Different model hypotheses are needed to account for qualitative variability in the response of two strains of Salmonella spp. under dynamic conditions

In this article, the thermal inactivation of two Salmonella strains (Salmonella Enteritidis CECT4300 and Salmonella Senftenberg CECT4565) was studied under both isothermal and dynamic conditions. We observed large differences between these two strains, with S. Senftenberg being much more resistant than S. Enteritidis. Under isothermal conditions, S. Senftenberg had non-linear survivor curves, whereas the response of S. Enteritidis was log-linear. Therefore, weibullian inactivation models were used to describe the response of S. Senftenberg, with the Mafart model being the more suitable one. For S. Enteritidis, the Bigelow (log-linear) inactivation model was successful at describing the isothermal response. Under dynamic conditions, a combination of the Peleg and Mafart models (secondary model of Mafart; t* of Peleg) fitted to the isothermal data could predict the response of S. Senftenberg to the dynamic treatments tested (heating rates between 0.5 and 10 °C/min). This was not the case for S. Enteritidis, where the model predictions based on isothermal data underestimated the microbial concentrations. Therefore, a dynamic model that considers stress acclimation to one of the dynamic profiles was fitted, using the remaining profiles as validation. In light of this, besides its quantitative impact, variability between strains of bacterial species can also cause qualitative differences in microbial inactivation. This is demonstrated by S. Enteritidis being able to develop stress acclimation where S. Senftenbenberg could not. This has important implications for the development of microbial inactivation models to support process design, as every industrial treatment is dynamic. Consequently, it is crucial to consider different model hypotheses, and how they affect the model predictions both under isothermal and dynamic conditions.The financial support of this research was provided by the Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad, Spain, through Project PID2020-116318RB-C32 and by FEDER funds. Dr. Alberto Garre was supported by a Maria Zambrano scholarship

Cómo crear un boletín de novedades con Mailchimp

En esta comunicación se explica el proceso de creación de un boletín de novedades con Mailchimp, una herramienta de e-mail marketing que permite gestionar el envío de correos electrónicos comerciales: el diseño del mensaje, la base de datos de contactos, el envío y los datos de uso. El Servicio de Bibliotecas de la Universidad de Navarra ha renovado recientemente el boletín de novedades que enviaba a través de una lista de distribución a los usuarios suscritos, con un enlace para consultar las novedades bibliográficas. Este proyecto ha consistido en un nuevo diseño del boletín, más personalizado, de manera que los usuarios reciben en su correo electrónico un listado con los títulos incorporados a la colección sobre el área temática a la que se han suscrito, enlazando cada título al correspondiente registro en el catálogo, junto con algunos enlaces a noticias seleccionadas. Para llevarlo a cabo ha sido necesario aprender el funcionamiento de Mailchimp, trabajar el nuevo diseño, revisar las áreas temáticas, trasladar de la base de contactos a Mailchimp, la revisión de la legislación vigente sobre protección de datos —que exige tener constancia del consetimiento de los usuarios para el envío— y realizar una campaña de comunicación para dar a conocer el nuevo boletín. Un aspecto técnico a destacar consiste en la inclusión del listado de títulos de cada área temática mediante las RSS del catálogo, de manera que es posible tener una sola plantilla para cada área que se actualiza automáticamente en cada nuevo enví

Fruit Wine Obtained from Melon by-Products: Physico-Chemical and Sensory Analysis, and Characterization of Key Aromas by GC-MS

