Phenolic-rich extracts from avocado fruit residues as functional food ingredients with antioxidant and antiproliferative properties

In this study, the total phenolic compounds content and profile, the nutritional value, the antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of avocado peel, seed coat, and seed extracts were characterized. Additionally, an in-silico analysis was performed to identify the phenolic compounds with the highest intestinal absorption and Caco-2 permeability. The avocado peel extract possessed the highest content of phenolic compounds (309.95 ± 25.33 mMol GA/100 g of extract) and the lowest effective concentration (EC50) against DPPH and ABTS radicals (72.64 ± 10.70 and 181.68 ± 18.47, respectively). On the other hand, the peel and seed coat extracts had the lowest energy densities (226.06 ± 0.06 kcal/100g and 219.62 ± 0.49 kcal/100g, respectively). Regarding the antiproliferative activity, the avocado peel extract (180 ± 40 µg/mL) showed the lowest inhibitory concentration (IC50), followed by the seed (200 ± 21 µg/mL) and seed coat (340 ± 32 µg/mL) extracts. The IC50 of the extracts induced apoptosis in Caco-2 cells at the early and late stages. According to the in-silico analysis, these results could be related to the higher Caco-2 permeability to hy-droxysalidroside, salidroside, sakuranetin, and luteolin. Therefore, this study provides new insights regarding the potential use of these extracts as functional ingredients with antioxidant and antiproliferative properties and as medicinal agents in diseases related to oxidative stress such as cancer. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Mapping of landslide susceptibility of coastal cliffs : the Mont-Roig del Camp case study

The weathered and fractured conglomerate cliffs of Mont Roig del Camp constitute a rock fall hazard for the surrounding pocket beaches and, therefore, for the population that frequent them, especially over the summer. Landslide susceptibility of the cliff has been assessed using the Rock Engineering System method (RES). The determinant and triggering factors considered in this study include: wave exposure, shoreline variations, cliff height, cliff slope, geotechnical quality of the rocky mass, superficial runoff and cliff orientations favoring landslides. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have been employed to facilitate the information analysis and generate new susceptibility maps. The quality of the rock mass and cliff orientation are the most interactive factors for the stability of the cliff. However, shoreline variations and surface runoff are the most dominant factors in the system. Thus, the quality of the rock mass has been determined to be a basic variable in the cliff characterization because of its high dependence on the variations of the remaining factors. The landslide susceptibility map depicts a predominance of surfaces with moderate degrees of susceptibility concentrated mainly in the headlands, where the combined actions of subaerial and marine processes control the weathering and eroding processes. Therefore, the landslide susceptibility assessment based on this methodology has allowed the identification of hazardous areas that should be considered in future management plans

A Mathematical Model to Study the Meningococcal Meningitis

AbstractThe main goal of this work is to introduce a novel mathematical model to study the spreading of meningococcal meningitis. Specifically, it is a discrete mathematical model based on cellular automata where the population is divided in five classes: sus- ceptible, asymptomatic infected, infected with symptoms, carriers, recovered and died. It catches the individual characteristics of people in order to give a prediction of both the individual behavior, and whole evolution of population

New insights on the seismogenic potential of the Eastern Betic Shear Zone (SE Iberia): Quaternary activity and paleoseismicity of the SW segment of the Carrascoy Fault Zone

The Carrascoy Fault (CAF) is one of the main active faults that form part of the Eastern Betic Shear Zone, a 450 km fault system that accommodates most of the convergence between the Eurasian (Iberia) and Nubian plates in the Betic Cordillera, south Spain. Although the CAF represents a major earthquake threat to the nearby City of Murcia, studies on its Quaternary tectonics and seismogenic potential are scarce to date. We present evidence that supports the division of the CAF into two overlapping segments with contrasting tectonic structure, Quaternary activity, and landform control: a SW segment, characterized by a broad fold-and-thrust zone similar to the forebergs defined in the Gobi-Altai region, and a NE segment, characterized by a sharp mountain front controlled by strike-slip tectonics. We attribute the differentiation into these two segments to the stresses associated with topography, which in turn is a consequence of the shortening component, at the middle Pleistocene, after circa 217.4 ka. For the SW segment we infer the occurrence of 9 to 11, Mw 6.7 paleoearthquakes in the last 30.2 kyr, and a slip rate of 0.37 ± 0.08 m/kyr. We date the occurrence of the last surface rupture event after 2750 B.P., and we estimate an average recurrence period of major events of 3.3 ± 0.7 kyrThis work was supported by SISMOGEN (IGME, 2279) and FASEGEO (CGL2009-09726) research projects and a technical assistance of the Civil Protection Service of Murci

