[Prevalence, knowledge and control of arterial hypertension in vulnerable neighborhoods of Argentina: A Cross-sectional Study]. / Estudio de prevalencia, conocimiento y control de la hipertensión arterial en barrios vulnerables de Argentina.

INTRODUCTION: Hypertension (HTN) represents the primary individual risk factor, contributing significantly to the global burden of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). In our country, epidemiological research has highlighted substantial variations in the prevalence of these risk factors across different populations. However, there is a lack of epidemiological studies assessing exclusive cardiovascular risk factors within vulnerable neighborhoods characterized by extremely limited economic resources, sociocultural challenges, and inadequate healthcare access. METHODS: A multicenter cross-sectional observational study was conducted among individuals residing in economically deprived and marginalized communities, including informal settlements and underprivileged neighborhoods. Simple random sampling of households was employed. Blood pressure measurements, anthropometric assessments, and epidemiological, economic, and sociocultural questionnaires were administered. Results encompass prevalence rates, awareness levels, and blood pressure control across diverse regions. Logistic regression was utilized to identify independent variables influencing primary outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 989 participants were analyzed. The overall prevalence of hypertension was 48.2%. About 82% had a body mass index (BMI) >25. Approximately 45.3% had less than 6 years of formal education. Independent association was established between education levels below 6 years and higher hypertension prevalence. Among hypertensive individuals, 44% were unaware of their condition, with only 17.2% achieving control, correlated with having health insurance and a higher educational background. Merely 24% were receiving combined therapy. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of hypertension within vulnerable neighborhoods is alarmingly high, surpassing rates in other social strata. Knowledge, treatment, and control levels of hypertension are suboptimal, comparable to other populations. Inadequate use of combination therapy was observed. This study underscores the urgent need for targeted interventions addressing cardiovascular risk factors in poor areas to mitigate the burden of CVD.

Percutaneous transhepatic cholangioscopy for benign and malignant biliary disease using a novel short single-operator cholangioscope.

BACKGROUND: The length of conventional single-use cholangioscopes poses a challenge for percutaneous or laparoscopic approaches for direct visualization of the biliary tract. The aim of this retrospective observational clinical study was to assess the use of a dedicated percutaneous short single-operator cholangioscope (PSSOC) for diagnosis and treatment of benign or malignant biliary diseases. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of a prospectively maintained database including all consecutive patients undergoing percutaneous transhepatic cholangioscopy with the PSSOC between 06/2021 and 01/2023. RESULTS: Forty patients were included (22F/18 M, age 58.7 ± 16.7 years). The diagnostic and therapeutic management plan was based on procedural findings. Indications were bile duct obstruction associated with complex anatomy (n = 13), choledocholithiasis (n = 11), suspected malignant stenosis of the biliary tract (n = 11), biliary stent placement (n = 2) and removal (n = 1), and failed endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (n = 2). The cholangioscopies were diagnostic (n = 5), therapeutic (n = 20) or both simultaneously (n = 15). The most frequent procedures were electrohydraulic lithotripsy (n = 25) and biopsy sampling (n = 12). Complications occurred in 7 cases (17.5%), including cholangitis (n = 4, B2), pleural perforation (n = 1, B2), portal bleeding (n = 1, B3), and Tako-Tsubo syndrome (n = 1, B3), classified according to the Society of Interventional Radiology classification. Intraprocedural visual diagnosis was confirmed by the histopathologic result in 11/12 patients in which biopsies were performed (91.7%). PSSOC was relevant to avoid surgery in 2 patients (5%) with indeterminate strictures, allowing to rule out malignancy and treat the lithiasis. CONCLUSIONS: Direct visualization of the biliary tract enabled targeted biopsies for histopathological diagnosis. The visual and histopathological diagnoses were concordant in all but one case. Percutaneous cholangioscopy with a dedicated PSSOC allows to optimize identification and treatment of complex biliary disease including biliary lithiasis while assessing bile duct patency. The clinical use of the novel PSSOC system was safe and effective and could prevent surgical exploration in select patients.

Adsorption of Metals on (100) Metallic Surfaces: Monte Carlo Simulations and Geometrical Phase Transitions.

