Evaluation of exposure to Aflatoxin B1 on productive and biochemical parameters, and determination of the excretion curve of Aflatoxin M1 in goat milk

En los últimos años ha habido una tendencia creciente en la prevalencia de aflatoxinas en las materias primas destinadas a alimentación animal debido, principalmente, al cambio climático. Además, la ingesta de productos lácteos también se ha visto incrementada de manera notable en las últimas décadas. Ambos hechos han provocado una gran preocupación en la comunidad científica debido a la contaminación de la leche poraflatoxina M1. En este contexto, nuestro objetivo ha sido determinar la transferencia de aflatoxina B1 procedente de la dieta como aflatoxina M1 a la leche de cabra. Además, se ha determinado el posible efecto de la aflatoxina B1 sobre los parámetros productivos y bioquímicos en esta especie animal. Para ello, 18 cabras de raza Florida en lactación tardía se dividieron en 3 grupos (n = 6) y fueron expuestas a diferentes dosis diarias de aflatoxina B1 (T1 = 120 μg; T2 = 60 μg y Control = 0 μg) durante 31 días. La aflatoxina B1 pura se administró 6 h antes de cada ordeño mediante un pellet contaminado artificialmente. Las muestras de leche se tomaron individualmente de manera secuencial. La producción de leche y el consumo de alimento se registraron diariamente y se tomó una muestra sanguínea el último día de exposición. No se detectó aflatoxina M1 en las muestras recogidas previamente al comienzo del estudio, ni durante todo el procedimiento en los animales del grupo control. La concentración media de aflatoxina M1 detectada en la leche (T1 = 0.075 μg/kg; T2 = 0.035 μg/kg) aumentó significativamente en relación con la cantidad de aflatoxina B1 ingerida. No obstante, la cantidad de aflatoxina B1 ingerida no tuvo influencia sobre el porcentaje de excreción de aflatoxina M1 (T1 = 0.066% y T2 = 0.060%), siendo este porcentaje considerablemente inferior al descrito en otros estudios científicos en cabras lecheras. De este modo, concluimos que la concentración de aflatoxina M1 en la leche sigue una relación lineal respecto a la aflatoxina B1 ingerida, y que el porcentaje de excreción no se ve afectado aunque los animales sean expuestos a diferentes dosis de aflatoxina B1. Por otro lado, se determinó que los parámetros productivos tras la exposición crónica a aflatoxina B1 no se ven afectados, revelando cierta resistencia a los efectos tóxicos de este compuesto en las cabras.In the past few years there has been a growing tren in the prevalence of aflatoxins, attributable to climate change, in substances destined for animal feeding, together with an increase in dairy product consumption. These facts have triggered great concern in the scientific community over milk pollution by aflatoxin M1. Therefore, our study aimed to determine the transfer of aflatoxin B1 from the diet into milk as AFM1 in goats exposed to different concentrations of AFB1, and its possible effect on the production and serological parameters of this species. For this purpose, 18 Florida goats in late lactation were divided into 3 groups (n = 6) and exposed to different daily doses of aflatoxin B1 (T1 = 120 μg; T2 = 60 μg, and control = 0 μg), during 31 d. Pure aflatoxin B1 was administered 6 h before each milking in an artificially contaminated pellet. The milk samples were taken individually in sequential samples. Milk yield and feed intake were recorded daily, and a blood sample was extracted on the last day of exposure. No aflatoxin M1 was detected, either in the samples taken before the first administration, or in the control group ones. The aflatoxin M1 concentration detected in the milk (T1 = 0.075 μg/kg; T2 = 0.035 μg/kg) increased significantly on a par with the amount of aflatoxin B1 ingested. The amount of aflatoxin B1 ingested did not have any influence on aflatoxin M1 carryover (T1 = 0.066% and T2 = 0.060%), these being considerably lower than those described in dairy goats. Thus, we concluded that the concentration of aflatoxin M1 in milk follows a linear relationship with respect to the aflatoxin B1 ingested, and that the aflatoxin M1 carryover was not affected by the administration of different aflatoxin B1 doses. Similarly, no significant changes in the production parameters after chronic exposure to aflatoxin B1 were observed, revealing a certain resistance of the goat to the possible effects of that aflatoxin

