How Healthy Is It to Fortify Cocoa-Based Products with Cocoa Flavanols? A Comprehensive Review.

Background: Cocoa’s healthy benefits may be attributed to the potent antioxidant activity of cocoa polyphenols, mainly flavanols, which have been characterised as existing in a high concentration in cocoa. However, the phenolic composition of cocoa and cocoa-derived products is highly variable, and manufacturing processes might significantly reduce their phenolic content. For that reason, the full characterisation of cocoa and cocoa-derived products before evaluating their bioactivity is crucial. The aim of this review is to analyse the available evidence on the effect of flavanol-fortified cocoa-derived products on human health. (2) Methods: Forty-eight clinical trials focused on the health effect of consuming flavanol-fortified drinks, bars and chocolate have been reviewed, with a total of 1523 subjects. (3) Results: Although studies differ widely in methodology, dosage, duration, and target population, beneficial effects of flavanol-rich cocoa consumption have been observed at doses ranging from 45.3 mg/d to 1078 mg/d, especially on cardiovascular health and cognitive function. (4) Conclusions: Considering the high consumption and acceptability of cocoa and cocoa-derived products, the fortification of cocoa products as well as other highly consumed foods with cocoa flavanols could be an effective strategy for health promotion.Partial funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málag

Prevención de conductas delictivas de jóvenes en condiciones de refugio: alternativas para una respuesta educativa

En 1975, el acuerdo tripartito divide el Sahara Occidental entre Marruecos y Mauritania y cerca de 200 mil habitantes saharauis abandonan sus hogares y huyen hacia el desierto de Tindouf, los saharauis desplazados forman los campamentos de refugiados. Estas condiciones propician el abandono de la educación a temprana edad; dejando mayor tiempo libre a niños y adolescentes, lo que favorece la aparición de conductas delictivas. Para impedir el agravamiento de esta situación, es urgente actuar de forma preventiva, ello motiva la presente investigación, desarrollada en los campamentos de refugiados de Tindouf, en Argelia. El artículo presenta un acercamiento al estado actual de la problemática y tiene como objetivo determinar los factores que inciden en el desarrollo de la delincuencia juvenil en los campamentos de refugiados saharauis. Se emplearon métodos empíricos fundamentalmente: la entrevista, aplicada a los profesionales implicados en el tratamiento a la delincuencia juvenil, reconocen que el refugio propicia un aumento de estas conductas, y la necesidad de ofrecer alternativas que conjuguen la prevención, la educación y el empleo

Preparación para la vida adulta independiente: un camino para promover la inclusión socioeducativa de escolares con necesidades educativas especiales

La inclusión socioeducativa de las personas con discapacidad como proceso desde diferentes contextos, a partir del aprendizaje y la propuesta de acciones educativas que se centren en el desarrollo de habilidades, es un reto de los sistemas educativos en la actualidad, se necesita la eliminación de barreras para la participación, favoreciendo una vida adulta independiente con calidad. Desde la escuela y con el apoyo de las familias se deben proporcionar los medios adecuados para que los escolares con necesidades educativas especiales adquieran las capacidades sociales y la autonomía personal para interactuar de manera adecuada, para aumentar las probabilidades de éxito de su inclusión. En el presente artículo se realiza una sistematización acerca de la preparación para la vida adulta independiente de escolares con necesidades educativas especiales, como premisa para proponer las acciones didácticas metodológicas que favorezcan su inclusión socioeducativa

Estrategia para el aprendizajes de la lecto-escritura con el uso de las tic en el grado segundo en la institución educativa Jhon f-Kennedy sede n° 2

Con la elaboración de este proyecto se busca que sirva como material didáctico para fortalecer el desarrollo de las competencias lectora en los estudiantes de segundo grado de la de la Institución Educativa John F. Kennedy del municipio de Luruaco Sede No. 2, Atlántico mediante el uso de las herramientas que nos facilita la Web 2.0. Para el desarrollo del proyecto se soportó en estrategias pedagógicas con el fin de apoyar los procesos de enseñanza aprendizaje, de tal forma que se constituya en un instrumento educacional del estudiante. Finalmente, las herramientas que nos facilitan las Tic, se pueden considerar como el conjunto de recursos informáticos diseñados con la intención de ser utilizados en el contexto del proceso de enseñanza – aprendizaje

