FUNGAL AND MICOTOXIN CONTAMINATION IN MIXED FEEDS: EVALUATING RISK IN CATTLE INTENSIVE REARING OPERATIONS (FEEDLOTS)

Argentina is the fourth global beef producer. Exposure to mycotoxins through contaminated feed is a major hazard for ruminants. In the present study we assess mycobiota, aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), fumonisin B1 (FB1), deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEA) levels in total mixed rations (TMRs) during two consecutive years. Total fungal counts were evaluated and fungal species were identified. Also, ability of A. flavus isolates to produce AFB1 in vitro was tested. Natural contamination with AFB1 and FB1 was quantified by HPLC. Deoxynivalenol and zearalenone were analysed by immunochromatography and thinlayer chromatogra- phy (TLC), respectively. Fungal counts varied from not detectable (ND) to 2.10 x 108 CFU g-1. The prevalent genera were Aspergillus spp (60 %) and Fusarium spp (66.7 %), respectively The prevalent species was Aspergillus fumigatus. 50 % of A. flavus strains produced 75 to 112.5 μg g-1 AFB1. 46 % of 2007 samples were contaminated with 4 to 10 μg kg-1 AFB1. Deoxynivalenol was detected in 33.3 % of the samples (≥ 1. 25 μg g-1). Fumonisin B1 and ZEA were not detected. This study can be useful to estimate the mycotoxicological risk of cattle TMRs in this region and to compare results with studies from other beef-producing countries

Transversalidad de discapacidad lineamientos 2006

El Concepto de discapacidad se relaciona con la capacidad de las personas para la realización de sus actividades de la vida diaria y en la forma como interactúan con su propio entorno para la realización de las mismas. Se pasa de una visión eminentemente médica a una visión social. Por ejemplo, la Organización Panamericana de la Salud en el 2001, señala que la participación restringida de las personas con discapacidad en las actividades educativas, laborales y sociales ya no se considera como el resultado de sus limitaciones sino como producto de las barreras sociales, es decir de la relación de las personas con el entorno

Factores que inciden en la práctica de actividad física de la población en situación de discapacidad

El presente documento es el resumen de la propuesta técnica del proyecto de investigación denominado Determinantes de la práctica de actividad física en personas con discapacidad, sus familias, cuidadoras y cuidadores en Bogotá, fruto de la apuesta académica desarrollada por un equipo de investigadoras de los grupos de investigación en Actividad Física y Desarrollo Humano, y en Rehabilitación e Integración Social de la Persona con Discapacidad, de la Facultad de Rehabilitación y Desarrollo Humano, de la Universidad del Rosario. El proyecto de investigación obtuvo la financiación del Fondo de Investigaciones de la Universidad del Rosario (FIUR), para ser desarrollado durante el período de julio de 2008 a junio de 2009

Modelo de estudio de dos informativas familias colombianas con síndrome de usher

Establecer y evaluar un modelo de abordaje para el estudio del Síndrome de Usher, que abarca el diagnóstico clínico de los pacientes, establecimiento y confirmación del subtipo mediante estudios moleculares y posterior correlación genotipo-fenotipo

Semantic variant primary progressive aphasia: Practical recommendations for treatment from 20 years of behavioural research

People with semantic variant primary progressive aphasia (svPPA) present with a char-acteristic progressive breakdown of semantic knowledge. There are currently no pharmacological interventions to cure or slow svPPA, but promising behavioural approaches are increasingly reported. This article offers an overview of the last two decades of research into interventions to support language in people with svPPA including recommendations for clinical practice and future research based on the best available evidence. We offer a lay summary in English, Spanish and French for education and dissemination purposes. This paper discusses the implications of right-versus left-predominant atrophy in svPPA, which naming therapies offer the best outcomes and how to capitalise on preserved long-term memory systems. Current knowledge regarding the maintenance and generalisation of language therapy gains is described in detail along with the development of compensatory approaches and educational and support group programmes. It is concluded that there is evidence to support an integrative framework of treatment and care as best practice for svPPA. Such an approach should combine rehabilitation interventions addressing the language impairment, compensatory approaches to support activities of daily living and provision of education and support within the context of dementia

Cytotoxicity of the mycotoxins deoxynivalenol and ochratoxin A on Caco-2 cell line in presence of resveratrol

