Effect of different exercise modalities plus a hypocaloric diet on inflammation markers in overweight patients

Summary Background & aims Inflammation markers (IM) have been associated with the development of chronic diseases. This study compares the effects on IM of three exercise programs combined with a hypocaloric diet. Methods 119 overweight participants (73 women, 46 men) aged 18–50 years were randomised into four treatment groups: strength training (S; n = 30), endurance training (E; n = 30), combined S + E (SE; n = 30), and a diet and physical activity recommendations group (D; n = 29). Energy intake, anthropometric variables (AV), training variables (VO2peak, strength index, dynamometric strength index [DSI]) and plasma IM were recorded at baseline and after 22 weeks of treatment. Results 84 participants completed the study. At 22 weeks, all groups showed a significantly reduced energy intake (P < 0.001) and improved AV (P < 0.001). VO2peak significantly increased in all groups (P < 0.01). DSI increased in the exercise groups only (P < 0.05). Plasma leptin fell significantly (P < 0.001) in the S and E groups, but not significantly in the SE group (P = 0.029) (no significant differences between these groups). Tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations decreased in all groups when examined together, but not when examined separately. No significant differences were seen in interleukin-6 (IL-6). Conclusions Combining strength or endurance training with a hypocaloric diet improved AV and reduced plasma leptin concentrations. No differences were seen between groups in terms of TNF-α, IL-6 or CRP reduction. This trial was registered at clinical trials.gov as NCT01116856. http://clinicaltrials.gov/.

Plantación de lúpulo de 2,04 ha en Mabegondo (A Coruña).

Plantación de lúpulo en Mabegondo. En ella se detalla todas las labores, instalaciones, cálculos, diseños u otras actividades necesarias para el establecimiento de una plantación de lúpulo en unas condiciones determinadas.

Supporting eradication of maternal child malnutrition in developing countries: a case from Nicaragua scenario.

World Health Organization actively stresses the importance of health, nutrition and well-being of the mother to foster children development. This issue is critical in the rural areas of developing countries where monitoring of health status of children is hardly performed since population suffers from a lack of access to health care. The aim of this research is to design, implement and deploy an e-health information and communication system to support health care in 26 rural communities of Cusmapa, Nicaragua. The final solution consists of an hybrid WiMAX/WiFi architecture that provides good quality communications through VoIP taking advantage of low cost WiFi mobile devices. Thus, a WiMAX base station was installed in the health center to provide a radio link with the rural health post "El Carrizo" sited 7,4 km. in line of sight. This service makes possible personal broadband voice and data communication facilities with the health center based on WiFi enabled devices such as laptops and cellular phones without communications cost. A free software PBX was installed at "San José de Cusmapa" health care site to enable communications for physicians, nurses and a technician through mobile telephones with IEEE 802.11 b/g protocol and SIP provided by the project. Additionally, the rural health post staff (midwives, brigade) received two mobile phones with these same features. In a complementary way, the deployed health information system is ready to analyze the distribution of maternal-child population at risk and the distribution of diseases on a geographical baseline. The system works with four information layers: fertile women, children, people with disabilities and diseases. Thus, authorized staff can obtain reports about prenatal monitoring tasks, status of the communities, malnutrition, and immunization control. Data need to be updated by health care staff in order to timely detect the source of problem to implement measures addressed to alleviate and improve health status population permanently. Ongoing research is focused on a mobile platform that collects and automatically updates in the information system, the height and weight of the children locally gathered in the remote communities. This research is being granted by the program Millennium Rural Communities of the Technical University of Madrid.

Influence of the Main Cereal and Feed Form of the Diet on Performance and Digestive Tract Traits of Brown-Egg Laying Pullets.

