Dietary β-Cryptoxanthin and α-Carotene Have Greater Apparent Bioavailability Than β-Carotene in Subjects from Countries with Different Dietary Patterns.

β-carotene, α-carotene and β-cryptoxanthin are greater contributors to vitamin A intake than retinol in the human diet for most people around the world. Their contribution depends on several factors, including bioavailability and capacity of conversion into retinol. There is an increasing body of research showing that the use of retinol activity equivalents or retinol equivalents could lead to the underestimation of the contribution of β-cryptoxanthin and of α-carotene. The aim is to assess their apparent bioavailability by comparing concentrations in blood to their dietary intakes and identifying the major food contributors to their dietary intake. Dietary intake (3-day 24-h records) and serum concentrations (by HPLC) were calculated in normolipemic subjects with adequate retinol status (≥1.1 µmol/L) from our studies (n = 633) and apparent bioavailability calculated from 22 other studies (n = 29,700). Apparent bioavailability was calculated as the ratio of concentration in the blood to carotenoid intake. Apparent bioavailabilities for α-carotene and β-cryptoxanthin were compared to those for β-carotene. Eating comparable amounts of α-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin and β-carotene foods resulted in 55% greater α-carotene (95% CI 35, 90) and 686% higher β-cryptoxanthin (95% CI 556, 1016) concentrations than β-carotene in blood. This suggests differences in the apparent bioavailability of α-carotene and β-cryptoxanthin and even larger differences with β-cryptoxanthin, greater than that of β-carotene. Four fruits (tomato, orange, tangerine, red pepper) and two vegetables (carrot, spinach) are the main contributors to their dietary intake (>50%) in Europeans.post-print579 K

VERITAS long term monitoring of Gamma-Ray emission from the BL Lacertae object

BL Lacertae is the prototype of the blazar subclass known as BL Lac type objects. BL Lacertae object itself is a low-frequency-peaked BL Lac(LBL). Very high energy (VHE) gamma ray emission from this source was discovered in 2005 by MAGIC observatory while the source was at a flaring state. Since then, VHE gamma rays from this source has been detected several times. However, all of those times the source was in a high activity state. Former studies suggest several non-thermal zones emitting in gamma-rays, then gamma-ray flare should be composed of a convolution. Observing the BL Lacertae object at quiescent states and active states is the key to disentangle these two components. VERITAS is monitoring the BL Lacertae object since 2011. The archival data set includes observations during flaring and quiescent states. This presentation reports on the preliminary results of the VERITAS observation between January 2013 - December 2015, and simultaneous multiwavelength observations

Microwave-Assisted Pillaring of a Montmorillonite with Al-Polycations in Concentrated Media

[EN]A montmorillonite has been intercalated with Al3+ polycations, using concentrated solutions and clay mineral dispersions. The reaction has been assisted by microwave radiation, yielding new intercalated solids and leading to Al-pillared solids after their calcination at 500 C. The solids were characterized by elemental chemical analysis, X-ray diffraction, FTIR spectroscopy, thermal analyses, and nitrogen adsorption. The evolution of the properties of the materials was discussed as a function of the preparation conditions. Microwave treatment for 2.5 min provided correctly pillared solids

Deep eutectic solvents as a green tool for the extraction of bioactive phenolic compounds from avocado peels

