Allergen-Based Diagnostic: Novel and Old Methodologies with New Approaches

This chapter is an extensive review of allergen-based diagnostic methodologies including old techniques such as skin prick test, radio-allergo sorbent test, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and fluorescent-enzyme immunosorbent assay. Novel technologies include functional tests by flow cytometry and molecular allergy based on multiplex immunoassays. We also review the importance of biochemical characteristics of allergens, sensitivity and specificity, cross-reaction between allergens, utility, reproducibility, interpretation, and methodologies for discovery of epitopes for diagnostic or therapeutic use

Ionic liquids for low-tension oil recovery processes: Phase behavior tests

This is the accepted manuscript of the following article: Rodriguez-Escontrela, I., Puerto, M., Miller, C., & Soto, A. (2017). Ionic liquids for low-tension oil recovery processes: Phase behavior tests. Journal Of Colloid And Interface Science, 504, 404-416. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2017.05.102Chemical flooding with surfactants for reducing oil-brine interfacial tensions (IFTs) to mobilize residual oil trapped by capillary forces has a great potential for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR). Surface-active ionic liquids (SAILs) constitute a class of surfactants that has recently been proposed for this application. For the first time, SAILs or their blends with an anionic surfactant are studied by determining equilibrium phase behavior for systems of about unit water-oil ratio at various temperatures. The test fluids were model alkane and aromatic oils, NaCl brine, and synthetic hard seawater (SW). Patterns of microemulsions observed are those of classical phase behavior (Winsor I-III-II transition) known to correlate with low IFTs. The two anionic room-temperature SAILs tested were made from common anionic surfactants by substituting imidazolium or phosphonium cations for sodium. These two anionic and two cationic SAILs were found to have little potential for EOR when tested individually. Thus, also tested were blends of an anionic internal olefin sulfonate (IOS) surfactant with one of the anionic SAILs and both cationic SAILs. Most promising for EOR was the anionic/cationic surfactant blend of IOS with [C12mim]Br in SW. A low equilibrium IFT of 2 10 3 mN/m was measured between n-octane and an aqueous solution having the optimal blend ratio for this system at 25 CA. Soto acknowledges the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Spain) for financial support throughout project CTQ2015-68496-P (including European Regional Development Fund advanced funding)S

Physicochemical Properties of Moringa oleifera Leaves Grown in Valencian Community (Spain)

[EN] Moringa oleifera is a foliated tree widely cultivated in tropical latitudes, which is highly adaptable to climatic conditions and dry soils. Every part of the plant has nutritional, therapeutic or industrial benefits. This is due to its phytochemicals such as glucosinolates, phenolic compounds, alkaloids, terpenoids and tannins, high values of crude protein, carbohydrates, starch and lipids. In addition, the use of the leaves has increased considerably by the agro-food and biochemical industries since they are a valuable source of dietary proteins and essential amino acids. This work aimed to characterize three types of leaf from Moringa oleifera seeds with different origins (Thai (C1), Ghana (C2) and India (C3)), grown in the same plot, but with different cultural practices (intended for leaf production (C1 and C2) or sheath production (C3). For this, water content and optical properties were determined in the fresh leaves. Later the leaves were dried (50 ¿C for 8 h) and pulverized, analyzing their water content, antioxidant capacity, color and amino acid content. No significant differences were observed in fresh leaves in terms of humidity and color. In dry powder, a higher antioxidant capacity was registered in moringa type C2, with a% DPPH inhibition of 83.7%, although in all cases, it exceeded 60%, showing the high persistence of the antioxidants after drying. Serine, glutamic acid and alanine were the major amino acids with values of 373 ± 78, 301 ± 51 and 248 ± 9 mg/100 g of powder, respectively, without influencing the applied field treatment or origin.This work was supported by the grant Ia ValSe-Food-CYTED (119RT0567) and project Nuevos Cultivos Frente al Cambio climático: Moringa y Estevia (MORESVIA) (AGCOOP_A/2018/026) funded by Generalitat Valenciana.Ortolá Ortolá, MD.; Castelló Gómez, ML.; Etchevers, MC.; García-Mares, F.; Soriano Soto, MD. (2021). Physicochemical Properties of Moringa oleifera Leaves Grown in Valencian Community (Spain). Biology and Life Sciences Forum. 8(4):1-5. https://doi.org/10.3390/blsf2021008004S158

