Tunable from Blue to Red Emissive Composites and Solids of Silver Diphosphane Systems with Higher Quantum Yields than the Diphosphane Ligands.

PMMA composites and solids of complexes of formulas [AgX(P-P)]n [n = 1 and 2; X = Cl, NO3, ClO4, CF3COO, and OTf; P-P = dppb, xantphos, (PR2)2C2B10H10 (R = Ph and iPr)] display the whole palette of colors from blue to red upon selection of the anionic ligand (X) and the diphosphane (P-P). The diphosphane seems to play the most important role in tuning the emission energy and thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) behavior. The PMMA composites of the complexes exhibit higher quantum yields than that of the diphosphane ligands and those with dppb are between 28 and 53%. Remarkably, instead of blue-green emissions which dominate the luminescence of silver diphosphane complexes in rigid phases, those with carborane diphosphanes are yellow-orange or orange-red emitters. Theoretical studies have been carried out for complexes with P-P = dppb, X = Cl; P-P = dppic, X = NO3; P-P = dppcc, X = Cl, NO3, and OTf and the mononuclear complexes [AgX(xantphos)] (X = Cl, Br). Optimization of the first excited triplet state was only possible for [AgX(xantphos)] (X = Cl and Br). A mixed MLCT and MC nature could be attributed to the S0 → T1 transition in these three-coordinated complexes.

What functional proteomic and biochemical analysis tell us about animal stress in beef?

Animal management practices may influence the animal's susceptibility to stress, with detrimental effects on the ultimate meat quality. In this field, proteomics is a promising tool that reveals the biological pathways underpinning the effect of animal's pre-slaughter stress (PSS) on the ultimate meat quality. The objective of this work was to study the effect of a pre-slaughter procedure that may promote stress, such as mixing unfamiliar animals during the transport and lairage period, on the post-mortem muscle proteome of young bulls reared under two different farm management systems (Intensive or Extensive). Comparative proteomics and biochemical analysis reveal the effect of PSS on biochemical pathways involved in the meat colour development, muscle redox status, energy metabolism and autophagy. This work highlights the potential of some muscle proteins such as Beclin-1 (autophagy marker), CKM (biomarker of energy transduction) and proteins of the energy metabolism (ALDOA, PYGM, PGM1, PKM, GPI) as potential biomarkers to discriminate beef samples according to the incidence of PSS. SIGNIFICANCE: Meat scientists are interested in the study of individual animal-based measurements that allow the detection of stress situations which could have negative effects on meat quality. In this context, the mechanisms underlying the adverse effects of pre-slaughter stress on the post-mortem muscle metabolism need to be elucidated in order to understand how animal stress may influence the conversion of muscle into meat. In this work, the study of proteome changes in the post-mortem muscle has allowed the identification of significant biomarkers of these processes that could be used as tools for detecting inappropriate strategies that may induce increased animal stress and, in consequence, may compromise the ultimate beef quality.

First Results on Dark Matter Annual Modulation from the ANAIS-112 Experiment.

ANAIS is a direct detection dark matter experiment aiming at the testing of the DAMA/LIBRA annual modulation result, which, for about two decades, has neither been confirmed nor ruled out by any other experiment in a model independent way. ANAIS-112, consisting of 112.5 kg of sodium iodide crystals, has been taking data at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory, Spain, since August 2017. This Letter presents the annual modulation analysis of 1.5 years of data, amounting to 157.55 kg yr. We focus on the model independent analysis searching for modulation and the validation of our sensitivity prospects. ANAIS-112 data are consistent with the null hypothesis (p values of 0.67 and 0.18 for [2-6] and [1-6] keV energy regions, respectively). The best fits for the modulation hypothesis are consistent with the absence of modulation (S_{m}=-0.0044±0.0058 cpd/kg/keV and -0.0015±0.0063 cpd/kg/keV, respectively). They are in agreement with our estimated sensitivity for the accumulated exposure, which supports our projected goal of reaching a 3σ sensitivity to the DAMA/LIBRA result in five years of data taking.

Pig cognitive bias affects the conversion of muscle into meat by antioxidant and autophagy mechanisms.