The following are available online at https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/molecules27196646/s1, Figure S1: Example of a chromatogram of some identified com pounds at 280 nm from the studied avocado peel extracts; Table S1: Pearson’s correlation coefficients for the total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC) and antioxidant capacity (FRAP and AAT) of different extracts from avocado peel. Significant correlations are marked in bold.Avocado peels are the main agro-industrial residue generated during the avocado processing, being a rich source of bioactive compounds like phenolic compounds. The growing demand for more sustainable processes requires the development of new and effective methods for extracting bioactive compounds from industrial waste. Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are a new sustainable alternative to toxic organic solvents due to their non-toxicity and biocompatibility. In this study, five selected DESs were applied for the extraction of bioactive phenolic compounds from avocado peels. The extraction efficiency was evaluated by measuring the total phenolics and flavonoids content. The best extraction results were obtained with choline chloride-acetic acid and -lactic acid (92.03 ± 2.11 mg GAE/g DAP in TPC and 186.01 ± 3.27 mg RE/g DAP); however, all tested DESs show better extraction efficiency than ethanol. All the obtained NADES extracts have high antioxidant activity (FRAP: 72.5–121.1 mg TE/g; TAC: 90.0–126.1 mg AAE/g). The synthesized DESs and avocado peels DES extracts had activity against all tested bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus dysgalactiae, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas putida), and the extracts prepared with choline chloride-acetic acid and -lactic acid have the highest antibacterial activity against all microorganisms. These results, coupled with the non-toxic, biodegradable, low-cost, and environmentally friendly characteristics of DESs, provide strong evidence that DESs represent an effective alternative to organic solvents for the recovery of phenolic bioactive compounds from agro-industrial wastes.This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UIDB/04469/2020 unit, and by LABBELS—Associate Laboratory in Biotechnology, Bioengineering and Microelectromechanical Systems, LA/P/0029/2020. B. Gullón would like to express its gratitude to the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Uni versities for financial support (grant reference RYC2018-026177-I). Authors are grateful to MINECO (Spain) for the financial support of this work in the framework of the project “Cutting-edge strategies for a sustainable biorefinery based on valorization of invasive species” with reference PID2019- 110031RB-I00 and to Consellería de Cultura, Educación e Ordenación Universitaria (Xunta de Galicia) through the contract ED431C 2017/62-GRC to Competitive Reference Group BV1, programs partially funded by FEDER.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Actuaciones de enfermería en el paciente oncopediátrico con leucemia linfoblástica aguda

La leucemia linfoblástica aguda (LLA) se caracteriza por la proliferación descontrolada de células inmaduras linfoides llamadas linfoblastos, que predominan en la médula ósea y alteran la hematopoyesis normal. Este tipo de enfermedad constituye el 25% de los tumores y el 75-80% de las leucemias en la edad pediátrica. Su pico de incidencia máximo se establece entre los dos y los cinco años de edad. El 80% - 85% de los niños con esta patología tienen posibilidades de curación.<br /

Predictors of macular pigment and contrast threshold in Spanish healthy normolipemic subjects (45–65 years) with habitual food intake.

Introduction The dietary carotenoids lutein (L) and zeaxanthin (Z) are transported in the bloodstream by lipoproteins, sequestered by adipose tissue, and eventually captured in the retina where they constitute macular pigment. There are no L&Z dietary intake recommendations nor desired blood/tissue concentrations for the Spanish general population. Our aim was to assess the correlation of L&Z habitual dietary intake (excluding food supplements), resulting serum concentrations and lipid profile with macular pigment optical density (MPOD) as well as the contrast sensitivity (CT), as visual outcome in normolipemic subjects (n = 101) aged 45–65. Methods MPOD was measured by heterochromatic flicker photometry, serum L&Z by HPLC, the dietary intake by a 3-day food records and CT using the CGT-1000-Contrast-Glaretester at six stimulus sizes, with and without glare. Results Lutein and zeaxanthin concentrations (median) in serum: 0.361 and 0.078 μmol/L, in dietary intake: 1.1 mg L+Z/day. MPOD: 0.34du. L+Z intake correlates with their serum concentrations (rho = 0.333, p = 0.001), which in turn correlates with MPOD (rho = 0.229, p = 0.000) and with fruit and vegetable consumption (rho = 0.202, p = 0.001), but not with lutein+zeaxanthin dietary intake. MPOD correlated with CT, with and without glare (rho ranges: -0.135, 0.160 and -0.121, –0.205, respectively). MPOD predictors: serum L+Z, L+Z/HDL-cholesterol (β-coeficient: -0.91±0.2, 95%CI: -1.3,-0.5) and HDL-cholesterol (R2 = 15.9%). CT predictors: MPOD, mainly at medium and smaller visual angles (corresponding to spatial frequencies for which sensitivity declines with age) and gender (β-coefficients ranges: -0.95,-0.39 and -0.13,-0.39, respectively). Conclusion A higher MPOD is associated with a lower ratio of L+Z/HDL-cholesterol and with a lower CT (higher contrast sensitivity). The HDL-cholesterol would also act indirectly on the CT improving the visual function.post-print1201 K

