The Effect of an Infant Formula Supplemented with AA and DHA on Fatty Acid Levels of Infants with Different FADS Genotypes: The COGNIS Study

Polymorphisms in the fatty acid desaturase (FADS) genes influence the arachidonic (AA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acid concentrations (crucial in early life). Infants with specific genotypes may require different amounts of these fatty acids (FAs) to maintain an adequate status. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of an infant formula supplemented with AA and DHA on FAs of infants with different FADS genotypes. In total, 176 infants from the COGNIS study were randomly allocated to the Standard Formula (SF; n = 61) or the Experimental Formula (EF; n = 70) group, the latter supplemented with AA and DHA. Breastfed infants were added as a reference group (BF; n = 45). FAs and FADS polymorphisms were analyzed from cheek cells collected at 3 months of age. FADS minor allele carriership in formula fed infants, especially those supplemented, was associated with a declined desaturase activity and lower AA and DHA levels. Breastfed infants were not affected, possibly to the high content of AA and DHA in breast milk. The supplementation increased AA and DHA levels, but mostly in major allele carriers. In conclusion, infant FADS genotype could contribute to narrow the gap of AA and DHA concentrations between breastfed and formula fed infants.This research was funded by ORDESA Laboratories, S.L., Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness, NEOBEFOOD Project (2010–2013) and SMARTFOODS Project (2014–2018)—CIEN Strategy (Ministry of Innovation and Science-CDTI) through 2 different contracts established between Ordesa Laboratories and the University of Granada General Foundation (ref. nº3349 and nº4003, respectively) and between Ordesa Laboratories and the Bosch Gimpera Foundation/University of Barcelona (ref. n 306811 and 308516). The project was partially funded by EU Project DynaHEALTH (HORIZON 2020-GA No.633595)

Prediction models for estimating pruned biomass obtained from Platanus hispanica Münchh. used for material surveys in urban forests

The amount of urban biomass waste derived from pruning operations represents a potential source of bioenergy little studied or considered in local bio-economies. This research focused on direct quantification of lignocellulosic residual biomass yielded during tree pruning, characterization of basic tree parameters and development of indirect biomass prediction models. Sample individuals of 30 Platanus hispanica Munchh. with mean diameter at breast height 23.56 cm, crown diameter 8.44 m, crown base height 3.76 m, and total height 11.57 m were examined. Wood formed 43.34% of pruned biomass before the drying process and wood moisture content in wet basis reached 40.16%. Mean quantity of dry biomass obtained per tree was 23.98 kg and standard deviation was 15.16 kg. Allometric relationships were analyzed. Significant coefficients of determination were observed for dry biomass and diameter at breast height (R-2 = 0.87), as well as for dry biomass and conical and parabolic crown volume (R-2 = 0.78). The best result (R-2 = 0.93) was obtained from a multiple regression model with several explicative variables. Indirect biomass prediction equations and characteristics of yielded residuals derived from this research can be useful for biomass planning and management purposes. These equations can be implemented for urban inventories, and the application of logistic models. The significance of this topic is beyond doubt for urban environment, especially for the possibilities of reducing carbon dioxide emissions and perspectives of biomass utilization as a biofuel. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Sajdak, M.; Velázquez Martí, B.; López Cortés, I.; Fernández Sarriá, A.; Estornell Cremades, J. (2014). Prediction models for estimating pruned biomass obtained from Platanus hispanica Münchh. used for material surveys in urban forests. Renewable Energy. 66:178-184. doi:10.1016/j.renene.2013.12.005S1781846

Residual biomass calculation from individual tree architecture using terrestrial laser scanner and ground-level measurements