Use of tomato and cucumber horticulture by-products in goat diets: effects o nrumen fermentation and microbial communities in batch and continuous cultures

Two in vitro experiments were conducted to analyse the effects of replacing dietary barley grain with wastes of tomato and cucumber fruits and a 1 : 1 tomato : cucumber mixture on rumen fermentation characteristics and microbial abundance. The control (CON) substrate contained 250 g/kg of barley grain on a dry matter (DM) basis, and another 15 substrates were formulated by replacing 50, 100, 150, 200 or 250 g of barley grain/kg with the same amount (DM basis) of tomato or cucumber fruits or 1 : 1 tomato : cucumber mixture. In Expt 1, all substrates were incubated in batch cultures with rumen micro-organisms from goats for 24 h. Increasing amounts of tomato, cucumber and the mixture of both fruits in the substrate increased final pH and gas production, without changes in final ammonia-nitrogen (NH3-N) concentrations, substrate degradability and total volatile fatty acid (VFA) production, indicating that there were no detrimental effects of any waste fruits on rumen fermentation. Therefore, in Expt 2 the substrates including 250 g of waste fruits (T250, C250 and M250 for tomato, cucumber and the mixture of both fruits, respectively) and the CON substrate were incubated in single-flow continuous-culture fermenters for 8 days. Total VFA production did not differ among substrates, but there were differences in VFA profile. Molar proportions of propionate, isobutyrate and isovalerate were lower and acetate : propionate ratio was greater for T250 compared with CON substrate. Fermentation of substrates containing cucumber (C250 and M250) resulted in lower proportions of acetate, isobutyrate and isovalerate and acetate : propionate ratio, but greater butyrate proportions than the CON substrate. Carbohydrate degradability and microbial N synthesis tended to be lower for substrates containing cucumber than for the CON substrate, but there were no differences between CON and T250 substrates. Abundance of total bacteria, Fibrobacter succinogenes and Ruminococcus flavefaciens, fungi, methanogenic archaea and protozoa were similar in fermenters fed T250 and CON substrates, but fermenters fed C250 and M250 substrates had lower abundances of R. flavefaciens, fungi and protozoa than those fed the CON substrate. Results indicated that tomato fruits could replace dietary barley grain up to 250 g/kg of substrate DM without noticeable effects on rumen fermentation and microbial populations, but the inclusion of cucumber fruits at 250 g/kg of substrate DM negatively affected some microbial populations as it tended to reduce microbial N synthesis and changed the VFA profile. More studies are needed to identify the dietary inclusion level of cucumber which produces no detrimental effects on rumen fermentation and microbial growth

Estudio epidemiológico de los casos de triquinelosis registrados en la provincia de Santa Fe, Argentina, 1998?2009

