Effect of in vitro gastrointestinal digestion on the antibacterial activity of bioactive dairy formulas supplemented with lactoferrin against Cronobacter sakazakii

Milk is a source of proteins with high nutritional value and relevant biological activities. Bioactive milk proteins, like lactoferrin, are important for newborn development and can also be used as ingredients in functional products to improve health. Lactoferrin is essential in infant’s diet, since protects against infections and promotes immune system maturation. Bovine lactoferrin is used to supplement formula milk in order to strengthen baby’s defences against some pathogenic bacteria. Thus, lactoferrin supplemented formula can be a barrier against emergent pathogens, such as Cronobacter sakazakii, which has caused great concern in the last few years. Milk proteins generate bioactive peptides in the digestion process, and it is known that industrial processing can modify their susceptibility to digestion. Treatments such as heating have been shown to denature whey proteins and make them more easily digestible. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the effect of technological treatments and gastrointestinal digestion on the antibacterial activity against C. sakazakii of proteins present in dairy formulas supplemented with lactoferrin. Commercial bovine lactoferrin has been shown to have antibacterial activity against C. sakazakii, both in the native state and after static in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. In addition, the digests obtained from dairy formulas subjected to technological treatments, either homogenization or pasteurization, have higher antibacterial activity than non-treated formulas. The release of low molecular weight peptides during the in vitro gastric digestion is probably the cause that would explain the enhanced antibacterial activity of the digested dairy formulas

Charlas TED: Educación y Ciencia.

Este Trabajo Final de Grado (TFG) titulado Charlas TED. Educación y Ciencias tiene como objetivo principal analizar las diversas charlas relativas a la Educación publicadas por la organización TED en su página web (www.ted.com/talks) y, especialmente, aquellas que se relacionan con los distintos ámbitos científicos. TED, acrónimo de Tecnología, Entretenimiento y Diseño, es una entidad sin ánimo de lucro dedicada a difundir ideas, en forma de charlas, sobre casi todos los temas. Las charlas abarcan desde tecnología y ciencias hasta educación y problemas globales, se han traducido a más de 100 idiomas y están disponibles en vídeo de forma gratuita. Con este Proyecto de Investigación, pretendemos averiguar cuáles son los temas más relacionados con la Educación que se presentan con este innovador formato, a fin de esclarecer su importancia y repercusión en el tan preciado bien de la Educación. Asimismo, realizaremos un breve análisis de los vídeos que relacionan la Educación y la Ciencia a fin de destacar la importancia de la formación científica.The main objective of this final degree project entitled TED Talks, Education and Sciences is to analyze the various talks related to education published by the TED organization on its website and especially those that are related to different scientific fields. TED, an acronym for Technology, Entertainment and Design, is a non-profit organization dedicated to spreading ideas, in the form of talks, on almost every topic. The talks range from science and technology to education and global issues, have been translated into over 100 languages and are available on video for free. With this research project, we intend to find out which are the issues most related to education that are presented with this innovative format, in order to clarify its importance and impact on the precious asset of Education. We will also carry out a brief analysis of the videos that relate education and science in order to highlight the importance of scientific training

Antirotaviral activity of dairy byproducts enriched in fractions from hyperimmune bovine colostrum: the effect of thermal and high hydrostatic pressure treatments