Pindo: proyecto de investigación en la práctica docente

El cambio en el paradigma educativo de los últimos años trae consigo la organización de espacios supranacionales de educación y exige una revisión profunda de las metodologías docentes. Los diversos escenarios que han ido surgiendo con la revolución tecnológica nos permiten alcanzar un consenso en la forma de evaluar las competencias que los estudiantes han de adquirir en los diferentes niveles educativos. Para que este cambio sea efectivo es necesaria una organización de los equipos profesionales que excede el ámbito local (departamentos) y nacional (colaboración interuniversitaria en un país). Por este motivo, los profesores que participamos en este estudio, junto con varias instituciones de educación superior europeas y latinoamericanas, hemos desarrollado una propuesta acorde con las nuevas necesidades educativas en la universidad. Dicha propuesta, con su motivación, los objetivos que se consideran y la metodología para alcanzarlos, se detallan a lo largo de este artículo, con la finalidad de generar un debate que logre mejorarla e involucrar a más universidades para que aporten nuevos puntos de vista

Development and characterization of a poloxamer hydrogel composed of human mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs) for reepithelization of skin injuries

Wound healing is a natural physiological reaction to tissue injury. Hydrogels show attractive advantages in wound healing not only due to their biodegradability, biocompatibility and permeability but also because provide an excellent environment for cell migration and proliferation. The main objective of the present study was the design and characterization of a hydrogel loaded with human mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs) for use in would healing of superficial skin injures. Poloxamer 407® was used as biocompatible biomaterial to embed hMSCs. The developed hydrogel containing 20 % (w/w) of polymer resulted in the best formulation with respect to physical, mechanical, morphological and biological properties. Its high swelling capacity confirmed the hydrogel’s capacity to absorb wounds’ exudate. LIVE/DEAD® assay confirm that hMSCs remained viable for at least 48 h when loaded into the hydrogels. Adding increasing concentrations of hMSCs-loaded hydrogel to the epithelium did not affect keratinocytes’ viability and healing capacity and all wound area was closed in less than one day. Our study opens opportunities to exploit poloxamer hydrogels as cell carriers for the treatment of skin superficial wound

Moodle at prosgraduate level: virtual platform utilization and continuous assesment

La adaptación al EEES ha implicado una reestructuración de los estudios universitarios promoviendo, entre otros, el uso de una evaluación continuada de los aprendizajes y de herramientas docentes virtuales en los nuevos grados. Estos cambios también pueden aplicarse en el posgrado, aunque hasta el momento, son pocas las experiencias al respecto. El presente trabajo muestra la opinión y los resultados obtenidos de los estudiantes de una asignatura de posgrado de un Máster Oficial Universitario URV-UB en el que se llevó a cabo evaluación continuada y se utilizó el Campus Virtual (CV) como herramienta de aprendizaje y participación activa. La aplicación del proyecto (2007PID/UB-14) se llevó a cabo en 4 fases: elaboración del aula, diseño de encuestas dirigidas a los estudiantes para obtener su opinión sobre la evaluación continuada y sus conocimientos en el uso de plataformas virtuales de forma previa al curso, gestión diaria del aula y seguimiento de las actividades propuestas y finalmente, evaluación del proyecto a través de indicadores cualitativos y cuantitativos derivados de las encuestas y de la propia aplicación virtual. Al inicio del curso la mayoría (93,75%) de los estudiantes prefería evaluación continuada y al final de éste el 100% estuvieron de acuerdo con el tipo de evaluación realizado. Respecto al CV, los estudiantes realizaron todas las actividades de autoevaluación voluntarias. La puntuación sobre la utilidad de todos los recursos del aula del CV fue muy elevada, siendo máxima la obtenida por los ejercicios de autoevaluación. En global, los estudiantes otorgaron al aula una puntuación de 8,1 sobre 10.The definition of new academic degrees according to the EHEA has promoted, among others, the utilization of graduate students learning by continuous evaluation, as well as the usage of virtual teaching tools. These changes can also be applicable for postgraduate students, although very few experiences exist in this sense. The present work shows the students’ opinion and results from a URV-UB EHEA Master’s subject in which continuous assessment and virtual teaching tools for active learning and participation have been used. The project (2007PID/UB-14) was performed in 4 steps: virtual material production, surveys to students designed to obtain information regarding continuous assessment and their knowledge about virtual platforms (VP), daily assessment of proposed activities, and finally, evaluation of the project by means of qualitative and quantitative indicators from surveys and from the virtual platform usage profiles. At the beginning of the course most of students (93.75%) preferred continuous assessment and at the end 100% agreed with the type of evaluation applied. With respect to the VP, the students performed all the voluntary activities. All virtual teaching tools were considered as very useful by the students, being the most useful for them the autoevaluation activities. Globally, the students gave a punctuation of 8.1 to this experience.Este estudio ha sido subvencionado por la Universidad de Barclona (Proyecto de innovación docente 2007PID-UB/14)

La subnutrición preparto y el hidroxitirosol en el equilibrio pro- y anti-oxidante de la sangre durante la etapa de lactación

La suplementación materna con HT mejoró la respuesta antioxidante de los terneros de vacas subnutridas. La capacidad antioxidante en vacas y el MDA en vacas y terneros incrementaron al avanzar la gestación.: Proyecto financiado por MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033 (FETALNUT). Contrato predoctoral de la Universitat de Lleida N. Escalera-Moreno. Los autores agradecen a M. Joy y a J.R. Bertolín (CITA-IA2(UNIZAR)) la ayuda proporcionada en el análisis de las muestras