Actitud del consumidor frente a los alimentos genéticamente modificados

Uno de los grandes retos en materia de seguridad alimentaria con los que se enfrenta la sociedad del siglo XXI es la aparición de una gran variedad de nuevos alimentos entre los que se encuentran los alimentos genéticamente modificados. Sin embargo, el futuro de estos alimentos va a depender de cómo sean percibidos por los consumidores y de la aceptación de los mismos. En este trabajo se analiza el grado de conocimiento que el consumidor de la Región de Murcia tiene sobre los alimentos genéticamente modificados y el nivel de aceptación de los mismos. Los resultados muestran que el consumidor de la Región de Murcia carece de conocimientos suficientes sobre este tipo de alimentos, lo que lo lleva a considerarlos poco seguros. Pero a pesar de ello, manifiesta una actitud positiva frente a su consumo. Lo que hemos podido concluir en este estudio es que el nivel de conocimiento de los consumidores sobre los alimentos genéticamente modificados es bajo y que a mayor conocimiento, mayor aceptación de los mismos.One of the challenges in food security in this century is the growth of new food as food genetically modified. However, the future of these products will be link to Consumer acceptation. The main aim of this article was to analyze the knowledge and acceptation of these products in Murcia. Results showed that these consumers don�t know very well this kind of products and in consequence, GMO are perceived as not very safe even though they show a positive behavior to eat them. Despite of the low knowledge level showed by these consumers, a positive correlation between knowledge level and acceptation has been found: The higher knowledge, the higher acceptability

A New Methodology for Building-Up a Robust Model for Heliostat Field Flux Characterization

The heliostat field of solar central receiver systems (SCRS) is formed by hundreds, even thousands, of working heliostats. Their adequate configuration and control define a currently active research line. For instance, automatic aiming methodologies of existing heliostat fields are being widely studied. In general, control techniques require a model of the system to be controlled in order to obtain an estimation of its states. However, this kind of information may not be available or may be hard to obtain for every plant to be studied. In this work, an innovative methodology for data-based analytical heliostat field characterization is proposed and described. It formalizes the way in which the behavior of a whole field can be derived from the study of its more descriptive parts. By successfully applying this procedure, the instantaneous behavior of a field could be expressed by a reduced set of expressions that can be seen as a field descriptor. It is not intended to replace real experimentation but to enhance researchers’ autonomy to build their own reliable and portable synthetic datasets at preliminary stages of their work. The methodology proposed in this paper is successfully applied to a virtual field. Only 30 heliostats out of 541 were studied to characterize the whole field. For the validation set, the average difference in power between the flux maps directly fitted from the measured information and the estimated ones is only of 0.67% (just 0.10946 kW/m2 of root-mean-square error, on average, between them). According to these results, a consistent field descriptor can be built by applying the proposed methodology, which is hence ready for use

Technique of FBG fabrication with an arbitrary spectrum

An arbitrary FBG spectrum can be obtained as the addition of the contribution of some concatenated subFBGs written without phase jump using the same phase mask. An adaptive filter is used in order to obtain, from the desired spectrum, the parameters of the different subFBGs reproducing the required response

Identification of distinctive physiological and molecular responses to salt stress among tolerant and sensitive cultivars of broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. Italica)

