Nutritional Assessment of Plant-Based Meat Alternatives: A Comparison of Nutritional Information of Plant-Based Meat Alternatives in Spanish Supermarkets

Since the classification of processed meat as carcinogenic by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in 2015, an increase in consumption of plant-based meat alternatives (PBMAs) has been observed worldwide. This occurs in a context characterized by concern for health, animal welfare, and sustainability; however, evidence of their nutritional quality is still limited. Therefore, our objective was to evaluate the nutritional profile and processing degree of PBMAs available in Spain. In 2020, products from seven Spanish supermarkets were analyzed for their nutritional content and ingredients. Of the 148 products, the majority were low in sugars but moderate in carbohydrates, total and saturated fat, and high in salt. The main vegetable protein sources were soy (91/148) and wheat gluten (42/148). Comparatively, 43/148 contained animal protein, the most common being egg. Overall, PBMAs had a long list of ingredients and additives, and they were classified as ultra-processed foods (UPFs) according to the NOVA system. This study shows that the PBMAs available in Spanish supermarkets have a variable nutritional composition within and between categories. Further research is needed to determine if replacing meat with these UPFs could be a good alternative towards healthier and more sustainable dietary patterns

A web platform for collaborative semi-automatic OCR Post-processing

Digital Humanities researchers often make use of software that helps them in the task of finding non-trivial relationships among characters in historical text. Usually, the source texts that contain such information come from OCR acquired volumes, carrying high amounts of errors within them. This work explains the development of a web platform for the task of OCR post-processing and ground-truth generation. This platform employs machine learning to predict the correct texts accurately from OCR noisy strings. The method used for this task involves transformers for character-based denoising language models. An active learning workflow is proposed, as the users can feed their corrections to the platform, generating new annotated data for re-training the underlying machine learning correction models.Fil: Mechaca, Ana Lidia. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Departamento de Informática; ArgentinaFil: Marmanillo, Walter Gabriel. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Departamento de Informática; ArgentinaFil: Xamena, Eduardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Humanidades. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Departamento de Informática; ArgentinaFil: Ramirez Orta, Juan. Dalhousie University Halifax; CanadáFil: Maguitman, Ana Gabriela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto de Ciencias e Ingeniería de la Computación. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Ciencias e Ingeniería de la Computación. Instituto de Ciencias e Ingeniería de la Computación; ArgentinaFil: Milios, Evangelos E.. Dalhousie University Halifax; Canadá50º Jornada Argentina de Informática; Simposio Argentino de Ciencia de Datos y Grandes DatosCiudad Autónoma de Buenos AiresArgentinaSociedad Argentina de Investigación OperativaInstituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuari

Morris water maze overtraining increases the density of thorny excrescences in the basal dendrites of CA3 pyramidal neurons

The hippocampus plays a fundamental role in spatial learning and memory. Dentate gyrus (DG) granular neurons project mainly to proximal apical dendrites of neurons in the CA3 stratum lucidum and also, to some extent, to the basal dendrites of CA3 pyramidal cells in the stratum oriens. The terminal specializations of DG neurons are the mossy fibers (MF), and these huge axon terminals show expansion in the CA3 stratum oriens after the animals undergo overtraining in the Morris Water Maze task (MWM). However, to our knowledge there are no reports regarding the possible changes in density of post-synaptic targets of these terminals in the basal dendrites of CA3 neurons after overtraining in the MWM. The purpose of this work was to study the density of thorny excrescences (TE) and other dendritic spine types (stubby, thin, and mushroom) in the CA3 stratum oriens in animals overtrained in the MWM for three consecutive days and in animals trained for only one day. Seven days after MWM training, the animals were sacrificed, and their brains removed and processed for rapid Golgi staining to visualize the different types of dendritic protrusions. Our results revealed that the relative quantity of stubby, thin, and mushroom dendritic spines did not change, regardless of amount of training. However, a significant increase in the density of TE was detected in the overtrained animals. These results strongly suggest that spatial water maze overtraining induces an increased density of MF–TE connections, which might be functionally relevant for long-term spatial memory formation.Fil: Gómez Padilla, Eurídice. Universidad Autonoma de Queretaro.; MéxicoFil: Bello Medina, Paola C.. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: León Jacinto, Uriel. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Orta Salazar, Erika. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Quirarte, Gina L.. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Ramirez Amaya, Victor. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra; Argentina. Universidad Autonoma de Queretaro.; MéxicoFil: Prado Alcalá, Roberto A.. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Díaz Cintra, Sofía. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; Méxic

