Xarxa de vigilància de la qualitat sanitària de les aigües de proveïment públic a Catalunya

La 30a Assemblea Mundial de la Salut adopta 1'any 1977 una resolució demanant als Estats Membres de participar en el Decenni Internacional de l'Aigua Potable i el Sanejament (1981-1990). Aquesta resolució demana als governs que s'encarreguin d'aconseguir una millora substancial de les normes i del nivell de la qualitat de l'aigua potable en aquest decenni. En aquest sentit, fou endegada la «Xarxa de Vigilància de la Qualitat Sanitària de les Aigües de Proveïment Públic» a Catalunya, que suposa el control sistemàtic i periòdic de la qualitat de 1'aigua per al consum. El funcionament d'aquesta Xarxa es basa en les actuations dels farmacèutics titulars i les corresponents de les tres Delegacions Territorials del Departament de Sanitat i Seguretat Social de Girona, Lleida i Tarragona, i del Servei Territorial de Salut Pública de Barcelona, sota la coordinació de la Direcció General de Salut Pública. Les tasques dutes a terme en el marc d'aquest programa, abasten des de les d'inspecció i vigilància, fins a les de caracterització físico-química de l'aigua, control de cloracions i descripció tècnico-sanitària dels proveïments públics. Les activitats portades a terme ajuden a adquirir un coneixement exhaustiu de l'estat higiènico-sanitari de les aigüies per al consum a Catalunya, i serveixen per a proposar les mesures preventives adients en relació amb qualsevol alteració d'aquestes, que pugui afectar, directament o indirecta, la salut de la població.The 30th World Health Assembly, held in 1977, adopted a resolution encouraging the member states to participate to the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade (1981-1990). Such resolution asks the governments to achieve a substantial improvements of the regulations and the quality level in drinking water over this period. In this regard, and concerning Catalonia, steps were taken for the «Xarxa de Vigilància de la Qualitat de les Aigües de Proveïment Públic» (Surveillance Network for the Sanitary Quality of Public Water Supply). It aims to a sistematic and periodic control of tap water. Its functioning is based on both activities of Titular Pharmacists (that is, pharmacists appointed by the Administration for a given area) and those of the Territorial Delegations of the Departament of Health and Social Security in the provinces of Girona, Lleida and Tarragona, and also of the Territorial Service of Public Health of Barcelona, under the coordination of the Public Health General Board. The tasks performed in this program range from inspection and surveillance to physicochemist caracterization of water, control of clorination and sanitary description of public supplies. These activities help to get an exhaustive knowledge of the hygienic condition of drinking water in Catalonia. They are useful to propose the fitting preventive measures concerning any of their possible alterations, which might effect —either directly or indirectly— public health

Estudi de la contaminació química de les aigües subterrànies de Parets del Vallès

La zona objecte d'estudi, riu Tenes-riera Seca, terme municipal de Parets del Vallès, correspon a un aqüífer lliure de litologia de sorres i graves, amb nivells llimosos intcrcalats. D'acord amb la vulnerabilitat de l' aqüífer i amb el seu comportament hidrodinàmic, aquest aqüífer es veu força afectat per les aigüs superficials que són notablement contaminades. Hom estima els abocaments en la conca del Tenes en 8.825 m3 dia-1, amb 3.724 kg s.s. dia-1; els abocaments domèstics corresponen a 1.164 kg DBO5 dia-1 i els industrials a 2.473 kg DBO6 dia-1; aquests darrers s'inicien a partir de Lliçà de Munt i han estat ben estudiats pel Departament de Química Analítica durant els anys 1980 i 1981. El present treball, efectuat dins el terme municipal de Parets del Vallès, ha consistit en mostreigs i anàlisis sistemàtics de l'aigua de diferents pous de la zona, a ambdós vessants i a distàncies diferents del riu Tenes. La comparació de les diferents característiques dels pous mostrejats posa de manifest la representativitat del mostreig. Els resultats mostren canvis en la qualitat de l'aigua que no sempre s'avenen amb les caracteístiques del model hidroquímic preestablert. Hom aprofundeix també l'estudi de les característiques físico-químiques i de contaminació per metalls pesants. Els resultats palesen que es tracta d'aigües hidrogenocarbonatades càlciques del tipus rHCO3-+ rSO4 2- < rCa2+ + rMg2+, rCl- > rNa+ (segons Alekine) amb un i.c.b. > O. Es mostra una relació clara de les aigües subterrànies amb les aigües superficials, de característiques similars excepte en el fet que la relació rNa+/rCa2+ és més elevada per a aquestes últimes, fet que és justificat pel bescanvi de bases (i.c.b.) Hom avalua també el sistema de mostreig, la representativitat dels punts escollits, les dades obtingudes en relació amb la vulnerabilitat de l'aqüifer i els mètodes analítics utilitzats. L'estudi d'elements abasta el Pb, Cd, Cu, Hg, Cr(VI) i B, considerant la incidència sanitària i ambiental. A part, hom estableix les diferents cartes hidroquímiques (diagrames de Stiff i de Scholler Berkaloff) per tal de comparar les dades obtingudes i la representativitat del sistema.In the present work a study of chemical characterization of groundwaters, based on their ionic ratios, as well as metal trace determination is carried out in Parets del Valles, an industrialized village near Barcelona (Catalonia). Thirteen parameters have been analyzed in seventeen wells and from the data obtained, Schoeller-Berkaloff, modified Stiff and Piper-Hill-Langelier diagrams have been constructed, in order to settle the different groups characterizing proundwatcrs in the studied zone. Nitrate content has been specially studied because his occurrence is highly related with the use of fertilizers in agricultural areas. Sampling and analytical procedures are described. All samples studied are calcium hydrogencarbonate type with rHCO3-+ rSO4 2- < rCa2+ + rMg2+, rCl- > rNa+ according Alekine, and with c.b.i. > O. The results show a clear relationship between groundwaters and surface waters quality. On the other hand a study of Pb, Cu, Cd, Hg, Cr and B is carried out in twenty four wells. The analytical methods used are AAS for Pb, Cu, Cd ang Hg, and ICP-AES method for B and Cr. The contents are compared with those measured in surface waters corresponding to four sampling points in Tenes river that crosses the zone