Large quantity of residual biomass with possible energy and industrial end can be obtained from management operations of urban forests. The profitability of exploiting this resource is conditioned by the amount of existing biomass within urban community ecosystems. Prior research pointed out that residual biomass from Platanus hispanica and other tree species can be calculated from dendrometric parameters. In this study, two approaches have been analyzed: First, applicability of TLS was tested for residual biomass calculation from crown volume. In addition, traditional models for residual biomass prediction were developed from dendrometric parameters (tree height, crown diameter, and diameter at breast height). Next, a comparison between parameters obtained with both methodologies (standard methodologies vs TLS) was carried out. The results indicate a strong relationship (R2 = 0.906) between crown diameters and between total tree heights (R2 = 0.868). The crown volumes extracted from the TLS point cloud were calculated by 4 different methods: convex hull; convex hull by slices of 5 cm height in the XY plane; triangulation by XY flat sections, and voxel modeling. The highest accuracy was found when the voxel method was used for pruned biomass prediction (R2 = 0.731). The results revealed the potential of TLS data to determine dendrometric parameters and biomass yielded from pruning quitar of urban forestsFernández-Sarría, A.; Velázquez Martí, B.; Sajdak, M.; Martinez, L.; Estornell Cremades, J. (2013). Residual biomass calculation from individual tree architecture using terrestrial laser scanner and ground-level measurements. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 93:90-97. doi:10.1016/j.compag.2013.01.012S90979

Estimation of wood volume and height of olive tree plantations using airborne discrete-return LiDAR data

The aim of this study is to analyze methodologies based on airborne LiDAR (light detection and ranging) technology of low pulse density points (0.5m(-2)) for height and volume quantification of olive trees in Viver (Spain). A total of 29 circular plots, each with a radius of 20m, were sampled and their volumes and heights were obtained by dendrometric methods. For these estimations, several statistics derived from LiDAR data were calculated in each plot. Regression models were used to predict volume and height. The results showed good performance for estimating volume (R-2=0.70) and total height (R-2=0.67).The authors appreciate the financial support provided by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion (Ministry for Science & Innovation) within the framework of the project AGL2010-15334 and by the Vice-Rectorate for Research of the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia [Grant PAID-06-12-3297; SP20120534].Estornell Cremades, J.; Velázquez Martí, B.; López Cortés, I.; Salazar Hernández, DM.; Fernández-Sarría, A. (2014). Estimation of wood volume and height of olive tree plantations using airborne discrete-return LiDAR data. GIScience and Remote Sensing. 51(1):17-29. https://doi.org/10.1080/15481603.2014.883209S1729511Estornell, J., Ruiz, L. A., Velázquez-Martí, B., & Fernández-Sarría, A. (2011). Estimation of shrub biomass by airborne LiDAR data in small forest stands. Forest Ecology and Management, 262(9), 1697-1703. doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2011.07.026García, M., Riaño, D., Chuvieco, E., & Danson, F. M. (2010). Estimating biomass carbon stocks for a Mediterranean forest in central Spain using LiDAR height and intensity data. Remote Sensing of Environment, 114(4), 816-830. doi:10.1016/j.rse.2009.11.021Hyyppa, J., Kelle, O., Lehikoinen, M., & Inkinen, M. (2001). A segmentation-based method to retrieve stem volume estimates from 3-D tree height models produced by laser scanners. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, 39(5), 969-975. doi:10.1109/36.921414Kim, Y., Yang, Z., Cohen, W. B., Pflugmacher, D., Lauver, C. L., & Vankat, J. L. (2009). Distinguishing between live and dead standing tree biomass on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, USA using small-footprint lidar data. Remote Sensing of Environment, 113(11), 2499-2510. doi:10.1016/j.rse.2009.07.010Moorthy, I., Miller, J. R., Berni, J. A. J., Zarco-Tejada, P., Hu, B., & Chen, J. (2011). Field characterization of olive (Olea europaea L.) tree crown architecture using terrestrial laser scanning data. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 151(2), 204-214. doi:10.1016/j.agrformet.2010.10.005Næsset, E. (2004). Accuracy of forest inventory using airborne laser scanning: evaluating the first nordic full-scale operational project. Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research, 19(6), 554-557. doi:10.1080/02827580410019544Popescu, S. C. (2007). Estimating biomass of individual pine trees using airborne lidar. Biomass and Bioenergy, 31(9), 646-655. doi:10.1016/j.biombioe.2007.06.022Popescu, S. C., Wynne, R. H., & Nelson, R. F. (2002). Estimating plot-level tree heights with lidar: local filtering with a canopy-height based variable window size. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, 37(1-3), 71-95. doi:10.1016/s0168-1699(02)00121-7Velázquez-Martí, B., Estornell, J., López-Cortés, I., & Martí-Gavilá, J. (2012). Calculation of biomass volume of citrus trees from an adapted dendrometry. Biosystems Engineering, 112(4), 285-292. doi:10.1016/j.biosystemseng.2012.04.011Velázquez-Martí, B., Fernández-González, E., Estornell, J., & Ruiz, L. A. (2010). Dendrometric and dasometric analysis of the bushy biomass in Mediterranean forests. Forest Ecology and Management, 259(5), 875-882. doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2009.11.027Velázquez-Martí, B., Fernández-González, E., López-Cortés, I., & Salazar-Hernández, D. M. (2011). Quantification of the residual biomass obtained from pruning of trees in Mediterranean olive groves. Biomass and Bioenergy, 35(7), 3208-3217. doi:10.1016/j.biombioe.2011.04.042Yu, X., Hyyppä, J., Kaartinen, H., & Maltamo, M. (2004). Automatic detection of harvested trees and determination of forest growth using airborne laser scanning. Remote Sensing of Environment, 90(4), 451-462. doi:10.1016/j.rse.2004.02.00