A web platform for collaborative semi-automatic OCR post-processing

Digital Humanities researchers often make use of software that helps them in the task of finding non-trivial relationships among characters in historical text. Usually, the source texts that contain such information come from OCR acquired volumes, carrying high amounts of errors within them. This work explains the development of a web platform for the task of OCR post-processing and ground-truth generation. This platform employs machine learning to predict the correct texts accurately from OCR noisy strings. The method used for this task involves transformers for character-based denoising language models. An active learning workflow is proposed, as the users can feed their corrections to the platform, generating new annotated data for re-training the underlying machine learning correction models.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativ

Tallers de salut alimentària a les escoles i formació de formadors

Escoles; Formació; Salut; Seguretat alimentàriaEscuelas; Formación; Salud; Seguridad alimentariaSchools; Training; Health; Food safetyLa CoP “Tallers de salut alimentària a les escoles i formació de formadors” va dissenyar els tallers que imparteix a les escoles des de l´any 2012 amb l´objectiu de millorar coneixements, habilitats i actituds de la població en salut alimentària. L’objectiu general és millorar l’educació en salut alimentària per millorar la salut de la població. Els objectius específics són l’assoliment i aprofitament dels continguts en seguretat alimentària i petits canvis en nutrició per part dels alumnes, tant els infants com les persones que es formin en el programa. Descripció del projecte i resultats: - Tallers a les escoles: els formadors (inspectors de salut) han impartit un total de 20 tallers a 9 escoles diferents de l’Hospitalet de Llobregat, d’octubre de 2018 a maig de 2019. S’utilitzen mitjans audiovisuals, una representació teatral sobre la contaminació encreuada amb els nens, el joc interactiu “Fem una macedònia?” i, finalment, el còmic de les “4 normes” que es regala a tots els assistents al taller. - Programa de formació de formadors: s’ha elaborat un programa amb classes presencials i pràctiques per a formar el personal que impartirà els tallers. En aquesta edició hem impartit formació a més de 500 alumnes i mestres. També hem elaborat un programa de formació de formadors per arribar a molta més població i tenir més difusió al territori, amb benefici per als formadors, els mestres, els alumnes, i les seves famílies. A llarg termini, el benefici és per a la població general.La CoP “Talleres de salud alimentaria en las escuelas y formación de formadores”, con el objetivo de mejorar conocimientos, habilidades y actitudes de la población en salud alimentaria, ha diseñado e imparte talleres en las escuelas desde el año 2012. El objetivo general es mejorar la educación en salud alimentaria para mejorar la salud de la población. Los objetivos específicos son la consecución y aprovechamiento de los contenidos por parte de los alumnos y de todas las personas que se formen en el programa. Descripción del proyecto y resultados: - Talleres en las escuelas. En esta edición, los formadores (inspectores de salud) han impartido un total de 20 talleres a 9 escuelas diferentes de Hospitalet de Llobregat, desde octubre de 2018 hasta mayo de 2019. Se utilizan medios audiovisuales, una representación de teatro sobre la contaminación cruzada con los niños, el juego interactivo “Hacemos una macedonia” y finalmente el cómic de las “Cuatro normas”, que se regala a todos los asistentes al taller. - Programa de formación de formadores. Se ha elaborado un programa con clases presenciales y prácticas para formar al personal que impartirá los talleres. En la edición actual se ha impartido formación a más de 500 alumnos y maestros. También se ha elaborado un programa de formación de formadores para llegar a mucha más población y tener más difusión en el territorio, con beneficio para formadores, maestros, alumnos, y sus familias. A largo plazo, el beneficio es para la población generalThe CoP on “Food Safety Workshops at schools and training for trainers”, with the objective of improving knowledge, skills and attitudes on food safety among the population, has designed and provides workshops at schools since 2012. The general objective is to improve food safety education to improve population’s health. Specific objectives are achieving and getting the most out of contents by trainees and other people enrolled in the programme. Description of the project and results: - School workshops. In this edition, trainers (health inspectors) have provided a total of 20 workshops at 9 schools in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, from October 2018 till May 2019. Audiovisual media is used (PowerPoint presentations and videos), a theatre play on cross contamination together with children, an interactive play (“Shall we make a fruit salad?”), and finally, a comic strips on food “safety’s four principles”, which is offered to all participants at the workshop. - Training for trainers programme. A programme of face-to-face and practical lessons to train staff providing the workshops. In the current edition more than 500 students and teachers have been trained. A training for trainers programme to arrive to a greater amount of population and to be extended throughout the territory has been prepared to benefit trainers, teachers, students, and their families. In the long run, benefit for the general population will be provide

