CIEMAT participation in the seven EURADOS intercomparisons for whole-body dosemeters in photon and beta fields (2008-20).

Regular participation in intercomparisons (ICs) is an excellent way to test the reliability of results in laboratories. This work presents the analysis and conclusions of the results obtained by the CIEMAT dosimetry system in the last seven EURADOS ICs of whole-body dosemeters in fields of photons and beta radiation. Compliance with the criteria established in the ISO14146 standard, as well as the behavior of the CIEMAT personal dosemeters in all these ICs, has provided the necessary confidence for its use in the individual monitoring of workers during these years.

Compassion and Self-Compassion: Counterfactors of Burnout in Medical Students and Physicians.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between self-compassion, compassion for others and Burnout in medical students and physicians. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted. Medicine students and general physicians from two Colombian cities participated (n = 359). The Compassion Scales and the Maslach Inventory were administered. An Exploratory Structural Equation approach was used for validating new measures and testing for relationships between latent variables. RESULTS: Most participants were students (85.9%), mean age was 22 years (SD = 7), 55.2% were female, 62,6% dedicated more than 48 weekly hours to study or practice, while physicians had worked a mean of 10.34 years (SD = 8.67). Self-compassion and Compassion for others action subscales were validated, but engagement subscales of were not. Participant´s compassion actions for others and self-compassion actions are negatively related to depersonalization and emotional exhaustion, respectively. Additionally, compassion dimensions were positively associated with professional accomplishment. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that compassion and self-compassion actions inversely relate to different components of Burnout and could constitute protective factors against the stress of healthcare. Compassion and self-compassion training programs for medical students and physicians might be an alternative to avoid Burnout, diminishing physicians' depersonalization and emotional exhaustion while enhancing their professional accomplishment.

Plasticizing effect of Apis mellifera honey on whey protein isolate films.

The aims of this study were to analyze the plasticizing effect of Apis mellifera honey on the mechanical, physicochemical and optical properties of whey protein isolate (WPI) films and to compare the results collected with the plasticizing effect of glycerol on WPI-films. Response surface was applied to optimize the amounts of WPI and glycerol in order to obtain films with higher tensile strength (TS), moderate elongation, and lower water vapor permeability so that they could be used as reference films. Honey was added at different concentrations (60%, 80%, and 100%) of g honey/100 g WPI, as a plasticizer to the WPI-films. In comparison to glycerol-plasticized films, an increase in the percentage of honey produced a reduction of 20 ± 10 to 48 ± 0.5% of TS, a 66 ± 0.5% lower in Young's modulus (WPI-films with 100% honey), and an increase of 186 ± 11% in elongation at break in the WPI-films with 100% honey. Honey-plasticized WPI-films were from 29 ± 11 to 43 ± 3% less permeable to water vapor than glycerol-plasticized WPI films. The mechanical characteristics of the 80% honey formulation did not differ significantly from those of the reference film (p > 0.05). Findings from this study indicate that honey has great potential as a plasticizer in WPI-films.

Effects of freeze-dried pulp of Eugenia uniflora L. and Opuntia ficus-indica fruits on quality attributes of beef patties enriched with n-3 fatty acids.

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of freeze-dried pulps of Eugenia uniflora L. and Opuntia ficus-indica fruits on oxidative stability of n-3-enriched beef patties. Besides, the effect of freeze-dried pulps on cooking yield, color, texture parameters and sensory acceptance of patties was also evaluated. Eugenia uniflora L. (orange-skinned variety) and Opuntia ficus-indica (orange-skinned and red-skinned varieties) fruits were collected, their pulp was lyophilized and incorporated, as a natural source of antioxidant, in beef patties enriched with canola oil as a source of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Oxidation stability of samples was monitored by measuring thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances during refrigerated storage. Results show that all freeze-dried pulps limited lipid oxidation to an acceptable level during 15 days refrigerated storage, having Opuntia ficus-indica (red-skinned variety) the highest inhibitory activity. Besides, the addition of freeze-dried pulps increased the cooking yield and decreased the hardness of beef patties. Respect to sensorial parameters, patties elaborated with no added freeze-dried fruit pulp and patties elaborated with freeze-dried pulp of Opuntia ficus-indica (red-skinned variety) presented the highest overall acceptance of consumers, remaining as a future task to improve the color and taste of patties elaborated with freeze-dried pulps of Eugenia uniflora L. and Opuntia ficus-indica (orange-skinned variety). This research reveals the effectiveness of studied fruits to reduce lipid oxidation in beef patties. In addition, preliminary information about which sensorial parameters of these products should be improved in futures incorporation of pulps in the manufacture of healthy meat products.

