Salmonella infection in nursery piglets and its role in the spread of salmonellosis to further production periods

Few studies have focused on assessing Salmonella infection in the nursery and its role in further pig production periods. Mesenteric lymph nodes, intestinal content, and meat juice from 389 6-week-old male piglets intended for human consumption from five breeding farms and 191 pooled floor fecal samples from gilt development units (GDU) from the same farms were analyzed to estimate and characterize (by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and antimicrobial resistance analyses) Salmonella infection. The prevalence of infection and shedding among piglets was 36.5% and 37.3%, respectively, shedding being significantly associated with infection (Odds Ratio = 12.7; CI 7.3–22.0). Salmonella Rissen; S. 4, [5], 12:i:-; and S. Derby were the most common serotypes. A low level of Salmonella-specific maternal antibodies at the beginning of the nursery period suggested it was a period of high risk of infection. Resistance to 3rd-and 4th-generation cephalosporins was detected in piglet isolates although the piglets never received antibiotics, indicating they could be vectors of antimicrobial resistance. The same Salmonella clones were detected in piglet and GDU isolates, suggesting that infected piglets play a significant role in the infection of gilts and consequently of finishing pigs in the case of production farms. The control of Salmonella infection in nursery piglets may decrease the risk of abattoir and carcass contamination

Mechanical durability of hydrophobic surfaces fabricated by injection moulding of laser-induced textures

YesThe paper reports an investigation on the mechanical durability of textured thermoplastic surfaces together with their respective wetting properties. A range of laser-induced topographies with different aspect ratios from micro to nanoscale were fabricated on tool steel inserts using an ultrashort pulsed near infrared laser. Then, through micro-injection moulding the topographies were replicated onto polypropylene surfaces and their durability was studied systematically. In particular, the evolution of topographies on textured thermoplastic surfaces together with their wetting properties were investigated after undergoing a controlled mechanical abrasion, i.e. reciprocating dry and wet cleaning cycles. The obtained empirical data was used both to study the effects of cleaning cycles and also to identify cleaning procedures with a minimal impact on textured thermoplastic surfaces and their respective wetting properties. In addition, the use of 3D areal parameters that are standardised and could be obtained readily with any state-of-the-art surface characterisation system are discussed for monitoring the surfaces' functional response.European Commission H2020 ITN programme “European ESRs Network on Short Pulsed Laser Micro/Nanostructuring of Surfaces for Improved Functional Applications” (Laser4Fun) under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 675063 (www.laser4fun.eu) and the UKIERI DST programme “Surface functionalisation for food, packaging, and healthcare applications”. In addition, the work was supported by three other H2020 programmes, i.e. the projects on “Modular laser based additive manufacturing platform for large scale industrial applications” (MAESTRO), “High-Impact Injection Moulding Platform for mass-production of 3D and/or large micro-structured surfaces with Antimicrobial, Self-cleaning, Anti-scratch, Anti-squeak and Aesthetic functionalities” (HIMALAIA) and “Process Fingerprint for Zero-defect Net-shape Micromanufacturing” (MICROMAN)

Impact of reducing sitting time in women with fibromyalgia and obesity: a randomized controlled trial

Background: Sitting time has negative effects on health, increasing the risk of obesity, osteoporosis, diabetes, and cancer. Thus, primary health care education interventions aimed to reduce sitting time and sedentary behavior could have beneficial effects on people’s health and wellbeing. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of an intervention based on reducing sitting time to decrease cardiometabolic risk on a sample of women diagnosed with fibromyalgia and moderate obesity. Methods: Randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention to decrease cardiometabolic risk in 84 participants. Sedentary behavior was monitored using an accelerometer before and at 3-month follow-up. Results: Compared with the control group, body mass index decreased, and the number of steps taken increased, in the intervention group 3 months after the intervention. No significant differences were found in the rest of the variables measured. Conclusion: The intervention group decreased sitting time after the intervention. Group activities and support from primary care may be useful to improve treatment adherence

Sleep quality in patients with heart failure in the spanish population: A cross-sectional study