The influence of the main cereal and feed form of the diet on performance and digestive tract traits was studied in 576 brown-egg laying pullets from 1 to 120 d of age. From 1 to 45 d of age, 4 diets arranged factorially with 2 cereals (corn vs. wheat) and 2 feed forms (mash vs. pellets) were used. Each treatment was replicated 6 times (24 pullets per replicate). From 46 to 120 d of age, all diets were offered in mash form and the only difference among diets was the cereal used. Cumulatively, pullets fed the corn diets had higher BW gain (P < 0.05) but similar feed conversion ratio as pullets fed the wheat diets. From 1 to 45 d of age, pullets fed pellets consumed more feed (P < 0.001) and had higher BW gain (P < 0.001) than those fed mash. Most of the beneficial effects of pelleting on productive performance were still evident at 120 d of age. At 45 d of age, gizzard weight (g/kg of BW) was higher (P < 0.01) in pullets fed corn than in pullets fed wheat diets. Feeding pellets reduced the relative weight of the digestive tract and the gizzard (P < 0.001) as well as the length (cm/kg of BW) of the small intestine (P < 0.01) at both ages. The pH of gizzard contents at 120 d of age was not affected by cereal but was lower in pullets that were fed mash from 1 to 45 d of age (P < 0.01). We conclude that wheat can be used in substitution of corn in pullet diets with only a slight reduction in BW gain and that feeding pellets from 1 to 45 d of age increased BW gain and pH of the gizzard and reduced the relative weight of the gizzard and the length of the gastrointestinal tract at 120 d of age.

Effect of short-term fasting prior to slaughter on welfare and meat quality or rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

