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Fishmeal and fish oil substitution in aquafeeds might have adverse effects on fish growth and health, mainly in carnivorous species, such as Mediterranean yellowtail (Seriola dumerili). Mediterranean yellowtail shows great potential as an alternative aquaculture species due to its fast growth and high price on the market, but the need for high-quality protein and fatty acid content in its diets is limiting its production. In order to improve the sustainability of its production, this study was conducted with 360 fish of 35 g to evaluate the effects on fish growth and health. Six diets were used: one control diet without replacement, three with FM replacement (FM66, FM33, and FM0) (33%, 66%, and 100% FM replacement), and two with FO replacement (FO50 and FO0) (50% and 100% FO replacement). The substitution of FM was with vegetable (VM) (corn gluten) and animal (AM) (krill and meat meal) meals. The reductions in FM and FO of up to 33 and 0%, respectively, did not affect the growth and survival of S. dumerili at the intestinal morphology level, except for the anterior intestine regarding the lower villi length and width and the posterior intestine regarding the lower width of the lamina propria. On the other hand, the substitution of fish ingredients in the diet affects liver morphology, indicating alterations in the major diameter of hepatocytes or their nuclei. Finally, diet did not affect the gut microbiota with respect to the control, but significant differences were found in alpha and beta diversity when FO and FM microbiota were compared. A 66% FM replacement and total FO replacement would be possible without causing major alterations in the fish.

Open pit mining causes damage in natural and rural regions; that is why soil restoration is necessary in order to recovery soil–plant systems. The application of waste can be a good solution for rehabilitation, and it clearly complies with the circular economy and the zero-waste strategy. This study was carried out in a quarry restoration area in the southeast of Spain, where experimental plots were designed and fertilized with different amendments (commonly used inorganic fertilizer N-K-P, pig slurry, pruning waste and urban solid wastes) with the objective of studying ways to improve the restoration of the soil by using these residues and increase the soil fertility before planting. The treatments applied were evaluated in the short term (two and four months from their addition to topsoil) and medium term (nine months) in order to determine if the restored soils will be adequate for agriculture based on nutrients’ availability. The results showed that in all the treatments, the pH exceeded 8.5 due to the nature of the soil matrix, but after 9 months of the application, in the plots treated with NPK and pig slurry, the pH decreased. In general, with the application of the treatments, soil macro- (N, P, K, Na, Ca and Mg) and micro-nutrients (Fe and Cu) were increased. However, pig slurry and urban solid waste favored N and P, respectively.

Mangrove ecotourism is gaining immense popularity in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries as a neoliberal conservation tool, and it has contributed significantly to the growth of the tourism sector in the region over the past two decades. However, there is no comprehensive review on the full extent of mangrove ecotourism activities and the contribution to mangrove conservation/restoration and economic growth in the region. A systematic literature review approach was used to examine the evolution of mangrove ecotourism in the GCC countries from 2010 to 2023. A total of 55 articles were retrieved from the Google and Google Scholar search engines, and the Scopus and Web of Science databases were incorporated. We synthesized the results and provided perspectives on the following: (1) the geographical and temporal distribution of studies in relation to mangrove extent, (2) key sites, attractions, and values for mangrove ecotourism activities, (3) the positive and negative impacts of mangrove ecotourism, and (4) existing mangrove conservation and restoration initiatives for the growth of mangrove ecotourism in the GCC countries. The findings underscore the significance of mangrove ecotourism in supporting economic development, protecting coastal ecosystems, and sustaining local livelihoods in the GCC countries. However, this study highlights the crucial need for sustainable coastal environmental management through integrated land use planning and zoning to address the negative impacts of anthropogenic pressures on mangrove ecosystems and ecotourism attractions. The use of remote sensing tools is invaluable in the monitoring of mangrove ecosystems and associated ecotourism impacts for informing evidence-based conservation and restoration management approaches. Thus, harnessing mangrove ecotourism opportunities can help the GCC countries with balancing economic growth, coastal environmental sustainability, and community well-being.

GPUs are commonly used to accelerate the execution of applications in domains such as deep learning. Deep learning applications are applied to an increasing variety of scenarios, with edge computing being one of them. However, edge devices present severe computing power and energy limitations. In this context, the use of remote GPU virtualization solutions is an efficient way to address these concerns. Nevertheless, the limited network bandwidth might be an issue. This limitation can be alleviated by leveraging on-the-fly compression within the communication layer of remote GPU virtualization solutions. In this way, data exchanged with the remote GPU is transparently compressed before being transmitted, thus increasing network bandwidth in practice. In this paper, we present the implementation of a parallel compression pipeline designed to be used within remote GPU virtualization solutions. A thorough performance analysis shows that network bandwidth can be increased by a factor of up to 2×.