Adsorption and continuous phase transitions (percolation) of metals on (100) metallic surfaces are studied by means of Monte Carlo simulations and the finite-size scaling theory. The studied systems are Ag/Au(100), Au/Ag(100), Ag/Pt(100), and Pt/Ag(100), and the embedded atom method (EAM) is employed for energy calculations. Pairwise interactions are also considered for comparative purposes. The study of critical exponents reveals that these systems belong to the same universality as random sequential adsorption (RSA). For the four systems studied, and the two kinds of interactions considered, phase diagrams of percolation threshold, θc, as a function of temperature are presented. In all cases, and for all temperatures, θc is always below the value corresponding to RSA, as expected for attractive interactions, and it tends to that value as T → ∞. At intermediate temperatures, a particular behavior is found for EAM interactions.

Comparative pangenomic analyses and biotechnological potential of cocoa-related Acetobacter senegalensis strains.

Acetobacter senegalensis belongs to the group of acetic acid bacteria (AAB) that present potential biotechnological applications, for production of D-gluconate, cellulose and acetic acid. AAB can overcome heat and acid stresses by using strategies involving the overexpression of heat-shock proteins and enzymes from the complex pyrroquinoline-ADH, besides alcohol dehydrogenases (ADH). Nonetheless, the isolation of A. senegalensis and other AAB from food may be challenging due to presence of viable but non-culturable (VBNC) cells and due to uncertainties about nutritional requirements. To contribute for a better understanding of the ecology of AAB, this paper reports on the pangenome analysis of five strains of A. senegalensis recently isolated from a Brazilian spontaneous cocoa fermentation. The results showed biosynthetic clusters exclusively found in some cocoa-related AAB, such as those related to terpene pathways, which are important for flavour development. Genes related to oxidative stress were conserved in all the genomes, with multiple clusters. Moreover, there were genes coding for ADH and putative ABC transporters distributed in core, shell and cloud genomes, while chaperonin-encoding genes were present only in the core and soft-core genomes. Regarding quorum sensing, a response regulator gene was in the shell genome, and the gene encoding for acyl-homoserine lactone efflux protein was in the soft-core genome. There were quorum quenching-related genes, mainly encoding for lactonases, but also for acylases. Moreover, A. senegalensis did not have determinants of virulence or antibiotic resistance, which are good traits for strains intended to be applied in food fermentation.

Microcirugía endodóntica con planificación digital y guía quirúrgica: caso clínico / Endodontic microsurgery with digital planning and surgical guide: a clinical case

La microcirugía endodóntica (MCE) es una alternativa al tratamiento no quirúrgico de la periodontitis apical persistente. Por su evolución junto a los avances tecnológicos, la incorporación de la tomografía computarizada de haz cónico (CBCT), la tecnología de impresión tridimensional (3D) y las guías quirúrgicas diseñadas con software asistido por computadora, han permitido implementar la planificación digital llevada a cabo en el acto quirúrgico. El objetivo de este informe es describir un caso clínico de MCE guiada, con un protocolo de diseño digital y el uso de una guía quirúrgica impresa en resina biocompatible, diseñada con precisión de acuerdo con las mediciones de CBCT preoperatorias. Se diseñó un kit de trefinas con "sleeves" (Neokings) para realizar la osteotomía y resección de los últimos 3 mm apicales direccionados por la guía quirúrgica. La tabla cortical intacta se recuperó y se utilizó como injerto junto con plasma rico en fibrina. La guía de cirugía apical permite al profesional lograr ubicar con precisión los tejidos objetivos de la cirugía y acortar el tiempo del procedimiento. Un control CBCT inmediato mostró la planificación exacta en 3D del sitio quirúrgico (AU)

Galgo: a bi-objective evolutionary meta-heuristic identifies robust transcriptomic classifiers associated with patient outcome across multiple cancer types.

MOTIVATION: Statistical and machine-learning analyses of tumor transcriptomic profiles offer a powerful resource to gain deeper understanding of tumor subtypes and disease prognosis. Currently, prognostic gene-expression signatures do not exist for all cancer types, and most developed to date have been optimized for individual tumor types. In Galgo, we implement a bi-objective optimization approach that prioritizes gene signature cohesiveness and patient survival in parallel, which provides greater power to identify tumor transcriptomic phenotypes strongly associated with patient survival. RESULTS: To compare the predictive power of the signatures obtained by Galgo with previously studied subtyping methods, we used a meta-analytic approach testing a total of 35 large population-based transcriptomic biobanks of four different cancer types. Galgo-generated colorectal and lung adenocarcinoma signatures were stronger predictors of patient survival compared to published molecular classification schemes. One Galgo-generated breast cancer signature outperformed PAM50, AIMS, SCMGENE and IntClust subtyping predictors. In high-grade serous ovarian cancer, Galgo signatures obtained similar predictive power to a consensus classification method. In all cases, Galgo subtypes reflected enrichment of gene sets related to the hallmarks of the disease, which highlights the biological relevance of the partitions found. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: The open-source R package is available on www.github.com/harpomaxx/galgo. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Synthesis, characterization and kinetic study of silver and gold nanoparticles produced by the archaeon Haloferax volcanii.