Objetivo. Caracterizar desde los puntos de vista epidemiológico, clínico y de laboratorio los casos y brotes de triquinelosis que se registraron en la provincia de Santa Fe, Argentina, entre 1998 y 2009. Métodos. Se analizaron 1 519 fichas epidemiológicas de personas que presentaron síntomas y signos compatibles con triquinelosis en la provincia de Santa Fe en el período 1998?2009. Se realizó el análisis estadístico descriptivo de la información contenida en las fichas epidemiológicas y los resultados clínicos y de laboratorio; se aplicó el análisis bifactorial para determinar las posibles asociaciones con factores epidemiológicos y ambientales. Resultados. Se encontraron síntomas de triquinelosis en 1 276 casos; 372 cumplían la definición de caso clínico y 224 muestras resultaron positivas por inmunofluorescencia indirecta, independientemente de su clasificación como caso clínico. Se identificaron 27 brotes que involucraron a 1 157 casos en ocho departamentos, con mayor frecuencia en el centro y el sur de la provincia. La distribución anual de los casos asociados epidemiológicamente entre sí fue heterogénea, con una mayor frecuencia en el período 2000?2003 y en los meses de agosto a octubre. Hubo mayor probabilidad de enfermar cuando se consumieron productos de fuentes informales (OR = 3,69; P = 0,014) y en las áreas rurales (OR = 1,799; P = 0,011). El período de incubación de la enfermedad (mediana) fue de 12 días. Las personas que consumieron carne o derivados de cerdo tuvieron 2,06 veces más riesgo de enfermar que las que no la consumieron. Conclusiones. El mayor número de brotes ocurrió en los departamentos más poblados y con mayor producción porcina. Se deben diseñar acciones específicas de prevención y control de la enfermedad en esos departamentos. Se debe considerar el análisis epidemiológico de riesgos al evaluar, gestionar y comunicar los riesgos sanitarios de triquinelosis.Fil: Sequeira, Gabriel Jorge. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Cs.veterinarias. Departamento de Salud Publica Veterinaria; Argentina; Universidad Nacional de Cordoba. Facultad de Cs.Agropecuarias; Argentina;Fil: Dalla Fontana, Agustina. Consejo Nacional de Invest.cientif.y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnol.conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Invest.en Catalisis y Petroquimica "ing. Jose Miguel Parera"; Argentina;Fil: Zbrun, María Virginia. LABORATORIO DE ANÁLISIS DE ALIMENTOS; Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Cs.veterinarias. Departamento de Salud Publica Veterinaria;Fil: Soto, Lorena Paola. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Cs.veterinarias. Departamento de Salud Publica Veterinaria;Fil: Frizzo, Laureano Sebastian. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Cs.veterinarias. Departamento de Salud Publica Veterinaria; LABORATORIO DE ANÁLISIS DE ALIMENTOS;Fil: Zarazaga, María del Pilar. Universidad Catolica de Cordoba. Facultad de Cs.agropecuarias; Argentina;Fil: Sanchez, I.c.. Universidad Catolica de Cordoba. Facultad de Cs.agropecuarias; Argentina;Fil: Signorini, Marcelo. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Cs.veterinarias. Departamento de Salud Publica Veterinaria

Long term oscillations of Mediterranean sardine and anchovy explained by the combined effect of multiple regional and global climatic indices

This study is a contribution to the PELWEB project (“Winners, losers and shifts of PELagic food WEB changes in the western Mediterranean Sea: from ecosystem consequences to future projections”, CTM2017-88939-R,2018–2020), and to “Fostering the capacity of marine ecosystem models to PROject the cumulative effects of global change and plausible future OCEANS” (PROOCEANS): Funding by Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Proyectos de I+D+I (RETOS-PID2020-118097RB-I00).It is widely known that the abundance and distribution dynamics of populations of small pelagic clupeid fish, such as sardines and anchovies, are affected by large-scale climate variability, which may lead to changeovers to new regimes of small pelagics. However, long-distance climatic oscillations, such as El Niño/La Niña and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, have been little explored in the Western Mediterranean Sea. We investigated the possible effects of the South Oscillation Index (i.e. the atmospheric oscillation coupled with the El Niño/La Niña) and Pacific Decadal Oscillation on fluctuations in catches of European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) and sardine (Sardina pilchardus) in the Western Mediterranean Sea, and their association with regional climate oscillations (i.e. the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, the North Atlantic Oscillation, the Western Mediterranean Oscillation index, and the Arctic Oscillation)

