Perfil fenólico de aceites de oliva vírgenes obtenidos de selecciones avanzadas en un programa de mejora

The evaluation of the phenolic composition in advanced selections in breeding programs constitutes the first approach for selecting genotypes with improved olive oil quality. In this work, the influence of genotype and ripening index on the phenolic profile of olive oils from advanced selections in comparison to their genitors was studied. Fruit samples were collected in genotypes from crosses between ‘Arbequina’ × ‘Picual’, ‘Picual’ × ‘Arbequina’ and ‘Frantoio’ × ‘Picual’ at five dates from 1st October to 26th November 2009. Characterization of the phenolic profile was performed by liquid–liquid extraction with 60:40 (v/v) methanol–water and subsequent chromatographic analysis with absorption and fluorescence detection in a sequential configuration. A dual effect of genotype and fruit ripening on the phenolic profile has been observed with more pronounced genetic influence in both total (34.73% and 20.45%, respectively) and individual phenols (16.99% to 49.25% and 1.58% to 23.77%, respectively). A higher degree of variability between genotypes at early ripening stages was also observed (p<0.05). The obtained results also allow identification of selections with high content of total and individual phenols. These results suggest a strategy based on early harvesting of fruits (at the first three ripening indexes) for better comparison and selection of genotypes in further crosses in olive breeding programs aiming at improving the quality of virgin olive oil.La evaluación de la composición fenolica en selecciones avanzadas en programas de mejora constituye el primer paso para la selección de genotipos cuyos aceites son de mejor calidad. Se ha estudiado la influencia del genotipo y del índice de madurez en el perfil fenólico del aceite de oliva de selecciones avanzadas en comparación con sus genitores. Se recogieron muestras de genotipos obtenidos de cruzamientos entre 'Arbequina' × 'Picual', 'Picual' × 'Arbequina' y 'Frantoio' × 'Picual' en cinco fechas entre el 1 de octubre y el 26 noviembre de 2009. Se realizó la caracterización del perfil fenólico por extracción líquido–líquido con metanol–agua al 60:40 (v/v) seguido de un análisis cromatográfico con detección por absorción y fluorescencia en una configuración secuencial. Los resultados obtenidos mostraron un mayor grado de variabilidad entre genotipos en las primeras etapas de maduración de los frutos (p<0.05), así como el efecto de la madurez de los frutos y del genotipo en el perfil fenólico, con una influencia genética más pronunciada tanto para fenoles totales (34.73% and 20.45%, respectivamente) como individuales (entre 16.99% y 49.25% y entre 1.58% y 23.77%, respectivamente). Los resultados obtenidos han permitido la identificación de selecciones con alto contenido en fenoles totales e individuales. Ambos resultados sugieren una estrategia basada en la evaluación de los fenoles totales e individuales en las primeras etapas de la maduración para comparar y seleccionar genotipos en programas de mejora por cruzamiento encaminados a mejorar la calidad del aceite de oliva virgen

Buenas prácticas aplicadas a la adquisición de competencias diagnósticas clínicas en el ámbito del lenguaje

En el presente trabajo se presenta una herramienta informática para el aprendizaje virtual simulado de competencias diagnósticas clínicas en el ámbito de las buenas prácticas en Ciencias de la Salud. La herramienta denominada LATS (Language Assessment Training System) pretende capacitar a los discentes del Grado en Logopedia para el diagnóstico clínico en el área del lenguaje y de la comunicación a partir de casos clínicos virtuales. Los casos clínicos virtuales cuentan con una serie de ventajas: se pueden realizar sin limitación de horarios, se pueden solicitar información de cada una de las fases del proceso diagnóstico tantas veces como consideremos oportuno, los datos de los tests estandarizados se encuentran a disposición del usuario siempre que los necesite. La herramienta dispone de 5 fases que son: motivo de consulta, anamnesis, hipótesis de partida, pruebas diagnósticas, diagnóstico final. La herramienta LATS propicia las buenas prácticas, ya que mejora el rendimiento, está fundamentada en una sólida experiencia previa y se plantea desde un enfoque innovador