Background: Heart failure is a major problem in western societies. Sleep Disorders maintain a bidirectional relationship with heart failure, as shown by studies conducted in other countries. This study aims to describe the quality of sleep in Spanish patients with heart failure. Materials and methods: We carried out a cross-sectional study to analyze the quality of sleep in a sample of 203 patients with a diagnosis of heart failure admitted to an Internal Medicine Service. The Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to evaluate sleep quality in our sample over a one-month period. Results: 75% of the sample presented sleep disorders. The most common problems included the interruption of sleep (73.5% nocturia and 30% breathing difficulties); 35% had poor sleep efficiency; 33% showed a decrease in daytime performance; 84% had used hypnotics at some point to induce sleep and 35% used them regularly. Conclusions: This is the first study to report on the perceived sleep quality of patients with heart failure in Spain. Self-perception of sleep quality differed from that estimated by the PSQI. The prevalence of the use of sleep-inducing medication was very high. The diurnal dysfunction generated by sleep disorders in a heart failure environment can contribute to the development of self-care and cognitive deterioration problems

Nota sobre Abies pinsapo Clemente ex Boiss. y otras plantas andaluzas

En esta nota fl orística proporcionamos información sobre una serie de táxones que consideramos interesantes para Andalucía, mayoritariamente en la provincia de Málaga y alrededores. Se trata de novedades nomenclaturales, provinciales, comarcales (en el sentido de Flora Vascular de Andalucía Oriental (Blanca et al., (eds.) -2009-), en adelante FVAO), sectoriales (fi togeográfi cas) o plantas incluidas en categorías de amenaza de UICN de las que hemos hallado nuevas poblaciones. Se han consultado las referencias corológicas correspondientes en Flora Iberica (Castroviejo et al., (eds.) -1986-2010- ), FVAO y GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility); por tanto los comentarios corológicos han de entenderse como referidos a esas fuentes. Los comentarios fi togeográficos tienen como base a la sectorización de la provincia de Málaga y zonas limítrofes propuesta por Pérez Latorre y Cabezudo (2002). La secuencia de datos para cada taxón es: nombre científi co y autores, pliego de referencia (MGC), datos corológicos, comportamiento ecológico, sintaxones principales donde aparece en la localidad y la categoría de amenaza si es que la presenta. (LRA= Lista Roja de la Flora Vascular de Andalucía (Cabezudo & Talavera, (coord.), 2005); LRE= Lista Roja de la Flora Vascular Española (Moreno J.C., (coord.), 2008); LFF= Ley de la Flora y la Fauna silvestres de Andalucía, 2003). Para algunas especies se incluye fotografía realizada en la localidad y fecha del pliego testigo. Abies pinsapo Clemente ex Boiss. P. E. Boissier describió Abies pinsapo en 1838 basándose en sus observaciones personales y en los pliegos que vio en el herbario de Haenseler (Boiss., 1838 y 1839- 45). Desconocemos la procedencia y donde están en la actualidad estos pliegos del Herbario de Haenseler, pero es muy posible que fueran plantas recolectadas por Clemente en 1809 y regaladas al herbario en base a la larga relación que Clemente tuvo con alguno de los botanófi los malagueños de la época. Como sabemos, Clemente conocía de la existencia de este abeto mucho antes que Boissier (Clemente, 2002) y lo reconoció por su porte y por la morfología de sus piñas. Con toda seguridad Clemente comunicó estos datos a sus discípulos malagueños Haenseler y Prolongo, que a su vez lo comunicaron a Boissier, seguramente olvidándose de la paternidad de Clemente sobre este asunto. No es casual que Boissier, en su interés en ver las piñas del pinsapo, visitara el mismo día pero 28 años después la localidad clementina de la especie. Esta disposición a olvidar las aportaciones de los botánicos y rodrigones españoles en las obras de algunos botánicos extranjeros era algo común en la época. Clemente (1818) conocía y diferenciaba las dos especies de abetos españoles y en la página 406 sección II, donde habla de los abetos, hace una somera descripción de la especie andaluza (fi g. 1). Desconocemos si Boissier conocía esta información a través de sus rodrigones malagueños o de La-Gasca. Sobre este asunto ya manifestó su opinión Laza Palacios (1942: 267) en el mismo sentido de esta nota. Pensamos finalmente que la paternidad de Abies pinsapo es, código en mano, de Boissier, pero también creemos que en este asunto algo importante tuvo que ver Clemente por lo que consideramos de coherencia científi ca unir estos dos botánicos al nombre de esta emblemática especie andaluza