Determination of the Heavy Metal Bioaccumulation Patterns in Muscles of Two Species of Mullets from the Southern Caspian Sea

Although fish is a food that supplies nutrients of a high biological value, they can also be a source of some harmful substances, such as heavy metals. In the same context, some human activities in the Caspian Sea have contaminated this ecosystem during the past few years. For those reasons, our objective consisted of determining the concentrations of heavy metals and evaluating their bioaccumulation patterns in the different types of musculature in two species of mullets of commercial interest, Chelon auratus and Chelon saliens, from the southern coast of this sea. For this purpose, 20 C. auratus and 29 C. saliens were caught off this coastline and the metal concentrations in 3 different muscle locations were analyzed: the ventral, dorsal and caudal muscles of each fish. The caudal muscle had higher concentrations of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn, whereas As, Hg and Ni accumulation seemed to be independent of the musculature type. Overall, the Cd, Hg, and Pb concentrations exceeded the maximum levels permitted in fish by the European Union. In addition, the relationships between pairs of metals were positive and elevated in all the cases, which could be a sign of heavy metal pollution in the region sampled. Therefore, it will be necessary to continue monitoring and evaluating the degree of pollution in the Caspian Sea

A Novel UML-Based Methodology for Modeling Adventure-Based Educational Games

In the last years, the growth of serious games has been continuous. This kind of games have been successfully exploited in different areas, so they have been designed with extremely varied features according to the particular necessities of their ‘serious’ purpose. One of the most prolific application areas is the education (educational serious games). Besides, one of the genres that probably better suits to this type of games is the adventure, given the relevance of the narrative in this genre. However, in spite of the powerful tool that this kind of video games has proved to be in the classroom, a few methodological efforts have been conducted in order to involve pedagogues or educators in the design loop of these games or, one step further, include students in the co-design process to promote learning through design as a context. With this main objective, this paper presents a set of metamodels that could facilitate the conceptual design of this type of games. To this end, a complete graphical notation based on the UML standard (with adaptations) is defined for representing the components of this type of games; having in mind to improve the collaboration between the team of pedagogues/students and the technical team during the design process. Finally, the design diagrams defined during the production of a specific serious game, titled Uranus, are illustrated, in order to show the feasibility of the proposal. In addition, a validation experience was conducted with pedagogues and computer engineering students in order to test the value of the proposed graphic notation to design educational games

An overview of the health effects of bisphenol a from a one health perspective

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical compound, considered as an “emerging pollutant”, that appears ubiquitously, contaminating the environment and food. It is an endocrine disruptor, found in a multitude of consumer products, as it is a constituent of polycarbonate used in the manufacture of plastics and epoxy resins. Many studies have evaluated the effects of BPA, using a wide range of doses and animal models. In this work, we carried out a review of relevant research related to the effects of BPA on health, through studies performed at different doses, in different animal models, and in human monitoring studies. Numerous effects of BPA on health have been described; in different animal species, it has been reported that it interferes with fertility in both females and males and causes alterations in their offspring, as well as being associated with an increase in hormone-dependent pathologies. Similarly, exposure to BPA has been related to other diseases of great relevance in public health such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, or neurodevelopmental disorders. Its ubiquity and nonmonotonic behavior, triggering effects at exposure levels considered “safe”, make it especially relevant when both animal and human populations are constantly and inadvertently exposed to this compound. Its effects at low exposure levels make it essential to establish safe exposure levels, and research into the effects of BPA must continue and be focused from a “One Health” perspective to take into account all the factors that could intervene in the development of a disease in any exposed organism

Analysis of Indirect Biomarkers of Effect after Exposure to Low Doses of Bisphenol A in a Study of Successive Generations of Mice