Exposure to mycotoxins through dietary food intake involves a highly complex scenario where co-contamination of different mycotoxins has been frequently demonstrated. On the other hand, the effect of the interaction of mycotoxins with other generally considered beneficial food components, as the antioxidants, has been scarcely studied. The main goal of the present work was to assess the cytotoxic effects on Caco-2 cells of the mycotoxins deoxynivalenol (DON) and ochratoxin A (OTA), alone or combined, and to explore potential protective effects of resveratrol (RES), an antioxidant frequently found in wine. In parallel, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production has also been studied as a first approach to understand the underlying mechanism of cytotoxicity. Results indicate a higher toxic effect of the mycotoxins when they are co-exposed. This increase in cytotoxicity was not accompanied by an increase in ROS production. The co-exposure of OTA or DON with RES did not result in a decrease in cytotoxicity; on the contrary, it resulted in increased cytotoxicity not associated with an increase in ROS production.The authors are grateful to the CYTED Action 109AC0371, to the INIA project (RTA 2012-00053-00-00) as well as the Spanish (Project AGL2011-24862) and Catalonian (XaRTA-Reference Network on Food Technology) Governments for their financial support. C.A. González-Arias thanks the Secretaria de Universitats i Recerca del Departament de Economia i Coneixement of the Generalitat de Catalunya for the pre-doctoral grant

Normative data for calcaneal broadband ultrasound attenuation among children and adolescents from Colombia: the FUPRECOL Study

The authors are grateful to the Bogota District Education Secretary for the data used in this research. The authors would also like thank the Bogota District students, teachers, schools, and staff, who participated in this study.Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) has been found to be a safe and reliable method for evaluating bone mineral density (BMD). Using calcaneal QUS techniques, the current study contributes to remedying this gap in the literature by establishing normative data among children and adolescents from Colombia. Introduction Minimal data on BMD changes are available from populations in developing countries. BMD reference values for children and adolescents have not been published for a Latin-American population. The aim of this study was to establish a normal reference range of calcaneal broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA) in Colombian children and adolescents with ages ranging from 9 to 17.9 years. Methods A sample of 1001 healthy Colombian youth (boys n = 445 and girls n = 556), children, and adolescents (9–17.9 years old) participated in the study. A calcaneus QUS parameter (BUA) was obtained for boys and girls, stratified by age group. Furthermore, height, weight, fat mass percentage, and body mass index were measured. Centile smoothed curves for the third, tenth, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, and 97th percentiles were calculated using the LMS method (L [curve Box–Cox], M [curve median], and S [curve coefficient of variation]). Results Mean (± SD) values for the participants’ anthropometric data were 12.9 ± 2.3 years of age, 45.2 ± 11.5 kg weight, 1.51 ± 0.1 m height, 19.5 ± 3.1 kg/m2 BMI, and 69.5 ± 17.1 dB/MHz BUA. Overall, all variables were significantly higher in boys except in BMI and body fat percentage. Girls generally had higher mean calcaneal BUA (dB/MHz) values than the boys, except in the age ranges 16 and 17.9, p> 0.05. In addition, the BUA (dB/MHz) increased with age throughout childhood and adolescence and reached a plateau by age 15–17.9 for girls. Conclusions For the first time, our results provide sex- and age-specific BUA reference values for Colombian children and adolescents aged 9–17.9 years. A more specific set of reference values is useful for clinicians and researchers and informs clinical practice to monitor bone mineral status.The FUPRECOL Study received funding from the Instituto Colombiano para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y la Tecnología BFrancisco José de Caldas^ COLCIENCIAS [Contract N° 671-2014 Code 122265743978]

Avaliação de efetividade do projeto “Cuidando a Cuidadores de Pessoas em Situação de Deficiência”. Bogotá - Segundo semestre de 2007