Lycopene and Melatonin: Antioxidant Compounds in Cosmetic Formulations.

BACKGROUND: The use of antioxidants has become a common practice in the development of antiaging cosmetics. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of cosmetic formulations containing lycopene and melatonin antioxidants. METHOD: Thirty-six healthy women from 32 to 65 years were enrolled in this study. The study was carried out for 10 weeks, 2 preconditioning weeks with a control cream without antioxidants, and 8-week test with creams containing antioxidants in study. A multifunctional skin physiology monitor (Courage & Khazaka electronic GmbH®, Germany) was used to measure skin sebum content, hydration, elasticity, erythema index, and melanin index in 4 different regions of the face. RESULTS: There were significant differences between them.

Development of gluten-free fish (Pseudoplatystoma corruscans) patties by response surface methodology.

The goal of this study was to develop a fish-based product suitable for people with celiac disease. Water and gluten-free flours (rice, corn, amaranth or quinoa) were added to improve cooking yield, texture parameters and as an aid in improving quality attributes such as taste and juiciness. Cooking yields of patties containing gluten-free flours were higher than control and maximum values ranged between 91 and 93%. Hardness was higher in patties made with amaranth or quinoa flour, whereas cohesiveness and springiness were higher in patties made with corn and rice flour, respectively. Response surface methodology was used to optimize patties formulations. Optimized formulations were prepared and evaluated showing a good agreement between predicted and experimental responses. Also, nutritional value and consumer acceptance of optimized formulations were analysed. Flours addition affected proximate composition increasing carbohydrates, total fat and mineral content compared to control. Sensory evaluation showed that no differences were found in the aroma of products. Addition of rice flour increased juiciness and tenderness whereas taste, overall acceptance and buying intention were higher in control patty, followed by patties made with corn flour. The present investigation shows good possibilities for further product development, including the scale up at an industrial level.

Animal fat replacement by vegetable oils in formulations of breads with flour mixes.

The improvement of fatty acids (FA) profile of bread made with bovine fat (BF) and a mixture of flours completely replacing fat with canola oil (CO), or olive oil (OO) was evaluated. Technological and sensory characteristics and overall acceptability of the fortified breads were also studied. The results showed a decrease in saturated FA and a relative increase in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated FA compared to bread made with BF. Regarding CO, this caused the higher increase in n3 FA. This effect was maximized in bread made from the mixture of wheat flour (WF) + flaxseed flour (FF) + soybean flour (SF). OO caused a rise of n9 and n6 FA, mainly in bread made with WF + FF + wheat bran (WB). The breads with WF + FF + SF + CO and WF + FF + WB + OO presented higher specific volume, softer crumb and colour similar to those from base formulations. Furthermore, they had a very good sensory acceptance.

Wastewater management in small towns - understanding the failure of small treatment plants in Bolivia.