La morfología verbal temprana en español

The development of the first verb forms in children's speech is currently under debate. Some researchers have proposed a rapid acquisition of morphology and syntax as a result of the general linguistic knowledge which is part of our innate endowment. Others have proposed a gradual and piecemeal knowledge for the first use of verbs and verbal structures,following the ccverb-island hypothesisu of Tomasello. This paper examines these issues in Spanish. Data from three monolingual Spanish children are analyzed. Children's ages are: from 1;3 to 2;6;fiom 1;8 to 2;l; and from 1 ;5 to 2;2. Our analysis showed gradual verbal learning for Spanish children,with a veiy restricted use of productive verb type forms. This suggests a piecemeal learning of verbs, [.e. Spanish children start to use verbs one by one, with very specific forms. We also found that Spanish-speaking children's early verb structures are based on limited, verb-specific knowledge.Finally, our results showed different patterns for each child.Actualmente hay autores que proponen una adquisición rúpida de la morfologia y sintaxis como resultado de un conocimiento gramatical generalizado, aunque algunos aceptan que ese conocimiento no se.manifiesta del todo en la superficie debido a,factores diversos. Por otro lado, se encuentra un grupo de investigadores que consideran que el desarrollo inicial de la morfologia verbal se produce de modo gradual y no  generalizado, apoyando -en mayor o menor medida- la "hipótesis de las islas verbales" de Tomasello, tanto en lo que se rejiere a los primeros verbos como a las primeras estructuras oracionales del habla infantil. Nuestro objetivoes abordar estas cuestiones en español. Hemos analizado el habla de tres sujetos monolingiies españoles cuyas edades son: desde 1;3 hasta 2;6; desde 1;8 hasta 2;1; y desde 1;5 hasta 2;2. Nuestros resultados muestran que los niños comienzan a hacer uso muy restringido de las formas verbalesproductivas. Ello parece sugerir que el aprendizaje de los verbos en español es un aprendizaje fragmentado que se inicia verbo-a-verbo, con una incorporación muy gradual de nuevas formas al paradigma verbal. Además, hemos encontrado que las primeras estructuras oracionales son, igualmente, restringidas; es decir, los primeros verbos no aparecen encombinaciones variadas en el habla temprana. Por Último, nuestros resultados muestran patrones diferentes para cada uno de los 3 niños

Understanding radio art reception

Radio art is understood as radio made by artists. The term is typically applied to sound-based artifacts produced and broadcast by means of the creative use of radio media affordances, infrastructure, and technologies. Radio art is known as any sound work conceived to expand the creative and aesthetic possibilities of the medium through the use of the elements of radiophonic language (voice, words, music, sound effects, and silence) with the intention to produce aesthetic messages and to move radio listeners. This study introduces radio art reception as a subject of scientific scrutiny. It proposes a model of radio art processing that includes involvement, art reception, and positive emotions as predictors of the willingness to listen to such works. After listening to each of two pieces of radio art, 126 Singaporean undergraduate communication students (MAge = 22.7, SD = 1.7) completed a questionnaire measuring involvement, art reception, perceived emotions, and willingness to listen to another radio art feature. The main results confirm our model of radio art reception: involvement predicts the audience's cognitive stimulation generated by radio art, their artistic evaluation, and the positive attraction experienced by audiences towards them. The positive emotions experienced during consumption have a direct effect on the attraction towards radio art. Moreover, the specific radio art content affects the audiences' responses. These results allow us to understand psychological responses to sound art. The hope is to attract the attention of communication and art researchers and invite them to deepen the existing knowledge about artistic sound through empirical studies, since debates about radio art and sound works are almost lacking from scientific literature.Radioarte es el nombre que recibe la radio hecha por artistas. Usualmente, el término se aplica a los objetos sonoros producidos mediante el uso creativo de las aplicaciones, infraestructuras y tecnologías radiofónicas. El radioarte es un trabajo sonoro concebido para expandir las posibilidades creativas y estéticas del medio radiofónico gracias al uso de los elementos del lenguaje sonoro (voces, palabras, músicas, efectos sonoros y silencio) con la intención de producir mensajes estéticos y conmover a los oyentes radiofónicos. Este estudio presenta la recepción de radioartes como objeto de es-crutinio científico. Específicamente, propone un modelo de procesamiento de estas obras que incluye la implicación, la evaluación artística y las emociones positivas como predictores de la disposición a escucharlas. Después de oír cada uno de dos radioartes, 126 estudiantes de comunicación de Singapur (MEdad= 22,7, DT = 1,7) completaron un cuestionario que medía su implicación, su evaluación de la obra artística, las emociones experimentadas y la disposición a escuchar otros radioartes. Los principales resultados confirman nuestro modelo de recepción del arte sonoro: la implicación predice la estimulación cognitiva de las audiencias generadas por los radioartes, su percepción artística y la atracción positiva ex-perimentada hacia estas obras. Las emociones positivas experimentadas durante el consumo tienen un efecto directo en la atracción hacia los radioartes. Luego el contenido específico de la obra artística sonora afecta a las respuestas de sus audiencias. Estos resultados permiten comprender las respuestas psicológicas al arte sonoro. También, buscan atraer la atención de los investigadores de la comunicación y del arte e invitarles a profundizar empíricamente en el conocimiento del sonido artístico porque los debates sobre las artes radiofónicas y las obras sonoras son lamentablemente muy esca-sos en la bibliografía científic