Role of metformin and other metabolic drugs in the prevention and therapy of endocrine-related cancers

Metabolic syndrome is associated with chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. This review summarizes the current evidence on the antitumor effects of some relevant drugs currently used to manage metabolic-related pathologies (i.e. insulin and its analogs, metformin, statins, etc.) in endocrine-related cancers including breast cancer, prostate cancer, pituitary cancer, ovarian cancer, and neuroendocrine neoplasms. Although current evidence does not provide a clear antitumor role of several of these drugs, metformin seems to be a promising chemopreventive and adjuvant agent in cancer management, modulating tumor cell metabolism and microenvironment, through both AMP-activated protein kinase-dependent and -independent mechanisms. Moreover, its combination with statins might represent a promising therapeutic strategy to tackle the progression of endocrine-related tumors. However, further studies are needed to endorse the clinical relevance of these drugs as adjuvants for cancer chemotherapy.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación de España. PID2019- 105564RB-I00/FPU16-05059Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) y Fondo Social Europeo (FSE). PI20/01301Instituto de Salud Carlos III de España. SCIII-AES-2019/002525Junta de Andalucía. PI-0152-2019, PI-0094-2020, PI-0038/2019, RH-0084-2020 y BIO-013

Comparative Cytotoxic Activity of Hydroxytyrosol and Its Semisynthetic Lipophilic Derivatives in Prostate Cancer Cells

A high adherence to a Mediterranean diet has been related to numerous beneficial effects in human health, including a lower incidence and mortality of prostate cancer (PCa). Olive oil is an important source of phenolic bioactive compounds, mainly hydroxytyrosol (HT), of this diet. Because of the growing interest of this compound and its derivatives as a cancer chemopreventive agent, we aimed to compare the in vitro effect of HT isolated from olive mill wastewaters and five semisynthetic alkyl ether, ester, and nitro-derivatives against prostate cancer (PCa) cell lines. The effect in cell proliferation was determined in RWPE-1, LNCaP, 22Rv1, and PC-3 cells by resazurin assay, the effect in cell migration by wound healing assay, and tumorsphere and colony formation were evaluated. The changes in key signaling pathways involved in carcinogenesis were assessed by using a phosphorylation pathway profiling array and by Western blotting. Antiproliferative effects of HT and two lipophilic derivatives [hydroxytyrosyl acetate (HT-Ac)/ethyl hydroxytyrosyl ether (HT-Et)] were significantly higher in cancerous PC-3 and 22Rv1 cells than in non-malignant RWPE-1 cells. HT/HT-Ac/HT-Et significantly reduced migration capacity in RWPE-1 and PC-3 and prostatosphere size and colony formation in 22Rv1, whereas only HT-Ac and HT-Et reduced these functional parameters in PC-3. The cytotoxic effect in 22Rv1 cells was correlated with modifications in the phosphorylation pattern of key proteins, including ERK1/2 and AKT. Consistently, HT-Ac and HT-Et decreased p-AKT levels in PC-3. In sum, our results suggest that HT and its lipophilic derivatives could be considered as potential therapeutic tools in PCa

Acciones innovadoras para la mejora de la producción y calidad de leche en ambientes agroecológicamente restrictivos.