Contingut en fluor a les aigües de consum públic de Catalunya: aportació de dades i consells pràctics per al clínic

El coneixement del contingut de fluor a les aigües de consum públic és de gran importància pel que fa a l'ús de suplements d'aquest mineral en la prevenció i control de la caries dental. S'exposen dades deis nivells de fluorurs dels abastaments públics de Catalunya, i consells pràctics per al clínic en relació a l'ús de suplements. Quasi un 90 % de les xarxes tingueren ni­vells inferiors a O. 7 mg/1

Statistical Properties of Fluctuations: A Method to Check Market Behavior

We analyze the Bombay stock exchange (BSE) price index over the period of last 12 years. Keeping in mind the large fluctuations in last few years, we carefully find out the transient, non-statistical and locally structured variations. For that purpose, we make use of Daubechies wavelet and characterize the fractal behavior of the returns using a recently developed wavelet based fluctuation analysis method. the returns show a fat-tail distribution as also weak non-statistical behavior. We have also carried out continuous wavelet as well as Fourier power spectral analysis to characterize the periodic nature and correlation properties of the time series.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, Econophys-IV, Kolkata, 200

Application of carbohydrate arrays coupled with mass spectrometry to detect activity of plant-polysaccharide degradative enzymes from the fungus Aspergillus niger

Renewables-based biotechnology depends on enzymes to degrade plant lignocellulose to simple sugars that are converted to fuels or high-value products. Identification and characterization of such lignocellulose degradative enzymes could be fast-tracked by availability of an enzyme activity measurement method that is fast, label-free, uses minimal resources and allows direct identificationof generated products. We developed such a method by applying carbohydrate arrays coupled with MALDI-ToF mass spectrometry to identify reaction products of carbohydrate active enzymes (CAZymes) of the filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger. We describe the production and characterization of plant polysaccharide-derived oligosaccharides and their attachment to hydrophobic self-assembling monolayers on a gold target. We verify effectiveness of this array for detecting exo- and endo-acting glycoside hydrolase activity using commercial enzymes, and demonstrate how this platform is suitable for detection of enzyme activity in relevant biological samples, the culture filtrate of A. niger grown on wheat straw. In conclusion, this versatile method is broadly applicable in screening and characterisation of activity of CAZymes, such as fungal enzymes for plant lignocellulose degradation with relevance to biotechnological applications as biofuel production, the food and animal feed industry

Approaches in biotechnological applications of natural polymers

Natural polymers, such as gums and mucilage, are biocompatible, cheap, easily available and non-toxic materials of native origin. These polymers are increasingly preferred over synthetic materials for industrial applications due to their intrinsic properties, as well as they are considered alternative sources of raw materials since they present characteristics of sustainability, biodegradability and biosafety. As definition, gums and mucilages are polysaccharides or complex carbohydrates consisting of one or more monosaccharides or their derivatives linked in bewildering variety of linkages and structures. Natural gums are considered polysaccharides naturally occurring in varieties of plant seeds and exudates, tree or shrub exudates, seaweed extracts, fungi, bacteria, and animal sources. Water-soluble gums, also known as hydrocolloids, are considered exudates and are pathological products; therefore, they do not form a part of cell wall. On the other hand, mucilages are part of cell and physiological products. It is important to highlight that gums represent the largest amounts of polymer materials derived from plants. Gums have enormously large and broad applications in both food and non-food industries, being commonly used as thickening, binding, emulsifying, suspending, stabilizing agents and matrices for drug release in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. In the food industry, their gelling properties and the ability to mold edible films and coatings are extensively studied. The use of gums depends on the intrinsic properties that they provide, often at costs below those of synthetic polymers. For upgrading the value of gums, they are being processed into various forms, including the most recent nanomaterials, for various biotechnological applications. Thus, the main natural polymers including galactomannans, cellulose, chitin, agar, carrageenan, alginate, cashew gum, pectin and starch, in addition to the current researches about them are reviewed in this article.. }To the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientfíico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for fellowships (LCBBC and MGCC) and the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nvíel Superior (CAPES) (PBSA). This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit, the Project RECI/BBB-EBI/0179/2012 (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-027462) and COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006684) (JAT)