Wastewater management in developing countries is a challenge, especially in small towns with rapid population growth. This study aims at assessing the performance and management of five treatment plants (TPs) in rural areas of Cochabamba, Bolivia. Pollutants' concentrations, wastewater flows, hydraulic and organic loads and hydraulic retention times were determined in three small treatment plants (2000-10,000 population equivalent [p.e.]; flow > 432 m3/d) and two very small treatment plants (<2000 p.e.; flow < 432 m3/d). The performance assessment was based on operational parameters, treatment efficiency and effluent quality. Management data were collected through semi-structured interviews with managers of local water associations. The results support that the poor performance of the TPs is due to lack of operational expertise and financial resources for adequate operation and maintenance (O&M). Additionally, effective treatment was affected by the type of technology used and whether the plant design included plans for O&M with available resources. This study contributes to a better understanding of actual operating conditions of wastewater TPs in small towns, thus providing needed information regarding technology selection, design, implementation and operation.

Legacy of historic ozone exposure on plant community and food web structure.

Information on whole community responses is needed to predict direction and magnitude of changes in plant and animal abundance under global changes. This study quantifies the effect of past ozone exposure on a weed community structure and arthropod colonization. We used the soil seed bank resulting from a long-term ozone exposure to reestablish the plant community under a new low-pollution environment. Two separate experiments using the same original soil seed bank were conducted. Plant and arthropod richness and species abundance was assessed during two years. We predicted that exposure to episodic high concentrations of ozone during a series of growing cycles would result in plant assemblies with lower diversity (lower species richness and higher dominance), due to an increase in dominance of the stress tolerant species and the elimination of the ozone-sensitive species. As a consequence, arthropod-plant interactions would also be changed. Species richness of the recruited plant communities from different exposure histories was similar (≈ 15). However, the relative abundance of the dominant species varied according to history of exposure, with two annual species dominating ozone enriched plots (90 ppb: Spergula arvensis, and 120 ppb: Calandrinia ciliata). Being consistent both years, the proportion of carnivore species was significantly higher in plots with history of higher ozone concentration (≈3.4 and ≈7.7 fold higher in 90 ppb and 120 ppb plots, respectively). Our study provides evidence that, past history of pollution might be as relevant as management practices in structuring agroecosystems, since we show that an increase in tropospheric ozone may influence biotic communities even years after the exposure.

Video approach to chemiluminescence detection using a low-cost complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS)-based camera: determination of paracetamol in pharmaceutical formulations.

A new system for continuous flow chemiluminescence detection, based on the use of a simple and low-priced lens-free digital camera (with complementary metal oxide semiconductor technology) as a detector, is proposed for the quantitative determination of paracetamol in commercial pharmaceutical formulations. Through the camera software, AVI video files of the chemiluminescence emission are captured and then, using friendly ImageJ public domain software (from National Institutes for Health), properly processed in order to extract the analytical information. The calibration graph was found to be linear over the range 0.01-0.10 mg L-1 and over the range 1.0-100.0 mg L-1 of paracetamol, the limit of detection being 10 µg L-1. No significative interferences were found. Paracetamol was determined in three different pharmaceutical formulations: Termalgin®, Efferalgan® and Gelocatil®. The obtained results compared well with those declared on the formulation label and with those obtained through the official analytical method of British Pharmacopoeia. Graphical abstract Abbreviated scheme of the new chemiluminescence detection system proposed in this paper.

Cajal bodies in neurons.

Cajal is commonly regarded as the father of modern neuroscience in recognition of his fundamental work on the structure of the nervous system. But Cajal also made seminal contributions to the knowledge of nuclear structure in the early 1900s, including the discovery of the "accessory body" later renamed "Cajal body" (CB). This important nuclear structure has emerged as a center for the assembly of ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) required for splicing, ribosome biogenesis and telomere maintenance. The modern era of CB research started in the 1990s with the discovery of coilin, now known as a scaffold protein of CBs, and specific probes for small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs). In this review, we summarize what we have learned in the recent decades concerning CBs in post-mitotic neurons, thereby ruling out dynamic changes in CB functions during the cell cycle. We show that CBs are particularly prominent in neurons, where they frequently associate with the nucleolus. Neuronal CBs are transcription-dependent nuclear organelles. Indeed, their number dynamically accommodates to support the high neuronal demand for splicing and ribosome biogenesis required for sustaining metabolic and bioelectrical activity. Mature neurons have canonical CBs enriched in coilin, survival motor neuron protein and snRNPs. Disruption and loss of neuronal CBs associate with severe neuronal dysfunctions in several neurological disorders such as motor neuron diseases. In particular, CB depletion in motor neurons seems to reflect a perturbation of transcription and splicing in spinal muscular atrophy, the most common genetic cause of infant mortality.