The present paper presents the results of a transversal descriptive study which intended to estimate the contribution of the project “Caring for those who take care of people with disabilities” in the areas of: strength of personal and group competences, self care, life project, dexterity in the care process of people with disabilities, and communitarian auto management; that was implemented in 20 urban areas with caregivers of the city of Bogota in the year 2007. The study allowed the nresearches to acknowledge the little change perception that caregivers had in terms of self care, however, the caregivers perceived change in the four areas, although this were not statistically significant in comparison with the general population. There were only significant changes in the communitarian auto management area in 30% of the population. As a result, it is proposed that more extensive, continuous, and sustainable processes are implemented and that this process arises from contention spaces which can be created with the caregivers, from which they can be motivated to participate in other ´processes of collective and individual changes. Also there’s a need to rely on facilitators (professionals and change agents) who have stronger competences on the how to be and the how to interact competences, because there’s a need to manage the psychosocial components in this group of people. Also, we must make organizational processes and the social networks stronger, this is: collective actions are required, because disability is a social fact, and so, the individual issues are just a moment in the process of inclusion of the person with disability, his family and caregiver.El presente artículo expone los resultados de un estudio descriptivo mixto transversal realizado con el fin de estimar la contribución del proyecto “Cuidando a cuidadores y cuidadoras en el fortalecimiento de las competencias personales y grupales”, a nivel de autocuidado, resignificación de su proyecto de vida, destrezas en el manejo de la persona en condición de discapacidad y autogestión comunitaria. Proyecto a cargo de cuidadores y cuidadoras de personas en situación de discapacidad, realizado en 20 localidades de la ciudad de Bogotá durante el segundo semestre de 2007. El estudio permitió identificar la escasa valoración de cambio percibida por los cuidadores en el componente de prácticas de autocuidado; no obstante, de manera general puede afirmarse que los cuidadores registraron cambios en las cuatro áreas de intervención sin ser éstos estadísticamente significativos entre las clases con respecto a la población general. Sólo hubo cambios estadísticamente reveladores en el área de autogestión comunitaria en el 30% de la población. Como resultado se propone la implementación de procesos más extensos, sostenibles y continuos, que partan de espacios de contención para, desde allí, impulsar su motivación y vinculación a otros procesos de cambio individual y colectivo. Además, se espera contar con un perfil de facilitadores (profesional y agente de cambio) que contemple competencias más fuertes en el saber ser y saber convivir, debido a que se requiere del manejo de componentes psicosociales importantes en este grupo de personas. Y, adicionalmente, se propone fortalecer los procesos organizacionales y las redes sociales; es decir, se requiere de acciones colectivas, pues la discapacidad es un hecho social donde lo individual es sólo un momento del proceso de inclusión de la persona con discapacidad, de su familia, su cuidador y cuidadora.O presente artigo expõe os resultados de um estudo descritivo misto transversal realizado com o fim de estimar a contribuição do projeto "Cuidando a cuidadores e cuidadoras no fortalecimento das competências pessoais e grupais" no nível de autocuidado, re-significação de seu projeto de vida, destrezas no manejo da pessoa em condição de deficiência e autogestão comunitária. Projeto a cargo de cuidadores e cuidadoras de pessoas em situação de deficiência, realizado em 20 localidades da cidade de Bogotá durante o segundo semestre de 2007. O estudo permitiu identificar a escassa valoração de mudança percebida pelos cuidadores no componente de práticas de autocuidado; não obstante, de maneira geral pode se afirmar que os cuidadores registraram mudanças nas quatro áreas de intervenção sem ser estes estadisticamente significativos entre as aulas em relação à povoação geral. Só houve mudanças estadisticamente reveladoras na área de autogestão comunitária no 30% da povoação. Como resultado se propõe a implementação de processos mais extensos, sustentáveis e contínuos, que partam de espaços de contenção para, desde ali, impulsionar sua motivação e vinculação a outros processos de mudança individual e coletiva. Além disso, contar com um perfil de facilitadores (profissional e agente de mudança) que contemple competências mais fortes no saber ser e saber conviver, devido a que se requere do manejo de componentes psicossociais importantes neste grupo de pessoas. E, adicionalmente, fortalecer os processos organizacionais e as redes sociais; é dizer, se requere de ações coletivas, pois a deficiência é um fato social onde o individual é só um momento do processo de inclusão da pessoa com deficiência, de sua família, seu cuidador e cuidadora

Functional and molecular characterization of inherited platelet disorders in the Iberian Peninsula: results from a collaborative study

BACKGROUND: The diagnostic evaluation of inherited platelet disorders (IPDs) is complicated and time-consuming, resulting in a relevant number of undiagnosed and incorrectly classified patients. In order to evaluate the spectrum of IPDs in individuals with clinical suspicion of these disorders, and to provide a diagnostic tool to centers not having access to specific platelets studies, we established the project "Functional and Molecular Characterization of Patients with Inherited Platelet Disorders" under the scientific sponsorship of the Spanish Society of Thrombosis and Haemostasis. PATIENTS/METHODS: Subjects were patients from a prospective cohort of individuals referred for clinical suspicion of IPDs as well as healthy controls. Functional studies included light transmission aggregation, flow cytometry, and when indicated, Western-blot analysis of platelet glycoproteins, and clot retraction analysis. Genetic analysis was mainly performed by sequencing of coding regions and proximal regulatory regions of the genes of interest. RESULTS: Of the 70 cases referred for study, we functionally and molecularly characterized 12 patients with Glanzmann Thrombasthenia, 8 patients with Bernard Soulier syndrome, and 8 with other forms of IPDs. Twelve novel mutations were identified among these patients. The systematic study of patients revealed that almost one-third of patients had been previously misdiagnosed. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides a global picture of the current limitations and access to the diagnosis of IPDs, identifies and confirms new genetic variants that cause these disorders, and emphasizes the need of creating reference centers that can help health care providers in the recognition of these defects