Electromagnetic freezing: Effects of weak oscillating magnetic fields on crab sticks

Since the earlier 2000s, electromagnetic freezers have been sold all over the world. According to the manufacturers, the oscillating magnetic fields (OMFs) applied by these devices are capable of avoiding ice damage in frozen foods. To assess the effectiveness of OMFs in preserving food quality, we froze crab sticks in a commercial electromagnetic freezer, both with (<2 mT, 6-59 Hz) and without OMF application. Crab sticks were also frozen in a conventional freezer, both with static- and forced-air conditions, to compare electromagnetic freezing with conventional methods. After 24 h and 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months of storage, we did not find any effect of the OMFs on the drip loss, water-holding capacity, toughness, and whiteness of the crab sticks frozen in the electromagnetic device. Moreover, no advantage of electromagnetic freezing over air-blast freezing was detected at the conditions tested. More experiments at larger magnetic field strength and wider frequency ranges are needed to have a complete view of the potential effects of OMFs on food freezing.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) through the project AGL2012-39756-C02-01. Antonio C. Rodríguez acknowledges the predoctoral contract BES-2013-065942 from MINECO, jointly financed by the European Social Fund, in the framework of the National Program for the Promotion of Talent and its Employability (National Sub-Program for Doctors Training).Peer reviewe

Effects of magnetic fields on freezing: Application to biological products

Magnetic freezing is nowadays established as a commercial reality mainly oriented towards the food market. According to advertisements, magnetic freezing is able to generate tiny ice crystals throughout the frozen product, prevent cell destruction, and preserve the quality of fresh food intact after thawing. If all these advantages were true, magnetic freezing would represent a significant advance in freezing technology, not only for food preservation but also for cryopreservation of biological specimens, such as cells, tissues, and organs. Magnetic fields (MFs) are supposed to act directly on water by orientating, vibrating and/or spinning molecules to prevent them from clustering and, thus, promote supercooling. However, many doubts exist about the real effects of MFs on freezing and the science behind the potential mechanisms involved. To provide a basis for extending the understanding of magnetic freezing, this paper presents a critical review of the materials published in the literature up to now, including both patents and experimental results. After examining the information available, it was not possible to discern whether MFs have an appreciable effect on supercooling, freezing kinetics, ice crystals, quality, and/or viability of the frozen products. Experiments in the literature frequently fail to identify and/or control all the factors that can play a role in magnetic freezing. Moreover, many of the comparisons between magnetic and conventional freezing are not correctly designed to draw valid conclusions and wide ranges of MF intensities and frequencies are unexplored. Therefore, more rigorous experimentation and further evidence are needed to confirm or reject the efficacy of MFs in improving the quality of frozen products.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) through the project AGL2012-39756-C02-01. A. C. Rodríguez acknowledges a predoctoral contract from MINECO, jointly financed by the European Social Fund, in the framework of the National Program for the Promotion of Talent and its Employability (National Sub-Program for Doctors Training).Peer reviewe

PCA and Parellel SVM to Optimize the Diagnostic of Breast Cancer Based on Raman Spectroscopy

Breast cancer is one of the most deadly diseases in the world; therefore, rapid automated detection of breast cancer in patients is a relevant step in initiating appropriate treatment. In this paper we present a method that optimizes the response time in the automated detection of breast cancer in which a Raman signal is classified as coming from a healthy tissue biopsy or a damaged tissue biopsy. To carry out the detection, we applied Multivariate Component Analysis (PCA) in conjunction with a Classifier (Vector Support Machine (SVM)) in Parallel and from this methods we obtained high correct detection rates, corroborated when comparing the results of the classifier against previous tissue classifications performed by an expert pathologist. We believe that our approach can be applied to other organs of the body where timely detection and classification of cancer can be difficult and of prognostic relevance, such as stomach and pancreas, among others

Melatonin Enhances Cisplatin and Radiation Cytotoxicity in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma by Stimulating Mitochondrial ROS Generation, Apoptosis, and Autophagy