Impact of public preventive programmes on oral quality of life of 11 to 12-yr-old school students

Objetivos: El objetivo es analizar el impacto de programas preventivos sobre la calidad de vida oral en escolares de 11- 12 años. Diseño del estudio: En el curso académico 1996/97 se inició un estudio quasiexperimental en la provincia de Granada con cuatro grupos de escolares de 6-7 años de edad: Sellador + Flúor (selladores en primeros molares permanentes aplicados en el centro de salud, durante 3 años de programa activo, y barniz de flúor aplicado cuatrimestralmente durante 3 años, n=65), Sellador (sólo selladores, n=80), Flúor (sólo barniz de flúor, n=107) y grupo Control (n=59). Todos los escolares fueron explorados cada 6 meses en los colegios durante los 3 años de programa activo, entregándoseles un informe de salud oral tras cada exploración. Tras un periodo de discontinuidad de 2.5 años, en el curso escolar 2002/03 (a los 5.5 años), los escolares fueron explorados, y se les pasó un cuestionario de calidad de vida oral, cuya puntuación va de -6 (mínima) a +6 (máxima). Resultados: Los valores de calidad de vida oral (± desviación estándar) fueron: 3.31±0.30 (Sellador + Flúor), 3.11±0.27 (Sellador), 3.18±0.23 (Flúor) y 2.95±0.32 (Control), sin diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre ellos. Conclusiones: Los programas de Sellador de fisuras y Barniz de flúor no muestran influencia significativa sobre la calidad de vida oral a 5.5 años de seguimiento (3 años de programa activo y 2.5 años de discontinuidad)

Early embryonic brain development in rats requieres the trophic influence of cerebrospinal fluid

Producción CientíficaParticularly evCerebrospinal fluid has shown itself to be an essential brain component during development. This is parident at the earliest stages of development where a lot of research, performed mainly in chick embryos, supports the evidence that cerebrospinal fluid is involved in different mechanisms controlling brain growth and morphogenesis, by exerting a trophic effect on neuroepithelial precursor cells (NPC) involved in controlling the behaviour of these cells. Despite it being known that cerebrospinal fluid in mammals is directly involved in corticogenesis at fetal stages, the influence of cerebrospinal fluid on the activity of NPC at the earliest stages of brain development has not been demonstrated. Here, using ‘‘in vitro’’ organotypic cultures of rat embryo brain neuroepithelium in order to expose NPC to or deprive them of cerebrospinal fluid, we show that the neuroepithelium needs the trophic influence of cerebrospinal fluid to undergo normal rates of cell survival, replication and neurogenesis, suggesting that NPC are not self-sufficient to induce their normal activity. This data shows that cerebrospinal fluid is an essential component in chick and rat early brain development, suggesting that its influence could be constant in higher vertebrates