Malaria vector species in Colombia: a review

Here we present a comprehensive review of the literature on the vectorial importance of the major Anopheles malaria vectors in Colombia. We provide basic information on the geographical distribution, altitudinal range, immature habitats, adult behaviour, feeding preferences and anthropophily, endophily and infectivity rates. We additionally review information on the life cycle, longevity and population fluctuation of Colombian Anopheles species. Emphasis was placed on the primary vectors that have been epidemiologically incriminated in malaria transmission: Anopheles darlingi, Anopheles albimanus and Anopheles nuneztovari. The role of a selection of local, regional or secondary vectors (e.g., Anopheles pseudopunctipennis and Anopheles neivai) is also discussed. We highlight the importance of combining biological, morphological and molecular data for the correct taxonomical determination of a given species, particularly for members of the species complexes. We likewise emphasise the importance of studying the bionomics of primary and secondary vectors along with an examination of the local conditions affecting the transmission of malaria. The presence and spread of the major vectors and the emergence of secondary species capable of transmitting human Plasmodia are of great interest. When selecting control measures, the anopheline diversity in the region must be considered. Variation in macroclimate conditions over a species' geographical range must be well understood and targeted to plan effective control measures based on the population dynamics of the local Anopheles species

Current understanding of the hypothalamic ghrelin pathways inducing appetite and adiposity.

Ghrelin is a multifaceted regulator of metabolism. Ghrelin regulates energy balance in the short term via induction of appetite and in the long term via increased body weight and adiposity. Recently, several central pathways modulating the metabolic actions of ghrelin were unmasked, and it was shown to act through different hypothalamic nuclei to induce feeding. Ghrelin also modulates glucose homeostasis, but the central mechanisms responsible for this action have not been studied in detail. Although ghrelin also acts through extrahypothalamic areas to promote feeding, this review specifically dissects hypothalamic control of ghrelin's orexigenic and adipogenic actions and presents current understanding of the intracellular ghrelin orexigenic pathways, including their dependence on other relevant systems implicated in energy balance. The lack of ghrelin in adulthood has no effect on feeding or body weight. Ghrelin- or ghrelin receptor-deficient mice fed a high-fat diet after weaning and neuronal deletion of ghrelin receptor are diet-induced resistant. Ghrelin inhibition before weaning caused increased adiposity and feeding.Energy sensors controlling neuronal function and plasticity are located in the hypothalamus and ghrelin acts through these energy sensors to modulate feeding.The orexigenic but not the adipogenic action of ghrelin is impaired in obese animals.Mutations in the ghrelin receptor that prevented its binding to beta-arrestin did not influence ghrelin orexigenic action but increased its effects on adiposity and insulin resistance.Ghrelin's actions on energy and glucose homeostasis are of clinical relevance: ghrelin agonists show beneficial effects in patients with cancer cachexia; and an agonist of des-acyl ghrelin improves insulin sensitivity in humans

An updated view on human neonatal thermogenesis.