[EN] Background Salt stress is one of the main constraints determining crop productivity, and therefore one of the main limitations for food production. The aim of this study was to characterize the salt stress response at the physiological and molecular level of different Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. Italica Plenck) cultivars that were previously characterized in field and greenhouse trials as salt sensitive or salt tolerant. This study aimed to identify functional and molecular traits capable of predicting the ability of uncharacterized lines to cope with salt stress. For this purpose, this study measured different physiological parameters, hormones and metabolites under control and salt stress conditions. Results This study found significant differences among cultivars for stomatal conductance, transpiration, methionine, proline, threonine, abscisic acid, jasmonic acid and indolacetic acid. Salt tolerant cultivars were shown to accumulate less sodium and potassium in leaves and have a lower sodium to potassium ratio under salt stress. Analysis of primary metabolites indicated that salt tolerant cultivars have higher concentrations of several intermediates of the Krebs cycle and the substrates of some anaplerotic reactions. Conclusions This study has found that the energetic status of the plant, the sodium extrusion and the proline content are the limiting factors for broccoli tolerance to salt stress. Our results establish physiological and molecular traits useful as distinctive markers to predict salt tolerance in Broccoli or to design novel biotechnological or breeding strategies for improving broccoli tolerance to salt stress.This work was funded by Grant RTC-2017-6468-2-AR (APROXIMACIONES MOLECULARES PARA INCREMENTAR LA TOLERANCIA A SALINIDAD Y SEQUiA DEL BROCOLI) funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by "ERDF A way of making Europe" by the European Union. S.C. is a recipient of grant FPU19/01977 from the Spanish Ministerio de Universidades. L.M. was supported by the Spanish MICINN (PTA2019-018094). L.M and A.V. activities were founded by Prometeu program (IMAGINA project, PROMETEU/2019/110). CEAM foundation is funded by Generalitat Valenciana. None of the funding bodies has participated in the design of the study or the collection, analysis, interpretation of data, nor in writing the manuscript.Chevilly-Tena, S.; Dolz-Edo, L.; Morcillo, L.; Vilagrosa, A.; López-Nicolás, JM.; Yenush, L.; Mulet, JM. (2021). Identification of distinctive physiological and molecular responses to salt stress among tolerant and sensitive cultivars of broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. Italica). BMC Plant Biology. 21(1):1-16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-021-03263-4S11621

Cyclodextrin inclusion complexes with caffeoylquinic acids as bioactive compounds

Neochlorogenic acid, a less-studied caffeoylquinic acid, isomer of chlorogenic acid, has been seen to possess antioxidant, antifungal, anti-inflammatory and anticarcinogenic effects, which makes it an interesting bioactive compound for incorporation in drugs, nutraceuticals or functional foods. However, its poor solubility in water and susceptibility to oxidation make such a task difficult. To overcome that, its encapsulation in cyclodextrins (CDs) is proposed. The fluorescence of neochlorogenic acid in different pH conditions was analyzed, and caffeic acid was proved to be the fluorescent moiety in the molecule. An encapsulation model whereby the ligand poses two potential complexation sites (caffeic and D-(-)-quinic moieties), showed that α-CD and HP-β-CD formed the best inclusion complexes with neochlorogenic acid, followed by M-β-CD, β-CD and γ-CD. Molecular docking with the two best CDs gave better scores for α-CD, despite HP-β-CD providing stabilization through H-bonds. The encapsulation of chlorogenic acid led to a similar CD order and scores, although constants were higher for α-CD, β-CD and M-β-CD, lower for HP-β-CD, and negligible for γ-CD. The solubility and the susceptibility to oxidation of neochlorogenic acid improved after complexation with α-CD and HP-β-CD, while the antioxidant activity of both isomers was maintained. These results could lead to obtaining more stable inclusion complexes with caffeoylquinic acids for applications in the pharmaceutical industry

Isótopos estables (13C y 15N) en colágeno óseo de micromamíferos: Evaluando su potencial para la reconstrucción paleoclimática y paleoecológica en ambientes áridos del sur de Sudamérica

