Iberian cured-ham consumption improves endothelial function in healthy subjects

Objectives: Previous studies have shown that dietary components such as oleic acid or polyphenols exert beneficial effects on endothelium. We aimed to assess the impact of regular consumption of Iberian cured-ham (ICH) on endothelial function. Design: An open-label, randomized controlled parallel study. Setting: Volunteers recruited through advertisements at a hospital in Madrid, Spain. Participants: 102 Caucasian adults (76.8% females) aged 25-55 years, and free from cardiometabolic disease. Intervention: Participants were randomized to an ICH-enriched ad libitum diet or an ad libitum diet without ICH for 6 weeks. Subjects in ICH group were randomly provided with either acorn- or mixed-fed ICH, and followed up for an additional 6-week period under their usual diet. Measurements: Clinical parameters, biomarkers of endothelial function and oxidative stress, microvascular vasodilatory response to hyperemia and arterial stiffness were measured before and after the intervention. Results: After 6 weeks, a larger decrease in PAI-1 was observed in subjects consuming ICH compared to the Control group (-6.2±17.7 vs. 0.3±1.4 ng/ml; p=0.020). Similarly, microvascular vasodilatory response to hyperemia showed a significant increase (112.4±391.7 vs. -56.0±327.9%; p=0.007). However, neither oxidative stress, hemodynamic nor clinical parameters differed significantly over the study. Additionally, after stopping ICH consumption, improvements in PAI-1 remained for 6 additional weeks with respect to baseline (p=0.006). Conclusion: The present study demonstrates, for the first time, that regular consumption of ICH improves endothelial function in healthy adults. Strategies aimed to preserve or improve the endothelial function may have implications in vascular aging beyond the prevention of the atherothrombotic disease

Weaning practices in phenylketonuria vary between health professionals in Europe

Background: In phenylketonuria (PKU), weaning is considered more challenging when compared to feeding healthy infants. The primary aim of weaning is to gradually replace natural protein from breast milk or standard infant formula with solids containing equivalent phenylalanine (Phe). In addition, a Phe-free second stage L-amino acid supplement is usually recommended from around 6 months to replace Phe-free infant formula. Our aim was to assess different weaning approaches used by health professionals across Europe. Methods: A cross sectional questionnaire (survey monkey (R)) composed of 31 multiple and single choice questions was sent to European colleagues caring for inherited metabolic disorders (IMD). Centres were grouped into geographical regions for analysis. Results: Weaning started at 17-26 weeks in 85% (n=81/95) of centres, > 26 weeks in 12% (n=11/95) and 26 weeks. First solids were mainly low Phe vegetables (59%, n=56/95) and fruit (34%, n=32/95). A Phe exchange system to allocate dietary Phe was used by 52% (n=49/95) of centres predominantly from Northern and Southern Europe and 48% (n=46/95) calculated most Phe containing food sources (all centres in Eastern Europe and the majority from Germany and Austria). Some centres used a combination of both methods. A second stage Phe-free L-amino acid supplement containing a higher protein equivalent was introduced by 41% (n=39/95) of centres at infant age 26-36 weeks (mainly from Germany, Austria, Northern and Eastern Europe) and 37% (n=35/95) at infant age > 1y mainly from Southern Europe. 53% (n=50/95) of centres recommended a second stage Phe-free L-amino acid supplement in a spoonable or semi-solid form. Conclusions: Weaning strategies vary throughout European PKU centres. There is evidence to suggest that different infant weaning strategies may influence longer term adherence to the PKU diet or acceptance of Phe-free L-amino acid supplements; rendering prospective long-term studies important. It is essential to identify an effective weaning strategy that reduces caregiver burden but is associated with acceptable dietary adherence and optimal infant feeding development.Peer reviewe

Early feeding practices in infants with phenylketonuria across Europe

Background: In infants with phenylketonuria (PKU), dietary management is based on lowering and titrating phenylalanine (Phe) intake from breast milk or standard infant formula in combination with a Phe-free infant formula in order to maintain blood Phe levels within target range. Professionals use different methods to feed infants with PKU and our survey aimed to document practices across Europe. Methods: We sent a cross sectional, survey monkey (R) questionnaire to European health professionals working in IMD. It contained 31 open and multiple-choice questions. The results were analysed according to different geographical regions. Results: Ninety-five centres from 21 countries responded. Over 60% of centres commenced diet in infants by age 10 days, with 58% of centres implementing newborn screening by day 3 post birth. At diagnosis, infant hospital admission occurred in 61% of metabolic centres, mainly in Eastern, Western and Southern Europe. Breastfeeding fell sharply following diagnosis with only 30% of women still breast feeding at 6 months. 53% of centres gave pre-measured Phe-free infant formula before each breast feed and 23% alternated breast feeds with Phe-free infant formula. With standard infant formula feeds, measured amounts were followed by Phe-free infant formula to satiety in 37% of centres (n = 35/95), whereas 44% (n = 42/95) advised mixing both formulas together. Weaning commenced between 17 and 26 weeks in 85% centres, >= 26 weeks in 12% and <17 weeks in 3%. Discussion: This is the largest European survey completed on PKU infant feeding practices. It is evident that practices varied widely across Europe, and the practicalities of infant feeding in PKU received little focus in the PKU European Guidelines (2017). There are few reports comparing different feeding techniques with blood Phe control, Phe fluctuations and growth. Controlled prospective studies are necessary to assess how different infant feeding practices may influence longer term feeding development.Peer reviewe