Head and neck cancer is the sixth leading cancer by incidence worldwide. Unfortunately, drug resistance and relapse are the principal limitations of clinical oncology for many patients, and the failure of conventional treatments is an extremely demoralizing experience. It is therefore crucial to find new therapeutic targets and drugs to enhance the cytotoxic effects of conventional treatments without potentiating or offsetting the adverse effects. Melatonin has oncostatic effects, although the mechanisms involved and doses required remain unclear. The purpose of this study is to determine the precise underlying mitochondrial mechanisms of melatonin, which increase the cytotoxicity of oncological treatments, and also to propose new melatonin treatments in order to alleviate and reverse radio- and chemoresistant processes. We analyzed the effects of melatonin on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell lines (Cal-27 and SCC-9), which were treated with 0.1, 0.5, 1, and 1.5mM melatonin combined with 8 Gy irradiation or 10 μM cisplatin. Clonogenic and MTT assays, as well as autophagy and apoptosis, involving flow cytometry and western blot, were performed in order to determine the cytotoxic effects of the treatments. Mitochondrial function was evaluated by measuring mitochondrial respiration, mtDNA content (RT-PCR), and mitochondrial mass (NAO). ROS production, antioxidant enzyme activity, and GSH/GSSG levels were analyzed using a fluorometric method. We show that high concentrations of melatonin potentiate the cytotoxic effects of radiotherapy and CDDP in HNSCC, which are associated with increased mitochondrial function in these cells. In HNSCC, melatonin induces intracellular ROS, whose accumulation plays an upstream role in mitochondria-mediated apoptosis and autophagy. Our findings indicate that melatonin, at high concentrations, combined with cisplatin and radiotherapy to improve its effectiveness, is a potential adjuvant agent.This study was partially supported by grants from the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Spain, and the FEDER Regional Development Fund (nos. SAF2013-49019 and SAF2017-85903), from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (no. CB/10/00238), and from the Consejería de Economía, Innovación, Ciencia y Empleo, Junta de Andalucía (CTS-101)

Chondrocyte Turnover in Lung Cartilage

Cartilage is a highly differentiated connective tissue that forms mechanical support to soft tissues and is important for bone development from fetal period to puberty. It is conformed by chondrocytes and extracellular matrix. It is generally believed that adult cartilage has no capacity to renewal. A delicate balance between cell proliferation and cell death ensures the maintenance of normal tissue morphology and function. Stem cells play essential roles in this process. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can give rise to multiple lineages including bone, adipose and cartilage. Nestin protein was initially identified as a marker for neural stem cells, but its expression has also been detected in many types of cells, including MSCs. In vivo, chondrocyte turnover has been almost exclusively studied in articular cartilage. In this chapter we will review the findings about the chondrocyte turnover in lung cartilage. We have presented evidence that there exist nestin-positive MSCs in healthy adulthood that participates in the turnover of lung cartilage and in lung airway epithelium renewal. These findings may improve our knowledge about the biology of the cartilage and of the stem cells, and could provide new cell candidates for cartilage tissue engineering and for therapy for devastating pulmonary diseases

3-Hydroxy Kynurenine Treatment Controls T. cruzi Replication and the Inflammatory Pathology Preventing the Clinical Symptoms of Chronic Chagas Disease

BACKGROUND: 3-Hydroxy Kynurenine (3-HK) administration during the acute phase of Trypanosoma. cruzi infection decreases the parasitemia of lethally infected mice and improves their survival. However, due to the fact that the treatment with 3-HK is unable to eradicate the parasite, together with the known proapoptotic and immunoregulatory properties of 3-HK and their downstream catabolites, it is possible that the 3-HK treatment is effective during the acute phase of the infection by controlling the parasite replication, but at the same time suppressed the protective T cell response before pathogen clearance worsening the chronic phase of the infection. Therefore, in the present study, we investigated the effect of 3-HK treatment on the development of chronic Chagas' disease. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In the present study, we treated mice infected with T. cruzi with 3-HK at day five post infection during 5 consecutive days and investigated the effect of this treatment on the development of chronic Chagas disease. Cardiac functional (electrocardiogram) and histopathological studies were done at 60 dpi. 3-HK treatment markedly reduced the incidence and the severity of the electrocardiogram alterations and the inflammatory infiltrates and fibrosis in heart and skeletal muscle. 3-HK treatment modulated the immune response at the acute phase of the infection impairing the Th1- and Th2-type specific response and inducing TGF-β-secreting cells promoting the emergence of regulatory T cells and long-term specific IFN-γ secreting cells. 3-HK in vitro induced regulatory phenotype in T cells from T. cruzi acutely infected mice. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that the early 3-HK treatment was effective in reducing the cardiac lesions as well as altering the pattern of the immune response in experimental Chagas' disease. Thus, we propose 3-HK as a novel therapeutic treatment able to control both the parasite replication and the inflammatory response