AIMS: To evaluate the ability of the haloarchaeon Haloferax volcanii to produce Ag and Au nanoparticles (NPs) and to characterize the obtained material in order to find relevant properties for future potential applications. METHODS AND RESULTS: Nanoparticles were produced by incubating H. volcanii cells with the corresponding metal salt. In the presence of precursor salts, cultures evidenced a colour change associated to the formation of metallic nanostructures with plasmonic bands located in the visible range of the spectrum. X-ray fluorescence analysis confirmed the presence of Ag and Au in the NPs which were spherical, with average sizes of 25 nmol l-1 (Ag) and 10 nmol l-1 (Au), as determined by electronic microscopy. Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy indicated that both types of NPs showed a stable protein capping. Ag NPs evidenced antibacterial activity and Au NPs improved the specificity of polymerase chain reaction reactions. Au and Ag NPs were able to reduce 4-nitrophenol when incubated with NaBH4 . CONCLUSIONS: Haloferax volcanii is able to synthesize metallic NPs with interesting properties for technological applications. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Our data demonstrate the ability of H. volcanii to synthesize metal NPs and constitutes a solid starting point to deepen the study and explore novel applications.

Ursolic acid: A novel antiviral compound inhibiting rotavirus infection in vitro.

Rotavirus is one of the leading causes of severe acute gastroenteritis in children under 5 years of age, mainly affecting developing countries. Once the disease is acquired, no specific treatment is available; as such, the development of new drugs for effective antirotaviral treatment is critical. Ursolic acid is a pentacyclic triterpenoid with antiviral activity, which has been studied extensively in vitro and in vivo. To study the potential antirotaviral activity of ursolic acid, its toxic potential for viral particles (virucidal effect) and cultured cells (cytotoxicity) was analysed. No effect on virion infectivity was observed with treatments of up to 40 µM ursolic acid, while incipient cytotoxicity started to be evident with 20 µM ursolic acid. The antiviral potential of ursolic acid was evaluated in in-vitro rotavirus infections, demonstrating that 10 µM ursolic acid inhibits rotavirus replication (observed by a decrease in viral titre and the level of the main viral proteins) and affects viral particle maturation (a process associated with the endoplasmic reticulum) 15 h post infection. Interestingly, ursolic acid was also found to hamper the early stages of the viral replication cycle, as a significant reduction in the number and size of viroplasms, consistent with a decrease in VP6 and NSP2 viral proteins, was observed 4 h post infection. As such, these observations demonstrate that ursolic acid exhibits antiviral activity, suggesting that this chemical could be used as a new treatment for rotavirus.

Percutaneous Radiofrequency Assisted Liver Partition with Portal Vein Embolization for Staged Hepatectomy (PRALPPS)

BACKGROUND: When a major hepatic resection is necessary, sometimes the future liver remnant is not enough to maintain sufficient liver function and patients are more likely to develop liver failure after surgery. AIM: To test the hypothesis that performing a percutaneous radiofrecuency liver partition plus percutaneous portal vein embolization (PRALPPS) for stage hepatectomy in pigs is feasible. METHODS: Four pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus) both sexes with weights between 25 to 35 kg underwent percutaneous portal vein embolization with coils of the left portal vein. By contrasted CT, the difference between the liver parenchyma corresponding to the embolized zone and the normal one was identified. Immediately, using the fusion of images between ultrasound and CT as a guide, radiofrequency needles were placed percutaneouslyand then ablated until the liver partition was complete. Finally, hepatectomy was completed with a laparoscopic approach. RESULTS: All animals have survived the procedures, with no reported complications. The successful portal embolization process was confirmed both by portography and CT. In the macroscopic analysis of the pieces, the depth of the ablation was analyzed. The hepatic hilum was respected. On the other hand, the correct position of the embolization material on the left portal vein could be also observed. CONCLUSION: "Percutaneous radiofrequency assisted liver partition with portal vein embolization" (PRALLPS) is a feasible procedure (AU)

Nodal FDG-PET/CT uptake influences outcome and relapse location among esophageal cancer patients submitted to chemotherapy or radiochemotherapy.