Changes in Lutein Status Markers (Serum and Faecal Concentrations, Macular Pigment) in Response to a Lutein-Rich Fruit or Vegetable (Three Pieces/Day) Dietary Intervention in Normolipemic Subjects.

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Optimization of ultrasound-assisted extraction of phenolic compoundsfrom avocado peels

Avocado (Persea americana Mill.), a fruit native to Central America and Mexico, is one of the most consumed fruits in the world, with a global production of approximately 6.3 million tonnes in 2018. Its industrial processing generates significant amounts of by-products, mainly peels, seeds, or exhausted pulp, which disposal causes important environmental and economic problems. Nevertheless, these by-products present a high content of bioactive molecules with many human health benefits, which could be used for the formulation of functional foods or cosmetic products (Del Castillo-Llamosas et al., 2021; Rodríguez-Martínez et al., 2021). One of the important challenges for the recovery of added-value molecules from agro-industrial wastes is the selection of extraction technologies leading to high extraction efficiency and helping to preserve the quality of the recovered molecules. In this framework, ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) has been considered a green technology for the isolation of bioactive compounds from several natural sources. The purpose of the present study was to optimize the extraction of antioxidants from avocado peel (AP) using ultrasounds. The influence of ethanol/water ratio and time was evaluated using response Surface methodology (RSM). Under selected operational conditions (38.46% ethanol and 44.06 min), the response values were 45.34 mg GAE/g dried AP and 87.56 mg RE/g dried AP for TPC and TFC, respectively, with antioxidant levels of 73.25, 160.34 and 44.65 mg TE/g dried AP as determined by the DPPH, ABTS and FRAP methods, respectively. In addition, the optimized extracts were chemically characterized by HPLC-ESI-MS and FTIR. The main the phenolic compounds found in the avocado peel extract were phenolic acids, such as hydroxybenzoic and hydroxycinnamic acids.The authors acknowledge the financial support received from “Xunta de Galicia” (GRC ED431C 2017/62-GRC, and Project ED431F 2020/03). These projects are partially funded by the FEDER Program of the European Union (“Unha maneira de facer Europa”). Beatriz Gullón would like to express her gratitude to the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness for her postdoctoral grant (Reference RYC2018-026177-I).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Fibroblasts Collagen Production and Histological Alterations in Hereditary Gingival Fibromatosis

Hereditary gingival fibromatosis is a disorder for which the etiology remains unknown. We aimed to evaluate the fibroblasts and histological alterations to give new clues. A father and a daughter of a family showing gingival hereditary fibromatosis were treated, and gingival biopsies were obtained. A histological study revealed dense fibrous tissue, basal lamina disruption, and epithelial cell migration into the connective tissue. Fibroblasts were cultured from the father and daughter and compared with those from a healthy control patient. The results of the biochemical analysis showed increased collagen synthesis, reduced antioxidant CoQ10 content, and high levels of lipid peroxidation. Additionally, fibroblasts culture incubation with the oxidant H2O2 increased collagen levels that have been reduced by the addition of the antioxidant CoQ10. We conclude that some fibroblasts metabolic alterations play a significant role in initiating and maintaining persistent fibrotic tissue. Oxidative stress influences the fibroblasts collagen production and could play a particular role in the pathogenesis of hereditary gingival fibromatosis