Slaughter is a crucial step in the meat production chain that could induce psychological stress on each animal, resulting in a physiological response that can differ among individuals. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between an animal's emotional state, the subsequent psychological stress at slaughter and the cellular damage as an effect. In all, 36 entire male pigs were reared at an experimental farm and a cognitive bias test was used to classify them into positive bias (PB) or negative bias (NB) groups depending on their decision-making capabilities. Half of the animals, slaughtered in the same batch, were used for a complete study of biomarkers of stress, including brain neurotransmitters and some muscle biomarkers of oxidative stress. After slaughter, specific brain areas were excised and the levels of catecholamines (noradrenaline (NA) and dopamine (DA)) and indoleamines (5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid and serotonin (5HT)) were analyzed. In addition, muscle proteasome activity (20S), antioxidant defence (total antioxidant activity (TAA)), oxidative damage (lipid peroxidation (LPO)) and autophagy biomarkers (Beclin-1, microtubule-associated protein I light chain 3 (LC3-I) and LC3-II) were monitored during early postmortem maturation (0 to 24 h). Compared with PB animals, NB pigs were more susceptible to stress, showing higher 5HT levels (P<0.01) in the hippocampus and lower DA (P<0.001) in the pre-frontal cortex. Furthermore, NB pigs had more intense proteolytic processes and triggered primary muscle cell survival mechanisms immediately after slaughter (0 h postmortem), thus showing higher TAA (P<0.001) and earlier proteasome activity (P<0.001) and autophagy (Beclin-1, P<0.05; LC3-II/LC3-I, P<0.001) than PB pigs, in order to counteract the induced increase in oxidative stress, that was significantly higher in the muscle of NB pigs at 0 h postmortem (LPO, P<0.001). Our study is the first to demonstrate that pig's cognitive bias influences the animal's susceptibility to stress and has important effects on the postmortem muscle metabolism, particularly on the cell antioxidant defences and the autophagy onset. These results expand the current knowledge regarding biomarkers of animal welfare and highlight the potential use of biomarkers of the proteasome, the autophagy (Beclin-1, LC3-II/LC3-I ratio) and the muscle antioxidant defence (TAA, LPO) for detection of peri-slaughter stress.

Diagnostic accuracy of prostate health index to identify aggressive prostate cancer. An Institutional validation study. / Eficacia del índice de salud prostática para identificar cánceres de próstata agresivos. Una validación institucional.

INTRODUCTION: New generations of tumor markers used to detect prostate cancer (PCa) should be able to discriminate men with aggressive PCa of those without PCa or nonaggressive tumors. The objective of this study has been to validate Prostate Health Index (PHI) as a marker of aggressive PCa in one academic institution. METHODS: PHI was assessed in 357 men scheduled to prostatic biopsy between June of 2013 and July 2014 in one academic institution. Thereafter a subset of 183 men younger than 75 years and total PSA (tPSA) between 3.0 and 10.0 ng/mL, scheduled to it first prostatic biopsy, was retrospectively selected for this study. Twelve cores TRUS guided biopsy, under local anaesthesia, was performed in all cases. Total PSA, free PSA (fPSA), and [-2] proPSA (p2PSA) and prostate volume were determined before the procedure and %fPSA, PSA density (PSAd) and PHI were calculated. Aggressive tumors were considered if any Gleason 4 pattern was found. PHI was compared to %fPSA and PSAd through their ROC curves. Thresholds to detect 90%, 95% of all tumors and 95% and 100% of aggressive tumors were estimated and rates of unnecessary avoided biopsies were calculated and compared. RESULTS: The rate of PCa detection was 37.2% (68) and the rate of aggressive tumors was 24.6% (45). The PHI area under the curve was higher than those of %fPSA and PSAd to detect any PCa (0.749 vs 0.606 and 0.668 respectively) or to detect only aggressive tumors (0.786 vs 0.677 and 0.708 respectively), however, significant differences were not found. The avoided biopsy rates to detect 95% of aggressive tumors were 20.2% for PHI, 14.8% for %fPSA, and 23.5% for PSAd. Even more, to detect all aggressive tumors these rates dropped to 4.9% for PHI, 9.3% for %fPSA, and 7.9% for PSAd. CONCLUSIONS: PHI seems a good marker to PCa diagnosis. However, PHI was not superior to %fPSA and PSAd to identify at least 95% of aggressive tumors.

Effect of animal mixing as a stressor on biomarkers of autophagy and oxidative stress during pig muscle maturation.