PURPOSE: Our aim was investigate whether lymph node uptake is associated with survival and regional relapses, and relapse patterns with respect to the radiotherapy fields in esophageal cancer (EC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The FDG-PET/CT image datasets of 56 patients were analyzed. All patients underwent definitive or neoadjuvant radio/chemotherapy (RCT). All patients suffering from persistent or recurrent local/regional-only disease after RCT were considered for salvage resection. Patients with adenocarcinoma without metastatic disease were considered for planned resection (usually within 3 months of treatment). RESULTS: Patients with PET-positive lymph nodes before treatment had a worse overall survival and a shorter disease-free survival than those without PET-positive nodes. They also had worse node and metastatic relapse-free survival. N2 patients had statistically significant poorer outcomes than N1-N0 patients and a better survival if the involved nodes were closer to the esophageal tumor. Involved node location by PET/CT also affected global, nodal and metastatic relapses. In addition, an increment of SUVmax value increased relative risk of death and increased relative risk of node and metastatic relapses. The first site of relapse was metastatic recurrence and, second, local recurrence. The most frequent were "in-field" loco/regional recurrence. We observed a relationship between patients classified-N1 and out-field nodal recurrence (p = 0.024), and between patients-N2 and in-field nodal recurrence. The number of PET-positive nodes was an independent significant prognostic predictor for relapse (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Our study shows that only FDG-PET/CT can provide prognostic information in EC. Nodal PET/CT uptake influences outcome and relapse location among EC patients.

Radiotherapy volume delineation using 18F-FDG-PET/CT modifies gross node volume in patients with oesophageal cancer.

PURPOSE: Evidence supporting the use of 18F-FDG-PET/CT in the segmentation process of oesophageal cancer for radiotherapy planning is limited. Our aim was to compare the volumes and tumour lengths defined by fused PET/CT vs. CT simulation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-nine patients were analyzed. All patients underwent a single PET/CT simulation scan. Two separate GTVs were defined: one based on CT data alone and another based on fused PET/CT data. Volume sizes for both data sets were compared and the spatial overlap was assessed by the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC). RESULTS: The gross tumour volume (GTVtumour) and maximum tumour diameter were greater by PET/CT, and length of primary tumour was greater by CT, but differences were not statistically significant. However, the gross node volume (GTVnode) was significantly greater by PET/CT. The DSC analysis showed excellent agreement for GTVtumour, 0.72, but was very low for GTVnode, 0.25. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that the volume definition by PET/CT and CT data differs. CT simulation, without taking into account PET/CT information, might leave cancer-involved nodes out of the radiotherapy-delineated volumes.

Dietary Salba (Salvia hispanica L.) ameliorates the adipose tissue dysfunction of dyslipemic insulin-resistant rats through mechanisms involving oxidative stress, inflammatory cytokines and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ.

PURPOSE: Rats fed a long-term sucrose-rich diet (SRD) developed adipose tissue dysfunction. In the adipose tissue of these SRD-fed rats, the present study analyzed the possible beneficial effects of dietary Salba (chia) seeds in improving or reversing the depletion of antioxidant defenses, changes in pro-inflammatory cytokines and ROS production. METHODS: Wistar rats were fed a SRD for 3 months. After that, half of the animals continued with the SRD until month 6, while in the other half, corn oil was replaced by chia seeds for 3 months (SRD + chia). A reference group consumed a control diet all the time. RESULTS: Compared with the SRD-fed rats, the animals fed a SRD + chia showed a reduction in epididymal fat pad weight; the activities of antioxidant enzymes CAT, SOD and GPx returned to control values, while GR significantly improved; mRNA GPx increased, and both mRNA SOD and the redox state of glutathione returned to control values; a significant increase in the expression of Nrf2 was recorded. These results were accompanied by a decrease in XO activity and ROS contents as well as plasma IL-6 and TNF-α levels. Chia seeds reversed the decrease in PPARγ protein mass level and increased the n-3/n-6 fatty acids ratio of membrane phospholipids. Besides, dyslipidemia and insulin sensitivity were normalized. CONCLUSION: This study provides new information concerning some mechanisms related to the beneficial effects of dietary chia seeds in reversing adipose tissue oxidative stress and improving the adipose tissue dysfunction induced by a SRD.