Nowadays, rotaviruses remain a major health burden, especially in developing countries, and strategies complementary to vaccination are needed. In this view, dairy fractions have attracted great scientific interest, due to their high content of bioactive compounds. The objective of this study was to evaluate the antiviral activity of whey and buttermilk enriched in proteins from hyperimmune bovine colostrum (HBC) against rotavirus. The enriched fractions were spray-dried and subsequently tested for their neutralizing activity against the bovine rotavirus WC3 strain in vitro, using differentiated Caco-2/TC7 cells. The highest antirotaviral activity was observed when whey and buttermilk were enriched in purified immunoglobulin G (IgG), showing complete rotavirus neutralization at concentrations of 3 and 6 mg mL−1 for whey and buttermilk, respectively. Additionally, the use of a crude immunoglobulin fraction also gave satisfactory results. The inhibitory activities of all samples significantly decreased after the application of heat, except for the IgG-enriched buttermilk which showed a slight increase of activity following the application of short-time treatments (75 or 85 °C for 20 s). This sample also showed a significant increase of activity (13%) after the application of low-intensity high hydrostatic pressure treatment (400 MPa for 5 min). The maximum loss of bioactivity was observed at 600 MPa for 10 min (31 and 20% for whey- and buttermilk-based formulas, respectively). This study provides relevant information on the potential of whey, buttermilk, and HBC to be part of functional products as complementary strategies to combat rotavirus infections

Energy efficiency: comparison between the CALENER certificate and real consumptions

Modelización de una vivienda sostenible y comparación con los resultados obtenidos con los programas reconocidos en España de certificación

Estenosis ureteroileales tras cistectomía radical en el Hospital Clínico Universitario Lozano Blesa

Las estenosis ureteroileales son un efecto adverso relativamente frecuente, en general asintomático aunque potencialmente grave, de la cistectomía radical asociada a reconstrucción urinaria con segmento intestinal. Es importante su detección precoz para valorar su repercusión en las unidades renales así como prevenir complicaciones infecciosas severas. El objetivo principal de este trabajo es conocer la tasa de estenosis en nuestro medio hospitalario e identificar factores de riesgo que favorezcan su aparición. Los resultados obtenidos cifran la tasa de estenosis ureteroileal en un 60,8%, siendo más frecuente la localización izquierda y el tiempo medio de aparición de 5,3 meses. Precisaron un manejo quirúrgico el 23,3%, siendo la técnica más frecuentemente empleada la endourológica (47,6%). No se ha podido establecer un perfil típico de paciente con mayor riesgo de desarrollar esta complicación. La tasa de incidencia obtenida es sensiblemente superior a la de la bibliografía consultada. La principal hipótesis que podría explicar este hallazgo sería la falta de uniformidad a la hora de definir el concepto de estenosis ureteroileal.<br /

Dairy by-products and Lactoferrin exert antioxidant and antigenotoxic activity on intestinal and hepatic cells

The dairy industry generates a large volume of by-products containing bioactive compounds that may have added value. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant and antigenotoxic effects of milk-derived products, such as whey, buttermilk, and lactoferrin, in two human cell lines: Caco-2 as an intestinal barrier model and HepG2 as a hepatic cell line. First, the protective effect of dairy samples against the oxidative stress caused by menadione was analyzed. All these dairy fractions significantly reversed the oxidative stress, with the non-washed buttermilk fraction presenting the greatest antioxidant effect for Caco-2 cells and lactoferrin as the best antioxidant for HepG2 cells. At concentrations that did not impact cell viability, we found that the dairy sample with the highest antigenotoxic power against menadione, in both cell lines, was lactoferrin at the lowest concentration. Additionally, dairy by-products maintained their activity in a coculture of Caco-2 and HepG2, mimicking the intestinal-liver axis. This result suggests that the compounds responsible for the antioxidant activity could cross the Caco-2 barrier and reach HepG2 cells on the basal side, exerting their function on them. In conclusion, our results show that dairy by-products have antioxidant and antigenotoxic activities, which would allow revaluing their use in food specialties

Responsabilidad social corporativa y gestión ambiental en las empresas del sector del automóvil

La Responsabilidad Social Corporativa obliga a las empresas a incorporar en su estrategia y gestión toda una serie de preocupaciones sociales, económicas y medioambientales. En el sector del automóvil se deben aunar el respeto al medio ambiente, la ética y la transparencia para contribuir al desarrollo sostenible. Por esta razón se muestran al consumidor a través de la página Web empresarial todo un conjunto de tecnologías orientadas a la reducción de consumo y a un consumo más eficiente para reducir las emisiones y mejorar la eficiencia energética