The O-6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) gene is a critical guardian of genomic integrity. MGMT methylation in diffuse gliomas serves as an important determinant of patients’ prognostic outcomes, more specifically in glioblastomas (GBMs). In GBMs, the absence of MGMT methylation, known as MGMT promoter unmethylation, often translates into a more challenging clinical scenario, tending to present resistance to chemotherapy and a worse prognosis. A pyrosequencing (PSQ) technique was used to analyze MGMT methylation status at different cut-offs (5%, 9%, and 11%) in a sample of 78 patients diagnosed with IDH-wildtype grade 4 GBM. A retrospective analysis was provided to collect clinicopathological and prognostic data. A statistical analysis was used to establish an association between methylation status and treatment response (TR) and disease-specific survival (DSS). The patients with methylated MGMT status experienced progressive disease rates of 84.6%, 80%, and 78.4% at the respective cut-offs of 5%, 9%, and 11%. The number was considerably higher when considering unmethylated patients, as all patients (100%), regardless of the cut-off, presented progressive disease. Regarding disease-specific survival (DSS), the Hazard Ratio (HR) was HR = 0.74 (0.45–1.24; p = 0.251); HR = 0.82 (0.51–1.33; p = 0.425); and HR = 0.79 (0.49–1.29; p = 0.350), respectively. Our study concludes that there is an association between MGMT unmethylation and worse TR and DSS. The 9% cut-off demonstrated a greater potential for patient survival as a function of time, which may shed light on the future need for standardization of MGMT methylation positivity parameters in PSQ.

The use of organic ingredients as a source of protein in aquaculture diets has gained significant attention due to the growing demand for organic seafood products. This study aimed to evaluate the potential for the use of organic ingredients as protein sources in the diet of juvenile organic seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax). A total of 486 juvenile seabass with an average weight of 90 g were fed six diets containing varied organic proteins. The control group (CON) was fed a diet with conventional fishmeal from sustainable fisheries as the primary protein source. The other five groups were fed diets with different compositions: organic Iberian pig meal byproduct (IB diet), a combination of organic Iberian pig meal byproduct and insect meal (IB-IN diet), a mix of organic Iberian pig meal byproduct and organic rainbow trout meal byproduct (IB-TR diet), a blend of organic rainbow trout meal byproduct and insect meal (TR-IN), and a mixed diet containing all of these protein sources (MIX diet). Over a 125-day feeding trial, growth performance, feed utilisation, feed digestibility, and histological parameters were assessed. The results showed that the fish fed the control diet had the highest final weight and specific growth rate, followed by the fish fed the TR-IN and IB-TR diets. The IB-TR diet had the highest apparent digestibility coefficients (ADCs) for protein, while the TR-IN diet had the lowest. Histological analysis revealed that fish fed the control diet had the largest nucleus diameter and hepatocyte diameter. Use of IN seems to penalise performance in several ways. Fish fed diets containing insect meal grew less, and those diets had lower digestibility. Fish fed the TR and IB diets grew at rates near that of the control, and the feed had acceptable digestibility.

The worldwide current practice of the structural design of sewers is based on procedures which usually include the effects caused by chemical and biological deterioration. However, in the last few decades, many sewer pipes have been designed using reinforced concrete which have succinctly considered such deterioration promoters. Indeed, knowledge related to reinforced concrete deterioration processes has become an important issue when forecasting the expected or remaining lifespan of sewers. Within these processes, thickness and strength losses and porosity augments have been found to be the result of the vital activity of sulfur-oxidizing bacteria and some types of fungus. This paper presents a rational methodology that uses biodeterioration measurements to describe how biodeterioration effects can affect the probability of failure during the lifetime of sewers. The probability of failure was obtained using Monte Carlo simulations based on numerical sampling from lognormal and uniform distributions. The concrete and reinforcement strength, geometric properties, H2S concentration in the headspace, and load values were considered as the main sources of uncertainty. The results indicate that the expected service lifespan can vary between 55 and 37 years for low and high H2S concentrations, respectively.

This study analyzes the influence of the incorporation of flaked linseed and fish oil in the diet on the resulting milk and cheese. Three dietary treatments were assayed in 350 milking Murciano-Granadina multiparous goats in full-lactation: a control diet and two experimental diets, one including flaked linseed (FL) at 3.88% of dry matter, and the other containing salmon oil (SO) at 2.64% of dry matter for three periods of 21 d. None of the dietary treatments affected the daily milk yield, cheese yield, or the physicochemical parameters of the milk and cheese. Regarding the fatty acid profile (FA), the milk and cheese from animals whose diets were supplemented with SO had a higher percentage of fatty acids than those obtained with the FL-supplemented diet, except for C18:0, C18:1, C18:2 n-6, trans-9, trans-12 C18:2, cis-9, trans-11 C18:2, C18:3, and C19:0, which reached their highest levels in milk obtained with the diet supplemented with FL. The decrease in the percentage of C16:0 was greater in the milk derived from the FL diet than from the SO diet. The FL-supplemented diet improved the nutritional value of milk due to a reduction in saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and increases in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). The decrease in n-6/n-3 in the observed milk was more pronounced with the FL diet. No differences in the sensory profile were found for the milk and cheese derived from the different dietary treatments. Dietary n-3 treatments modified the fatty acid profile without making any sensory difference to milk and fresh cheese, accompanied by marginal modifications to the physicochemical profile. We conclude that dietary supplementation with flaked linseed or fish oil produces milk and cheese from Murciano-Granadina goats with a higher nutritional quality without modifying the sensory profile of the corresponding products obtained from animals that were fed a routine diet.