Prevalencia de Síndrome de Burn-Out en médicos de áreas críticas de la Clínica Universitaria Reina Fabiola / Prevalence of Burn-Out Syndrome in physicians in critical areas of the Clínica Universitaria Reina Fabiola

El Síndrome de Burn-Out fue descripto en 1974 y se caracteriza por una progresiva pérdida de energía, hasta llegar al agotamiento, con aumento de los síntomas de ansiedad y depresión. Este Síndrome se presenta con agotamiento emocional, despersonalización y disminución del sentimiento de realización personal, acompañado de un sentimiento de pérdida de prestigio o reconocimiento personal. (AU)

Burn-Out Syndrome was described in 1974 and is characterized by a progressive loss of energy, to exhaustion, with increased symptoms of anxiety and depression. This syndrome occurs with emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and diminished feeling of personal fulfillment, accompanied by a feeling of loss of prestige or personal recognition. (AU)

Latin America: the next region for haematopoietic transplant progress.

Haematopoietic cell transplant activity in the 28 countries comprising Latin America is poorly defined. We conducted a voluntary survey of members of the Latin American Bone Marrow Transplantation Group regarding transplant activity 2009-2012. Collated responses were compared with data of transplant rates from the Worldwide Network for Blood and Marrow Transplantation for other geographic regions. Several socio-economic variables were analysed to determine correlations with transplant rates. In total, 94 teams from 12 countries reported 11 519 transplants including 7033 autotransplants and 4486 allotransplants. Annual activity increased from 2517 transplants in 2009 to 3263 in 2012, a 30% increase. Median transplants rate (transplant per million inhabitants) in 2012 was 64 (autotransplants, median 40; allotransplants, median 24). This rate is substantially lower than that in North America and European regions (482 and 378) but higher than that in the Eastern Mediterranean and Asia Pacific regions (30 and 45). However, the Latin America transplant rate is 5-8-fold lower than that in America and Europe, suggesting a need to increase transplant availability. Transplant team density in Latin America (teams per million population; 1.8) is 3-4-fold lower than that in North America (6.2) or Europe (7.6). Within Latin America, there is substantial diversity in transplant rates by country partially explained by diverse socio-economic variables including per capita gross national income, health expenditure and physician density. These data should help inform future health-care policy in Latin America.

Impacto de la salud bucal sobre la calidad de vida de los niños de 11 a 14 años de tres escuelas nacionales de Asunción / Impact of oral health on the quality of life of children from 11 to 14 years of taking three National Schools from Asunción

INTRODUCCIÓN: La cavidad bucal no es solo una parte importante de nuestro sistema digestivo, es un lugar cargado de emociones desde el inicio de la vida. Todas las personas deberían contar con una salud bucal que permita cumplir con sus funciones físicas y emocionales. La calidad de vida y la salud bucal están estrechamente relacionadas. OBJETIVO: Conocer el impacto de la salud bucal de los niños de 11 a 14 años de tres Escuelas Nacionales de Asunción en su calidad de vida. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Estudio observacional, descriptivo y de corte transverso. Realizado en niños (n=133) de tres escuelas nacionales de Asunción en el año 2016, donde se utilizó el cuestionario de autopercepción (CPQ 11-14) del impacto de las condiciones bucales en su versión corta en español. Los datos fueron procesados en el programa Excel. RESULTADOS: El 63% de los encuestados tiene una autopercepción de Regular en cuanto a la salud de sus dientes. El 37% respondió haber tenido problemas en sus actividades diarias por causa de sus dientes. El 43% manifestó tener Sintomatología oral (empaquetamiento dentario 67,2%, dolor dentario (50,4%), sangrado en las encías (48,6%) y problemas para dormir por dolor (28%), el 26% reportó una Limitación funcional. La hipersensibilidad fue la limitación con mayor frecuencia (53%), seguido por problemas para comer cosas duras (28%). El 18% presentó afección en el Bienestar emocional y el 10% en el ámbito Bienestar social. En la evaluación de necesidad de salud bucal percibida se concluyó que los encuestados necesitan asistir al dentista para una evaluación, pues existe impacto físico y emocional en la calidad de vida de los encuestados.