Los estudios paleoecológicos y paleoclimáticos en ambientes áridos son muy poco frecuentes y generalmente de baja resolución temporal y espacial. Entre las razones de ello pueden identificarse que los proxies disponibles no siempre son adecuadamente preservados en los archivos del Pleistoceno final y Holoceno o su poder resolutivo es muy bajo. Con el fin de mejorar esta limitación, este trabajo se propone evaluar hasta qué punto los isotopos estables (C y N) de micromamíferos pueden ser útiles como proxy ambiental y climático. Los micromamíferos, por lo general, poseen requerimientos ecológicos acotados, a nivel de microhábitat. Su ciclo de vida los restringe espacialmente a escalas temporales cortas, generalmente en el orden de unos pocos años. Por ello la información isotópica obtenida tendrá una escala espacial y temporal alta para escalas paleo/arqueo. Se presentan aquí datos de isotopos de C y N obtenidos en colágeno óseo de micromamíferos actuales con procedencia y cronología anual confiable. Dichos restos óseos fueron recuperados en egagrópilas actuales generadas por aves rapaces en el Desierto de Monte en el Centro Occidente Argentino norte de Mendoza- (sector montañoso ?Villavicencio- y sector planicie; Figura 1). Las mismas se recolectaron entre el 2006 y el 2016. Las muestras se procesaron en el Laboratorio de Isotópos Estables en Ciencias Ambientales (CONICET & UTN FRSR), correspondientes a dos especies (Graomys griseoflavus y Calomys musculinus). Para asegurar su asignación taxonómica y la originalidad de cada muestra, sólo se procesaron cráneos y mandíbulas correspondientes al mismo bolo y a la misma especie, pudiendo obtener así valores isotópicos más confiables.Fil: López, José Manuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas; ArgentinaFil: Quiroga, Gisela Alejandra Ramona. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales; ArgentinaFil: Dauverné, Armando Nicolás. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales; ArgentinaFil: Gil, Adolfo Fabian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales; ArgentinaXX Congreso Nacional de Arqueología ArgentinaCórdobaArgentinaUniversidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades. Instituto de Antropología de CórdobaUniversidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades. Museo de AntropologíaUniversidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades. Departamento de Antropologí

Frequencies of congenital malformations : assessment and prognosis of 52,744 births in three cities of Colombia

Introducción. El Instituto de Genética Humana, de la Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, desarrolla un programa de vigilancia de malformaciones congénitas con metodologías modificadas del Estudio Colaborativo Latinoamericano de Malformaciones Congénitas. Objetivo. Describir la frecuencia de las principales malformaciones congénitas en el país. Materiales y métodos. Entre abril de 2001 y enero de 2008, se obtuvo información sobre los pacientes con malformaciones congénitas y se analizaron la edad materna, la edad de gestación, el sexo y el peso del neonato, y la malformación congénita. Se clasificaron los casos según una escala de pronóstico para evaluar el impacto de la intervención del equipo de salud en la evolución de estos pacientes. Resultados. De 52.744 nacimientos en tres ciudades, 3,12% presentó alguna malformación congénita. Las anomalías de la oreja fueron las más frecuentes. El pie equino varo, la polidactilia y el labio y paladar hendidos, afectaron más a los pacientes de sexo masculino. El peso y la edad de gestación fueron menores en el grupo de los casos que en el de los controles. La escala de pronóstico mostró un alto riesgo de mortalidad o discapacidad en 54% de los pacientes y reveló que la intervención del equipo de salud cambia el pronóstico en más de 80% de los casos. Conclusión. Las frecuencias encontradas son similares a las del resto del mundo. La intervención del equipo de salud debe influir en el pronóstico de estas patologías. Un manejo temprano, adecuado e interdisciplinario es vital para disminuir la discapacidad y mejorar la calidad de vida de estos pacientes.Q4Q3Artículo original65-71Introduction. The Instituto de Genética Humana of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana conducted an epidemiological surveillance of congenital malformations as defined by criteria provided by the Latin American Collaborative Study of Congenital Malformations. Objective. The frequency of the main congenital malformations were tabulated for major urban centers in Colombia. Materials and methods. Information was gathered from 52,744 newborns between April 2001 and January 2008 in three cities of Colombia (Bogotá, Ubaté and Manizales). Data included the age of mother, gestational age, gender and weight of the newborn and the congenital malformation. Cases were classified according to a prognostic scale to assess the impact of health team interventions in the recovery process. Results. Congenital defects were noted in 3.1% of the newborns. The most frequent congenital defects were those of the ears. Clubfoot, polydactyly and cleft lip or palate were more common amongst males. The weight and gestational age were lower in the congenitally affected in comparison with the control group. The prognostic scale of congenital malformations indicated that most of these patients are at high risk of death or disability and that the intervention of the health team changed the patient ́s prognosis in approximately 80% of the cases. Conclusion. Frequencies of congenital malformations in Colombia were similar to those reported in other countries. The interventions of the health team in treating patients with congenital malformations directly affected patient prognosis. Therefore, early diagnosis and adequate interdisciplinary treatment were recommended by these data in order to reduce disability and improve the quality of life of these patients

Etiquetado e información sobre alimentos modificados genéticamente: estudio transversal en una población de Murcia (España)