The prevalence of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is increasing due to advanced imaging techniques. Surgical resection is the standard treatment, involving complex radical and partial nephrectomy procedures that demand extensive training and planning. Furthermore, artificial intelligence (AI) can potentially aid the training process in the field of kidney cancer. This review explores how artificial intelligence (AI) can create a framework for kidney cancer surgery to address training difficulties. Following PRISMA 2020 criteria, an exhaustive search of PubMed and SCOPUS databases was conducted without any filters or restrictions. Inclusion criteria encompassed original English articles focusing on AI’s role in kidney cancer surgical training. On the other hand, all non-original articles and articles published in any language other than English were excluded. Two independent reviewers assessed the articles, with a third party settling any disagreement. Study specifics, AI tools, methodologies, endpoints, and outcomes were extracted by the same authors. The Oxford Center for Evidence-Based Medicine’s evidence levels were employed to assess the studies. Out of 468 identified records, 14 eligible studies were selected. Potential AI applications in kidney cancer surgical training include analyzing surgical workflow, annotating instruments, identifying tissues, and 3D reconstruction. AI is capable of appraising surgical skills, including the identification of procedural steps and instrument tracking. While AI and augmented reality (AR) enhance training, challenges persist in real-time tracking and registration. The utilization of AI-driven 3D reconstruction proves beneficial for intraoperative guidance and preoperative preparation. Artificial intelligence (AI) shows potential for advancing surgical training by providing unbiased evaluations, personalized feedback, and enhanced learning processes. Yet challenges such as consistent metric measurement, ethical concerns, and data privacy must be addressed. The integration of AI into kidney cancer surgical training offers solutions to training difficulties and a boost to surgical education. However, to fully harness its potential, additional studies are imperative.

A 120-day experiment investigated the new organic raw materials for Gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) feeding on growth, nutritional parameters, digestibility, and histology. An organic control diet (CON) and three diets with 100% organic raw materials—the rest of rainbow trout, visceral Iberian pig, and insects as a protein source (TRO, IBE, and INS)—were tested. After the experiment, growth, nutritional parameters, digestibility, and histology were measured. The CON diet-fed seabream obtained the highest weight; there was no difference between the experimental diets. The crude protein content was the highest in seabream fed the TRO and INS diets. Crude fat was the highest value observed in the CON diet. High digestibility was observed in seabream-fed IBE and INS diets. Except for EAA methionine (Met), there were no static differences in retention efficiency. The diet with the highest hydrolysis rate was IBE. Diet differences were significant but had the typical healthy liver morphology of seabream. Seabream fed on the TRO and INS diets had shorter distal gut measurements. In conclusion, the full substitution of fishmeal with organic raw materials, including rainbow trout remains, Iberian pig viscera, and insects, offers several benefits in terms of digestibility, histology, and growth performance and may help improve sustainable and healthy aquaculture practices.

New antiviral treatments are needed to deal with the unpredictable emergence of viruses. Furthermore, vaccines and antivirals are only available for just a few viral infections, and antiviral drug resistance is an increasing concern. Cyanidin (a natural product also called A18), a key flavonoid that is present in red berries and other fruits, attenuates the development of several diseases, through its anti-inflammatory effects. Regarding its mechanism of action, A18 was identified as an IL-17A inhibitor, resulting in the attenuation of IL-17A signaling and associated diseases in mice. Importantly, A18 also inhibits the NF-κB signaling pathway in different cell types and conditions in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we report that A18 restricts RSV, HSV-1, canine coronavirus, and SARS-CoV-2 multiplication, indicating a broad-spectrum antiviral activity. We also found that A18 can control cytokine and NF-κB induction in RSV-infected cells independently of its antiviral activity. Furthermore, in mice infected with RSV, A18 not only significantly reduces viral titers in the lungs, but also diminishes lung injury. Thus, these results provide evidence that A18 could be used as a broad-spectrum antiviral and may contribute to the development of novel therapeutic targets to control these viral infections and pathogenesis.

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary fish oil replacement with a mixture of vegetable oils and probiotic supplementation on plasma biochemical parameters, oxidative stress, and antioxidant ability of Seriola dumerili. Specimens with an initial weight of 175 g were used. Four feeds were formulated with 0% (FO-100), 75% (FO-25), and 100% (FO-0 and FO-0+ with the addition of Lactobacillus probiotics) substitution of fish oil with a mixture of linseed, sunflower, and palm oils. After 109 days, no significant differences were observed in the activity of antioxidant enzymes in the liver, foregut, and hindgut, only glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity in the liver was higher in the fish fed the FO-100 diet than in those fed the FO-0 diet. No significant differences were observed in the total, reduced, and oxidized glutathione and the oxidative stress index in the liver. In addition, lipid peroxidation in the liver and red muscle values were higher in the fish fed the FO-100 diet than in the fish fed the FO-0+ diet, however, the foregut of the fish fed the FO-100 diet presented lower values than that of the fish fed the FO replacement diet, with and without probiotics. There were significant differences in cholesterol levels in the FO-100 group; they were significantly higher than those observed with the fish diets without fish oil. To sum up, fish oil can be replaced by up to 25% with vegetable oils in diets for Seriola dumerili juveniles, but total fish oil substitution is not feasible because it causes poor survival. The inclusion of probiotics in the FO-0+ diet had no effects on the parameters measured.