Comparative effect of bovine buttermilk, whey, and lactoferrin on the innate immunity receptors and oxidative status of intestinal epithelial cells

Milk contains active molecules with important functional properties as the defensive proteins; among them are the whey protein lactoferrin and proteins of the milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) present in buttermilk. The aim of this study has been to investigate the effect of lactoferrin, whey and buttermilk as modulators of intestinal innate immunity and oxidative stress on intestinal epithelial cells, to evaluate its potential use for the development of functional foods. Innate immune Toll-like receptors (TLR2, TLR4, and TLR9) mRNA expression, lipid peroxidation (MDA+4-HDA) and protein carbonyl levels were analyzed in enterocyte-like Caco-2/TC7 cells treated for 24 hours with different concentrations of lactoferrin, whey or buttermilk. None of the substances analyzed caused oxidative damage; however, whey significantly decreased the levels of lipid peroxidation. Furthermore, both lactoferrin and whey were able to reduce the oxidative stress induced by lipopolysaccharide. Respect to TLR receptors, lactoferrin, whey and buttermilk specifically altered the expression of TLR2, TLR4 and TLR9 receptors, with a strong decrease in TLR4 expression. These results suggest that lactoferrin, whey and buttermilk could be interesting potential ingredients for functional foods as they seem to modulate oxidative stress and inflammatory response induced by TLRs activation

Síntomas y signos de sospecha de amiloidosis cardiaca y significación pronóstica

Las amiloidosis son un conjunto heterogéneo de enfermedades multisistémicas caracterizadas por el depósito extracelular de amiloide, siendo la amiloidosis por transtiretina nativa (ATTRwt) una de las más frecuentes. Esta forma de amiloidosis es la responsable de un porcentaje elevado de casos de insuficiencia cardiaca con fracción de eyección preservada en el paciente anciano. No solo es característico el depósito cardiaco sino que también puede afectar, generalmente de forma precoz, a otros órganos y sistemas como el aparato musculoesquelético o el sistema nervioso periférico. El objetivo principal del estudio fue caracterizar los síntomas y/o signos de sospecha más frecuentemente asociados a amiloidosis cardíaca y valorar su distribución en los casos con diagnóstico de certeza de ATTRwt, para obtener un perfil de pacientes subsidiarios de ser cribados para esta entidad. Por otro lado, se pretende conocer el pronóstico de los pacientes ATTRwt de la muestra. Para ello se ha diseñado un estudio observacional analítico de tipo caso-control retrospectivo de pacientes diagnosticados de insuficiencia cardiaca secundaria a amiloidosis donde se han seleccionado 97 casos de amiloidosis cardiaca (3 ATTRv y 40 ATTRwt) y 214 controles.<br /

Effects of Atorvastatin on Vitamin D Levels in Patients With Acute Ischemic Heart Disease

Producción CientíficaVitamin D deficiency is a risk factor for osteoporosis and other chronic diseases, including type 1 diabetes, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, and ischemic heart disease. Cholesterol and vitamin D share the 7-dehydrocolesterol metabolic pathway. This study evaluated the possible effect of atorvastatin on vitamin D levels in patients with acute ischemic heart disease. Eighty-three patients (52 men and 31 women) with an acute coronary syndrome (75 with acute myocardial infarction and 8 with unstable angina) were included. After diagnosis, patients received atorvastatin as secondary prevention. Serum vitamin D was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography at baseline and at 12 months. Atorvastatin treatment produced a statistically significant decrease in cholesterol and triglyceride levels and an increase in vitamin D levels (41 19 vs 47 19 nmol/L, p 0.003). Vitamin D deficiency was decreased by 75% to 57% at 12 months. In conclusion, atorvastatin increases vitamin D levels. This increase could explain some of the beneficial effects of atorvastatin at the cardiovascular level that are unrelated to cholesterol levels