The FOODRUS index: Assessing suitability for effective food loss and waste prevention management under an integral perspective.

The impact of food loss and waste (FLW) generation on food supply chains' (FSC) sustainability represents a challenge embodied in the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12.3. This problem requires a methodology to measure such an impact in a rigorous, holistic, and standardized way that can be applied to any FSC. This paper aims to develop and validate a single index to assess the readiness of FSCs to implement FLW prevention strategies and measure their impact: the so-called FOODRUS index. The co-creation methodology followed incorporates experts and FSC stakeholders feedback. The index has been validated in 3 FSCs: The Slovak pilot scored 74.35%, the Spanish pilot reached 68.79%, and the Danish pilot was rated 61.14%. Its calculation, eased by the FOODRUS index self-assessment tool (described in the Appendix), allows quick diagnosis of the FSC capability to implement FLW prevention strategies considering both the knowledge provided by experts and the experience of the FSC stakeholders that participated in its co-creation process. In this way the FSC can assess its FLW prevention performance at a strategic and management level, with the aim of improving its sustainability impact.

A live porcine model for surgical training in tracheostomy, neck dissection, and total laryngectomy.

OBJECTIVES: Head and neck surgery is associated with a steep learning curve, creating a need for effective training methods. Live animal models can be useful in acquiring the required skills and techniques to perform tracheostomy, neck dissection, and laryngectomy. The aim of this study is to assess the feasibility and usefulness of a porcine model to teach tracheostomy, neck dissection, and laryngectomy, describing the similarities between a swine head and neck surgical model and the human cervical area. METHODS: Twelve surgical training sessions were held with the use of a live porcine model maintained under general anaesthesia; a total of 39 procedures were performed. In each session, one otolaryngology resident per year performed a procedure to acquire the targeted competencies for their respective year of training. Each procedure was time recorded and evaluated based on a modified Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills. Linear regression was used to analyse the data and express the results as percentages. RESULTS: Training exercises were performed in shorter times over the study period. A 9% reduction in the time spent was observed. There was a global improvement in the evaluation made by OSATS score of 6% in the first period (2018-2019) and 58% in the second period (2019-2020). CONCLUSION: The porcine model was both manageable and helpful in providing training despite slight anatomical differences between human beings and pigs. However, more studies are necessary to guarantee that the competencies acquired with this type of training are transferable to real-life interventions. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 5.

La musicoterapia como indicador de mejora de la calidad de vida en un envejecimiento activo / Music therapy as an indicator for quality of life improvement within active ageing

Objetivo: analizar la evidencia disponible sobre el uso de la musicoterapia como indicador de mejora de la calidad de vida de un envejecimiento activo, con el fin de desarrollar en el futuro programas de intervenciones específicas para promover la salud y conseguir un adecuado envejecimiento y una mejor calidad de vida. Método: se realizó una revisión narrativa en bases de datos: Pubmed, Cuiden Plus, BVS, SciELO y Dialnet. Se seleccionaron aquellos estudios que presentaron evidencia científica, publicados en inglés, portugués, francés o español. Se incluyeron aquellos que planteaban entre sus objetivos de investigación analizar el uso de la musicoterapia como mejora de las capacidades de los adultos mayores para mejorar la calidad de vida y alcanzar un envejecimiento activo, tomando siempre muestras en las que la edad de los sujetos fuera mayor de 53 años. Resultados: se incluyeron para la revisión nueve estudios. Todos los artículos mencionan los beneficios de la musicoterapia aunque difieren en sus efectos. Los principales aspectos que mejoran son: la disminución de la agitación, el estrés y la depresión en pacientes con demencia a la vez que favorece la relajación y la respuesta emocional positiva; también mejora la relajación, la comunicación, la expresión, la afectividad y el nivel cognitivo, entre otros. Conclusiones: la musicoterapia ofrece variados beneficios para las personas mayores; ya que mejora el estado de ánimo, reduce la ansiedad, depresión, estrés y agitación, proporcionando una mejora de la calidad de vida (AU)