About 20% of fresh fruits and vegetables are rejected for not meeting the superficial aesthetic standards (color, shape, and size). Part of the food production is not used in the human food chain. The transformation of these fresh products into novel re-valuable ones is a challenge for a sustainable food industry. This research studies an alcoholic fermentation fruit-based wine from two melon (Cucumis melo L.) cultivars: Jimbee® (smooth and yellow skin with orange flesh) and Okashi® (netted yellow-orange skin with pale green flesh). The melon juice (must) was fermented by Saccharomyces cerevisiae and enriched in sucrose and organic acids to achieve alcoholic fermentation, acidity, and flavors, obtaining a fruity-flavored and dry melon-based wine with 10° alcoholic grade, in both melon cultivars. The volatile compounds were measured by GC-MS and the odor activity value (OAV) was calculated. The Jimbee and Okashi melon wines increased their aromatic profile due to an increment in medium-chain fatty acid ethyl esters such as ethyl hexanoate, ethyl octanoate, and ethyl decanoate (OAV > 1), which contributed to the fruity aroma. Other volatile compounds such as ethyl 9-decenoate and phenethyl acetate (OAV > 1) appeared in the Okashi wine, which brought a floral aroma. For sensory evaluation (40–100), the Jimbee cultivar, with its orange flesh, scored 68.2 and the Okashi cultivar, with pale green flesh, scored 82.8, which was the preferred melon-based wine. This is an example of a circular economy model to produce a fruit-based wine with commercial potential and satisfactory sensory evaluation.This research was funded by RTI2018-099139-B-C21 project from Ministry of Science and Innovation (Spain)—National Research Agency (MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033) and by “ERDF A way of making Europe”, of the European Union and by 21645/PDC/21 project from “Fundación Séneca” of Murcia Region (Spain). José Angel Salas-Millán acknowledges financial support for “Industrial PhD” grant (DIN2019-010837) from the Ministry of Science and Innovation and JimboFresh International Company. The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interest or personal relationship that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper

Brain Perihematoma Genomic Profile Following Spontaneous Human Intracerebral Hemorrhage

BACKGROUND: Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) represents about 15% of all strokes and is associated with high mortality rates. Our aim was to identify the gene expression changes and biological pathways altered in the brain following ICH. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Twelve brain samples were obtained from four deceased patients who suffered an ICH including perihematomal tissue (PH) and the corresponding contralateral white (CW) and grey (CG) matter. Affymetrix GeneChip platform for analysis of over 47,000 transcripts was conducted. Microarray Analysis Suite 5.0 was used to process array images and the Ingenuity Pathway Analysis System was used to analyze biological mechanisms and functions of the genes. We identified 468 genes in the PH areas displaying a different expression pattern with a fold change between -3.74 and +5.16 when compared to the contralateral areas (291 overexpressed and 177 underexpressed). The top genes which appeared most significantly overexpressed in the PH areas codify for cytokines, chemokines, coagulation factors, cell growth and proliferation factors while the underexpressed codify for proteins involved in cell cycle or neurotrophins. Validation and replication studies at gene and protein level in brain samples confirmed microarray results. CONCLUSIONS: The genomic responses identified in this study provide valuable information about potential biomarkers and target molecules altered in the perihematomal regions

Proinsulin protects against age-related cognitive loss through anti-inflammatory convergent pathways

Brain inflammaging is increasingly considered as contributing to age-related cognitive loss and neurodegeneration. Despite intensive research in multiple models, no clinically effective pharmacological treatment has been found yet. Here, in the mouse model of brain senescence SAMP8, we tested the effects of proinsulin, a promising neuroprotective agent that was previously proven to be effective in mouse models of retinal neurodegeneration. Proinsulin is the precursor of the hormone insulin but also upholds developmental physiological effects, particularly as a survival factor for neural cells. Adeno-associated viral vectors of serotype 1 bearing the human proinsulin gene were administered intramuscularly to obtain a sustained release of proinsulin into the blood stream, which was able to reach the target area of the hippocampus. SAMP8 mice and the control strain SAMR1 were treated at 1 month of age. At 6 months, behavioral testing exhibited cognitive loss in SAMP8 mice treated with the null vector. Remarkably, the cognitive performance achieved in spatial and recognition tasks by SAMP8 mice treated with proinsulin was similar to that of SAMR1 mice. In the hippocampus, proinsulin induced the activation of neuroprotective pathways and the downstream signaling cascade, leading to the decrease of neuroinflammatory markers. Furthermore, the decrease of astrocyte reactivity was a central effect, as demonstrated in the connectome network of changes induced by proinsulin. Therefore, the neuroprotective effects of human proinsulin unveil a new pharmacological potential therapy in the fight against cognitive loss in the elderly.Postprint (published version

peIF4E as an independent prognostic factor and a potential therapeutic target in diffuse infiltrating astrocytomas