El manejo pre-sacrificio es de vital importancia en acuicultura, ya que afecta tanto a las reacciones fisiológicas como a los procesos bioquímicos post mortem, y por tanto al bienestar y a la calidad del producto. El ayuno pre-sacrificio se lleva a cabo de forma habitual en acuicultura, ya que permite el vaciado del aparato digestivo de restos de alimento y heces, reduciendo de esta manera la carga bacteriana en el intestino y la dispersión de enzimas digestivos y potenciales patógenos a la carne. Sin embargo, la duración óptima de este ayuno sin que el pez sufra un estrés innecesario no está clara. Además, se sabe muy poco sobre la mejor hora del día para realizar el sacrificio, lo que a su vez está regido por los ritmos diarios de los parámetros fisiológicos de estrés. Finalmente, se sabe que la temperatura del agua juega un papel muy importante en la fisiología del estrés pero no se ha determinado su efecto en combinación con el ayuno. Además, las actuales recomendaciones en relación a la duración óptima del ayuno previo al sacrificio en peces no suelen considerar la temperatura del agua y se basan únicamente en días y no en grados día (ºC d). Se determinó el efecto del ayuno previo al sacrificio (1, 2 y 3 días, equivalente a 11,1-68,0 grados día) y la hora de sacrificio (08h00, 14h00 y 20h00) en trucha arco iris (Oncorhynchus mykiss) de tamaño comercial en cuatro pruebas usando diferentes temperaturas de agua (Prueba 1: 11,8 ºC; Prueba 2: 19,2 ºC; Prueba 3: 11,1 ºC; y Prueba 4: 22,7 ºC). Se midieron indicadores biométricos, hematológicos, metabólicos y de calidad de la carne. En cada prueba, los valores de los animales ayunados (n=90) se compararon con 90 animales control mantenidos bajo condiciones similares pero nos ayunados. Los resultados sugieren que el ayuno tuvo un efecto significativo sobre los indicadores biométricos. El coeficiente de condición en los animales ayunados fue menor que en los controles después de 2 días de ayuno. El vaciado del aparato digestivo se produjo durante las primeras 24 h de ayuno, encontrándose pequeñas cantidades de alimento después de 48 h. Por otra parte, este vaciado fue más rápido cuando las temperaturas fueron más altas. El peso del hígado de los animales ayunados fue menor y las diferencias entre truchas ayunadas y controles fueron más evidentes a medida que el vaciado del aparato digestivo fue más rápido. El efecto del ayuno hasta 3 días en los indicadores hematológicos no fue significativo. Los niveles de cortisol en plasma resultaron ser altos tanto en truchas ayunadas como en las alimentadas en todas las pruebas realizadas. La concentración media de glucosa varió entre pruebas pero mostró una tendencia a disminuir en animales ayunados a medida que el ayuno progresaba. En cualquier caso, parece que la temperatura del agua jugó un papel muy importante, ya que se encontraron concentraciones más altas durante los días 2 y 3 de ayuno en animales mantenidos a temperaturas más bajas previamente al sacrificio. Los altos niveles de lactato obtenidos en sangre parecen sugerir episodios de intensa actividad muscular pero no se pudo encontrar relación con el ayuno. De la misma manera, el nivel de hematocrito no mostró efecto alguno del ayuno y los leucocitos tendieron a ser más altos cuando los animales estaban menos estresados y cuando su condición corporal fue mayor. Finalmente, la disminución del peso del hígado (índice hepatosomático) en la Prueba 3 no se vio acompañada de una reducción del glucógeno hepático, lo que sugiere que las truchas emplearon una estrategia diferente para mantener constantes los niveles de glucosa durante el periodo de ayuno en esa prueba. En relación a la hora de sacrificio, se obtuvieron niveles más bajos de cortisol a las 20h00, lo que indica que las truchas estaban menos estresadas y que el manejo pre-sacrificio podría resultar menos estresante por la noche. Los niveles de hematocrito fueron también más bajos a las 20h00 pero solo con temperaturas más bajas, sugiriendo que las altas temperaturas incrementan el metabolismo. Ni el ayuno ni la hora de sacrificio tuvieron un efecto significativo sobre la evolución de la calidad de la carne durante los 3 días de almacenamiento. Por el contrario, el tiempo de almacenamiento sí que parece tener un efecto claro sobre los parámetros de calidad del producto final. Los niveles más bajos de pH se alcanzaron a las 24-48 h post mortem, con una lata variabilidad entre duraciones del ayuno (1, 2 y 3 días) en animales sacrificados a las 20h00, aunque no se pudo distinguir ningún patrón común. Por otra parte, la mayor rigidez asociada al rigor mortis se produjo a las 24 h del sacrificio. La capacidad de retención de agua se mostró muy estable durante el período de almacenamiento y parece ser independiente de los cambios en el pH. El parámetro L* de color se incrementó a medida que avanzaba el período de almacenamiento de la carne, mientras que los valores a* y b* no variaron en gran medida. En conclusión, basándose en los resultados hematológicos, el sacrificio a última hora del día parece tener un efecto menos negativo en el bienestar. De manera general, nuestros resultados