Reduced-fat cured sausages were evaluated as a strategy to reduce boar taint in entire male pork products with high levels of androstenone and skatole, both lipophilic. Three fuet-type sausages (two replicates each) were developed: the control (C) (60% lean, 33.69% fat), and two reduced-fat (60% lean 21.19% fat) products; R1, 6% inulin, 0.5% β-glucan and R2, 3% inulin, 0.5% grape skin and 1% β-glucan. All of them were prepared from entire male pork with an androstenone concentration of 6.887 µg/g and 0.520 µg/g of skatole. Significant differences (p ≤ 0.001) in the moisture content were described between the fuet R1 and the C and R2, which obtained the highest percentage. Regarding the CIELAB, the C samples had the highest L* value, while the R2 sausages were the darkest. Boar taint was reduced in both R1 and R2, with a greater reduction in R2 (p ≤ 0.000). The addition of inulin and β-glucan in fuet R1 provided a similar technological and sensory profile to C. However, both strategies provided a reduction of sexual odour, which was higher when grape skins were included. In addition, R2 gave a characteristic sausage with more odour and flavour, dark colour and overall rating than C and R1.

There is currently a growing trend towards the consumption of vegetable protein, even if it shows some deficiencies in essential amino acids. It has been driven by consumer passion for health and wellness, environmental sustainability, animal welfare and the flexitarian lifestyle. However, the formulation of plant protein food analogues to meat products is complicated by the technological properties of isolated plant protein. One of the processes used to improve these properties is the texturisation of the protein by extrusion, as well as the use of other plant materials that can enrich the formulation. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of pea protein (PP) enriched with lucerne (L), spinach (S) and Chlorella (C) in powdered and texturised forms on the physicochemical properties and extrusion parameters, and to evaluate its technological and sensory quality as a meat analogue in vegetal hamburgers. Texturisation reduced the number of soluble components released, thus reducing the molecular degradation in extruded material. The texturised samples were significantly (p < 0.05) less hygroscopic than the non-textured samples. Once the properties of the powder and texturised had been analysed, they were used to prepare vegetal hamburgers. The addition of vegetable-enriched texturised samples with high chlorophyll content led to more intense colour changes in the vegetal hamburgers during cooking, with PP+C providing the darkest colouring, and also resulted in a final product more similar to a traditional meat hamburger, with higher overall and meat odour/flavour intensity, hardness, juiciness and chewiness, and less legume and spice odour and flavour. Overall, texturisation improved the technological properties of the enriched protein isolate, allowing for more efficient production of vegetal hamburgers.

We hypothesized that fetal exposure to the oxidative stress induced by the combined challenge of preeclampsia (PE) and high altitude would induce a significant impairment in the development of pulmonary circulation. We conducted a prospective study in La Paz (Bolivia, mean altitude 3625 m) in which newborns from singleton pregnancies with and without PE were compared (PE group n = 69, control n = 70). We conducted an echocardiographic study in these infants at the median age of two days. The percentage of cesarean deliveries and small for gestational age (SGA) infants was significantly higher in the PE group. Heart rate, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation did not vary significantly between groups. Estimated pulmonary arterial pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance were 30% higher in newborns exposed to PE and high altitude compared with those exposed only to high altitude. We also detected signs of right ventricular hypertrophy in infants subjected to both exposures. In conclusion, this study provides evidence that the combination of PE and pregnancy at high altitude induces subclinical alterations in the pulmonary circulation of the newborn. Follow-up of this cohort may provide us with valuable information on the potential increased susceptibility to developing pulmonary hypertension or other pulmonary and cardiovascular disorders.

Energy deficits are often observed in athletes, especially in female athletes, due to the high expenditure of sport and strict diets. Low energy availability can cause serious health problems and affect sport performance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of different personalized dietary plans on physiological and physical factors related to energy deficit syndrome in female professional handball players. Twenty-one professional female handball players, aged 22 ± 4 years, 172.0 ± 5.4 cm and 68.4 ± 6.7 kg, divided into three groups (FD: free diet; MD: Mediterranean diet; and AD: high antioxidant diet), participated in this 12-week randomized controlled trial. Energy expenditure through indirect calorimetry, energy availability, 7 day dietary intake analysis, blood pressure, cholesterol, menstrual function, body composition by both anthropometry and bioelectrical impedance, and strength performance were assessed. All participants showed low energy availability (p < 0.05). In the remaining variables, despite slight improvements, none were significant neither over time nor between the different groups. Low energy availability has been observed in all professional female handball players, which may lead to serious consequences. A longer period of intervention is required to assess the differences between diets and improvements in other parameters.