Introduction: The acceptance of the Genetically Modified Foods comes determined by the knowledge that the consumer has of them. The aim of this study is to know if consumers of the Region of Murcia read the labels of the food, if they know the legislation on the transgenic, and if they believe that this food necessarily takes identification label.Material and Methods: Quantitative, observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study with data collected prospectively designed.The variables were described by frequencies and percentages. For comparison of two independent samples, we used U Mann-Whitney. For the comparison of more than two independent samples Kruskal Wallis test was used. For hypothesis testing, between two qualitative variables, we used the Pearson χ2.Results: Descriptive and bivariate data analyses obtained by surveying to sample of 567 subjects were performed. The results showed that a high percentage of the population check the label before buying a food and over 80% believe necessary to label transgenic foods. Although many of these consumers did not know what the law says about them (97.5%).Conclusions: The consumer of the Region of Murcia requires information on Genetically ModifiedFoods but makes little use of it is offered. It knows no law.Introducción: La aceptación de los Alimentos Modificados Genéticamente viene condicionada por el conocimiento que el consumidor tiene de ellos. El objetivo de este estudio fue conocer si el consumidor de la Región de Murcia lee las etiquetas de los alimentos, si conoce la legislación sobre los transgénicos y si cree necesario que estos alimentos lleven etiqueta identificativa.Material y Métodos: La metodología utilizada fue cuantitativa, se diseñó un estudio observacional, descriptivo, transversal y con recogida de datos de forma prospectiva. Las variables se describieron mediante frecuencias y porcentajes. Para la comparación de dos muestras independientes, se utilizó la U de Mann-Whitney. Para la comparación de más de dos muestras independientes se utilizó la prueba de Kruskal Wallis. Para el contraste de hipótesis, entre dos variables cualitativas, se utilizó la χ2 de Pearson.Resultados: Se realizaron análisis descriptivos y bivariables de los datos obtenidos mediante la realización de encuestas a una muestra de 567 sujetos. Los resultados obtenidos mostraron que un porcentaje elevado de la población mira la etiqueta antes de comprar un alimento y que más de un 80% cree necesario etiquetar los alimentos transgénicos. Aunque muchos de estos consumidores afirmaron no conocer la legislación sobre los mismos (97,5%).Conclusiones: El consumidor de la Región de Murcia exige información sobre los Alimentos ModificadosGenéticamente aunque hace poco uso de la que se le ofrece. No conoce la legislación

Human Exposure to Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals and Prenatal Risk Factors for Cryptorchidism and Hypospadias: A Nested Case–Control Study

BACKGROUND: Exposure to xenoestrogens during pregnancy may disturb the development and function of male sexual organs. OBJECTIVE: In this study we aimed to determine whether the combined effect of environmental estrogens measured as total effective xenoestrogen burden (TEXB) is a risk factor for male urogenital malformations. METHODS: In a case-control study, nested in a mother-child cohort (n = 702) established at Granada University Hospital, we compared 50 newborns with diagnosis of cryptorchidism and/or hypospadias with 114 boys without malformations matched by gestational age, date of birth, and parity. Controls did not differ from the total cohort in confounding variables. TEXB and levels of 16 organochlorine pesticides were measured in placenta tissues. Characteristics of parents, pregnancy, and birth were gathered by questionnaire. We used conditional and unconditional regression models to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: TEXB from organohalogenated compounds was detectable in 72% and 54% of case and control placentas, respectively. Compared with controls, cases had an OR for detectable versus non-detectable TEXB of 2.82 (95% CI, 1.10-7.24). More pesticides were detected in cases than in controls (9.34 +/- 3.19 vs. 6.97 +/- 3.93). ORs for cases with detectable levels of pesticides, after adjusting for potential confounders in the conditional regression analysis, were o,p'-DDT (OR = 2.25; 95% CI, 1.03-4.89), p,p'-DDT (OR = 2.63; 95% CI, 1.21-5.72), lindane (OR = 3.38; 95% CI, 1.36-8.38), mirex (OR = 2.85; 95% CI, 1.22-6.66), and endosulfan alpha (OR = 2.19; 95% CI, 0.99-4.82). Engagement of mothers in agriculture (OR = 3.47; 95% CI, 1.33-9.03), fathers' occupational exposure to xenoestrogens (OR = 2.98; 95% CI, 1.11-8.01), and history of previous stillbirths (OR = 4.20; 95% CI, 1.11-16.66) were also associated with risk of malformations. CONCLUSIONS: We found an increased risk for male urogenital malformations related to the combined effect of environmental estrogens in placenta