sugieren que la trucha arco iris puede soportar un período de ayuno previo al sacrificio de hasta 3 días o 68 ºC d sin que su bienestar se vea seriamente comprometido. Es probable que con temperaturas más bajas las truchas pudieran ser ayunadas durante más tiempo sin ningún efecto negativo sobre su bienestar. En cualquier caso, se necesitan más estudios para determinar la relación entre la temperatura del agua y la duración óptima del ayuno en términos de pérdida de peso vivo y la disminución de los niveles de glucosa en sangre y otros indicadores metabólicos. SUMMARY Pre-slaughter handling in fish is important because it affects both physiological reactions and post mortem biochemical processes, and thus welfare and product quality. Pre-slaughter fasting is regularly carried out in aquaculture, as it empties the viscera of food and faeces, thus reducing the intestinal bacteria load and the spread of gut enzymes and potential pathogens to the flesh. However, it is unclear how long rainbow trout can be fasted before suffering unnecessary stress. In addition, very little is known about the best time of the day to slaughter fish, which may in turn be dictated by diurnal rhythms in physiological stress parameters. Water temperature is also known to play a very important role in stress physiology in fish but the combined effect with fasting is unclear. Current recommendations regarding the optimal duration of pre-slaughter fasting do not normally consider water temperature and are only based on days, not degree days (ºC d). The effects of short-term fasting prior to slaughter (1, 2 and 3 days, between 11.1 and 68.0 ºC days) and hour of slaughter (08h00, 14h00 and 20h00) were determined in commercial-sized rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) over four trials at different water temperatures (TRIAL 1, 11.8 ºC; TRIAL 2, 19.2 ºC; TRIAL 3, 11.1 ºC; and TRIAL 4, 22.7 ºC). We measured biometric, haematological, metabolic and product quality indicators. In each trial, the values of fasted fish (n=90) were compared with 90 control fish kept under similar conditions but not fasted. Results show that fasting affected biometric indicators. The coefficient of condition in fasted trout was lower than controls 2 days after food deprivation. Gut emptying occurred within the first 24 h after the cessation of feeding, with small traces of digesta after 48 h. Gut emptying was faster at higher water temperatures. Liver weight decreased in food deprived fish and differences between fasted and fed trout were more evident when gut clearance was faster. The overall effect of fasting for up to three days on haematological indicators was small. Plasma cortisol levels were high in both fasted and fed fish in all trials. Plasma glucose response to fasting varied among trials, but it tended to be lower in fasted fish as the days of fasting increased. In any case, it seems that water temperature played a more important role, with higher concentrations at lower temperatures on days 2 and 3 after the cessation of feeding. Plasma lactate levels indicate moments of high muscular activity and were also high, but no variation related to fasting could be found. Haematocrit did not show any significant effect of fasting, but leucocytes tended to be higher when trout were less stressed and when their body condition was higher. Finally, the loss of liver weight was not accompanied by a decrease in liver glycogen (only measured in TRIAL 3), suggesting that a different strategy to maintain plasma glucose levels was used. Regarding the hour of slaughter, lower cortisol levels were found at 20h00, suggesting that trout were less stressed later in the day and that pre-slaughter handling may be less stressful at night. Haematocrit levels were also lower at 20h00 but only at lower temperatures, indicating that higher temperatures increase metabolism. Neither fasting nor the hour of slaughter had a significant effect on the evolution of meat quality during 3 days of storage. In contrast, storage time seemed to have a more important effect on meat quality parameters. The lowest pH was reached 24-48 h post mortem, with a higher variability among fasting durations at 20h00, although no clear pattern could be discerned. Maximum stiffening from rigor mortis occurred after 24 h. The water holding capacity was very stable throughout storage and seemed to be independent of pH changes. Meat lightness (L*) slightly increased during storage and a* and b*-values were relatively stable. In conclusion, based on the haematological results, slaughtering at night may have less of a negative effect on welfare than at other times of the day. Overall, our results suggest that rainbow trout can cope well with fasting up to three days or 68 ºC d prior to slaughter and that their welfare is therefore not seriously compromised. At low water temperatures, trout could probably be fasted for longer periods without negative effects on welfare but more research is needed to determine the relationship between water temperature and days of fasting in terms of loss of live weight and the decrease in plasma glucose and other metabolic indicators.