Low energy availability may precede or be caused by cognitive disturbances in professional athletes. Related psychological problems include disordered eating patterns, body shape preoccupation, depression or anxiety. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effects of different personalised dietary plans on psychological factors in young professional female handball players with low energy availability. This 12-week randomised clinical trial involved 21 female players aged 22 ± 4 years, 172.0 ± 5.4 cm and 68.4 ± 6.7 kg divided into three groups (FD: free diet; MD: Mediterranean diet; HAD: high antioxidant diet). Eating behaviour (Eating Attitude Test, EAT-26: diet, bulimia and oral control subscales), body image (Body Shape Questionnaire, BSQ) and mood state (Profile of Mode State, POMS: tension, vigour, anger, depression, fatigue) were assessed. All participants showed low energy availability (p < 0.05). Eating behaviour improved slightly but did not show statistically significant changes. Following an adequate nutritional planning for athletes seems to improve the mood and body perception of young female handball players. A longer intervention period is required to assess the differences between diets and improvement of other parameters.

The fishmeal replacement by vegetable meals or other alternative sources, without affecting fish performance and productivity, is one of the principal challenges in aquaculture. The use of hydrolyzed porcine mucosa (HPM) and nucleotide (NT) concentrates, as feed additives in gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata L.) non-fishmeal diets was assessed in order to determine the possible effects on growth, feed efficiency, protein digestion, and gut histology when these were included in a plant-based diet (HPM 1% and 2%, P1 and P2; NT 250 and 500 ppm, N250 and N500), in comparison with two control diets, AA0 (100% plant-protein-based diet) and FM100 (100% fishmeal-protein-based diet). Diets were assayed in triplicate and the growth assay lasted 134 days. Results showed a significant improvement in all groups in terms of final weight and specific growth rate in comparison with the AA0 group. An improvement in the feed conversion ratio and the protein efficiency ratio was also observed when the additives were included in lower percentages (P1 and N250) compared to the FM100 group. Significant differences were found in hepatosomatic index, villi thickness, and goblet cells. Thus, the inclusion of NT and HPM was tested as beneficial for the improvement of efficiency of plant feed in seabream.

Women’s elite sports have experienced an exponential increase in the last decade, as has beach handball (BH). The high demands of this sport mean that athletes need to be in superior physical condition, so nutrition and body composition are determining factors in their sporting performance. For this reason, the aim of this study was to analyze, compare and correlate the most relevant variables of food intake (quantitative), body composition (focus on the bone mass characteristics) and sprint performance in female professional BH players. Thirty-three women from the National Spanish Team participated in this study. Dietary assessment, anthropometric measurements and sprint tests were performed. In general, the players had a low carbohydrate intake and adequate protein intake, with no significant differences depending on the category and playing position. For senior players, positive correlations were found between protein intake and bone mass (r = 0.584, p = 0.022), polyunsaturated fatty acid intake and muscle mass (r = 0.387, p = 0.026) and finally between fat mass and animal protein intake (r = 0.569, p = 0.027). Body composition was similar in both categories; however, goalkeepers had the highest fat (22.6 ± 3.86%, 16.2 ± 4.84 kg) component (vs. wings: 17.4 ± 3.53%, p = 0.031/vs. specialists: 11.1 ± 1.91 kg, p = 0.034), and senior players had higher muscle mass (kilograms). It is worth noting the finding that players with a greater trochanter height had significantly lower sprint times (p = 0.014 and p = 0.048 for 5 and 10 m, respectively). Certain bone characteristics, such as iliospinale height, biacromial and bimalleolar diameters, mesosternal perimeter and biceps skinfold, differ depending on the position. In addition, the greater speed of the senior players may be due to the greater specialization, number of training sessions performed and specific bone characteristics, such as trochanter height. In this regard, the data provided in this study will assist with establishing criteria for the selection of talent for this sporting discipline.

Head and neck cancer (HNC) is an ascending and agressive disease. The search for new molecular markers is emerging to solve difficulties in diagnosis, risk management, prognosis and effectiveness of treatments. Proteins related to apoptotic machinery have been identified as potential biomarkers. Caspase 3 is the main effector caspase and has a key role in apoptosis. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to review studies that analyze changes in Caspase 3 and Cleaved Caspase 3 expression both in oral premalignant disorders (OPMD) as well as in head and neck cancer (HNC). This study also proposes to review the prognostic values associated with HNC according to the expression of Caspase 3. Medline (via PubMed), EMBASE, Scopus, Cochrane, Web of Science and Grey Literature Database were screened from inception to june of 2022 and 18 studies were selected and 8 were included in the prognostic meta-analysis. Results related to the comparison of Caspase 3 expression demonstrated similar expression of Caspase 3 in HNC, with an average of 51.9% (9.5–98.1) showing high/moderate expression compared to 45.7% (14.6–84.7) in OPMD. Of interest, Cleaved Caspase 3 resulted incresed in HNC when compared with OPMD, being 73.3% (38.6–88.3) versus 22.9% (7.1–38.7). Pooled Fixed effect of HR values (95% CI) for OS related to Caspase 3 IHC expression in HNC patients was 1.48 (95% CI 0.95–2.28); also, the rate of heterogeneity was low, as revealed by I2 = 31%. For DFS was 1.07 (95% CI 0.79–1.45) with I2 = 0% and DSS showed a HR of 0.88 (95% CI 0.69–1.12) with I2 = 37%. Caspase 3 and Cleaved Caspase 3 expression could be linked with malignancy progression, but the expression of Caspase 3 did not influence the prognosis of patients with HNC.