Malignant transformation in tumors is a complex process requiring accumulation of numerous oncogenic abnormalities. Brain tumors show considerable phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity. In a series comprising diffuse infiltrating astrocytomas () and reactive gliosis, we investigated the main factors associated with signaling pathways. We assessed expression levels and their association with tumor progression and survival. We studied 19 grade astrocytomas, 25 anaplastic astrocytomas (grade ), 60 glioblastomas (grade ), and 15 cases of reactive gliosis. Epidermal growth factor receptor (), , 4E-1, p4E-1, 6, 4E, and pe4E expression levels were evaluated using immunohistochemistry. Expression levels were semiquantitatively evaluated using a histoscore. Immunohistochemistry and were used for 1 mutations. Statistical analysis was based on the following tests: chi-square, Student's t, Pearson correlation, Spearman's rho, and Mann-Whitney; and Kaplan-Meier curves were constructed. A significant increase was observed between grades for expression of total and phosphorylated 4E-1 and for 4E, Ki67, , and cyclin D1. Although expression of ,4E, and Ki67 correlated with survival, only pe4E was an independent predictor of survival in the multivariate analysis. Combining the evaluation of different proteins enables us to generate helpful diagnostic nomograms. In conclusion, cell signaling pathways are activated in s; pe4E is an independent prognostic factor and a promising therapeutic target. Joint analysis of the expression of 4E-1 and pe4E could be helpful in the diagnosis of glioblastoma multiforme in small biopsy samples

Safety and Revisit Related to Discharge the Sixty-one Spanish Emergency Department Medical Centers Without Hospitalization in Patients with COVID-19 Pneumonia. A Prospective Cohort Study UMC-Pneumonia COVID-19

Background: Information is needed on the safety and efficacy of direct discharge from the emergency department (ED) of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Objectives: The objectives of the study were to study the variables associated with discharge from the ED in patients presenting with COVID-19 pneumonia, and study ED revisits related to COVID-19 at 30 days (EDR30d). Methods: Multicenter study of the SIESTA cohort including 1198 randomly selected COVID patients in 61 EDs of Spanish medical centers from March 1, 2020, to April 30, 2020. We collected baseline and related characteristics of the acute episode and calculated the adjusted odds ratios (aOR) for ED discharge. In addition, we analyzed the variables related to EDR30d in discharged patients. Results: We analyzed 859 patients presenting with COVID-19 pneumonia, 84 (9.8%) of whom were discharged from the ED. The variables independently associated with discharge were being a woman (aOR 1.890; 95%CI 1.176-3.037), age 1200/mm(3) (aOR 4.667; 95%CI 1.045-20.839). The EDR30d of the ED discharged group was 40.0%, being lower in women (aOR 0.368; 95%CI 0.142-0.953). A total of 130 hospitalized patients died (16.8%) as did two in the group discharged from the ED (2.4%) (OR 0.121; 95%CI 0.029-0.498). Conclusion: Discharge from the ED in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia was infrequent and was associated with few variables of the episode. The EDR30d was high, albeit with a low mortality

Fermentaciones. Elaboración de cerveza: Rutas biotecnológicas

La Escuela de Agrónomos de la Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena (UPCT) recibe en sus laboratorios a 240 estudiantes de 2º de Bachillerato en una nueva edición de las Rutas Biotecnológicas. Fermentaciones y elaboración de cerveza, encapsulación en gel para semillas artificiales y caviar de melón, plantas transgénicas, modelado 3D o residuos industriales son algunas de las prácticas que realizarán los estudiantes durante esta semana. Se realizan tres módulos básicos, Biología, Ciencias de la Tierra y Tecnologías Industriales, con tres prácticas diferentes en cada uno de ellos. La materia prima principal para la fabricación de la cerveza es el almidón. Es necesario convertir este almidón en azúcares porque la levadura no puede degradar estos polisacáridos. En la fermentación de los azúcares por la levadura se forma alcohol y dióxido de carbono. Durante la elaboración de la cerveza, el almidón es convertido en azúcares por procedimientos bioquímicos enzimáticos. Al germinar las semillas de cereales, se desarrollan en gran cantidad enzimas amilolíticas (amilasas), que tienen la propiedad de digerir el almidón y convertir en maltosa. Si se detiene la germinación en la fase inicial secando las semillas, el producto resultante se conoce con el nombre de malta. Posteriormente esta malta se fermenta. Los tipos de fermentaciones que nos podemos encontrar en cervecería en función del tipo de levadura utilizado y las condiciones del proceso son dos: La fermentación baja: se usan levaduras que al final de la fermentación forman grumos, floculan, y se depositan en el fondo del tanque. El mosto clarificado y enfriado se siembra a la salida del enfriador, con levadura homogeneizada y aireada. La temperatura de fermentación transcurre entre los 6 y los 14 ºC. La duración de la fermentación va de los 8 a los 20 días. La separación de la cerveza de la levadura suele hacerse por sedimentación. El enfriamiento del fermentador al final de la fermentación facilita la sedimentación de la levadura. La fermentación alta: se usan levaduras que tienden a subir a la superficie de la cerveza. Se utilizan cepas de recogida superior. Estas levaduras se desplazan a la superficie de la cerveza al final de la fermentación porque los grumos de levadura llevan englobado CO2 que hace que floten. Si utilizamos tanques de tipo abierto la levadura se recoge por succión o desespumado. La siembra del mosto se hace a temperaturas más altas entre unos 15 y 17 ºC y se deja aumentar hasta los 20-22 ºC, se realiza una mayor aireación. Estos dos factores la mayor temperatura junto con una mayor aireación, hacen que se realice en menos tiempo, en solo 3 días.Esta práctica se va a realizar sobre este último tipo de fermentación.La Dirección General de Atención a la Diversidad y Calidad Educativa de la Comunidad Autónoma de la Región de Murcia y la Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agronómica de la Universidad Politécnica de Cartagen