Influence of energy concentration and feed form of the diet on growth performance and digestive traits of brown egg-laying pullets from 1 to 120 days of age

Full paper reserch

Influence of some oenological practices on the aromatic and sensorial characteristics of white Verdejo wines

Changes in the aromatic composition as well as sensory characteristics in Verdejo white wines were analysed based on two factors: the winemaking methodology and the storing time of wine in bottles. The volatile components were determined by GLC-MS, and the sensory profile was designed and assessed according to the ISO 11035 standard. The results showed that when wines were made in oak barrels, either completely or partially, which means the wines were in contact with the lees, the levels of 1-octanol, ethyl heptanoate and ethyl decanoate were significantly affected (P menor que 0.05); the softness sensation was also influenced (P menor que 0.05). However, the amount of time the wines were stored in bottles significantly affected (P menor que 0.05) the levels of 1-hexanol, ethyl heptanoate, ethyl octanoate, ethyl decanoate, hexyl acetate, isoamyl acetate and isoamyl lactate and also an odour note (tropical fruit). The compounds with higher OAV values belong to the groups of esters and fatty acids. For these reasons, the composition and the quality of the aroma of Verdejo white wines appear to be significantly affected both by use of oak barrels in winemaking and the time the wines are stored in bottles.

Thermal food processing optimization: Algorithms and software

The algorithms and graphic user interface software package ?OPT-PROx? are developed to meet food engineering needs related to canned food thermal processing simulation and optimization. The adaptive random search algorithm and its modification coupled with penalty function?s approach, and the finite difference methods with cubic spline approximation are utilized by ?OPT-PROx? package (http://tomakechoice. com/optprox/index.html). The diversity of thermal food processing optimization problems with different objectives and required constraints are solvable by developed software. The geometries supported by the ?OPT-PROx? are the following: (1) cylinder, (2) rectangle, (3) sphere. The mean square error minimization principle is utilized in order to estimate the heat transfer coefficient of food to be heated under optimal condition. The developed user friendly dialogue and used numerical procedures makes the ?OPT-PROx? software useful to food scientists in research and education, as well as to engineers involved in optimization of thermal food processing.

Hyperspectral images and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the detection of allergen (peanuts traces) in powder foods.

The addition of preservatives to some kind of foods may be a potential risk of spoilage, as it is the transformation of sorbate into the off-odour 1-3-pentadiene by certain microbial species. This is the case of the capacity of some strains of moulds and yeasts that are able to decarboxylate sorbic acid and transform it into 1-3 pentadiene, a volatile compound with an unpleasant petroleum odour. (Casas et al. 2004).

MRI and Bidimensional relaxometry sequences for macro and microstructure assessment in food models.

Physico-chemical and organoleptic characteristics of food depend largely on the microscopic level distribution of gases and water, and connectivity and mobility through the pores. Microstructural characterization of food can be accomplished by Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Nuclear Magnetic Spectroscopy (NMR) combined with the application of methods of dissemination and multidimensional relaxometry. In this work, funded by the EC Project InsideFood, several artificial food models, based on foams and gels were studied using MRI and 2D relaxometry. Two different kinds of foams were used: a sugarless and a sugar foam. Then, a half of a syringe was filled with the sugarless foam and the other half with the sugar foam. Then, MRI and NMR experiments were performed and the sample evolution was observed along 3 days in order to quantify macrostructural changes through proton density images and microstructural ones using T1T2 maps, using an inversion CPMG sequence. On the proton density images it may be seen that after 16 hours it was possible to differentiate the macrostructural changes, as the apparition of free water due to a syneresis phenomenon. On the interface it can be seen a brighter area after 16 hours, due to the occurrence of free water. Moreover, thanks to the bidimensional relaxometry (T1-T2) it was possible to differentiate among microscopic changes. Differences between the pores size can be observed as well as the microstructure evolution after 30.5 hours, as a consequence differences are shown on free water redistribution through larger pores and capillarity phenomena between both foams.

Load displacement in grape harvesters: Discrete Element Analysis.

Dynamic weighing of the hopper in grape harvesters is affected by a number of factors. One of them is the displacement of the load inside the hopper as a consequence of the terrain topography. In this work, the weight obtained by a load cell in a grape harvester has been analysed and quantified using the discrete element method (DEM). Different models have been developed considering different scenarios for the terrain.

Cuéntame: análisis de imagen aplicado al crecimiento de colonias de levadura

Algunas levaduras son capaces de producir deterioro en alimentos desarrollándose en su superficie como colonias. La medida del crecimiento de éstas evaluando el aumento de células viables es una técnica laboriosa y tediosa, mientras que la medida del aumento de su radio proporciona un resultado inmediato. En este trabajo, como alternativa a la medición manual del radio de la colonia, se plantea el empleo de técnicas de análisis de imagen que permiten automatizar el proceso de medición. A partir de las imágenes escaladas digitales, adquiridas en escala de gris de las colonias en crecimiento se ha desarrollado un algoritmo de análisis de imagen con el software MATLAB®. Esta herramienta se ha utilizado para procesar diariamente las imágenes de colonias de cuatro especies de levaduras deteriorantes: Zygosaccharomyces rouxii, Debaryomyces hansenii, Saccharomyces cerevisiae y Rhodotorula glutinis. El error de predicción del tamaño de la colonia al aplicar el algoritmo es comparable con el cometido en la medición manual, no superando en ambos casos el 3-4% y obteniéndose un ajuste medio (R2) entre ambas mediciones de 0.99, ajuste consistente e independiente de la especie de levadura estudiada. La observación de que el crecimiento bifásico del radio está correlacionado con las fases de aumento de células viables hace de este algoritmo una excelente herramienta.