INTRODUCTION: The oral cavity is not only an important part of our digestive system, is a place full of emotions from the beginning of life. Every ones hould have an oral health that can effectively meet their physical and emotional functions. Quality of life and oral health are closely related. OBJECTIVE: Tok now the impact of oral health of children from 11 to 14 years of three national schools of Asuncion in their quality of life. METHODS: Observational, descriptive and transverse sectional study. Involving children (n = 133) of three National Schools of Asunción in 2016, where the self-perception questionnaire (CPQ 11-14) the impact of oral conditions in its short version in spanish was used. The data were processed in the Excel program. RESULTS: 63% of respondent shave a self-perception Regular regarding the health of your teeth. 37% of respondent shave had problems in their daily activities because of their teeth. 43% reported Oral symptoms (67.2%), packaging tooth toothache (50.4%), bleeding gums (48.6%) and pain trouble sleeping (28%), 26% reported a Functional limitation. The hypersensitivity was limited more often (53%), followed by trouble eating hard (28%) things. the 18% presented condition in the emotional well being and 10% in the field Social welfare in assessing perceived need for oral health was concluded that respondents need to attend to the dentist for an evaluation, as there is physical and emotional impact on the quality of life of respondents.

Site-bond percolation of heteronuclear dimers irreversibly deposited on square lattices.

A generalization of the site-bond percolation problem was studied, in which pairs of neighboring sites (site dimers) and bonds are occupied irreversibly, randomly, and independently on homogeneous square surfaces. A dimer is composed of two segments and occupies two adjacent sites. Each segment can be either a conductive segment (segment type A) or a nonconductive segment (segment type B). Two types of dimers are considered, AA and AB, and the connectivity analysis is carried out by accounting only for the conductive segments (segments type A) in combination with bonds. For the combination of dimers and bonds, two different criteria were analyzed: the union or the intersection between the adsorbed percolating particles and the bonds. By means of numerical simulations and finite-size scaling analysis, the complete phase diagram separating a percolating from a non-percolating region was determined.

Percolation of heteronuclear dimers irreversibly deposited on square lattices.

The percolation problem of irreversibly deposited heteronuclear dimers on square lattices is studied. A dimer is composed of two segments, and it occupies two adjacent adsorption sites. Each segment can be either a conductive segment (segment type A) or a nonconductive segment (segment type B). Three types of dimers are considered: AA, BB, and AB. The connectivity analysis is carried out by accounting only for the conductive segments (segments type A). The model offers a simplified representation of the problem of percolation of defective (nonideal) particles, where the presence of defects in the system is simulated by introducing a mixture of conductive and nonconductive segments. Different cases were investigated, according to the sequence of deposition of the particles, the types of dimers involved in the process, and the degree of alignment of the deposited objects. By means of numerical simulations and finite-size scaling analysis, the complete phase diagram separating a percolating from a nonpercolating region was determined for each case. Finally, the consistency of our results was examined by comparing with previous data in the literature for linear k-mers (particles occupying k adjacent sites) with defects.

Nutritional improvement of corn pasta-like product with broad bean (Vicia faba) and quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa).

In this study, the nutritional quality of pasta-like product (spaghetti-type), made with corn (Zea mays) flour enriched with 30% broad bean (Vicia faba) flour and 20% of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) flour, was determined. Proximate chemical composition and iron, zinc and dietary fiber were determined. A biological assay was performed to assess the protein value using net protein utilization (NPU), true digestibility (TD) and protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS). Iron and zinc availability were estimated by measuring dialyzable mineral fraction (%Da) resulting from in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. Nutritionally improved, gluten-free spaghetti (NIS) showed significantly increased NPU and decreased TD compared with a non-enriched control sample. One NIS-portion supplied 10-20% of recommended fiber daily intake. Addition of quinoa flour had a positive effect on the FeDa% as did broad bean flour on ZnDa%. EDTA increased Fe- and ZnDa% in all NIS-products, but it also impaired sensorial quality.

Validation of a sampling plan to generate food composition data.

A methodology to develop systematic plans for food sampling was proposed. Long life whole and skimmed milk, and sunflower oil were selected to validate the methodology in Argentina. Fatty acid profile in all foods, proximal composition, and calcium's content in milk were determined with AOAC methods. The number of samples (n) was calculated applying Cochran's formula with variation coefficients ⩽12% and an estimate error (r) maximum permissible ⩽5% for calcium content in milks and unsaturated fatty acids in oil. n were 9, 11 and 21 for long life whole and skimmed milk, and sunflower oil respectively. Sample units were randomly collected from production sites and sent to labs. Calculated r with experimental data was ⩽10%, indicating high accuracy in the determination of analyte content of greater variability and reliability of the proposed sampling plan. The methodology is an adequate and useful tool to develop sampling plans for food composition analysis.