Macrophages have emerged as important therapeutic targets in many human diseases. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of broccoli membrane vesicles and sulphoraphane (SFN), either free or encapsulated, on the activity of human monocyte-derived M1 and M2 macrophage primary culture. Our results show that exposure for 24 h to SFN 25 µM, free and encapsulated, induced a potent reduction on the activity of human M1 and M2 macrophages, downregulating proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines and phagocytic capability on C. albicans. The broccoli membrane vesicles do not represent inert nanocarriers, as they have low amounts of bioactive compounds, being able to modulate the cytokine production, depending on the inflammatory state of the cells. They could induce opposite effects to that of higher doses of SFN, reflecting its hormetic effect. These data reinforce the potential use of broccoli compounds as therapeutic agents not only for inflammatory diseases, but they also open new clinical possibilities for applications in other diseases related to immunodeficiency, autoimmunity, or in cancer therapy. Considering the variability of their biological effects in different scenarios, a proper therapeutic strategy with Brassica bioactive compounds should be designed for each pathology.

This work studied the feasibility of using a novel microreactor based on torus geometry to carry out a sample pretreatment before its analysis by graphite furnace atomic absorption. The miniaturized retention of total arsenic was performed on the surface of a magnetic sorbent material consisting of 6 mg of magnetite (Fe3O4) confined in a very small space inside (20.1 µL) a polyacrylate device filling an internal lumen (inside space). Using this geometric design, a simulation theoretical study demonstrated a notable improvement in the analyte adsorption process on the solid extractant surface. Compared to single-layer geometries, the torus microreactor geometry brought on flow turbulence within the liquid along the curvatures inside the device channels, improving the efficiency of analyte–extractant contact and therefore leading to a high preconcentration factor. According to this design, the magnetic solid phase was held internally as a surface bed with the use of an 8 mm-diameter cylindric neodymium magnet, allowing the pass of a fixed volume of an arsenic aqueous standard solution. A preconcentration factor of up to 60 was found to reduce the typical “characteristic mass” (as sensitivity parameter) determined by direct measurement from 53.66 pg to 0.88 pg, showing an essential improvement in the arsenic signal sensitivity by absorption atomic spectrometry. This methodology emulates a miniaturized micro-solid-phase extraction system for flow-through water pretreatment samples in chemical analysis before coupling to techniques that employ reduced sample volumes, such as graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy.

In this work, the design, manufacture, and testing of three different magnetic microreactors based on torus geometries (i.e., one-loop, two-horizontal-loop, and two-vertical-loop) is explored to increase the enzyme-based transformation of dyes by laccase bio-nanocomposites, improve the particle suspension, and promote the interaction of reagents. The laccase enzyme was covalently immobilized on amino-terminated silanized magnetite nanoparticles (laccase-magnetite). The optimal configuration for the torus microreactor and the applied magnetic field was evaluated in silico with the aid of the CFD and particle tracing modules of Comsol Multiphysics®. Eriochrome Black T (EBt) dye was tested as a biotransformation model at three different concentrations, i.e., 5 mg/L, 10 mg/L, and 20 mg/L. Phenol oxidation/removal was evaluated on artificial wastewater and real wastewater. The optimal catalytic performance of the bionanocomposite was achieved in the range of pH 4 to 4.5. A parabolic movement on the particles along the microchannels was induced by the magnetic field, which led to breaking the stability of the laminar flow and improving the mixing processes. Based on the simulation and experiments conducted with the three geometries, the two-vertical-loop microreactor demonstrated a better performance mainly due to larger dead zones and a longer residence time. Additionally, the overall dye removal efficiencies for this microreactor and the laccase-magnetite bionanocomposite were 98.05%, 93.87%, and 92.74% for the three evaluated concentrations. The maximum phenol oxidation with the laccase-magnetite treatment at low concentration for the artificial wastewater was 79.89%, while its phenol removal efficiency for a large volume of real wastewater was 17.86%. Treatments with real wastewater were carried out with a larger volume, equivalent to 200 biotransformation (oxidation) operating cycles of those carried out with dyes or phenol. Taken together, our results indicate that the novel microreactors introduced here have the potential to process wastewaters rich in contaminant dyes in continuous mode with efficiencies that are attractive for a potential large-scale operation. In this regard, future work will focus on finding the requirements for scaling-up the processes and evaluating the involved environmental impact indexes, economic performance, and different device geometries and processing schemes.

This study seeks to determine a suitable arbitrage strategy that allows a battery energy storage system (BESS) owner to obtain the maximum economic benefits when participating in the Colombian electricity market. A comparison of different arbitration strategies from the literature, such as seasonal, statistical, and neural networks-based models, is performed. To determine BESS’s optimal operation, a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) optimization problem is formulated, including a battery degradation model based on an upper piecewise linear approximation method. A financial evaluation of the different arbitrage strategies is carried out, resulting, for all the analyzed cases, in a negative net present value (NPV); thus, the results show that the income obtained from BESS when only performing energy arbitrage in the Colombian market do not compensate the investment costs. Results have also shown that strategies based on statistical and prediction models have a better performance than seasonal strategies, especially in atypical circumstances such as COVID-19.

