Prevalencia e incidencia de la infección por Toxoplasma gondii en mujeres embarazadas en el Departamento de Salud de Dénia (Alicante) / Prevalence and incidence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in pregnant women in Dénia Health Department (Alicante)

Objetivo: Identificar la seroprevalencia y estimar la incidencia de infección por Toxoplasma gondii en mujeres gestantes en el Departamento de Salud de Dénia (Alicante). Metodología: Estudio de prevalencia e incidencia, en el que se incluyeron todas las determinaciones analíticas serológicas para T. gondii realizadas a mujeres embarazadas en el primer trimestre de gestación durante el año 2018 en la red asistencial del Departamento de Salud de Dénia, excluyéndose las mujeres que no se realizaron la determinación analítica serológica. Para conocer la prevalencia se revisaron las determinaciones de inmunoglobulina (Ig) G anti-T. gondii al inicio del embarazo. Para estimar la incidencia se realizó un estudio longitudinal retrospectivo, en el que se incluyeron todas las mujeres seronegativas al inicio del embarazo mediante la determinación de IgM en los distintos trimestres de gestación. Resultados: Se incluyó un total de 1.419 mujeres gestantes. De todas ellas, se identificaron 234 (16%) con títulos protectores de IgG; 1.185 (84%) mujeres eran seronegativas al inicio del embarazo, entre las que se identificaron determinaciones IgM positivas en 22, calculándose una incidencia de primoinfección por T. gondii en mujeres embarazadas del 1,5%. Conclusión: El alto porcentaje de mujeres embarazadas que no han estado expuestas y la baja incidencia de toxoplasmosis en nuestro medio respaldan las recomendaciones actuales de las sociedades médicas y autoridades sanitarias, que abogan por no realizar un cribado sistemático y potenciar la prevención primaria de la enfermedad. (AU)

Objective: Know the seroprevalence and estimate the incidence of Toxoplasma gondii in pregnant women at Dénia Health Department (Alicante). Methodology: Prevalence and incidence study in which all serological analytical determinations for T. gondii carried out on pregnant women in the first trimester of gestation during 2018 were included in the healthcare network of the Dénia Health Department, excluding those women who were not carried out the serological analytical determination. To know the prevalence, the IgG anti-T. gondii determinations were reviewed at the beginning of pregnancy. To estimate the incidence, a retrospective longitudinal study was carried out in which all seronegative women were included at the beginning of pregnancy by means of IgM determination in the different gestation trimesters. Results: A total of 1,419 pregnant women were included. Of all of them, 234 (16%) pregnant women with protective IgG titles were identified, being 1,185 (84%) seronegative pregnant women at the beginning of pregnancy. Of the total of 1,185 pregnant women who were seronegative at the beginning of pregnancy, positive IgM determinations were identified in 22 of the pregnant women, calculating an incidence of primary infection by T. gondii in pregnant women of 1.5%. Conclusion: The high percentage of pregnant women who have not been exposed and the low incidence of toxoplasmosis in our environment, supports the current recommendations of medical societies and health authorities which advocate not carrying out a systematic screening promoting the primary prevention of the disease. (AU)

Fermented Goat's Milk Consumption Improves Duodenal Expression of Iron Homeostasis Genes during Anemia Recovery.

Despite the crucial roles of duodenal cytochrome b (Dcytb), divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1), ferritin light chain (Ftl1), ferroportin 1 (FPN1), transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1), and hepcidin antimicrobial peptide (Hamp) in Fe metabolism, no studies have investigated the modulations of these genes during Fe repletion with fermented milks. Analysis included Fe status markers and gene and protein expression in enterocytes of control and anemic animals fed fermented milks. Fermented goat's milk up-regulated enterocyte Dcytb, DMT1, FPN1, and Ftl1 and down-regulated TfR1 and Hamp gene expression in control and anemic animals. Anemia decreased Dcytb, DMT1, and Ftl1 in animals fed fermented cow's milk and up-regulated TfR1 and Hamp expression. Fe overload down-regulated Dcytb and TfR1 in animals fed fermented cow's milk and up-regulated DMT1 and FPN1 gene expression. Fermented goat's milk increased expression of duodenal Dcytb, DMT1, and FPN1 and decreased Hamp and TfR1, improving Fe metabolism during anemia recovery.

Fermented goat milk consumption improves melatonin levels and influences positively the antioxidant status during nutritional ferropenic anemia recovery.