Objective: to analyze the evidence available on the use of music therapy as an indicator for quality of life improvement in active ageing, with the aim to develop future specific intervention programs to promote health and achieve an adequate ageing and better quality of life. Method: a narrative review was conducted in these databases: Pubmed, Cuiden Plus, BVS, SciELO and Dialnet. There was a selection of those studies which presented scientific evidence, and had been published in English, Portuguese, French or Spanish. The study included those articles that presented within their research objectives the analysis of the use of music therapy as an improvement in elderly people’s abilities to improve their quality of life and reach an active ageing; those samples taken always included >53-year-old subjects. Results: nine studies were included for review. All articles mentioned the benefits of music therapy, though their effects differed. The main aspects improved were: reduction in agitation, stress and depression in patients with dementia, as well as encouraging relaxation and a positive emotional response; there was also an improvement in relaxation, communication, expression, affectivity and cognitive level, among others. Conclusions: music therapy offers varied benefits for elderly people, because it improves their mood and reduces their anxiety, depression, stress and agitation, therefore providing an improvement in their quality of life (AU)

Gait recording with inertial sensors--How to determine initial and terminal contact.

Lightweight inertial sensors are increasingly used for recording of gait in medicine, rehabilitation and sport. Several distinct events during the gait cycle such as heel-strike or toe-off have to be detected in the data obtained from these sensors. We re-investigated the correlation between the data of shank-mounted gyroscopes and three reference systems, namely accelerometers, pressure-sensitive soles and a motion capture system in a group of 14 young healthy men. We confirmed that the heel strike corresponds to a trough in the gyroscope curve, as several previous reports have stated. However, the toe-off moment clearly did not coincide with another trough of the gyroscope trace, as had been assumed in the past. The heel-off moment was reliably at 51% of the step cycle, irrespective of gait velocity, in our data. These findings are crucial for gait recording systems which aim to assess the temporal as well as spatial descriptors of human gait.

Repercusión de la tesis doctoral en Otorrinolaringología sobre la producción científica de sus autores / Impact of Otolaryngology theses in their authors’ scientific production

Introducción y objetivos: La elaboración de una tesis doctoral tiene dos fines principales: la formación adecuada para ser un buen investigador y la publicación de los primeros trabajos originales de investigación. Este trabajo va a intentar comprobar dicha afirmación aplicada a las tesis en Otorrinolaringología analizando las variaciones en las publicaciones de sus autores. Material y métodos: Se obtuvieron mediante la base de datos TESEO los datos relativos a las tesis publicadas en Otorrinolaringología en España de 1993-2003. Mediante el programa Publish or Perish se averiguaron las publicaciones de cada autor y se analizaron sus variaciones en tres periodos (previo, en torno y posterior a la tesis). Resultados: Tanto las publicaciones como las citaciones como los parámetros analizados aumentan en los periodos posterior y en torno con respecto al previo, no habiendo en algunos de ellos diferencias significativas entre los dos primeros periodos. Conclusiones: La realización de la tesis doctoral en Otorrinolaringología hace que la producción científica de su autor aumente. Alrededor de un tercio de los autores no elabora ninguna publicación. Existe un aumento significativo en todos los parámetros estudiados y en los índices bibliométricos entre el periodo previo y el periodo en torno y posterior (AU)

Introduction and objectives: The writing of a thesis has 2 main objectives: the appropriate training to be a good researcher and the publication of the first original research work. This study attempted to check this statement applied to theses in Otolaryngology by analysing the variation in the authors’ publications. Material and methods: We used the database TESEO to obtain the data relative to Otolaryngology theses in Spain published between 1993 and 2003. We found the publications of each author by using de programme “Publish or Perish” and we analysed the variations in their work in 3 periods (prior to, around and after thesis publication). Results: The publications, the citations and the parameters analysed all increased in the second and third periods (around and after) with regard to the first period. However, there were no significant differences in some of them in the first 2 periods. Conclusions: The elaboration of a thesis in Otolaryngology increased the scientific production of its author. Almost a third of the authors did not publish any work. There was a significant increase in all the parameters studied and the bibliometric indices between the period before thesis publication and the around and after thesis periods (AU)