The maintenance and regulation of body temperature in neonates is critical for survival. However, the mechanisms by which human neonates achieve body temperature control are unclear. Current evidence has demonstrated that infrared thermography is a suitable non-invasive technique that can be safely applied to human babies to investigate brown adipose tissue thermogenesis

Assessment of the removal capacity of emerging organic pollutants in water

Póster presentado en XXII Meeting of the Spanish Society of Chromatography and Related Techniques 16-18 oct, 2023, Mallorca (España)Pyrolysis, heating biomass in the absence of oxygen, enables the conversion of biomass residues into biochar [1]. It is an aromatic carbonaceous material with high porosity and adsorption capacity, which can be activated and used in the production of filters that function similarly to commercial activated carbon (AC) filters. This study evaluates the adsorption capacity of biochar produced from rice husk (RH) and almond shell (AS) for the removal of emerging organic contaminants (EOCs) in water. This application could reduce the concentration of EOCs derived from pharmaceuticals and pesticides present in water, avoiding the use of activated carbons (AC) derived from fossil coal or imported from long distances. Additionally, it would reduce the implementation of pyrolysis and activation processes that pose high environmental risks and promote the recycling and valorization of low-value residual biomass. Biocarbons (BCs) were produced from RH and AS at pyrolysis temperature of 750 °C and were activated with steam or KOH (for comparative purposes). The elemental composition, physical properties, and iodine index of the BCs were determined before and after activation. Subsequently, their adsorption capacity of Sulfamethoxazole, Atenolol, Carbamazepine, Diclofenac, Salicylic Acid, and Acetaminophen were measured (n=3). These organic compounds represent cationic, anionic, and neutral pharmaceuticals and pesticides, some of which are currently considered as EOCs due to their frequent presence in hospital and wastewater effluents. For this purpose, 100 mg of each BC sample were mixed with 20 mL of a 10 mg L-1 solution of each contaminant, shaken for 24 hours and centrifuged. The contaminant concentrations in the supernatant were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography with a diode array detector (HPLC-DAD). The chromatographic column used was a reverse-phase C18 (Novapack, Waters Co.) with specific mobile phases for each contaminant. All the activated BCs were rich in organic carbon (> 75%), and their physical properties were suitable for its use as a filter, although the iodine number was notably lower than that of commercial AC. AS biochars showed slightly lower performance in terms of EOC removal, while the BCs from RH activated with steam exhibited a nearly 100% adsorption capacity for all tested contaminants, with better yields than commercial AC. References [1] J.M. De la Rosa, J.M., M. Paneque, A.Z. Miller, H. Knicker, H. Sci. Tot. Environ 499 (2014) 175-184This study received financial support in the framework of the Project RICERES4CHANGE (grant TED2021-130964B-I00), by the Spanish Agency of Research (MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033) and the European Union (Next Generation EU/PRTR funding).N

Production and characterization of activated biochars from crop residues for wastewater treatment