The objective of this work was to study the postmortem evolution of potential biomarkers of autophagy (Beclin 1, LC3-II/LC3-I ratio) and oxidative stress (total antioxidant activity, TAA; superoxide dismutase activity, SOD and catalase activity, CAT) in the Longissimus dorsi muscle of entire male ((Large White×Landrace)×Duroc) pigs subjected to different management treatments that may promote stress, such as mixing unfamiliar animals at the farm and/or during transport and lairage before slaughter. During the rearing period at the farm, five animals were never mixed after the initial formation of the experimental groups (unmixed group at the farm, UF), whereas 10 animals were subjected to a common routine of being mixed with unfamiliar animals (mixed group at the farm, MF). Furthermore, two different treatments were used during the transport and lairage before slaughter: 10 pigs were not mixed (unmixed group during transport and lairage, UTL), whereas five pigs were mixed with unfamiliar animals on the lorry and during lairage (mixed group during transport and lairage, MTL). These mixing treatments were then combined into three pre-slaughter treatments - namely, UF-UTL, MF-UTL and MF-MTL. The results show that MF-UTL and MF-MTL increased significantly the muscle antioxidant defense (TAA, SOD and CAT) at short postmortem times (4 and 8 h; P<0.001), followed by an earlier depletion of the antioxidant activity at 24 h postmortem (P<0.05). We also found that mixing unfamiliar animals, both at the farm and during transport and lairage, triggers postmortem muscle autophagy, which showed an earlier activation (higher expression of Beclin 1 and LC3-II/LC3-I ratio at 4 h postmortem followed by a decreasing pattern of this ratio along first 24 h postmortem) in the muscle tissues of animals from the MF-UTL and MF-MTL groups, as an adaptive strategy of the muscle cells for counteracting induced stress. From these results, we propose that monitoring the evolution of the main biomarkers of autophagy (Beclin 1, LC3-II/LC3-I ratio) and muscle antioxidant defense (TAA, SOD, CAT) in the muscle tissue within the first 24 h postmortem may help the detection of animal stress and its potential effect on the postmortem muscle metabolism.

Simultaneous treatment with statins and aspirin reduces the risk of prostate cancer detection and tumorigenic properties in prostate cancer cell lines.

Nowadays prostate cancer is the most common solid tumor in men from industrialized countries and the second leading cause of death. At the ages when PCa is usually diagnosed, mortality related to cardiovascular morbidity is high; therefore, men at risk for PCa frequently receive chronic lipid-lowering and antiplatelet treatment. The aim of this study was to analyze how chronic treatment with statins, aspirin, and their combination influenced the risk of PCa detection. The tumorigenic properties of these treatments were evaluated by proliferation, colony formation, invasion, and migration assays using different PCa cell lines, in order to assess how these treatments act at molecular level. The results showed that a combination of statins and aspirin enhances the effect of individual treatments and seems to reduce the risk of PCa detection (OR: 0.616 (95% CI: 0.467-0.812), P<0.001). However, if treatments are maintained, aspirin (OR: 1.835 (95% CI: 1.068-3.155), P=0.028) or the combination of both drugs (OR: 3.059 (95% CI: 1.894-4.939), P<0.001) represents an increased risk of HGPCa. As observed at clinical level, these beneficial effects in vitro are enhanced when both treatments are administered simultaneously, suggesting that chronic, concomitant treatment with statins and aspirin has a protective effect on PCa incidence.

Sedentarism and overweight as risk factors for the detection of prostate cancer and its aggressivenes.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the influence of sedentary (SE) and overweight (OW) in the risk of prostate cancer detection (CP) and aggressiveness. MATERIAL AND METHOD: We performed prostate biopsy (PB) to 2,408 consecutive male, 5 ARIs untreated, because of elevated serum PSA above 4.0 ng/mL (91%) or suspicious digital rectal examination (9%). In all ultrasound guided PB, 10 cores were obtained plus 2 to 8 additionals, according to age and prostate volume. Physical activity was assessed using a survey (SE vs non-SE) and calculated body mass index (normal vs OW > 25 kg/cm(2)). The tumor aggressiveness was evaluated according to the Gleason score (high grade «HG¼: Gleason > 7) and D'Amico risk (high risk «HR¼: T > 3a or PSA > 20 or Gleason score > 7). RESULTS: We found a significant association between SE (52.5%) and OW (72.9%), P < .001. The overall PC detection rate was 35.2%. In men with SE it was 36.7% and non-SE 33.6%, P = .048. The overall rate of AG tumors was 28.3%, 29.2% in men with SE and 27.1 in non-SE, P = .261. The overall rate of AR tumors was 35%, 39.7% in men with SE and 29.4% non-SE, P < .001. CP was detected in 38.1% of men with normal BMI and 34.3% in men with OW, P = .065. HG tumor rates were 18.1% and 31.4% respectively, P < .001 and AR tumor rates were 22.6% and 39.2% respectively, P < .001. Binary logistic regression showed that SE was an independent predictor of CP, OR .791 (95% CI: .625-.989), P = .030. SE and OW were independent predictors of HG: OR .517 (95% CI: .356-.752), P = .001, and OR 1.635 (95% CI: 1070-2497), p = 0.023. SE and OW were also independent predictors of HR: OR .519 (95% CI .349-.771), P = .001, and OR 1.998 (95% CI 1.281-3.115), P = .002. CONCLUSIONS: In men who met criteria for prostate biopsy an association between sedentary and overweight exist. A sedentary lifestyle is associated with increased risk of PC detection while sedentary and overweight were associated with more aggressive tumors.