Pitfalls in the normalization of real-time polymerase chain reaction data

Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is commonly used for a sensitive and specific quantification of messenger RNA (mRNA). The levels of mRNA are frequently compared between two or more experimental groups. However, such comparisons require normalization procedures, and reference genes are frequently used for this purpose. We discuss pitfalls in normalization and specifically in the choice of reference genes. Reference genes, which prove suitable for some experimental conditions, are not necessarily similarly appropriate for others. Therefore,a proper validation of the suitability of a given reference gene or sets thereof is required for each experimental setting. Several computer programmes are available to aid such validation

The association between diet and sleep quality among Spanish university students

While it has long been recognized that diet is a leading behavioral risk factor for human health, recent scientific findings have also suggested that diet and sleep quality may be connected. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the association between diet and sleep quality among a group of Spanish university students. To do so, a cross-sectional study of 868 students was carried out. Sleep quality was assessed using the Spanish version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), while diet was assessed using the Spanish Healthy Eating Index (SHEI). The study revealed a noteworthy rate of bad sleepers (51.6%) and students whose diet needed modifications (82.2%). Unhealthy eaters were more likely to have poor sleep quality (aOR = 4.20; CI 95%: 2.07-8.52). The unbalanced intake of vegetables (aOR = 1.63; CI 95%: 1.14-2.34), fruits (aOR = 4.08; CI 95%: 2.90-5.74), dairy products (aOR = 1.96; CI 95%: 1.41-2.72), lean meats (aOR = 1.82; CI 95%: 1.19-2.78), legumes (aOR = 1.43; CI 95%: 1.00-2.02), sweets (aOR = 1.60; CI 95%: 1.13-2.25) and sugary soft drinks (aOR = 1.46; CI 95%: 1.07-1.99) was associated with lower sleep quality

Care dependency in patients with heart failure: A cross-sectional study in Spain

Background: Heart failure (HF) is a progressive and debilitating condition that represents an ever-growing problem for health systems worldwide. HF patients feel that they are a burden on their families, they feel socially isolated and have a low perception of their health. Accordingly, the objectives of this study were to: (1) to explore the profile of care dependency in a representative sample of Spanish HF patients through the Care Dependency Scale (CDS), and (2) to identify correlates of care dependency in this population. Material and Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study of 187 patients admitted for HF decompensation to the Hospital Clínico of Zaragoza (Spain). Results: Only 15% of our sample was highly or completely dependent on care from others. More specifically, our results indicate that HF patients felt a greater level of dependency on care from others when it comes to moving, getting dressed and undressed, maintaining good personal hygiene, participating in daily and recreational activities and being continent. Conclusions: We find association between the CDS categories that present a low score for care dependency in HF patients and the patients’ physical deterioration

Durability and wear resistance of laser-textured hardened stainless steel surfaces with hydrophobic properties

Hydrophobic surfaces are of high interest to industry. While surface functionalization has attracted significant interest, from both industry and research, the durability of engineered surfaces remains a challenge, as wear and scratches deteriorate their functional response. In this work, a cost-effective combination of surface engineering processes on stainless steel was investigated. Low-temperature plasma surface alloying was applied to increase surface hardness from 172 to 305 HV. Then, near-infrared nanosecond laser patterning was deployed to fabricate channel-like patterns that enabled superhydrophobicity. Abrasion tests were carried out to examine the durability of such engineered surfaces during daily use. In particular, the evolution of surface topographies, chemical composition, and water contact angle with increasing abrasion cycles were studied. Hydrophobicity deteriorated progressively on both hardened and raw stainless steel samples, suggesting that the major contributing factor to hydrophobicity was the surface chemical composition. At the same time, samples with increased surface hardness exhibited a slower deterioration of their topographies when compared with nontreated surfaces. A conclusion is made about the durability of laser-textured hardened stainless steel surfaces produced by applying the proposed combined surface engineering approach