Texture perception determined by doy protein isolate and inulin addition in potato puree: links with mechanical and microstructural features

This study evaluated the effect of adding soy protein isolate (SPI) and long-chain perception, trained and untrained panel inulin (INL) blends with 10 different SPI : INL ratios on the textural, rheological and 17 microstructural properties of freshly made and frozen/thawed potato puree. All the potato puree samples were subjected to a sensory texture pro?le analysis and a 21 trained panel rated the intensity of six descriptors, while an untrained panel did the same on six selected frozen/thawed products. The main SPI : INL ratio effect remained signi?cant for all the descriptors evaluated, when the analysis of variance was applied considering the untrained assessors as random effects. However, only trained panel scores for creaminess corresponded well with untrained assessor. Rheological ?ow index values were linked with variations in perceived consistency, and geometric and surface textural attributes were explained by structural features such as the presence of INL crystallites and SPI coarse strands.

Protein isolate and inulin: chemical, rheological and structural basis

Soy protein isolate is typical vegetable protein with health-enhancing activities. Inulin, a prebiotic no digestible carbohydrate, has functional properties. A mashed potato serving of 200 g with added soy protein isolate and inulin concentrations of 15?60 g kg provides from 3 to 12 g of soy protein isolate and/or inulin, respectively. Currently, no information is available about the possible texture-modifying effect of this non-ionizable polar carbohydrate in different soy-based food systems. In this study, the effect of the addition of soy protein isolate and inulin blends at different soy protein isolate: inulin ratios on the degree of inulin polymerization and the rheological and structural properties of fresh mashed and frozen/thawed mashed potatoes were evaluated. The inulin chemical structure remained intact throughout the various treatments, and soy protein isolate did not affect inulin composition being a protein compatible with this fructan. Small-strain rheology showed that both ingredients behaved like soft fillers. In the frozen/thawed mashed potatoes samples,0 addition of 30 : 30 and 15 : 60 blend ratios significantly increased elasticity (G value) compared with 0 : 0 control, consequently reducing the freeze/thaw stability conferred by the cryoprotectants. Inulin crystallites caused a significant strengthening effect on soy protein isolate gel. Micrographs revealed that soy protein isolate supports the inulin structure by building up a second fine-stranded network. Thereby, possibility of using soy protein isolate and inulin in combination with mashed potatoes to provide a highly nutritious and healthy product is promising.

La importancia de usar una muestra de calentamiento para estudiar la respuesta emocional del consumidor.

El objetivo de este trabajo es evaluar la influencia de la utilización de una muestra de calentamiento sobre la respuesta emocional del consumidor. Para el estudio de la respuesta emocional del consumidor se ha traducido al español el léxico propuesto por King y Meiselman (2010) y se ha aplicado el método EsSense Profile propuesto por dichos autores, con un total de 38 términos. La prueba ha sido realizada por 69 consumidores sobre dos marcas de chocolate distintas. El orden de presentación se equilibró de forma que cada producto apareciese el mismo número de veces en la primera posición. Después de probar un producto, los consumidores evaluaban primero su aceptación mediante la escala hedónica de 9 puntos. Luego, describían cómo se sentían, puntuando cada uno de los sentimientos de la lista en una escala de 5 puntos desde “nada en absoluto” hasta “muchísimo”. Se observaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas en la respuesta del consumidor en función de la posición del producto. Tanto para la evaluación hedónica como para algunas emociones, la muestra evaluada en primer lugar presenta una puntuación más extrema que la otra, independientemente de cuál de las dos muestras se presente primero. Este estudio demuestra la importancia de usar una muestra de calentamiento en ese tipo de experimento para evitar el sesgo debido al orden de presentación. Además se comprueba que el método EsSense Profile se puede adaptar al español para describir la respuesta emocional de los consumidores.