Bisphenol A (BPA) is considered as being an emerging pollutant, to which both animal and human populations are continuously and inadvertently exposed. The identification of indirect biomarkers of effect could be a key factor in determining early adverse outcomes from exposure to low doses of BPA. Thus, this study on mice aims to evaluate and identify indirect biomarkers of effect through the analysis of their blood biochemistry, and of certain reproduction parameters after exposure to different BPA concentrations (0.5, 2, 4, 50, and 100 µg/kg BW/day) in drinking water over generations. Our results showed that there were no modifications in the reproductive parameters evaluated, like estrous cycle duration, litter size, or the percentage of the young alive at reaching the weaning stage, at the exposure levels evaluated. However, there were modifications in the biochemical parameters, e.g., alterations in the glucose levels, that increased significantly (p < 0.05) in the breeders at the higher exposure doses (50 and 100 µg/kg BW/day in F1; 50 µg/kg BW/day in F2 and 100 µg/kg BW/day in F3), that would suggest that the BPA could induce hyperglycemia and its complications in adult animals, probably due to some damage in the pancreas cells; albumin, that increased in the breeders exposed to the highest dose in F1 and F3, inferring possible hepatic alterations. Further, total proteins showed a diminution in their values in F1 and F2, except the group exposed to 100 µg/kg BW/day, whereas in F3 the values of this parameter increased with respect to the control group, this aspect likely being related to a possible hepatic and renal alteration. Based on these results, glucose, albumin, and total proteins could initially be considered as early indicators of indirect effect after prolonged exposure to low BPA doses over generations

Evaluation of the Toxicity of Bisphenol A in Reproduction and Its Effect on Fertility and Embryonic Development in the Zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical substance commonly used in the manufacture of plastic products. Its inhalation or ingestion from particles in suspension, water, and/or polluted foods can trigger toxic effects related to endocrine disruption, resulting in hormonal, reproduction, and immunological alterations in humans and animals. The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is an ideal experimental model frequently used in toxicity studies. In order to assess the toxic effects of BPA on reproduction and embryonic development in one generation after parental exposure to it, a total of 80 zebrafish, males and females, divided into four groups in duplicate (n = 20) were exposed to BPA concentrations of 500, 50, and 5 µg L−1, along with a control group. The fish were kept in reproduction aquariums for 21 days. The embryos obtained in the crosses were incubated in a BPA-free medium and observed for signs of embryotoxicity. A histopathological study (under optical and electron microscopes) was performed of adult fish gonads. The embryos of reproducers exposed to BPA were those most frequently presenting signs of embryotoxicity, such as mortality and cardiac and musculoskeletal malformations. In the histopathological studies of adult individuals, alterations were found in ovocyte maturation and in spermatazoid formation in the groups exposed to the chemical. Those alterations were directly related to BPA action, affecting fertility in both sexes, as well as the viability of their offspring, proportionally to the BPA levels to which they were exposed, so that our results provide more information by associating toxic effects on the offspring and on the next generation

Development and implementation of a collaborative blog as a co-assessment instrument in Veterinary Medicine Degree

La evaluación educativa pretende comprometer al alumnado en su proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje mediante el uso de estrategias e instrumentos de coevaluación y autoevaluación. En este sentido, las tecnologías de la información y de la comunicación (TIC) promueven un clima de enseñanza más dinámico a través del aprendizaje activo, siendo los blogs colaborativos una herramienta muy útil de evaluación del alumnado. El objetivo de este proyecto ha sido evaluar la implementación de un blog como instrumento educativo para promover la autorregulación por medio de actividades de coevaluación y/o autoevaluación en el ámbito universitario. Se diseñó un blog de divulgación científica como recurso docente para la asignatura optativa de “el Animal de Laboratorio”, perteneciente al Grado de Veterinaria. Se evaluó mediante cuestionarios tanto la situación inicial del alumnado, como los logros finales respecto al objetivo planteado, siguiendo una metodología descriptiva. Según los resultados obtenidos, es innegable decir que el uso del blog ha sido una práctica innovadora, siendo en muchos casos la primera experiencia con TIC para el alumnado. Respecto a su implementación, los resultados han sido satisfactorios para la mejora motivacional, el aprendizaje y la dinamización metodológica. Todo ello, pone de manifiesto las múltiples ventajas que ofrecen los blogs como herramienta de coevaluación.The educational evaluation aims to engage students in their teaching-learning process through the use of strategies and instruments of co-assessment and self-assessment In this sense, information and communication technologies (ICT) promote a more dynamic teaching environment through active learning, and collaborative blogs appear as a very useful tool for student assessment. The aim of this project has been to evaluate the implementation of a blog as an educational instrument to promote self-regulation through co-evaluation and / or self-evaluation activities at the university. To this end, a scientific dissemination blog was designed as a teaching resource for the optional subject “the Laboratory Animal”, belonging to the Veterinary Science Degree syllabus. The starting point of the learning process of the students was evaluated by questionnaires, as well as the final achievements related to the proposed objective, following a descriptive methodology. According to the obtained results, it is undeniable that the development of the blog has been an innovative practice, being in many cases the first experience with ICT for students. Regarding its implementation, results suggest that students‟ motivation has improved, and the learning procedure and methodologies applied have been dynamized. All this shows the many advantages that blogs offer as a co-assessment tool