Adipose tissue-derived factors as potential biomarkers in cachectic cancer patients.

Cachexia, a paraneoplastic syndrome markedly associated with worsened prognosis in cancer patients, provokes profound wasting of both lean and adipose mass in an association with a state of metabolic "chaos". The white adipose tissue responds to cachexia with marked local inflammation and may be thus a relevant contributor to systemic inflammation. To address this hypothesis we examined the correlation between tissue expression of adipokines and plasma concentration in cachectic and stable weight patients with or without cancer. Adiponectin and liver-derived CRP concentration were significantly higher in the cachectic groups when compared with stable weight patients (P<0.01). The concentration of plasma IL-6 was higher (11.4-fold) in the cancer cachectic group when compared with weight-stable controls, and presented a significant correlation with the presence of cancer (P<0.001). A marked increase (5-fold) in IL-6 as a result of the interaction between the presence of cachexia and the presence of tumour was observed in the subcutaneous tissue of the patients, yet not in the visceral depot. Plasma adiponectin levels were higher in cachectic cancer patients, compared with stable weight cancer patients individually matched by age, sex, and BMI, and the subcutaneous depot was found to be the main contributing tissue, rather than the visceral pad. Based on the results we concluded that the subcutaneous adipose tissue is associated with plasma changes that may function as markers of cachexia.

Adipose tissue inflammation and cancer cachexia: possible role of nuclear transcription factors.

Cancer cachexia is a multifaceted syndrome whose aetiology is extremely complex and is directly related to poor patient prognosis and survival. Changes in lipid metabolism in cancer cachexia result in marked reduction of total fat mass, increased lipolysis, total oxidation of fatty acids, hyperlipidaemia, hypertriglyceridaemia, and hypercholesterolaemia. These changes are believed to be induced by inflammatory mediators, such as tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and other factors. Attention has recently been drawn to the current theory that cachexia is a chronic inflammatory state, mainly caused by the host's reaction to the tumour. Changes in expression of numerous inflammatory mediators, notably in white adipose tissue (WAT), may trigger several changes in WAT homeostasis. The inhibition of adipocyte differentiation by PPARγ is paralleled by the appearance of smaller adipocytes, which may partially account for the inhibitory effect of PPARγ on inflammatory gene expression. Furthermore, inflammatory modulation and/or inhibition seems to be dependent on the IKK/NF-κB pathway, suggesting that a possible interaction between NF-κB and PPARγ is required to modulate WAT inflammation induced by cancer cachexia. In this article, current literature on the possible mechanisms of NF-κB and PPARγ regulation of WAT cells during cancer cachexia are discussed. This review aims to assess the role of a possible interaction between NF-κB and PPARγ in the setting of cancer cachexia as well as its significant role as a potential modulator of chronic inflammation that could be explored therapeutically.

Characteristics of primary care processes for the treatment of faecal incontinence in an urban area.

AIM: In this study, we investigated the adequacy of the healthcare response systems to detect and treat faecal incontinence in patients in the primary care areas (PCAs) in a core urban area of Barcelona. METHOD: Patients with a diagnosis of faecal incontinence in the study area were identified from the electronic register of diagnostic codes, and from a manual review of electronic medical records of a random sample of the study population. The remaining variables were obtained through a structured telephone interview. RESULTS: In the study population (n = 65,023) with a previously estimated prevalence of faecal incontinence of 13% [95% confidence interval (CI) 10-17%], 68 cases of faecal incontinence were detected by the health care system (prevalence: 0.10%; 95% CI, 0.08-0.13). Of these, 39 patients (68% women, 68 ± 18 years of age) were interviewed: 18 (46%) reported symptoms lasting for longer than 5-10 years and 20 (51%) had waited for more than 5 years before seeking medical advice. Only 8 (18%) had received any treatment for faecal incontinence, and 18 (46%) reported persistent faecal incontinence at the time of the interview (Vaizey severity score 13 ± 4/24). CONCLUSION: The detection and treatment of faecal incontinence is insufficient in primary care services. Strategies to correct this are needed.