Embryo manipulation is a requisite step in assisted reproductive technology (ART). Therefore, it is of great necessity to appraise the safety of ART and investigate the long-term effect, including lipid metabolism, on ART-conceived offspring. Augmenting our ART rabbit model to investigate lipid metabolic outcomes in offspring longitudinally, we detected variations in hepatic DNA methylation ART offspring in the F3 generation for embryonic exposure (multiple ovulation, vitrification and embryo transfer). Through adult liver metabolomics and proteomics, we identified changes mainly related to lipid metabolism (e.g., polyunsaturated fatty acids, steroids, steroid hormone). We also found that DNA methylation analysis was linked to changes in lipid metabolism and apoptosis genes. Nevertheless, these differences did not apparently alter the general health status. Thus, our findings suggest that ART is likely to be a player in embryo epigenetic events related to hepatic homeostasis alteration in adulthood.

(1) Background: The effect of Rosmarinus officinalis L. dietary supplementation on the pork meat quality of the Chato Murciano breed of pigs was evaluated during 21 days of storage. (2) Methods: Twenty-one castrated male pigs were divided into two groups. One group was fed a control diet (group C), and the other group consumed the same diet plus a 1000 ppm supplement of deodorized rosemary extract (group R). (3) Results: While the inclusion of rosemary extract in the pig diet did not produce notable changes in the technological parameters analysed in the meat, the lower microbiological count obtained in meat pointed to the antimicrobial effect of the extract. The storage time had a significant effect on all the parameters studied in both groups (C and R). Thus, lipid oxidation increased and the colour of the meat deteriorated, at the same time as the microbial counts and the deterioration of the sensory attributes increased. (4) Conclusions: Therefore, a certain antimicrobial effect of rosemary was observed in the meat of Chato Murciano.

This paper describes the use of microwave technology to identify anti-counterfeiting markers on banknotes. The proposed method is based on a robust near-field scanning microwave microscope specially developed to measure permittivity maps of heterogeneous paper specimens at the micrometer scale. The equipment has a built-in vector network analyzer to measure the reflection response of a near-field coaxial probe, which makes it a standalone and portable device. A new approach employing the information of a displacement laser and the cavity perturbation technique was used to determine the relationship between the dielectric properties of the specimens and the resonance response of the probe, avoiding the use of distance-following techniques. The accuracy of the dielectric measurements was evaluated through a comparative study with other well-established cavity methods, revealing uncertainties lower than 5%, very similar to the accuracy reported by other more sophisticated setups. The device was employed to determine the dielectric map of a watermark on a 20 EUR banknote. In addition, the penetration capabilities of microwave energy allowed for the detection of the watermark when concealed behind dielectric or metallic layers. This work demonstrates the benefits of this microwave technique as a novel method for identifying anti-counterfeiting features, which opens new perspectives with which to develop optically opaque markers only traceable through this microwave technique.

This study was conducted to evaluate the apparent availability and P and N excretion in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) using different inorganic phosphorus sources. With this goal, fish (153 ± 14.1 g) fed four inorganic P sources were assayed: monoammonium phosphate (MAP, NH4H2PO4), monosodium/monocalcium phosphate (SCP-2%, AQphos+, NaH2PO4/Ca(H2PO4)2·H2O in proportion 12/88), monosodium/monocalcium phosphate (SCP-5%, NaH2PO4/Ca(H2PO4)2·H2O in proportion 30/70) and monocalcium phosphate (MCP, Ca(H2PO4)2·H2O). Phosphorus (P) digestibility, in diets that included MAP and SCP-2% as inorganic phosphorus sources, were significantly higher than for SCP-5% and MCP sources. In relation to the P excretion pattern, independent of the diet, a peak at 6 h after feeding was registered, but at different levels depending on inorganic P sources. Fish fed an MAP diet excreted a higher amount of dissolved P in comparison with the rest of the inorganic P sources, although the total P losses were lower in MAP and SCP-2% (33.02% and 28.13, respectively) than in SCP-5% and MCP sources (43.35% and 47.83, respectively). Nitrogen (N) excretion was also studied, and the fish fed an SCP-5% diet provided lower values (15.8%) than MAP (28.0%). When N total wastes were calculated, SCP-2% and SCP-5% showed the lowest values (31.54 and 28.25%, respectively). In conclusion, based on P and N digestibility and excretion, the SCP-2% diet showed the best results from a nutritional and environmental point of view.

Background: The aim was to investigate the clinical significance of nestin immunohistochemical expression in head and neck area lesions and to study its role in patient survival and recurrence. Methods: 39 (44.3%) nasosinus, 37 (42%) major salivary gland (6 submandibular and 31 parotid) and 12 (13.6%) oral cavity lesions of paraffin-embedded samples were retrospectively included. Results: The expression was categorized into grades, negative for 55 (62.5%) cases, grade 1 in 10 cases (11.4%), grade 2 in 12 cases (13.6%), and grade 3 in 11 cases (12.5%); 100% of pleomorphic adenomas were positive for nestin with grade 3 intensity, 100% of polyps and inverted papillomas were negative (p < 0.001). The lowest estimate of disease-free-survival (DFS) was for grade 1 expression, with 50 months, confidence interval (CI): 95% 13.3–23.9 months and the highest for grade 3 expression, 167.9 months (CI: 95% 32.1–105 months; Log-Rank = 14.846, p = 0.002). ROC (receiver operating characteristic) curves revealed that the positivity for nestin (+/−) in relation to malignancy, presented a sensitivity of 50.98%, a specificity of 81.08%, with an area under the curve of 0.667 (p = 0.009). Conclusions: Nestin could be a useful marker to detect the presence of stem cells in head and neck tumors that have a role in tumor initiation and progression.

