Modelling the exposure to Cronobacter sakazakii by consumption of a cocoa-milk-based beverage processed by pulsed electric fields

peer-reviewedM.C. Pina-Pérez is grateful to CSIC for providing a DOCTOR contract linked to the INNPACTO project IPT-2011-1724-060000. This study was carried out with funds from BISOSTAD project PSE-060000-2009-003, Generalitat Valenciana I+D+I emergent research groups GV/2010/064 and CYCIT project AGL2010-22206-C02-01.Infants’ exposure (Nf ) to Cronobacter sakazakii via the consumption of infant-rich-inpolyphenols cocoa-milk-based beverages (CCX-M) treated with high-intensity pulsed electric fields (PEF) was evaluated. Monte Carlo simulation enabled the prediction of the variability in C. sakazakii load in beverages at the time of consumption to be estimated. Different scenarios (initial contamination levels; PEF treatment conditions; and time-temperature combinations of CCX-M beverages storage after treatment) were simulated. Cocoa addition and PEF treatment resulted in the most influential input factors to control bacterial final load. Cronobacter spp. exposure risk was reduced by a maximum of 100 times at 95% of iterations due to addition of cocoa at 5 g/100 mL, corresponding to scenario 3 (PEF: 15 kV/cm–3,000 μs; storage 120 h at 8 °C). Moreover, the probability of illness for a healthy population was reduced from 2.15 × 10-8, in the baseline scenario, to 4.78 × 10-10 due to cocoa addition and application of 15 kV/cm–3,000 μs PEF treatment.BISOSTAD projec

The relationship between zinc intake and growth in children aged 1-8 years: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: It is estimated that zinc deficiency affects 17% of the world's population, and because of periods of rapid growth children are at an increased risk of deficiency, which may lead to stunting. This paper presents a systematic review and meta-analysis of the randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that assess zinc intake and growth in children aged 1–8 years. This review is part of a larger systematic review by the European Micronutrient Recommendations Aligned Network of Excellence that aims to harmonise the approach to setting micronutrient requirements for optimal health in European populations (www.eurreca.org). SUBJECT/METHODS: Searches were performed of literature published up to and including December 2013 using MEDLINE, Embase and the Cochrane Library databases. Included studies were RCTs in apparently healthy child populations aged from 1 to 8 years that supplied zinc supplements either as capsules or as part of a fortified meal. Pooled meta-analyses were performed when appropriate. RESULTS: Nine studies met the inclusion criteria. We found no significant effect of zinc supplementation of between 2 weeks and 12 months duration on weight gain, height for age, weight for age, length for age, weight for height (WHZ) or WHZ scores in children aged 1–8 years. CONCLUSIONS: Many of the children in the included studies were already stunted and may have been suffering from multiple micronutrient deficiencies, and therefore zinc supplementation alone may have only a limited effect on growth

Breast cancer analysis by confocal energy dispersive micro-XRD

In this work, the confocal energy dispersive micro-XRD technique has been employed to efficiently study differences between normal and malignant carcinomas in breast tissues. This technique has been implemented with low angular divergence glass monocapillaries in the excitation and detection channels. The microdiffractometer operates with a scattering angle of (20.3 ± 0.9)° that defines a cross section for analysis (0.178 mm × 0.175 mm), with a depth resolution of 1.18 mm. The obtained momentum transfer resolution between 3.9 and 10.9% was found to be highly useful to identify the scattering profiles of adipose tissues without any data processing. Differentiation between tissues with similar scattering profiles, such as fibroglandular and neoplastic tissues, has been achieved by processing the spectra within the framework of diffraction theory for scattering intensity. The obtained results allowed the development of a deterministic diagnostic model based on the evaluation of the depth profiles by confocal micro-XRD. In this model, the modulation of the scattering profiles caused by X-ray attenuation was analyzed to differentiate neoplastic tissues. The spatial resolution of the technique was the key aspect of the process, helping to detect variations in X-ray attenuation and to select uniform volume of analysis without superimposed scattering profiles.Fil: Escudero, Rodrigo Oscar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola; ArgentinaFil: Cabral, María C.. Hospital Provincial Maternal Dr. Felipe Lucini; ArgentinaFil: Valladares, Mariana. Hospital Provincial Maternal Dr. Felipe Lucini; ArgentinaFil: Franco, María A.. Hospital Provincial Maternal Dr. Felipe Lucini; ArgentinaFil: Perez, Roberto Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola; Argentin