The aim of the current study was to assess the influence of fermented goat or cow milk on melatonin levels and antioxidant status and during anemia recovery. Eighty male Wistar rats were placed on a pre-experimental period of 40 days and randomly divided into two groups, a control group receiving normal-Fe diet (45 mg kg(-1)) and the Fe-deficient group receiving low-Fe diet (5 mg kg(-1)). Then, the rats were fed with fermented goat or cow milk-based diets with a normal-Fe content or Fe-overload (450 mg kg(-1)) for 30 days. After 30 days of feeding the fermented milks, the total antioxidant status (TAS) was higher in both groups of animals fed fermented goat milk with the normal-Fe content. Plasma and urine 8-OHdG were lower in control and anemic rats fed fermented goat milk. Melatonin and corticosterone increased in the anemic groups during Fe replenishment with both fermented milks. Urine isoprostanes were lower in both groups fed fermented goat milk. Lipid and protein oxidative damage were higher in all tissues with fermented cow milk. During anemia instauration, an increase in melatonin was observed, a fact that would improve the energy metabolism and impaired inflammatory signaling, however, during anemia recovery, fermented goat milk had positive effects on melatonin and TAS, even in the case of Fe-overload, limiting the evoked oxidative damage.

Goat milk supplemented with folic acid protects cell biomolecules from oxidative stress-mediated damage after anaemia recovery in comparison with cow milk.

BACKGROUND: Fe overload is a common consequence of the anaemia treatment, increasing the oxidative stress and promoting the accumulation of damaged biomolecules, with the subsequently impairment of cell functions. Oxidative stress and the role of folic acid preventing free radical damage have been extensively studied; nevertheless, no studies are available about the influence of folic acid-supplemented goat milk consumption on the oxidative stress-mediated damage. AIM: The objective of the present study was to assess the influence of folic acid supplementation of goat milk- or cow milk-based diets, after Fe-overload treatment to palliate anaemia, on oxidative stress-mediated biomolecular damage in the liver, brain, erythrocytes, duodenal mucosa and plasma. METHODS: Control and anaemic rats were fed goat milk- or cow milk-based diets, either with normal Fe or Fe overload (450 mg/kg), and normal folic acid (2 mg/kg) or folic acid supplemented (40 mg/kg) for 30 days. RESULTS: During chronic Fe repletion, background DNA damage was significantly lower in anaemic rats fed folic acid-supplemented goat milk-based diet, as revealed by tail DNA (%), and folic acid-supplemented goat milk also had a beneficial effect, reducing the extent of lipid peroxidation in liver, plasma, erythrocytes and especially in brain and duodenal mucosa. Furthermore, protein oxidative damage was lower in anaemic rat duodenal mucosa for all goat milk-based diets. CONCLUSIONS: Folic acid supplement in goat milk avoids the undesirable effects of Fe overload during anaemia recovery in all the tissues studied, especially in the liver and duodenal mucosa, which are the tissues with higher exposition to dietary Fe.

Bile composition, plasma lipids and oxidative hepatic damage induced by calcium supplementation; effects of goat or cow milk consumption.

Calcium-fortified foods, especially milk and dairy products are recommended to be consumed daily for groups in risk of nutritional deficiency, including children, young adults, menopausal women, pregnant women and the elderly, however Ca-supplementation promotes gallstone formation because Ca is a nucleating factor. The objective of the current study was to assess the influence of cow or goat milk-based diets, either normal or Ca-supplemented, on bile composition, biochemical parameters and hepatic antioxidant status. Weanling male rats were randomly divided into six groups, fed standard, goat or cow milk-based diets, either with normal Ca content (5.0 g/kg), or Ca-supplemented (10.0 g/kg), for 2 weeks. Bile cholesterol concentration and output was higher in rats fed goat milk in comparison with those fed with standard and cow-milk-based diet. Ca-supplementation increased lithogenic index with the standard and cow-milk based diets, this change was not observed with the goat milk diet. Activities of plasma transaminases were also lower in the animals fed Ca-supplemented goat milk, in comparison with the other diets assayed. In general, Ca-supplement in the diet led to an increase in the hepatic oxidative damage, with an increase in the activities of all the antioxidant enzymes studied in the standard and cow milk diet, but not with goat milk. The habitual consumption of goat milk has positive effects on the plasma lipid profile, biliary composition and hepatic antioxidant defence. In addition, under our experimental conditions, Ca-supplementation of this type of milk does not increase the lithogenic index, or hepatic oxidative damage.