The perceptions and values that local communities have towards protected areas are of great value for the improvement of these territories’ management. Such perceptions and values are often absent in the conservation planning process, particularly in those privately protected areas that are established in areas where the land tenure system is based not only on ownership but also on customary uses. Drawing on qualitative and quantitative data obtained through semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders and members of communities surrounding a privately protected area in southern Ecuador, we identify that the level of collaboration with the managers, the distance to the protected area, the percentage of untitled land, and the dependence on the resources (customary uses) are among the variables affecting these perceptions and values. Positive perceptions towards protected areas and naturalistic values are developed among those who collaborate with the protected area managers, whereas negative perceptions, and a mix of naturalistic and biospheric values are developed among those who have a sense of a lack of attention to social needs although supporting nature conservation at the same time. The evidence presented shows the importance of matching local peoples’ expectations with conservation goals during the establishment of a protected area.

Invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) presents high mortality in the population at risk. The aim of this work is to know the evolution, clinical and microbiological characteristics of IPD in the adult population of Majorca, since the introduction of a public funded program for pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-13) in the pediatric population in the Balearic Islands in 2016. For this purpose, a retrospective multicenter study was carried out in which all episodes of IPD in adult patients from the four hospitals of the public health system of Majorca were included, comparing the periods between 2012 and 2015 and between 2016 and 2019. Clinical variables, serotypes and antibiotic sensitivity were collected. There were 498 cases of IPD; 56.8% were male with a mean age of 67 (standard deviation: 16). Most infections were bacterial pneumonias (73.7%). Of the total cases, 264 (53%) presented complications. Of the 498 cases, 351 strains were obtained, of which 145 (41.3%) belong to vaccinal serotypes (included in the PCV-13 vaccine) and 206 (58.7%) to non-vaccinal serotypes (not included in the PCV-13 vaccine). The percentage of IPD caused by vaccinal serotypes was lower in the second period (47.8% vs. 34.5%; p = 0.012).

Preimplantation embryo manipulations during standard assisted reproductive technologies (ART) have significant repercussions on offspring. However, few studies to date have investigated the potential long-term outcomes associated with the vitrification procedure. Here, we performed an experiment to unravel the particular effects related to stress induced by embryo transfer and vitrification techniques on offspring phenotype from the foetal period through to prepuberal age, using a rabbit model. In addition, the focus was extended to the liver function at prepuberal age. We showed that, compared to naturally conceived animals (NC), offspring derived after embryo exposure to the transfer procedure (FT) or cryopreservation-transfer procedure (VT) exhibited variation in growth and body weight from foetal life to prepuberal age. Strikingly, we found a nonlinear relationship between FT and VT stressors, most of which were already present in the FT animals. Furthermore, we displayed evidence of variation in liver function at prepuberal age, most of which occurred in both FT and VT animals. The present major novel finding includes a significant alteration of the steroid biosynthesis profile. In summary, here we provide that embryonic manipulation during the vitrification process is linked with embryo phenotypic adaptation detected from foetal life to prepuberal age and suggests that this phenotypic variation may be associated, to a great extent, with the effect of embryo transfer.

Nowadays, assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) are considered valuable contributors to our past, but a future without their use is inconceivable. However, in recent years, several studies have evidenced a potential impact of ART on long-term development in mammal species. To date, the long-term follow-up data are still limited. So far, studies have mainly focused on in vitro fertilization or in vitro culture, with information from gametes/embryos cryopreservation field being practically missing. Herein, we report an approach to determine whether a vitrified embryo transfer procedure would have long-term consequences on the offspring. Using the rabbit as a model, we compared animals derived from vitrified-transferred embryos versus those naturally conceived, studying the growth performance, plus the weight throughout life, and the internal organs/tissues phenotype. The healthy status was assessed over the hematological and biochemical parameters in peripheral blood. Additionally, a comparative proteomic analysis was conducted in the liver tissue to investigate molecular cues related to vitrified embryo transfer in an adult tissue. After vitrified embryo transfer, birth weight was increased, and the growth performance was diminished in a sex-specific manner. In addition, vitrified-transferred animals showed significantly lower body, liver and heart weights in adulthood. Molecular analyses revealed that vitrified embryo transfer triggers reprogramming of the liver proteome. Functional analysis of the differentially expressed proteins showed changes in relation to oxidative phosphorylation and dysregulations in the zinc and lipid metabolism, which has been reported as possible causes of a disturbed growth pattern. Therefore, we conclude that vitrified embryo transfer is not a neutral procedure, and it incurs long-term effects in the offspring both at phenotypic and molecular levels. These results described a striking example of the developmental plasticity exhibited by the mammalian embryo.