Impacto en la mortalidad tras la implantación de una red de atención al infarto agudo de miocardio con elevación del segmento ST: Estudio IPHENAMIC

[Abstract] Introduction and objectives: Little is known about the impact of networks for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) care on the population. The objective of this study was to determine whether the PROGALIAM (Programa Gallego de Atención al Infarto Agudo de Miocardio) improved survival in northern Galicia. Methods: We collected all events coded as STEMI between 2001 and 2013. A total of 6783 patients were identified and divided into 2 groups: pre-PROGALIAM (2001-2005), with 2878 patients, and PROGALIAM (2006-2013), with 3905 patients. Results: In the pre-PROGALIAM period, 5-year adjusted mortality was higher both in the total population (HR, 1.22, 95%CI, 1.14-1.29; P <.001) and in each area (A Coruña: HR, 1.12; 95%CI, 1.02-1.23; P=.02; Lugo: HR, 1.34; 95%CI, 1.2-1.49; P <.001 and Ferrol: HR, 1.23; 95%CI, 1.1-1.4; P=.001). Before PROGALIAM, 5-year adjusted mortality was higher in the areas of Lugo (HR, 1.25; 95%CI, 1.05-1.49; P=.02) and Ferrol (HR, 1.32; 95%CI, 1.13-1.55; P=.001) than in A Coruña. These differences disappeared after the creation of the STEMI network (Lugo vs A Coruña: HR, 0.88; 95%CI, 0.72-1.06; P=.18, Ferrol vs A Coruña: HR, 1.04; 95%CI, 0.89-1.22; P=.58. Conclusions: For patients with STEMI, the creation of PROGALIAM in northern Galicia decreased mortality and increased equity in terms of survival both overall and in each of the areas where it was implemented. This study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT02501070).[Resumen] Introducción y objetivos. Se sabe muy poco del impacto que las redes de atención del infarto agudo de miocardio con elevación del segmento ST (IAMCEST) tienen en la población. El objetivo de este estudio es averiguar si el PROGALIAM (Programa Gallego de Atención al Infarto Agudo de Miocardio) mejoró la supervivencia en la zona norte de Galicia. Métodos. Se recogieron todos los eventos codificados como IAMCEST entre 2001 y 2013. Se identificó a 6.783 pacientes, divididos en 2 grupos: pre-PROGALIAM (2001-2005), 2.878 pacientes, y PROGALIAM (2006-2013), 3.905 pacientes. Resultados. En la etapa pre-PROGALIAM, la mortalidad ajustada a 5 años fue superior tanto en la población total (HR = 1,22; IC95%, 1,14-1,29; p < 0,001), como en cada una de las áreas (A Coruña, HR = 1,12; IC95%, 1,02-1,23; p = 0,02; Lugo, HR = 1,34; IC95%, 1,2-1,49; p < 0,001, y Ferrol, HR = 1,23; IC95%, 1,1-1,4; p = 0,001). Antes del PROGALIAM, la mortalidad a 5 años en las áreas de Lugo (HR = 0,8; IC95%, 0,67-0,95; p = 0,02) y Ferrol (HR = 0,75; IC95%, 0,64-0,88; p = 0,001) era superior que en A Coruña. Estas diferencias desaparecieron tras el desarrollo de la red (Lugo comparado con A Coruña, HR = 0,88; IC95%, 0,72-1,06; p = 0,18; Ferrol comparado con A Coruña, HR = 1,04; IC95%, 0,89-1,22; p = 0,58. Conclusiones. El desarrollo del PROGALIAM en el área norte de Galicia disminuyó la mortalidad e incrementó la equidad de los pacientes con IAMCEST tanto en general como en cada una de las áreas donde se implantó. Estudio registrado en ClinicalTrials.gov (Identificador: NCT02501070)