Factors affecting consumer perception and acceptability of chocolate beverages

The factors influencing consumer acceptability of hot cocoa-based beverages prepared with pure cocoa powders were studied. Five samples originating from various regions were selected, including both alkalized and non-alkalized (natural) cocoa powders, and both regular and fat-reduced cocoa powders. Sensory evaluation of the samples was conducted using a 5-point just-about-right (JAR) scale and a 9-point hedonic scale, with a total of 116 participants involved in the study. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) highlighted the relationship between acceptability and alkalization, fat content, and phenolic composition. Alkalized samples received higher scores than natural ones in color (6.9 vs 5.6), smell (5.9 vs 5.7), flavor (5.8 vs 4.9), texture (6.0 vs 5.7) and overall (6.0 vs 5.2), all acceptability categories, while regular cocoa powders received higher scores than low-fat samples were evaluated less favorably than regular cocoa powder samples in color (6.6 vs 5.8), smell (6.3 vs 5.4), flavor (5.9 vs 4.8), texture (6.2 vs 5.6) and overall (6.1 vs 5.1). Additionally, A phenolic content above 30 g GAE/kg d.w. resulted in decreased the preference. Comprehensive insights on the effect of fat reduction and alkalization process on the physicochemical and sensory properties of cocoa are provided, contributing to the intricate array of factors influencing the acceptability of cocoa products. It is important to note that the origin may also influence cocoa composition, underscoring the need for further studies to explore this variable

A case of canine intestinal malakoplakia

Malakoplakia is a rare chronic granulomatous disease usually affecting the urinary bladder and other locations. In humans, the gastrointestinal tract is the second most common location but there are no reports of intestinal malakoplakia in animals. A 10-month-old female French Bulldog was presented with chronic haemorrhagic diarrhoea and anorexia with normochromic-normocytic anaemia and hypoalbuminaemia. Grossly, there was mucosal thickening and ulceration of the caecum, colon and rectum. Microscopically, transmural sheets of foamy macrophages were seen in these tissues. Macrophages were periodic acid–Schiff, vimentin and ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule 1 positive and contained von Kossa- and Prussian blue-positive Michaelis–Gutmann bodies. Giemsa staining revealed rod-shaped bacterial colonies and fluorescence in-situ hybridization demonstrated Escherichia coli within macrophages. This is the first reported case of intestinal malakoplakia in domestic animals. Pathological features of intestinal malakoplakia share many similarities with ulcerative histiocytic colitis in dogs but it is unclear if they are different forms of the same pathological process or distinct entities

NEU screen shows high accuracy in detecting cognitive impairment in older persons living with HIV

The NEUrocognitive (NEU) Screen is a practical tool proposed to screen for HIV-associated cognitive impairment in the clinical setting. This is a pencil-and-paper method that can be applied rapidly (<=10 minutes for administration) and has no copyright limitations. In this study, we aimed at investigating its diagnostic accuracy in an older population of persons living with HIV (PLWH), with cutoffs set at 30, 40, 50, and 60 years. Data were collected from a sample of 368 PLWH who underwent a comprehensive neuropsychological tests battery (gold standard). Results of statistical tests showed that accuracy of the NEU Screen increased with age of the participants. The highest degree of precision, with a sensitivity of 91% and specificity of 92%, was obtained for people ages 60 years or older (correct classification: 91%). These optimal results point to the great potential of the NEU Screen as a tool for detecting cognitive disorders in older PLWH

Estudio del cacao como potenciador de la neurogénesis y la función hipocampal en ratones adultos

Introducción: La formación de nuevas neuronas es un fenómeno neuroplástico esencial que se produce en el cerebro adulto, concretamente en el giro dentado del hipocampo (neurogénesis hipocampal adulta, NHA). Numerosos estudios demuestran que la inhibición de NHA en roedores conduce al deterioro cognitivo, mientras que su aumento potencia la adquisición, consolidación y actualización de los recuerdos dependientes del hipocampo. Estudios recientes destacan el papel de los polifenoles del cacao en la potenciación de la memoria, sin embargo, no existen evidencias concluyentes sobre su efecto en la NHA. Objetivos: En este proyecto, proponemos estudiar la modulación de la NHA mediante la dieta, empleando el cacao como una nueva intervención nutricional que podría potenciar la NHA mediante la acción de los polifenoles. Se emplearán ratones macho y hembra (aproximadamente 3 meses de edad), que recibirán una dieta estándar (grupos “control”) o una dieta enriquecida en cacao (10 %) durante ocho semanas. Se evaluará el efecto del cacao en la función cognitiva y emocional mediante distintas pruebas comportamentales que incluyen tareas para evaluar la ansiedad (laberinto en cruz), la exploración (campo abierto), la indefensión (test de natación forzada) y la memoria (reconocimiento de objeto y laberinto acuático). Se estudiará la NHA mediante la administración de bromodesoxiuridina y técnicas de inmunohistoquímica y microscopía, así como la expresión del factor neurotrófico brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) en el hipocampo mediante western blot. Resultados esperados: Mediante este estudio se espera obtener una mejora del rendimiento cognitivo, debido principalmente a la potenciación de la plasticidad cerebral (incremento de la NHA y BDNF) trasla ingesta de cacao.Proyecto I+D+i PID2020-114374RB-100, financiado por MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/ Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Feline osteochondromatosis in a 12-year-old feline leukaemia virus-negative cat