Respuesta al tratamiento e intervalo de tiempo hasta la cirugía con radioterapia preoperatoria de curso corto en el cáncer de recto / Response to treatment and interval to surgery after preoperative short-course radiotherapy in rectal cancer

INTRODUCCIÓN: La radioterapia preoperatoria de curso corto con cirugía inmediata, mejora el control local del cáncer rectal. Las respuestas que consigue son de menor magnitud que las descritas con radioquimioterapia. Datos preliminares asocian esta menor respuesta al corto periodo hasta la cirugía. El objetivo de este estudio es analizar la respuesta obtenida con el esquema preoperatorio de curso corto y su correlación con el tiempo hasta la cirugía, analizando especialmente a los pacientes con fascia mesorrectal afectada. MÉTODOS: Se analiza retrospectivamente a 155 pacientes tratados con radioterapia preoperatoria (5×5Gy). Se cuantificó la respuesta tumoral en términos de tasas de respuesta completa patológica, reducción del estadio, grado de regresión tumoral y estado del margen de resección circunferencial. RESULTADOS: El intervalo medio radioterapia-cirugía fue de 23 días. Se alcanzaron respuestas completas patológicas en el 2,2% y reducción del estadio en el 28%. No se detectaron diferencias entre estas tasas y el intervalo hasta la cirugía. Ochenta y ocho pacientes tenían resonancia de estadificación (31 con fascia mesorrectal comprometida). La media de tiempo hasta la intervención en pacientes con fascia comprometida y cirugía R0 fue de 27 días y si R1 de 16 días (p = 0,016). El punto de corte de 20 días alcanzó la mayor probabilidad de lograr un margen circunferencial negativo entre los pacientes con fascia mesorrectal comprometida, aunque sin alcanzar significación estadística: RR 3,036, IC del 95%=0,691-13,328, p = 0,06. CONCLUSIONES: Tras la radioterapia preoperatoria de curso corto, un intervalo > 20 días potencia la probabilidad de lograr un margen de resección libre en pacientes con fascia mesorrectal comprometida

INTRODUCTION: Preoperative short-course radiotherapy with immediate surgery improves local control in patients with rectal cancer. Tumor responses are smaller than those described with radiochemotherapy. Preliminary data associate this lower response to the short period until surgery. The aim of this study is to analyze the response to preoperative short-course radiotherapy and its correlation with the interval to surgery especially analyzing patients with mesorectal fascia involvement. METHODS: A total of 155 patients with locally advanced rectal cancer treated with preoperative radiotherapy (5×5Gy) were retrospectively analyzed. Tumor response in terms of rates of complete pathological response, downstaging, tumor regression grading and status of the circumferential resection margin were quantified. RESULTS: The mean interval from radiotherapy to surgery was 23 days. The rate of complete pathological response was 2.2% and 28% experienced downstaging (stage decreased). No differences between these rates and interval to surgery were detected. Eighty-eight patients had magnetic resonance imaging for staging (in 31 patients the mesorectal fascia was involved).The mean time to surgery in patients with involvement of the fascia and R0 surgery was 27 days and 16 days if R1 (P = .016). The cutoff of 20 days reached the highest probability of achieving a free circumferential resection margin between patients with mesorectal fascia involvement, with no statistically significant differences: RR 3.036 95% CI = (0.691-13.328),P = .06. CONCLUSIONS: After preoperative short-course radiotherapy, an interval>20 days enhances the likelihood of achieving a free circumferential resection margin in patients with mesorectal fascia involvement