Different model hypotheses are needed to account for qualitative variability in the response of two strains of Salmonella spp. under dynamic conditions

In this article, the thermal inactivation of two Salmonella strains (Salmonella Enteritidis CECT4300 and Salmonella Senftenberg CECT4565) was studied under both isothermal and dynamic conditions. We observed large differences between these two strains, with S. Senftenberg being much more resistant than S. Enteritidis. Under isothermal conditions, S. Senftenberg had non-linear survivor curves, whereas the response of S. Enteritidis was log-linear. Therefore, weibullian inactivation models were used to describe the response of S. Senftenberg, with the Mafart model being the more suitable one. For S. Enteritidis, the Bigelow (log-linear) inactivation model was successful at describing the isothermal response. Under dynamic conditions, a combination of the Peleg and Mafart models (secondary model of Mafart; t* of Peleg) fitted to the isothermal data could predict the response of S. Senftenberg to the dynamic treatments tested (heating rates between 0.5 and 10 °C/min). This was not the case for S. Enteritidis, where the model predictions based on isothermal data underestimated the microbial concentrations. Therefore, a dynamic model that considers stress acclimation to one of the dynamic profiles was fitted, using the remaining profiles as validation. In light of this, besides its quantitative impact, variability between strains of bacterial species can also cause qualitative differences in microbial inactivation. This is demonstrated by S. Enteritidis being able to develop stress acclimation where S. Senftenbenberg could not. This has important implications for the development of microbial inactivation models to support process design, as every industrial treatment is dynamic. Consequently, it is crucial to consider different model hypotheses, and how they affect the model predictions both under isothermal and dynamic conditions

Dynamics of microbial inactivation and acrylamide production in high‐temperature heat treatments

In food processes, optimizing processing parameters is crucial to ensure food safety, max-imize food quality, and minimize the formation of potentially toxigenic compounds. This research focuses on the simultaneous impacts that severe heat treatments applied to food may have on the formation of harmful chemicals and on microbiological safety. The case studies analysed consider the appearance/synthesis of acrylamide after a sterilization heat treatment for two different foods: pureed potato and prune juice, using Geobacillus stearothermophilus as an indicator. It presents two contradictory situations: on the one hand, the application of a high‐temperature treatment to a low acid food with G. stearothermophilus spores causes their inactivation, reaching food safety and stability from a microbiological point of view. On the other hand, high temperatures favour the appearance of acrylamide. In this way, the two objectives (microbiological safety and acrylamide production) are opposed. In this work, we analyse the effects of high‐temperature thermal treatments (isothermal conditions between 120 and 135 °C) in food from two perspectives: microbiological safety/stability and acrylamide production. After analysing both objectives simultaneously, it is concluded that, contrary to what is expected, heat treatments at higher temperatures result in lower acrylamide production for the same level of microbial inactivation. This is due to the different dynamics and sensitivities of the processes at high temperatures. These results, as well as the presented methodology, can be a basis of analysis for decision makers to design heat treatments that ensure food safety while minimizing the amount of acrylamide (or other harmful substances) produced