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Outcomes from elective colorectal cancer surgery during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

This study aimed to describe the change in surgical practice and the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on mortality after surgical resection of colorectal cancer during the initial phases of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

Mortality and pulmonary complications in patients undergoing surgery with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection: an international cohort study

Background: The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on postoperative recovery needs to be understood to inform clinical decision making during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study reports 30-day mortality and pulmonary complication rates in patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: This international, multicentre, cohort study at 235 hospitals in 24 countries included all patients undergoing surgery who had SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed within 7 days before or 30 days after surgery. The primary outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality and was assessed in all enrolled patients. The main secondary outcome measure was pulmonary complications, defined as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or unexpected postoperative ventilation. Findings: This analysis includes 1128 patients who had surgery between Jan 1 and March 31, 2020, of whom 835 (74·0%) had emergency surgery and 280 (24·8%) had elective surgery. SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed preoperatively in 294 (26·1%) patients. 30-day mortality was 23·8% (268 of 1128). Pulmonary complications occurred in 577 (51·2%) of 1128 patients; 30-day mortality in these patients was 38·0% (219 of 577), accounting for 81·7% (219 of 268) of all deaths. In adjusted analyses, 30-day mortality was associated with male sex (odds ratio 1·75 [95% CI 1·28–2·40], p\textless0·0001), age 70 years or older versus younger than 70 years (2·30 [1·65–3·22], p\textless0·0001), American Society of Anesthesiologists grades 3–5 versus grades 1–2 (2·35 [1·57–3·53], p\textless0·0001), malignant versus benign or obstetric diagnosis (1·55 [1·01–2·39], p=0·046), emergency versus elective surgery (1·67 [1·06–2·63], p=0·026), and major versus minor surgery (1·52 [1·01–2·31], p=0·047). Interpretation: Postoperative pulmonary complications occur in half of patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection and are associated with high mortality. Thresholds for surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic should be higher than during normal practice, particularly in men aged 70 years and older. Consideration should be given for postponing non-urgent procedures and promoting non-operative treatment to delay or avoid the need for surgery. Funding: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, Bowel and Cancer Research, Bowel Disease Research Foundation, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, British Association of Surgical Oncology, British Gynaecological Cancer Society, European Society of Coloproctology, NIHR Academy, Sarcoma UK, Vascular Society for Great Britain and Ireland, and Yorkshire Cancer Research

Ocrelizumab versus Interferon Beta-1a in Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis

Supported by F. Hoffmann–La Roche