Cytotoxicity study of bakery product melanoidins on intestinal and endothelial cell lines

Melanoidins contribute to organoleptic properties of processed foods and exert benefits in health. The aim of this study was to isolate and characterize melanoidins from baked products (common bread, soft bread and biscuits), evaluate their cytotoxicity and determine their suitability as functional additives. Extraction yield, spectrophotometric characteristics, colorimetric properties, antioxidant capacity, and cytotoxicity of melanoidins were assessed. Among the studied products, soft bread had the highest extraction throughput. Melanoidins from biscuit showed the highest antioxidant capacity, closely followed by those of soft bread. Melanoidins did not exert cytotoxic effects on Caco-2 and HUVEC cells (viability was >80%). Nevertheless, incubation of HUVEC cells with melanoidins from common bread and biscuit slightly decreased viability, whereas gastrointestinal digestion of such melanoidins softened the decrease in cell viability. This study point to soft bread as a safe and efficient source of melanoidins, that could be potentially used in the future as functional ingredient.Autonomous Government of Castilla y León and FEDER (JCyL/FEDER) BU243P1

Wine pomace product modulates oxidative stress and microbiota in obesity high-fat diet-fed rats

Obesity is associated with inflammation and oxidative stress. Bioactive compounds can decrease obesity-related disorders by their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions. Wistar rats were fed with a high-fat diet during 14 weeks and received 100 mg of wine pomace product (WP)/kg body weight, from the 1st week or from the 7th week and standard diet fed rats were included. Food intake, body weight, blood pressure and plasma glucose, cholesterol and triglyceride were weekly measured. Antioxidant and lipid liver status, fat, adipocyte size, plasma interleukins and microbiota were also determined at 14th week. The results showed a significant reduction of body weight and abdominal fat area, lower blood glucose, decreased liver weight and lipids deposition with increased antioxidant status, lower adipocyte size and increased Lactobacillus spp./Bacteroides spp. ratio. Therefore, wine pomace product reduced obesity-related disorders by amelioration of inflammation and oxidative stress and by microbiota regulation suggesting potential preventive clinical benefits

Wine pomace product ameliorates hypertensive and diabetic aorta vascular remodeling through antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions

Vascular remodeling in hypertension and diabetes is characterized by a low-grade inflammation of the arterial wall and enhanced oxidative stress. Wine pomace products attenuate hyperglycemia and hypertension through reduction of oxidative stress and inflammation by their polyphenol composition. The aim of the study was to assess the influence of the wine pomace product (WP) on morphometric parameters of the arterial wall in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and streptozotocin-diabetic rats (STZ). Oxidative stress was also evaluated by determination of radical oxygen species (ROS) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activation in thoracic aortas. Wine pomace reduces wall aortic thickness, cross sectional area and wall/lumen ratio, and decreases ROS and increases eNOS activation. In summary, the supplementation of hypertensive or diabetic rats with the wine pomace product exhibits a protective role against the endothelial dysfunction and vascular remodeling.Autonomous Government of Castilla y León (Research project BU282U1

Wine pomace product inhibit listeria monocytogenes invasion of intestinal cell lines Caco-2 and SW-480

Red wine pomace products (WPP) have antimicrobial activities against human pathogens, and it was suggested that they have a probable anti-Listeria effect. This manuscript evaluates the intestinal cell monolayer invasive capacity of Listeria monocytogenes strains obtained from human, salmon, cheese, and L. innocua treated with two WPP (WPP-N and WPP-C) of different polyphenol contents using Caco-2 and SW480 cells. The invasion was dependent of the cell line, being higher in the SW480 than in the Caco-2 cell line. Human and salmon L. monocytogenes strains caused cell invasion in both cell lines, while cheese and L. innocua did not cause an invasion. The phenolic contents of WPP-N are characterized by high levels of anthocyanin and stilbenes and WPP-C by a high content of phenolic acids. The inhibitory effect of the WPPs was dependent of the strain and of the degree of differentiation of the intestinal cells line. The inhibition of Listeria invasion by WPPs in the SW480 cell line, especially with WPP-C, were higher than the Caco-2 cell line inhibited mainly by WPP-N. This effect is associated with the WPPs’ ability to protect the integrity of the intestinal barrier by modification of the cell–cell junction protein expression. The gene expression of E-cadherin and occludin are involved in the L. monocytogenes invasion of both the Caco-2 and SW480 cell lines, while the gene expression of claudin is only involved in the invasion of SW480. These findings suggest that WPPs have an inhibitory L. monocytogenes invasion effect in gastrointestinal cells lines.Autonomous Government of Castilla y León (Researchproject BU056U16