Evaluación del rendimiento del sistema Rapid™ Yeast Pluz (Remel) a partir de 2 medios de cultivo diferentes / Performance evaluation of Rapid™ Yeast Plus (Remel) system from two different culture media

Dentro del género Candida, la especie más frecuentemente aislada de materiales clínicos es Candida albicans. Debido a la emergencia de otras especies que pueden presentar mayor índice de resistencia a los antifúngicos, se hace necesaria la identificación rápida de aquellas. El objetivo del presente trabajo fue evaluar el rendimiento del sistema RapID™ Yeast Plus a partir de subcultivos en 2 formulaciones diferentes, agar Sabouraud dextrosa modificado por Emmons (medio indicado en el inserto del equipo) y agar Sabouraud glucosado, que es el utilizado habitualmente en los laboratorios de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires. Se estudiaron 166 cepas de muestras clínicas provenientes de los distintos hospitales que integran la Red de Micología de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. De los resultados obtenidos se concluye que se deben mantener las condiciones y el medio de cultivo indicado por el fabricante

Within the genus Candida, Candida albicans is the most commonly isolated species from clinical samples. Due to the emergence of other species which can show a higher index of antifungal resistance, a fast identification of these species is necessary. The aim of this work was to evaluate the performance of the RapID Yeast Plus system from two different subculture media formulations: Sabouraud dextrose agar adjusted by Emmons (the medium is indicated in the equipment insert) and Sabouraud glucose agar, which is the most frequently used in Buenos Aires City laboratories. One hundred and sixty-six clinical sample strains coming from different hospitals belonging to the Mycology Network of Buenos Aires City were studied. From the obtained results, we conclude that the conditions and culture medium indicated by the manufacturer should be followed

Response to treatment and interval to surgery after preoperative short-course radiotherapy in rectal cancer. / Respuesta al tratamiento e intervalo de tiempo hasta la cirugía con radioterapia preoperatoria de curso corto en el cáncer de recto.

INTRODUCTION: Preoperative short-course radiotherapy with immediate surgery improves local control in patients with rectal cancer. Tumor responses are smaller than those described with radiochemotherapy. Preliminary data associate this lower response to the short period until surgery. The aim of this study is to analyze the response to preoperative short-course radiotherapy and its correlation with the interval to surgery especially analyzing patients with mesorectal fascia involvement. METHODS: A total of 155 patients with locally advanced rectal cancer treated with preoperative radiotherapy (5×5Gy) were retrospectively analyzed. Tumor response in terms of rates of complete pathological response, downstaging, tumor regression grading and status of the circumferential resection margin were quantified. RESULTS: The mean interval from radiotherapy to surgery was 23 days. The rate of complete pathological response was 2.2% and 28% experienced downstaging (stage decreased). No differences between these rates and interval to surgery were detected. Eighty-eight patients had magnetic resonance imaging for staging (in 31 patients the mesorectal fascia was involved).The mean time to surgery in patients with involvement of the fascia and R0 surgery was 27 days and 16 days if R1 (P=.016). The cutoff of 20 days reached the highest probability of achieving a free circumferential resection margin between patients with mesorectal fascia involvement, with no statistically significant differences: RR 3.036 95% CI=(0.691-13.328), P=.06. CONCLUSIONS: After preoperative short-course radiotherapy, an interval>20 days enhances the likelihood of achieving a free circumferential resection margin in patients with mesorectal fascia involvement.

EURADOS INTERCOMPARISONS ON WHOLE-BODY DOSEMETERS FOR PHOTONS FROM 2008 TO 2014.