Póser presentado en el 17th International Conference on Chemistry and the Environment (ICCE 2019) 16th and 20th of June, 2019 Thessaloniki (Greece).- Puede descargar el programa completo en https://icce2019.org/content/ICCE-2019-Conference-Programme.pdfActivated carbon is one of the most widely used adsorbents in wastewater treatment due to its high specific surface area (SSA) and porosity. It is traditionally produced through the carbonization of carbon-rich biomass (Bhatnagar et al., 2013) followed by an activation step, which can be performed in the presence of an oxidizing gas (called physical or thermal activation) or by reacting with an oxidizing chemical agent (chemical activation) (Che et al., 2011). Feedstock nature, carbonization process and activation step have a strong influence on the porous structure and adsorption properties of the resulting activated carbons (Aygün et al., 2003). Water pollution is a severe worldwide problem that urgently requires concepts for monitoring and implementation plans deriving solutions. The increase in the content of emerging organic pollutants, such as pesticides or pharmaceutical products, in continental waters makes essential the use of large quantities of activated carbon for water filtering. This material has a high cost and it is mainly imported from China and Central America to the EU. At the same time, there is a huge amount of agricultural residues rich in organic carbon, which not only has no commercial value but it constitutes a global environmental problem that needs to be solved urgently. Thus, the aim of this work is to study the potential use of rice husks and almond shells, two very abundant agricultural residues in southern Spain, for the production of activated biochars effective for the filtration of waters contaminated with emerging organic pollutants, such as pharmaceutical products and pesticides. In order to achieve this, two different approaches were followed to produce the biochar in the present study. A fixed-bed reactor (500 °C) installed at IRNAS-CSIC was used to produce biochar, chemically activated with KOH (4 wt.%) in an inert atmosphere (Aygün et al., 2003). Activated biochar was also produced at the Technische Universität Berlin in a two-step process. Initially biomass was pyrolyzed at 450 °C in a rotatory reactor, followed by a second pyrolysis step at 500 °C in an atmosphere of steam and N2. Both activation methods increased the adsorbing capacities of biochars. The SSABET increased from 95 m2g-1 to 225 m2g-1 for rice husks and from 49 m2g-1 to 341 m2g-1 for almond shells. However, the two-step approach with physical activation was more effective than the chemical activation. The results of the water holding capacity (WHC) showed a behaviour similar to those of the SSA. Activation of the chars increased from 3- to 10-fold their WHC. This result demonstrated that the activation step contributes to reduce the hydrophobic nature of the chars and may facilitate their capacity to absorb organic pollutants from the wastewater in the pores. The H/Cat decreased considerably from 1.6-1.7 to 0.4-0.5 during pyrolysis. Thus, carbonization of the biomass resulted in highly condensed materials. Iodine number (IN) is a widely used parameter for activated carbon testing for its simplicity and a rapid assessment of adsorbent quality. It is defined as the milligrams of iodine adsorbed by one gram of material according to ASTM D4607 standard (ASTM D4607-14). The IN of charred rice husk and almond shell were 186 mg g-1 and 373 mg g-1 respectively. Positive correlations have been observed between the IN and the H/Cat ratio (r2 = 0.664; ρ < 0.05), the relative abundance (in %) of micropores (r2 = 0.9492; ρ < 0.05) and the SSABET (r2 = 0.8449; ρ < 0.05). However, the preliminary results of this study do not show a clear effect of the activation process on the IN. Further experiments are still needed to find the most suitable conditions for these biochars to be effective filters of emerging organic pollutantsReferences ASTM D4607-14. Standard Test Method for Determination of Iodine Number of Activated Carbon. Aygün, A., Yenisoy-Karakaş, S., Duman, I., Microporous and Mesoporous Materials 66 (2003) 189-195. Bhatnagar, A., Hogland, W., Marques, M., Sillanpää, M. Chemical Engineering Journal 219 (2013) 499-511. Chen, Y. Zhu, Y., Wang, Z., Li, Y., Wang, L., Ding, L., Gao, X., Ma, Y., Guo, Y. Advances in Colloid and Interface Science 163 (2011) 39-52.The Andalusían Regional Government (Consejería de Agricultura, Pesca y Desarrollo Rural) and the “Fondo Europeo Agrícola de Desarrollo Rural” of the EU are thanked for funding the project GOP2I-SE-16-0038 in the framework of “Programa de Desarrollo Rural de Andalucía 2014-2020”.Peer reviewe