En la Planificación Estratégica, FCA/UNC 2013, se definió la importancia de promover instancias de comunicación con la sociedad, para contribuir a la solución de problemas tecnológicos, ambientales, económicos y/o sociales; por lo que, resulta fundamental la generación de proyectos interdisciplinarios de investigación, extensión y desarrollo que respondan a las necesidades de la sociedad. La limitante más importante para la producción ganadera de secano, donde la principal actividad es la cría y recría de bovinos y caprinos, sobre recursos forrajeros naturales, es la baja producción forrajera de los pastizales naturales, y su estado de degradación. Aún bajo estas condicionantes, y con el propósito de incrementar la sostenibilidad de los pequeños productores, se abordaron reconversiones productivas a sistemas lecheros. En el norte de Córdoba, se encuentra la cuenca láctea caprina La Majadita, que agrupa pequeños productores con una usina láctea artesanal que ha logrado transformar la leche residual en quesos de calidad y con identidad. A pesar de esto, la producción física de los establecimientos es baja y fluctuante debido, principalmente, a las condicionantes agroecológicas y tecnológicas de los sistemas de producción que impactan fuertemente en su eficiencia, lo que pone en riesgo la sustentabilidad de la cuenca, problemática común en el país. Trabajos previos de equipos de investigación de la FCA abordaron la caracterización y definición de problemas, que por su complejidad requieren de un abordaje interdisciplinario. Se plantea así, el siguiente programa, cuyo objetivo es desarrollar acciones innovadoras que incrementen la producción y calidad de carne y leche, en ambientes agroecológicamente restrictivos. Esta articulación de cátedras y líneas de investigación llevada a cabo por equipos de la FCAUNC, conjuntamente con otras instituciones del medio como INTA, INTI y Ley caprina, permitirá abordar integralmente la problemática de los sistemas productivos y desarrollar tecnologías transferibles a situaciones similares en el país. Se espera contribuir a la consolidación y sustentabilidad de los sistemas productivos: por un lado, brindando a las familias involucradas, la posibilidad de permanecer en su ámbito pero en mejores condiciones socio-económicas, a fin de evitar los procesos de desruralización; y por otro, generando tecnologías transferibles a técnicos, para abordar sistemas de condiciones similares.publishedVersio

Shall we play together? Game-based learning for engagement and classroom climate in Spanish socially deprived communities

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of a game-based learning (GBL) program on the classroom climate and engagement of high schools in socially deprived communities in Spain.MethodsThe study included 277 students from two secondary schools located in Southern Spain, situated in Zones in Need of Social Transformation. Sampling was non-probabilistic and accidental, based on the accessibility of the school and the willingness of the management and teaching staff to participate in the GBL program. The study employed a control group and two experimental groups (cooperative games group only and cooperative and competitive games group) to compare pre-test and post-test data in both groups. The Brief Class Climate Scale and Engagement Inventory, validated in academic literature, were used as assessment instruments.ResultsThe study used a series of ANOVA tests to compare the experimental groups with the control group. The results indicated statistically significant changes in all study variables. In all cases, the experimental groups demonstrated greater benefits than the control group.Discussion and conclusionThe study findings reveal that games can provide significant benefits to students, regardless of whether they are cooperative or competitive. The study provides evidence of the benefits of GBL in high schools located in socially deprived communities in Spain

Nurse-Led Interventions in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death worldwide, causing 3.32 million deaths in 2019. COPD management has increasingly become a major component of general and hospital practice and has led to a different model of care. Nurse-led interventions have shown beneficial effects on COPD patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes. This systematic review was conducted to identify and assess nurse-led interventions in COPD patients in terms of mental, physical, and clinical status. The review was carried out following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) statement. The relevance of each manuscript was assessed according to the inclusion criteria, and we retrieved full texts, as required, to reach our conclusions. Data extraction was performed independently by two reviewers, and the risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Forty-eight articles were included in the analysis, which focused on the management of COPD patients by hospital, respiratory and primary nursing care. Nursing management was shown to be highly effective in improving quality of life, emotional state, and pulmonary and physical capacity in COPD patients. In comparison, hospital and respiratory nurses carried out interventions with higher levels of effectiveness than community nurses

Unleashing the Diagnostic, Prognostic and Therapeutic Potential of the Neuronostatin/GPR107 System in Prostate Cancer