Starting in 2008 the European Dosimetry Group (EURADOS) has been performing international intercomparisons on photon whole-body dosemeters for individual monitoring services. These intercomparisons were organised (on a biannual basis) in 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014, each time with a similar set-up but with small alterations in the subsequent irradiation plans. With an increasing number of participants and participating systems, this intercomparison action has become an important tool for individual monitoring services to test their whole-body dosimetry systems, compare their results with other services or systems and to improve the quality of their dosimetry. The paper presents and compares the results of these four intercomparisons and compares the dosimetric results for the participating system types. Major dosimetric problems of the individual monitoring services are identified, and trends in the dosimetric performance of the different systems are shown. This gives the opportunity to identify some dosimetry issues that should be improved by application of the monitoring services' quality assurance systems and QA procedures.

EURADOS INTERCOMPARISONS IN EXTERNAL RADIATION DOSIMETRY: SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES AMONG EXERCISES FOR WHOLE-BODY PHOTON, WHOLE-BODY NEUTRON, EXTREMITY, EYE-LENS AND PASSIVE AREA DOSEMETERS.

The European Radiation Dosimetry Group (EURADOS) has been organising dosimetry intercomparisons for many years in response to an identified requirement from individual monitoring services (IMS) for independent performance tests for dosimetry systems. The participation in intercomparisons gives IMS the opportunity to show compliance with their own quality management system, compare results with other participants and develop plans for improving their dosimetry systems. In response to growing demand, EURADOS has increased the number of intercomparisons for external radiation dosimetry. Most of these fit into the programme of self-financing intercomparisons for dosemeters routinely used by IMS. This programme is being coordinated by EURADOS working group 2 (WG2). Up to now, this programme has included four intercomparisons for whole-body dosemeters in photon fields, one for extremity dosemeters in photon and beta fields, and one for whole-body dosemeters in neutron fields. Other EURADOS working groups have organised additional intercomparisons including events in 2014 for eye-lens dosemeters and passive area dosemeters for environmental monitoring. In this paper, the organisation and achievements of these intercomparisons are compared in detail focusing on the similarities and differences in their execution.

Chronic Alcohol Exposure Decreases 53BP1 Protein Levels Leading to a Defective DNA Repair in Cultured Primary Cortical Neurons.

Chronic alcohol consumption may cause neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders. Alcohol neurotoxicity is associated with the production of acetaldehyde and reactive oxygen species that induce oxidative DNA damage. However, the molecular mechanisms by which ethanol disturbs the DNA damage response (DDR), resulting in a defective DNA repair, remain unknown. Here, we have used cultured primary cortical neurons exposed to 50 or 100 mM ethanol for 7 days to analyze the ethanol-induced DDR. Ethanol exposure produced a dose-dependent generation of double strand breaks and the formation of DNA damage foci immunoreactive for the histone γH2AX, a DNA damage marker, and for the ubiquitylated H2A, which is involved in chromatin remodeling at DNA damage sites. Importantly, these DNA damage foci failed to recruit the protein 53BP1, a crucial DNA repair factor. This effect was associated with a drop in 53BP1 mRNA and protein levels and with an inhibition of global transcription. Moreover, ethanol-exposed neurons treated with ionizing radiation (2 Gy) also failed to recruit 53BP1 at DNA damage foci and exhibited a greater vulnerability to DNA lesions than irradiated control neurons. Our results support that defective DNA repair, mediated by the deficient expression and recruitment of 53BP1 to DNA damage sites, represents a novel mechanism involved in ethanol neurotoxicity. The design of therapeutic strategies that increase or stabilize 53BP1 levels might potentially promote DNA repair and partially compensate alcohol neurotoxicity.

Chronic alcohol exposure affects the cell components involved in membrane traffic in neuronal dendrites.