Eating quality of beef from biotypes included in the PGI "Ternera Asturiana" showing distinct physicochemical characteristics and tenderization pattern.

Different biotypes of the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) "Ternera Asturiana" were studied to determine if their differences in physicochemical characteristics and tenderization pattern during maturation (3 to 21 days) had an effect on the consumer evaluation of beef palatability. Biotype affected significantly pH, water holding capacity, chemical composition (P < 0.001) and meat lightness (P < 0.05). Ageing time affected significantly (P < 0.05) colour, meat toughness and sensory attributes in a different way within each biotype. Multivariate analysis showed two different meat groups: 1) meat from mh-genotypes, characterized by high juice losses, lightness (L*), protein content and high sensory acceptability at intermediate (7 and 14 days) ageing times; 2) meat from rustic (AM) breed and biotypes free of myostatin mutation (AV (+/+) and AV x AM), showing higher intramuscular fat, myoglobin content, and instrumental toughness and requiring longer storage times (21 days). This should be taken into account for the proper post-mortem management and commercialization of each product to achieve its best sensory quality.

Prediction of the fatty acid composition of beef by near infrared transmittance spectroscopy.

The intramuscular fat content and composition influence consumer selection of meat products. A study predicting the fatty acid (FA) profile of ground beef from the Longissimus thoracis of yearling bulls (n=100) using near infrared transmittance spectroscopy (NIT) was conducted. The samples were scanned using an Infratec 1265 Meat Analyzer which operates in transmittance mode from 850 to 1050nm. NIT technology was able to accurately predict (R(CV)(2) over 0.76) some prominent FAs such as C14:0, C16:0, C16:1cis9, C17:0, C18:1cis9 and C18:1cis11, and minor FAs like C13:0, C15:0, C17:1cis9 and C18:1cis13. When studying FA groups, NIT spectra were able to accurately predict saturated (R(CV)(2)=0.837), branched (R(CV)(2)=0.701) and monounsaturated (R(CV)(2)=0.852) FAs. In addition, NIT spectra provided useful information on the contents of conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) in beef. These results show the potential of NIT technique as a rapid and easy tool to predict the major FAs in beef, especially those located in triglycerides.

[Assessment of the role of doppler color ultrasonography and magnetic resonance angio-resonance in the diagnosis of Takayasu's arteritis]. / Valoración del papel del ecodoppler duplex color y la angiorresonancia magnética nuclear en el diagnóstico de la arteritis de Takayasu.

Takayasu arteritis (TA) is a chronic inflammatory process of unknown etiology which affects the aorta and its main branches causing occlusion, stenosis or dilation of the vessels concerned. A case of TA in a young woman is presented, who underwent colour doppler duplex ultrasound image study and whose diagnosis was confirmed by magnetic nuclear angioresonance (MNAR). The role of these two explorations in the detection and follow-up of this condition is discussed. Due to the fact that the expression and age at presentation may vary according to the different geographical areas affected, we would especially underline the new diagnostic criteria for this entity and based on the angiography findings obtained.

Involvement of the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus in the pressor response to chemoreflex activation in awake rats.

Chemoreflex activation with potassium cyanide (KCN, i.v.) produces pressor and bradycardic responses in awake rats in addition to the tachypneic response. In the present study we evaluated the role of the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) in the cardiovascular responses to chemoreflex activation in awake rats. Bilateral electrolytic lesion of the PVN was performed 1 day before chemoreflex activation and the results were compared to those obtained with sham-lesioned rats. Bilateral electrolytic lesion of the PVN (n=6) produced a significant reduction in both the magnitude (+51+/-5 vs. +22+/-2 mmHg) and duration (+26+/-5 vs. +6+/-2 s) of the pressor response to chemoreflex activation when compared to sham-lesioned rats (n=10). The bradycardic response to chemoreflex activation in rats with bilateral lesion of the PVN was not significantly different from the response of sham-lesioned rats (-229+/-20 vs. -88+/-76 bpm). Unilateral or partial bilateral lesion of the PVN (n=10) produced no significant changes in the pressor response (+51+/-5 vs. +49+/-3 mmHg), in the duration of the response (+26+/-5 vs. +18+/-3 s) or in the bradycardic response (-229+/-20 vs. -230+/-27 bpm) compared to sham-lesioned rats. The data show that effective bilateral lesion of the PVN produced a significant reduction in the magnitude and duration of the pressor response, indicating that the PVN plays a key role in the processing of the sympathoexcitatory component of the chemoreflex.