The origin of the Acheulean: the 1.7 million-year-old site of FLK West, Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania)

The appearance of the Acheulean is one of the hallmarks of human evolution. It represents the emergence of a complex behavior, expressed in the recurrent manufacture of large-sized tools, with standardized forms, implying more advance forethought and planning by hominins than those required by the precedent Oldowan technology. The earliest known evidence of this technology dates back to c. 1.7 Ma. and is limited to two sites (Kokiselei [Kenya] and Konso [Ethiopia]), both of which lack fauna. The functionality of these earliest Acheulean assemblages remains unknown. Here we present the discovery of another early Acheulean site also dating to c. 1.7 Ma from Olduvai Gorge. This site provides evidence of the earliest steps in developing the Acheulean technology and is the oldest Acheulean site in which stone tools occur spatially and functionally associated with the exploitation of fauna. Simple and elaborate large-cutting tools (LCT) and handaxes co-exist at FLK West, showing that complex cognition was present from the earliest stages of the Acheulean. Here we provide a detailed technological study and evidence of the use of these tools on the butchery and consumption of fauna, probably by early Homo erectus sensu lato

AVOCADO: A Virtual Observatory Census to Address Dwarfs Origins

Dwarf galaxies are by far the most abundant of all galaxy types, yet their properties are still poorly understood -especially due to the observational challenge that their intrinsic faintness represents. AVOCADO aims at establishing firm conclusions on their formation and evolution by constructing a homogeneous, multiwavelength dataset for a statistically significant sample of several thousand nearby dwarfs (-18 < Mi < -14). Using public data and Virtual Observatory tools, we have built GALEX+SDSS+2MASS spectral energy distributions that are fitted by a library of single stellar population models. Star formation rates, stellar masses, ages and metallicities are further complemented with structural parameters that can be used to classify them morphologically. This unique dataset, coupled with a detailed characterization of each dwar's environment, allows for a fully comprehensive investigation of their origins and to track the (potential) evolutionary paths between the different dwarf types.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure. To appear in the proceedings of IAU Symposium 277, "Tracing the Ancestry of Galaxies on the Land of our Ancestors", Carignan, Freeman, and Combes, ed

Desigualdad, salud y nutrición en España: una visión regional del índice de masa corporal

Introducción y objetivos: numerosos determinantes ambientales influyen en el crecimiento y en el desarrollo y condicionan la expresión potencial o su evolución en el tiempo. Se analiza la influencia de algunos condicionantes sociodemográficos en la sobrecarga ponderal, en el peso y en la talla en la población adulta española. Métodos: el análisis se ha realizado en una submuestra (25 a 64 años) del estudio ENPE, estudio observacional transversal sobre una muestra poblacional aleatoria de población. Se recogió información sobre edad, género, nivel de estudios, ocupación y lugar de residencia. La clase social se codificó en función de la ocupación. Se tomaron mediciones individuales de peso y talla. Resultados: la prevalencia de obesidad es mayor en hombres, aumenta con la edad y se observa una relación inversa con el nivel de estudios y la clase social. Es mayor en Asturias, Galicia y Andalucía. La talla baja es más frecuente en personas con estudios primarios incompletos y clase social baja, al contrario que la talla alta, más frecuente también en las regiones norte-este y centro. El bajo peso corporal es menos frecuente en personas sin estudios y de clase social baja. Conclusiones: en base a la desigual distribución del sobrepeso y de la obesidad, las estrategias preventivas en nutrición comunitaria deben contemplar la mejora del nivel de educación nutricional y del grado de alfabetización de la población, con especial énfasis en las personas de entornos más desfavorecidos.Background and objectives: a number of environmental determinants influence children growth and development and influence the potential expression or its evolution over time. In this paper we analyse the influence of selected sociodemographic factors on overweight, body weight and height in the Spanish adult population. Methods: the analysis was conducted in a subsample (25 to 64 years of age) of the ENPE study, a cross-sectional observational study on a random population sample. Information was collected on age, gender, educational level, occupation and place of residence. Social class was coded according to occupation. Individual body weight and height were measured. Results: the prevalence of obesity is higher in men, increases with age and there is an inverse relationship with the level of education and social class. Higher prevalence rates were observed in Asturias, Galicia and in Andalusia. Short stature is more frequent in people with incomplete primary education and low social class, in contrast to high stature, which is also more frequent in the North-East and central regions. Low body weight is less frequent in people with very poor education and low social class. Conclusions: based on the unequal distribution of overweight and obesity, preventive strategies in Community Nutrition should consider improving the level of nutrition education and literacy of the population, with special emphasis on the most disadvantaged people