Early feeding practices in infants with phenylketonuria across Europe

Background: In infants with phenylketonuria (PKU), dietary management is based on lowering and titrating phenylalanine (Phe) intake from breast milk or standard infant formula in combination with a Phe-free infant formula in order to maintain blood Phe levels within target range. Professionals use different methods to feed infants with PKU and our survey aimed to document practices across Europe. Methods: We sent a cross sectional, survey monkey (R) questionnaire to European health professionals working in IMD. It contained 31 open and multiple-choice questions. The results were analysed according to different geographical regions. Results: Ninety-five centres from 21 countries responded. Over 60% of centres commenced diet in infants by age 10 days, with 58% of centres implementing newborn screening by day 3 post birth. At diagnosis, infant hospital admission occurred in 61% of metabolic centres, mainly in Eastern, Western and Southern Europe. Breastfeeding fell sharply following diagnosis with only 30% of women still breast feeding at 6 months. 53% of centres gave pre-measured Phe-free infant formula before each breast feed and 23% alternated breast feeds with Phe-free infant formula. With standard infant formula feeds, measured amounts were followed by Phe-free infant formula to satiety in 37% of centres (n = 35/95), whereas 44% (n = 42/95) advised mixing both formulas together. Weaning commenced between 17 and 26 weeks in 85% centres, >= 26 weeks in 12% and <17 weeks in 3%. Discussion: This is the largest European survey completed on PKU infant feeding practices. It is evident that practices varied widely across Europe, and the practicalities of infant feeding in PKU received little focus in the PKU European Guidelines (2017). There are few reports comparing different feeding techniques with blood Phe control, Phe fluctuations and growth. Controlled prospective studies are necessary to assess how different infant feeding practices may influence longer term feeding development

Combining six genome scan methods to detect candidate genes to salinity in the Mediterranean striped red mullet (Mullus surmuletus)

Abstract Background Adaptive genomics may help predicting how a species will respond to future environmental changes. Genomic signatures of local adaptation in marine organisms are often driven by environmental selective agents impacting the physiology of organisms. With one of the highest salinity level, the Mediterranean Sea provides an excellent model to investigate adaptive genomic divergence underlying salinity adaptation. In the present study, we combined six genome scan methods to detect potential genomic signal of selection in the striped red mullet (Mullus surmuletus) populations distributed across a wide salinity gradient. We then blasted these outlier sequences on published fish genomic resources in order to identify relevant potential candidate genes for salinity adaptation in this species. Results Altogether, the six genome scan methods found 173 outliers out of 1153 SNPs. Using a blast approach, we discovered four candidate SNPs belonging to three genes potentially implicated in adaptation of M. surmuletus to salinity. The allele frequency at one of these SNPs significantly increases with salinity independently from the effect of longitude. The gene associated to this SNP, SOCS2, encodes for an inhibitor of cytokine and has previously been shown to be expressed under osmotic pressure in other marine organisms. Additionally, our results showed that genome scan methods not correcting for spatial structure can still be an efficient strategy to detect potential footprints of selection, when the spatial and environmental variation are confounded, and then, correcting for spatial structure in a second step represents a conservative method. Conclusion The present outcomes bring evidences of potential genomic footprint of selection, which suggest an adaptive response of M. surmuletus to salinity conditions in the Mediterranean Sea. Additional genomic data such as sequencing of a full-genome and transcriptome analyses of gene expression would provide new insights regarding the possibility that some striped red mullet populations are locally adapted to their saline environment

I Congreso Nacional: La Ciencia en la Educación Infantil y Primaria

Documento PDF de 236 páginas donde se resume las conferencias, ponencias, comunicaciones y carteles presentados en el I Congreso Nacional "La Ciencia en la Educación Infantil y Primaria" celebrado los días 5,6,7 y 8 de septiembre de 2001. La organización del congreso estuvo a cargo del Grupo de Extensión Científica del IMAFF del CSIC (El CSIC en la Escuela) y de la Real Sociedad Española de Física.Resumen de las ponencias, comunicaciones y posters del I Congreso Nacional "La Ciencia en la Educación Infantil y Primaria" celebrado en Granada en septiembre de 2001. El objetivo de este congreso es propiciar el acercamiento del mundo de la Ciencia al de la enseñanza en las primeras etapas. La enseñanza de la Ciencia, concebida como parte de la cultura, es un elemento fundamental de los contenidos con los que un niño tiene que contar para afrontar un mundo de creciente complejidad, en el que la Ciencia irrumpe como ingrediente cotidiano. Despertar su curiosidad y espíritu crítico, fomentar la creatividad y desarrollar destrezas y actitudes, a la vez que se transmiten contenidos científicos, son actividades esenciales para ayudarle a entender un mundo en el que el valor de la observación y la experimentación adquieren la categoría de requisito en el nuevo humanismo.Real Sociedad Española de Física. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto de Matemáticas y Física Fundamental. Instituto de Historia. Universidad de Granada. Centro de Estudios Superiores Don Bosco. Centro de Apoyo al Profesorado de Vallecas. Parque de las Ciencias de Granada. Caja Duero. FECyTN

Early feeding practices in infants with phenylketonuria across Europe

Background: In infants with phenylketonuria (PKU), dietary management is based on lowering and titrating phenylalanine (Phe) intake from breast milk or standard infant formula in combination with a Phe-free infant formula in order to maintain blood Phe levels within target range. Professionals use different methods to feed infants with PKU and our survey aimed to document practices across Europe