Estimation of the carcass composition of yearling bulls of "Asturiana de los Valles" breed from the dissection of a rib joint.

To evaluate different methods of estimating bovine carcass composition, seventy yearling bulls of the "Asturiana de los Valles" beef breed were slaughtered and their carcass composition estimated by a commercial dissection of the right half-carcass and by tissular dissection of the 6th and 10th rib of the left half-carcass. Correlation and regression analyses were used to identify the most accurate predictors of carcass composition. In simple regression, the percentage of lean in the 10th rib was the most accurate predictor (r=0.88; P<0.001) of the lean proportion in the carcass and the percentage of fat in the 6th rib was the best predictor (r=0.90; P<0.001) of the carcass fat content. The correlation coefficients for estimating the bone percentage in the carcass from the bone proportion in the ribs (6th and 10th) were low (r=0.63 and 0.51 respectively), although significant (P<0.001) and the coefficient improved when the proportion of lean in the ribs was used as predictor (r=0.78 and 0.70 for the 6th and the 10th rib respectively). In multiple regression, the addition of more regressors of the rib composition and carcass traits, such as carcass hot weight, the carcass fatness score and the weight of the kidney knob and channel fat, led to an improvement (P<0.05) in accuracy for some predictions. The results in general show that the accuracy of the predictions for the carcass composition obtained from dissection of both the 6th and 10th ribs was similar, although the dissection of the 10th rib tended to overestimate the proportion of fat in the carcass. Therefore, considering the carcass quartering method for the extraction of the ribs, it is proposed that dissection of the 6th rib is more appropriate than dissection of the 10th rib so as not to reduce the carcass value and obtain a good estimate of the carcass composition.

The effect of breed-production systems on the myosin heavy chain 1, the biochemical characteristics and the colour variables of Longissimus thoracis from seven Spanish beef cattle breeds.

The effect of breed-production system on the myosin heavy chain 1 (MHC-I), the biochemical characteristics and the colour variables of longissimus thoracis (LT) from seven beef breeds was studied: Asturiana de la Montaña (AM), Asturiana de los Valles (AV), Avileña-Negra Ibérica (A-NI), Bruna dels Pirineus (BP), Morucha (MO), Pirenaica (PI) and Retinta (RE) (Age at slaughter between 368 and 541 days; carcass weight between 249 and 334 kg). Significant differences between breed-production systems were found for all traits evaluated. LT from the MO, a rustic type breed, was the most oxidative (MHC-I, 39.3%; isocitrate dehydrogenase activity, 52 nmol min(-1) mg(-1); pigment content, 188.4 µg acid haematin g(-1)) and showed a low L* value (32.6) and high a* and C* values (24 and 27.2, respectively). In terms of meat colour (L* and a*) the canonical discriminant analysis separated the breeds into two groups, the AV, the PI and the A-NI (the lightest ones) from the AM and the MO breeds (the reddest and darkest) whereas the BP showed an intermediate position. The RE and the A-NI were distinguished from the others by their high intramuscular fat content. Meat colour was affected by the muscle biochemical traits in the breed-production systems studied.

[Sjogren's syndrome: a new diagnostic approximation]. / Síndrome de Sjögren: una nueva aproximación diagnóstica.

At presentation the history of a 51 years old woman with xerostomia and dry keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS) with a development of ten months. Investigations revealed the presence in serum of antibodies against cytoplasmic antigens SS-A (Ac anti-Ro/SS-A), antinuclear antibodies (ANAS), and rheumatoid factor (RF). The test with Rose of Bengal was positive, and in the salivary gammagraphy made with pertecnate-99 m Tc it was observed a decreased of the captation and excretion of the designer for the salivary glands. The histopathology and immunohistochemical study of the minor salivary glands showed the presence of a focal lymphocytic sialadenitis (fls) and a predominance of lymphocytes CD4+. It was diagnosed a primary Sjögren a Syndrome (SSP) and the patient was treated with salivary substitutes and artificial tears. We analyse the current diagnostic criteria of the group of studies of the European Community for the SS. We emphasize the importance of the histologics and immunohistochemical study that with the rest of the complementary test will let us to distinguish not only the different forms of presentation of the illness, but also those of all the patients with pathologies which are very prevalent in our environment nowadays, such as the infections by virus C of the hepatitis (VCH) and the human immunodeficiency (VIH).