Certain components of the somatostatin-system play relevant roles in Prostate Cancer (PCa), whose most aggressive phenotype (Castration-Resistant-PCa (CRPC)) remains lethal nowadays. However, neuronostatin and the G protein-coupled receptor 107 (GPR107), two novel members of the somatostatin-system, have not been explored yet in PCa. Consequently, we investigated the pathophysiological role of NST/GPR107-system in PCa. GPR107 expression was analyzed in well-characterized PCa patient′s cohorts, and functional/mechanistic assays were performed in response to GPR107-silencing and NST-treatment in PCa cells (androgen-dependent (AD: LNCaP) and androgen-independent (AI: 22Rv1/PC-3), which are cell models of hormone-sensitive and CRPC, respectively), and normal prostate cells (RWPE-1 cell-line). GPR107 was overexpressed in PCa and associated with key clinical parameters (e.g., advance stage of PCa, presence of vascular invasion and metastasis). Furthermore, GPR107-silencing inhibited proliferation/migration rates in AI-PCa-cells and altered key genes and oncogenic signaling-pathways involved in PCa aggressiveness (i.e., KI67/CDKN2D/MMP9/PRPF40A, SST5TMD4/AR-v7/In1-ghrelin/EZH2 splicing-variants and AKT-signaling). Interestingly, NST treatment inhibited proliferation/migration only in AI-PCa cells and evoked an identical molecular response than GPR107-silencing. Finally, NST decreased GPR107 expression exclusively in AI-PCa-cells, suggesting that part of the specific antitumor effects of NST could be mediated through a GPR107-downregulation. Altogether, NST/GPR107-system could represent a valuable diagnostic and prognostic tool and a promising novel therapeutic target for PCa and CRPC

Morphofunctional and Molecular Assessment of Nutritional Status in Head and Neck Cancer Patients Undergoing Systemic Treatment: Role of Inflammasome in Clinical Nutrition

Malnutrition in patients with head and neck cancer is frequent, multifactorial and widely associated with clinical evolution and prognosis. Accurate nutritional assessments allow for early identification of patients at risk of malnutrition in order to start nutritional support and prevent sarcopenia. We aimed to perform a novel morphofunctional nutritional evaluation and explore changes in inflammasome-machinery components in 45 patients with head and neck cancer who are undergoing systemic treatment. To this aim, an epidemiological/clinical/anthropometric/biochemical evaluation was performed. Serum RCP, IL6 and molecular expression of inflammasome-components and inflammatory-associated factors (NOD-like-receptors, inflammasome-activation-components, cytokines and inflammation/apoptosis-related components, cell-cycle and DNA-damage regulators) were evaluated in peripheral-blood mononuclear-cells (PBMCs). Clinical-molecular correlations/associations were analyzed. Coherent and complementary information was obtained in the morphofunctional nutritional assessment of the patients when bioimpedance, anthropometric and ultrasound data were analyzed. These factors were also correlated with different biochemical and molecular parameters, revealing the complementary aspect of the whole evaluation. Serum reactive C protein (RCP) and IL6 were the most reliable parameters for determining patients with decreased standardized phase angle, which is associated with increased mortality in patients with solid malignancies. Several inflammasome-components were dysregulated in patients with malnutrition, decreased phase angle and dependency grade or increased circulating inflammation markers. A molecular fingerprint based on gene-expression of certain inflammasome factors (p27/CCL2/ASC) in PBMCs accurately differentiated patients with and without malnutrition. In conclusion, malnutrition induces a profound alteration in the gene-expression pattern of inflammasome-machinery components in PBMCs. A comprehensive nutritional assessment including novel morphofunctional techniques and molecular markers allows a broad characterization of the nutritional status in cancer patients. Profile of certain inflammasome-components should be further studied as potential targets for nutrition-focused treatment strategies in cancer patients

Adaptation and Validation of the Eudaimonic Well-Being Questionnaire to the Spanish Sport Context

Studies to date that have focused on the well-being of the athlete have been based on the hedonic point of view. However, there is a second point of view: eudemonia. Therefore, the present study aims to validate and adapt the Eudemonic Well-Being Scale to the sport context. The study involved 2487 from several sport clubs. Several confirmatory factor analyses were carried out and showed that the six-factor questionnaire was the one with the best fit indices. These results show that the scale is in relation to the original scale (from Spain) and to Waterman’s theoretical model