Feline osteochondromatosis is a spontaneous osteocartilaginous exostosis associated with feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) infection or due to a frameshift variant in the exostosin glycosyltransferase 1 (EXT1) gene. Osteochondromatosis was diagnosed in an indoor-only, 12-year-old, neutered female, Russian Blue cat. Radiographs revealed bilateral calcified proliferations in the elbow, costochondral and sternochondral joints, which distorted the normal skeletal structure. Grossly, the proliferated joints presented with consistent, rounded masses, causing complete ankylosis. The main histopathological finding was an osteocartilaginous proliferation composed of multiple irregular islands of well-differentiated hyaline cartilage surrounded and delimited by osteoid tissue. Immunohistochemistry of the osteochondromas, bone marrow and mediastinal lymph nodes, using a primary anti-FeLV gp70 antibody, and FeLV proviral DNA real-time polymerase chain reaction on bone marrow were negative. Sequencing of exon 6 of the EXT1 gene was performed and nucleotide BLAST analysis demonstrated the absence of a frameshift variant. This study reports the only case of spontaneous feline osteochondromatosis in an animal more than 10 years old

Temozolomide treatment inhibits spontaneous motivation for exploring a complex object in mice: a potential role of adult hippocampal neurogenesis in ‘curiosity’.

Intrinsic exploratory biases are an innate motivation for exploring certain types of stimuli or environments over others, and they may be associated with cognitive, emotional, and even personality-like traits. However, their neurobiological basis has been scarcely investigated. Considering the involvement of the hippocampus in novelty recognition and in spatial and pattern separation tasks, this work researched the role of adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN) in intrinsic exploratory bias for a perceptually complex object in mice. Spontaneous object preference tasks revealed that both male and female C57BL/6J mice showed a consistent unconditioned preference for exploring “complex”—irregular—objects over simpler ones. Furthermore, increasing objects’ complexity resulted in an augmented time of object exploration. In a different experiment, male mice received either vehicle or the DNA alkylating agent temozolomide (TMZ) for 4 weeks, a pharmacological treatment that reduced AHN as evidenced by immunohistochemistry. After assessment in a behavioral test battery, the TMZ-treated mice did not show any alterations in general exploratory and anxiety-like responses. However, when tested in the spontaneous object preference task, the TMZ-treated mice did not display enhanced exploration of the complex object, as evidenced both by a reduced exploration time—specifically for the complex object—and a lack of preference for the complex object over the simple one. This study supports a novel role of AHN in intrinsic exploratory bias for perceptual complexity. Moreover, the spontaneous complex object preference task as a rodent model of “curiosity” is discussed.This study was funded by Grant PID2020-114374RB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 (to C.R.-P. and E.C.-O.). Author P.R. holds a “Miguel Servet I” research contract from the National System of Health, EU-ERDF-ISCIII (CP19/00068). Authors M.C.M.-P. and S.G.-R. hold predoctoral grants from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (FPU17/00276 to M.C.M.-P. and FPU18/00941 to S.G.-R.). The authors acknowledge the IBIMA's common research support structure—ECAI—of animal experimentation and behavior (“Centro de Experimentación y Conducta Animal”; University of Malaga) for maintenance of the mice and the ECAI of Image for the use of the microscope. We are especially thankful to María Visitación Jacinto Hernández and Vanesa Jiménez Gálvez for their valuable contribution to the behavioral experiments and to Lourdes Sánchez Salido and Ana Mar Gálvez Callejón for their technical support. Open access funding provided by University of Málaga CBUA