Four small supernumerary marker chromosomes derived from chromosomes 6, 8, 11 and 12 in a patient with minimal clinical abnormalities: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Small supernumerary marker chromosomes are still a problem in cytogenetic diagnostic and genetic counseling. This holds especially true for the rare cases with multiple small supernumerary marker chromosomes. Most such cases are reported to be clinically severely affected due to the chromosomal imbalances induced by the presence of small supernumerary marker chromosomes. Here we report the first case of a patient having four different small supernumerary marker chromosomes which, apart from slight developmental retardation in youth and non-malignant hyperpigmentation, presented no other clinical signs.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>Our patient was a 30-year-old Caucasian man, delivered by caesarean section because of macrosomy. At birth he presented with bilateral cryptorchidism but no other birth defects. At age of around two years he showed psychomotor delay and a bilateral convergent strabismus. Later he had slight learning difficulties, with normal social behavior and now lives an independent life as an adult. Apart from hypogenitalism, he has multiple hyperpigmented nevi all over his body, short feet with pes cavus and claw toes. At age of 30 years, cytogenetic and molecular cytogenetic analysis revealed a karyotype of 50,XY,+min(6)(:p11.1-> q11.1:),+min(8)(:p11.1->q11.1:),+min(11)(:p11.11->q11:),+min(12)(:p11.2~12->q10:), leading overall to a small partial trisomy in 12p11.1~12.1.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Including this case, four single case reports are available in the literature with a karyotype 50,XN,+4mar. For prenatally detected multiple small supernumerary marker chromosomes in particular we learn from this case that such a cytogenetic condition may be correlated with a positive clinical outcome.</p

Cord blood cardiovascular biomarkers in left-sided congenital heart disease.

Fetal echocardiography has limited prognostic ability in the evaluation of left-sided congenital heart defects (left heart defects). Cord blood cardiovascular biomarkers could improve the prognostic evaluation of left heart defects. A multicenter prospective cohort (2013-2019) including fetuses with left heart defects (aortic coarctation, aortic stenosis, hypoplastic left heart, and multilevel obstruction (complex left heart defects) subdivided according to their outcome (favorable vs. poor), and control fetuses were evaluated in the third trimester of pregnancy at three referral centers in Spain. Poor outcome was defined as univentricular palliation, heart transplant, or death. Cord blood concentrations of N-terminal precursor of B-type natriuretic peptide, Troponin I, transforming growth factor β, placental growth factor, and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 were determined. A total of 45 fetuses with left heart defects (29 favorable and 16 poor outcomes) and 35 normal fetuses were included, with a median follow-up of 3.1 years (interquartile range 1.4-3.9). Left heart defects with favorable outcome showed markedly increased cord blood transforming growth factor β (normal heart median 15.5 ng/mL (6.8-21.4) vs. favorable outcome 51.7 ng/mL (13.8-73.9) vs. poor outcome 25.1 ng/mL (6.9-39.0), p = 0.001) and decreased placental growth factor concentrations (normal heart 17.9 pg/mL (13.8-23.9) vs. favorable outcome 12.8 pg/mL (11.7-13.6) vs. poor outcome 11.0 pg/mL (8.8-15.4), p < 0.001). Poor outcome left heart defects had higher N-terminal precursor of B-type natriuretic peptide (normal heart 508.0 pg/mL (287.5-776.3) vs. favorable outcome 617.0 pg/mL (389.8-1087.8) vs. poor outcome 1450.0 pg/mL (919.0-1645.0), p = 0.001) and drastically reduced soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 concentrations (normal heart 1929.7 pg/mL (1364.3-2715.8) vs. favorable outcome (1848.3 pg/mL (646.9-2313.6) vs. poor outcome 259.0 pg/mL (182.0-606.0), p < 0.001). Results showed that fetuses with left heart defects present a distinct cord blood biomarker profile according to their outcome

Timed Up and Go Test Performance as an Indicator of Fall History in Institutionalized Elderly: A Pilot Study

Background: Ageing is associated with sensory and physical declines and falling risk. Objective: To determine the association between 3 performance-based mobility tests and fall history. Methods: Fifty participants' mobility was assessed by Timed Up and Go (TUG) and 4- and 6-m walking tests (WT). Results: The TUG performance correlated with 4- and 6-m WT performance, and performance on 4-m WT positively correlated with 6-m WT. Only TUG performance showed a strong relationship to fall history. Conclusions: Performance tests could indicate the presence of fall history in the institutionalized older adults; the TUG being the most suitable compared with other common WT

Conflictos socioambientales y alternativas de la sociedad civil

Los conflictos socioambientales se multiplican en todo el mundo. Giran en torno a la contaminación industrial, las actividades mineras, el cambio de uso de suelo, la deforestación, la construcción de presas, la introducción de semillas genéticamente modificadas, el mal manejo de desechos sólidos y la privatización de tierra, agua y biodiversidad, entre otros. ¿Cuáles son las causas subyacentes a estos conflictos? ¿Quiénes son los protagonistas? ¿Cuáles son sus demandas, propuestas y estrategias? ¿En qué medida han contribuido a proteger o sanear el medio ambiente? ¿Hay conflictos locales que se convierten en glocales con la intervención de la sociedad civil? Estas interrogantes se abordan en este libro, que recoge inventarios de conflictos ambientales en México, en especial en Jalisco.ITESO, A.C