danofloxacin in sheep

8 p.Flaxseed is the most common and rich dietary source of lignans and is an acceptable supply of energy for livestock. Flaxseed lignans are precursors of enterolignans, mainly enterolactone and enterodiol, produced by the rumen and intestinal microbiota of mammals and have many important biological properties as phytoestrogens. Potential food-drug interactions involving flaxseed may be relevant for veterinary therapy, and for the quality and safety of milk and dairy products. Our aim was to investigate a potential food-drug interaction involving flaxseed, to explore whether the inclusion of flaxseed in sheep diet affects concentration of the antimicrobial danofloxacin in milkS