The specific traffic of the membrane components in neurons is a major requirement to establish and maintain neuronal domains-the axonal and the somatodendritic domains-and their polarized morphology. Unlike axons, dendrites contain membranous organelles, which are involved in the secretory pathway, including the endoplasmic reticulum, the Golgi apparatus and post-Golgi apparatus carriers, the cytoskeleton, and plasma membrane. A variety of molecules and factors are also involved in this process. Previous studies have shown that chronic alcohol exposure negatively affects several of these cell components, such as the Golgi apparatus or cytoskeleton in neurons. Yet very little information is available on the possible effects of this exposure on the remaining cell elements involved in intracellular trafficking in neurons, particularly in dendrites. By qualitative and quantitative electron microscopy, immunofluorescence and immunoblotting, we herein show that chronic exposure to moderate levels (30 mM) of ethanol in cultured neurons reduces the volume and surface density of the rough endoplasmic reticulum, and increases the levels of GRP78, a chaperone involved in endoplasmic reticulum stress. Ethanol also significantly diminishes the proportion of neurons that show an extension of Golgi into dendrites and dendritic Golgi outposts, a structure present exclusively in longer, thicker apical dendrites. Both Golgi apparatus types were also fragmented into a large number of cells. We also investigated the effect of alcohol on the levels of microtubule-based motor proteins KIF5, KIF17, KIFC2, dynein, and myosin IIb, responsible for transporting different cargoes in dendrites. Of these, alcohol differently affects several of them by lowering dynein and raising KIF5, KIFC2, and myosin IIb. These results, together with other previously published ones, suggest that practically all the protein trafficking steps in dendrites are altered to a greater or lesser extent by chronic alcohol exposure in neuronal cells, which may have negative repercussions for the development and maintenance of their polarized morphology and function.

Improvement of fatty acid profile and studio of rheological and technological characteristics in breads supplemented with flaxseed, soybean, and wheat bran flours.

Functional breads constitute an interesting alternative as vehicle of new essential fatty acids sources. The aim of this study was to improve the fatty acids (FA) profile of bakery products, producing breads with low saturated fatty acid (SFA) content and with high polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content, through partial substitution of wheat flour by other ingredients (soy flour, flax flour, and wheat bran) and to analyze the effect of this change on the technological, rheological, and sensorial characteristics of breads. Flaxseed flour (FF), soybeans flour (SF), or wheat bran (WB) was used to replace 50, 100, and 150 g kg(-1) of wheat flour (WF) in breads. FF or SF produced a decrease in monounsaturated and SFA and an increase of PUFA in these breads. Furthermore, breads replaced with FF presented considerable increase in the content of n3 FA, while, SF or WB contributed to rise of linoleic and oleic FA, respectively. The substitution percentage increase of FF, SF, or WB to formulation produced changes in the colour, rheological, textural, and technological characteristics of breads. This replacement resulted in improved lipid profile, being breads with 50 g kg(-1) SF, the better acceptance, baking features, and enhanced fatty acid profile.

Chronic alcohol alters dendritic spine development in neurons in primary culture.

Dendritic spines are specialised membrane protrusions of neuronal dendrites that receive the majority of excitatory synaptic inputs. Abnormal changes in their density, size and morphology have been associated with various neurological and psychiatric disorders, including those deriving from drug addiction. Dendritic spine formation, morphology and synaptic functions are governed by the actin cytoskeleton. Previous in vivo studies have shown that ethanol alters the number and morphology of spines, although the mechanisms underlying these alterations remain unknown. It has also been described how chronic ethanol exposure affects the levels, assembly and cellular organisation of the actin cytoskeleton in hippocampal neurons in primary culture. Therefore, we hypothesised that the ethanol-induced alterations in the number and shape of dendritic spines are due to alterations in the mechanisms regulating actin cytoskeleton integrity. The results presented herein show that chronic exposure to moderate levels of alcohol (30 mM) during the first 2 weeks of culture reduces dendritic spine density and alters the proportion of the different morphologies of these structures in hippocampal neurons, which affects the formation of mature spines. Apparently, these effects are associated with an increase in the G-actin/F-actin ratio due to a reduction of the F-actin fraction, leading to changes in the levels of the different factors regulating the organisation of this cytoskeletal component. The data presented herein indicate that these effects occur between weeks 1 and 2 of culture, an important period in dendritic spines development. These changes may be related to the dysfunction in the memory and learning processes present in children prenatally exposed to ethanol.