Monitoring Optical Tool to Determine the Chlorophyll Concentration in Ornamental Plants

The accurate estimation of leaf photosynthetic pigments concentration is crucial to check the plant´s health. Traditional methods of measuring photosynthetic pigments involve complex procedures of solvent extraction followed by spectrophotometric determinations. Portable plant instruments such as Soil Plant Analysis Development (SPAD) meters can facilitate this task for the speed and simplicity of the measures. The relationship between chlorophyll index obtained by SPAD-502 and pigment concentration in several ornamental species can help in the management of ornamental plant production. Two trials have been carried out in two different growing seasons (spring and summer) and facilities (greenhouse and open air), involving 30 ornamental species. There was a high linear relationship between concentrations of Chla and Chlb, as well as between Chlt and Ct in different species studied under greenhouse and open field conditions. The ratio between Chla and Chlb was higher at open field conditions and similar between Chlt and Ct. There was also a good relationship between Chlorophyll index and Chlt under both growing conditions, as well as between Chlorophyll index and Ct under greenhouse conditions. However, linear relationships with different slopes were observed for groups of species at open field conditions

Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid-Enriched Lipid Fingerprint of Glioblastoma Proliferative Regions Is Differentially Regulated According to Glioblastoma Molecular Subtype

Glioblastoma (GBM) represents one of the deadliest tumors owing to a lack of effective treatments. The adverse outcomes are worsened by high rates of treatment discontinuation, caused by the severe side effects of temozolomide (TMZ), the reference treatment. Therefore, understanding TMZ’s effects on GBM and healthy brain tissue could reveal new approaches to address chemotherapy side effects. In this context, we have previously demonstrated the membrane lipidome is highly cell type-specific and very sensitive to pathophysiological states. However, little remains known as to how membrane lipids participate in GBM onset and progression. Hence, we employed an ex vivo model to assess the impact of TMZ treatment on healthy and GBM lipidome, which was established through imaging mass spectrometry techniques. This approach revealed that bioactive lipid metabolic hubs (phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylethanolamine plasmalogen species) were altered in healthy brain tissue treated with TMZ. To better understand these changes, we interrogated RNA expression and DNA methylation datasets of the Cancer Genome Atlas database. The results enabled GBM subtypes and patient survival to be linked with the expression of enzymes accounting for the observed lipidome, thus proving that exploring the lipid changes could reveal promising therapeutic approaches for GBM, and ways to ameliorate TMZ side effects.This study was supported in part by the Research Unit of the University Hospital Son Espases (“Ajuts a la Investigació de l’Hospital Son Espases 2017—Aplicación del lipidoma en el diagnóstico, pronóstico y tratamiento del glioma”), Basque Government (IT1162-19), the Institute of Health Carlos III (PI16/02200), and the EC (European Regional Development Fund, ERDF, CP12/03338). A.M.B. and J.B-E. hold predoctoral fellowships of the Govern Balear (Direcció General d’Innovació i Recerca, FPI/2160/2018 and FPI/1787/2015, respectively), co-funded by the ESF (European Social Fund). K.P.-R. contract was supported by the Govern Balear (Servei d’Ocupació de les IIles Balears and Garantia Juvenil, JQ-SP 18/17), co-funded by the ESF. G.B.-C.’s was supported by the Institute of Health Carlos III, co-funded by ERDF (Miguel Servet II program, CPII17/00005)

Association Between Insulin‐Like Growth Factor‐1 and Social Cognition in Huntington's Disease

Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) seems to be involved in the neural circuits associated with social cognition and brain structure.Study funded by Gerencia Regional de Salud de Castilla y Leon (Sacyl GRS 1768/A/18)

Treatment with tocilizumab or corticosteroids for COVID-19 patients with hyperinflammatory state: a multicentre cohort study (SAM-COVID-19)