Understanding Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Contrast Mechanisms on Metal Oxides: A Case Study

Cataloged from PDF version of article.A comprehensive analysis of contrast formation mechanisms in scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) experiments on a metal oxide surface is presented with the oxygen-induced (2√2 √2)R45 missing row reconstruction of the Cu(100) surface as a model system. Density functional theory and electronic transport calculations were combined to simulate the STM imaging behavior of pure and oxygen-contaminated metal tips with structurally and chemically different apexes while systematically varying bias voltage and tip sample distance. The resulting multiparameter database of computed images was used to conduct an extensive comparison with experimental data. Excellent agreement was attained for a large number of cases, suggesting that the assumed model tips reproduce most of the commonly encountered contrast-determining effects. Specifically, we find that depending on the bias voltage polarity, copper-terminated tips allow selective imaging of two structurally distinct surface Cu sites, while oxygenterminated tips show complex contrasts with pronounced asymmetry and tip sample distance dependence. Considering the structural and chemical stability of the tips reveals that the copper-terminated apexes tend to react with surface oxygen at small tip sample distances. In contrast, oxygenterminated tips are considerably more stable, allowing exclusive surface oxygen imaging at small tip sample distances. Our results provide a conclusive understanding of fundamental STM imaging mechanisms, thereby providing guidelines for experimentalists to achieve chemically selective imaging by properly selecting imaging parameters

Simultaneous measurement of multiple independent atomic-scale Interactions using scanning probe microscopy: data interpretation and the effect of cross-talk

Cataloged from PDF version of article.In high-resolution scanning probe microscopy, it is becoming increasingly common to simultaneously record multiple channels representing different tip-sample interactions to collect complementary information about the sample surface. A popular choice involves simultaneous scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and noncontact atomic force microscopy (NC-AFM) measurements, which are thought to reflect the chemical and electronic properties of the sample surface. With surface-oxidized Cu(100) as an example, we investigate whether atomic-scale information on chemical interactions can be reliably extracted from frequency shift maps obtained while using the tunneling current as the feedback parameter. Ab initio calculations of interaction forces between specific tip apexes and the surface are utilized to compare experiments with theoretical expectations. The examination reveals that constant-current operation may induce a noticeable influence of topography-feedback-induced cross-talk on the frequency shift data, resulting in misleading interpretations of local chemical interactions on the surface. Consequently, the need to apply methods such as 3D-AFM is emphasized when accurate conclusions about both the local charge density near the Fermi level, as provided by the STM channel, and the site-specific strength of tip-sample interactions (NC-AFM channel) are desired. We conclude by generalizing to the case where multiple atomic-scale interactions are being probed while only one of them is kept constant

Are histological alterations observed in the gallbladder precancerous lesions?

INTRODUCTION: Gallbladder cancer, which is characterized by rapid progression and a poor prognosis, is a complex disease to treat. Unfortunately, little is known currently about its etiology or pathogenesis. A better understanding of its carcinogenesis and determining risk factors that lead to its development could help improve the available treatment options. METHOD: Based on this better understanding, the histological alterations (such as acute cholecystitis, adenomyomatosis, xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis, polyps, pyloric metaplasia, intestinal metaplasia, dysplasia, cancer and others) in gallbladders from 1,689 patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy for cholecystolithiasis were analyzed. The association of these gallbladder histological alterations with clinical data was studied. RESULTS: Gender analysis revealed a greater incidence of inflammatory changes in males, while dysplasia and cancer were only found in women. The incidence of cholesterolosis was greater in the patients 60 years of age and under, and the incidence of adenomyomatosis and gangrene was greater in the elderly patients. A progressive increase in the average age was observed as alterations progressed through pyloric metaplasia, intestinal metaplasia, dysplasia and then cancer, suggesting that the metaplasia-dysplasia-carcinoma sequence may occur in gallbladder cancer. Gallbladder histological alterations were also observed in asymptomatic patients. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that there could be an association between some histological alterations of gallbladder and cancer, and they also suggest that the metaplasia-dysplasia-carcinoma sequence could in fact be true in the case of gallbladder cancer. Nevertheless, further studies directed towards a perfect understanding of gallbladder carcinogenesis are required