Seafood Consumption, Omega-3 Fatty Acids Intake, and Life-Time Prevalence of Depression in the PREDIMED-Plus Trial

Background: The aim of this analysis was to ascertain the type of relationship between fish and seafood consumption, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFA) intake, and depression prevalence. Methods: Cross-sectional analyses of the PREDIMED-Plus trial. Fish and seafood consumption and ω-3 PUFA intake were assessed through a validated food-frequency questionnaire. Self-reported life-time medical diagnosis of depression or use of antidepressants was considered as outcome. Depressive symptoms were collected by the Beck Depression Inventory-II. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between seafood products and ω-3 PUFA consumption and depression. Multiple linear regression models were fitted to assess the association between fish and long-chain (LC) ω-3 PUFA intake and depressive symptoms. Results: Out of 6587 participants, there were 1367 cases of depression. Total seafood consumption was not associated with depression. The odds ratios (ORs) (95% confidence intervals (CIs)) for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quintiles of consumption of fatty fish were 0.77 (0.63–0.94), 0.71 (0.58–0.87), and 0.78 (0.64–0.96), respectively, and p for trend = 0.759. Moderate intake of total LC ω-3 PUFA (approximately 0.5–1 g/day) was significantly associated with a lower prevalence of depression. Conclusion: In our study, moderate fish and LC ω-3 PUFA intake, but not high intake, was associated with lower odds of depression suggesting a U-shaped relationship

Purification of cross-linked RNA-protein complexes by phenol-toluol extraction

Recent methodological advances allowed the identification of an increasing number of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and their RNA-binding sites. Most of those methods rely, however, on capturing proteins associated to polyadenylated RNAs which neglects RBPs bound to non-adenylate RNA classes (tRNA, rRNA, pre-mRNA) as well as the vast majority of species that lack poly-A tails in their mRNAs (including all archea and bacteria). We have developed the Phenol Toluol extraction (PTex) protocol that does not rely on a specific RNA sequence or motif for isolation of cross-linked ribonucleoproteins (RNPs), but rather purifies them based entirely on their physicochemical properties. PTex captures RBPs that bind to RNA as short as 30 nt, RNPs directly from animal tissue and can be used to simplify complex workflows such as PAR-CLIP. Finally, we provide a global RNA-bound proteome of human HEK293 cells and the bacterium Salmonella Typhimurium

Dietary diversity and nutritional adequacy among an older Spanish population with Metabolic Syndrome in the PREDIMED-Plus study: a cross-sectional analysis

Dietary guidelines emphasize the importance of a varied diet to provide an adequate nutrient intake. However, an older age is often associated with consumption of monotonous diets that can be nutritionally inadequate, increasing the risk for the development or progression of diet-related chronic diseases, such as metabolic syndrome (MetS). To assess the association between dietary diversity (DD) and nutrient intake adequacy and to identify demographic variables associated with DD, we cross-sectionally analyzed baseline data from the PREDIMED-Plus trial: 6587 Spanish adults aged 55–75 years, with overweight/obesity who also had MetS. An energy-adjusted dietary diversity score (DDS) was calculated using a 143-item validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Nutrient inadequacy was defined as an intake below 2/3 of the dietary reference intake (DRI) forat least four of 17 nutrients proposed by the Institute of Medicine (IOM). Logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association between DDS and the risk of nutritionally inadequate intakes. In the higher DDS quartile there were more women and less current smokers. Compared with subjects in the highest DDS quartile, those in the lowest DDS quartile had a higher risk of inadequate nutrient intake: odds ratio (OR) = 28.56 (95% confidence interval (CI) 20.80–39.21). When we estimated food varietyfor each of the food groups, participants in the lowest quartile had a higher risk of inadequate nutrient intake for the groups of vegetables, OR = 14.03 (95% CI 10.55–18.65), fruits OR = 11.62 (95% CI 6.81–19.81), dairy products OR = 6.54 (95% CI 4.64–9.22) and protein foods OR = 6.60 (95% CI 1.96–22.24). As DDS decreased, the risk of inadequate nutrients intake rose. Given the impact of nutrient intake adequacy on the prevention of non-communicable diseases, health policies should focus on the promotion of a healthy varied diet, specifically promoting the intake of vegetables and fruit among population groups with lower DDS such as men, smokers or widow(er)s. View Full-Tex