Twitter as an educational tool for autonomous and collaborative learning in the Veterinary Degree

Desde el punto de vista educativo, las redes sociales facilitan el intercambio de una gran cantidad de información especializada en tiempo real. Twitter permite el desarrollo de habilidades comunicativas y la capacidad de síntesis por su sencilla y directa forma de comunicación. Nuestro objetivo ha sido determinar el valor de Twitter como instrumento educativo de aprendizaje autónomo y colaborativo. Para ello, se creó una cuenta para la asignatura optativa “el Animal de Laboratorio”, perteneciente al Grado de Veterinaria. Se llevaron a cabo dos actividades; i) la gestión temporal de la cuenta por parte de distintos grupos de trabajo y, ii) el seguimiento e interacción con la cuenta desde los perfiles individuales de cada alumno. Se evaluó mediante cuestionarios tanto la situación inicial del alumnado, así como los logros finales conseguidos. Los resultados obtenidos destacan su funcionalidad como instrumento de aprendizaje autónomo. Además, nos muestran que es una metodología que fomenta el aprendizaje colaborativo, permitiendo interactuar, compartir conclusiones y establecer un reparto de tareas. Igualmente, su uso aumenta el interés y la motivación, al igual que promueve la participación del alumnado. En definitiva, se pone de manifiesto la idoneidad de Twitter como herramienta educativa en el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje competencial actual.From an educational standpoint, the use of social networks facilitates the exchange of information, allowing access to a large amount of specialized information in real time. The social network Twitter is characterized by its user-friendly and straightforward way of social interaction. The main objective of this project has been to determine the value of Twitter as an educational tool for autonomous and collaborative learning. To that end, a Twitter account was made for the elective subject "Laboratory Animal", belonging to the Veterinary Degree. Two activities were carried out: i) temporary management of the account profile by different working groups, and ii) interaction with the account profile using students private accounts. The starting point of students, as well as the final achievements regarding the stated objective, were evaluated using questionnaires. It stands out the functionality of the tool as an autonomous learning instrument, as it allows students to be conscious of their learning process. It also came across as a methodology that encourages collaborative learning, as it promotes interaction, sharing conclusions and teamwork building. Finally, it increases interest and motivation, as well as participation. In conclusion, Twitter migh be a reliable tool to facilitate competency-based learning in superior education

Agenda de investigación: Smart cities y seguridad en Andalucía

Este documento forma parte del proyecto de investigación "Tecnología y control social: Fundamentos de la gobernanza democrática de la seguridad en Andalucía" PAIDI 2020-PI00941La gobernanza de la seguridad en las Smart cities supone un gran reto a nivel de diseño, planificación y gestión. El número de investigadores y grupos de investigación andaluces en esta temática es aún escaso, lo que puede dificultar avanzar de manera significativa y lograr un impacto científico y una competitividad y transferencia internacional de conocimiento. Por eso uno de los objetivos de este proyecto era establecer una agenda de investigación que permitiera identificar hacia la comunidad de investigadores aquellos temas de mayor relevancia con vistas a focalizar los recursos y generar sinergias entre ellos. Además, el futuro próximo de la gestión de la seguridad en las Smart cities requerirá, sin lugar a dudas, un trabajo multidisciplinar que aglutine a investigadores de diferentes campos, así como a la industria y al sector público, lo que debería favorecer que se lancen iniciativas coherentes y se establezcan líneas de investigación sólidas.Proyecto cofinanciado en un 80% por la Unión Europea, en el marco del Programa Operativo FEDER Andalucía 2014-2020 «Crecimiento inteligente: una economía basada en el conocimiento y la innovación». Proyecto financiado por la Consejería de Transformación Económica, Industria, Conocimiento y Universidades. Código P20-00941Informe de 8 páginas fruto de un taller realizado el 6 de marzo de 202