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the association between tocilizumab or corticosteroids and the risk of intubation or death in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) with a hyperinflammatory state according to clinical and laboratory parameters. Methods: A cohort study was performed in 60 Spanish hospitals including 778 patients with COVID-19 and clinical and laboratory data indicative of a hyperinflammatory state. Treatment was mainly with tocilizumab, an intermediate-high dose of corticosteroids (IHDC), a pulse dose of corticosteroids (PDC), combination therapy, or no treatment. Primary outcome was intubation or death; follow-up was 21 days. Propensity score-adjusted estimations using Cox regression (logistic regression if needed) were calculated. Propensity scores were used as confounders, matching variables and for the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTWs). Results: In all, 88, 117, 78 and 151 patients treated with tocilizumab, IHDC, PDC, and combination therapy, respectively, were compared with 344 untreated patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 10 (11.4%), 27 (23.1%), 12 (15.4%), 40 (25.6%) and 69 (21.1%), respectively. The IPTW-based hazard ratios (odds ratio for combination therapy) for the primary endpoint were 0.32 (95%CI 0.22-0.47; p < 0.001) for tocilizumab, 0.82 (0.71-1.30; p 0.82) for IHDC, 0.61 (0.43-0.86; p 0.006) for PDC, and 1.17 (0.86-1.58; p 0.30) for combination therapy. Other applications of the propensity score provided similar results, but were not significant for PDC. Tocilizumab was also associated with lower hazard of death alone in IPTW analysis (0.07; 0.02-0.17; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Tocilizumab might be useful in COVID-19 patients with a hyperinflammatory state and should be prioritized for randomized trials in this situatio

Red “Universidad, género, docencia e igualdad”

La Red de investigación en docencia universitaria “Universidad, docencia, genero e igualdad” persigue avanzar en la calidad e innovación de las enseñanzas universitarias a partir de la inclusión de la perspectiva de género. Se busca dar cumplimiento a las directrices generales de los nuevos planes de estudio respecto del principio de igualdad de oportunidades entre hombres y mujeres en la formación universitaria (Real Decreto 1393/2007. BOE nº 260, 30 de octubre de 2007). En la quinta edición de la Red, y dada su composición multidisciplinar, se ha trabajado en tres líneas de investigación: 1) mantenimiento del “Portal web con recursos docentes con perspectiva de género”, proyecto financiado por el Instituto de la Mujer (PACUI, 2012) e iniciado en el curso 2012-2013; 2) desarrollo de la primera versión de “iLengUA”, una herramienta informática para un discurso inclusivo e igualitario; y 3) diseño de una Guía de recomendaciones para la inclusión de la perspectiva de género en la docencia universitaria

Risk Factors and Protection of Active Aging: Systematic Review

Introducción Se prevé que, como consecuencia de la transformación demográfica, el número de personas mayores crezca de forma exponencial para el año 2050. Por ello, la práctica de ejercicio físico regular, se ha indicado como estrategia a adoptar en la disminución del declive normal del proceso de envejecimiento (Sbardelotto et al., 2019). Objetivo Identificar y analizar los estudios publicados sobre factores de riesgo y protección para el envejecimiento activo. Material y método Las bases de datos consultadas fueron: PubMed, Dialnet y Scielo. En la búsqueda se utilizó el operador booleano “AND” con las palabras claves descritas a continuación y se usaron los Medical Subject Heading (Mesh). Finalmente, se analizaron 25 artículos. Desarrollo La revisión bibliográfica evidenció que: la actividad física, la alimentación, el ocio, la salud bucodental, la reserva cognitiva, las nuevas tecnologías y la educación, son factores protectores para un envejecimiento activo; mientras que la urbanización, la presencia de enfermedades, el bajo nivel socioeconómico, las caídas, la polifarmacia y los hábitos tóxicos son factores de riesgo. Conclusiones Las claves para el envejecimiento activo se basan en una buena promoción de la salud para que las personas mayores vivan esta etapa con las mejores condiciones de salud posibles.Introduction As a consequence of the demographic transformation produced worldwide, the number of older people is expected to grow exponentially by 2050. For this reason, the practice of regular physical exercise has been indicated as a strategy to adopt since it can decrease the normal decline of the aging process (Sbardelotto et al., 2019). Objective To promote health to favor a good active aging and look for behavioral patterns so that this can occur. Material and Method The following databases were consulted: PubMed, Dialnet and Scielo. The search used the Boolean operator &ldquo;AND&rdquo; with the keywords described below and the Medical Subject Heading (Mesh) was used. Finally, 25 articles were analyzed. Development The literature review showed that: physical activity, food, leisure, oral health, cognitive reserve, new technologies and education are protective factors for active aging; while urbanization, the presence of diseases, low socioeconomic status, falls, polypharmacy and toxic habits are risk factors. Conclusions The keys to active aging are based on good health promotion so that older people live this stage with the best possible health conditions.Sin financiaciónNo data JCR 2020No data SJR 20200.358 IDR (2019) C3, 24/44 Deport