Impact of Otolaryngology theses in their authors' scientific production.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: The writing of a thesis has 2 main objectives: the appropriate training to be a good researcher and the publication of the first original research work. This study attempted to check this statement applied to theses in Otolaryngology by analysing the variation in the authors' publications. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We used the database TESEO to obtain the data relative to Otolaryngology theses in Spain published between 1993 and 2003. We found the publications of each author by using de programme "Publish or Perish" and we analysed the variations in their work in 3 periods (prior to, around and after thesis publication). RESULTS: The publications, the citations and the parameters analysed all increased in the second and third periods (around and after) with regard to the first period. However, there were no significant differences in some of them in the first 2 periods. CONCLUSIONS: The elaboration of a thesis in Otolaryngology increased the scientific production of its author. Almost a third of the authors did not publish any work. There was a significant increase in all the parameters studied and the bibliometric indices between the period before thesis publication and the around and after thesis periods.

Resveratrol: new avenues for a natural compound in neuroprotection.

This review summarizes the effects of resveratrol in neurodegenerative diseases and speculates on the direction the field will take in the immediate future. In particular, we emphasize studies on the effects of resveratrol on new pathways related to neurodegenerative diseases such as inflammatory processes, mitochondrial biogenesis and its control through gamma coactivator 1-α (PGC1α), and the role of the tandem sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in neurodegeneration and in neurohormesis. While not all reported results are free from controversy, the demographic shift toward an older population makes compounds with this broad spectrum of potential clinical applications particularly interesting.

Dietary resveratrol prevents Alzheimer's markers and increases life span in SAMP8.

Resveratrol is a polyphenol that is mainly found in grapes and red wine and has been reported to be a caloric restriction (CR) mimetic driven by Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) activation. Resveratrol increases metabolic rate, insulin sensitivity, mitochondrial biogenesis and physical endurance, and reduces fat accumulation in mice. In addition, resveratrol may be a powerful agent to prevent age-associated neurodegeneration and to improve cognitive deficits in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Moreover, different findings support the view that longevity in mice could be promoted by CR. In this study, we examined the role of dietary resveratrol in SAMP8 mice, a model of age-related AD. We found that resveratrol supplements increased mean life expectancy and maximal life span in SAMP8 and in their control, the related strain SAMR1. In addition, we examined the resveratrol-mediated neuroprotective effects on several specific hallmarks of AD. We found that long-term dietary resveratrol activates AMPK pathways and pro-survival routes such as SIRT1 in vivo. It also reduces cognitive impairment and has a neuroprotective role, decreasing the amyloid burden and reducing tau hyperphosphorylation.

Lewis acid-assisted ene cyclization of 2-azetidinone-tethered enals: synthesis of enantiopure carbacepham derivatives.

Diastereocontrolled Lewis acid-catalyzed preparation of enantiopure carbacepham derivatives have been developed starting from 2-azetidinone-tethered enals. The BF3.Et2O-promoted reaction of alkenylaldehydes 1 and 16 is effective as carbocyclization protocol to afford 4-substituted 5-hydroxycarbacephams or 3-substituted 4,5-dihydroxycarbacephams, respectively, by a type I carbonyl-ene reaction, while the BF3.Et2O or SnCl4-mediated type II carbonyl-ene cyclization of alkenylaldehydes 2 furnishes 3-methylene 5-hydroxycarbacephams along with the corresponding 3-halo 5-hydroxycarbacepham. The stereochemical outcome of these carbonyl-ene cyclizations leading to carbacepham derivatives can be explained in terms of six-membered, cyclic chair-like transition-state models. The formation of halocarbacepham derivatives is proposed to proceed by a stepwise mechanism.

[Surgical complications in salvage surgery of patients with head and neck carcinomas treated with concomitant chemoradiotherapy (CCR)]. / Complicaciones quirúrgicas en la cirugía de rescate de pacientes con carcinomas de cabeza y cuello tratados con quimioterapia y radioterapia concomitantes.

INTRODUCTION: One way of treating head and neck carcinomas is using concomitant chemoradiotherapy (CCR). In this study we will try to evaluate the incidence of complications in rescue surgery after CCR. MATERIAL AND METHOD: We have studied data from 103 patients diagnosed as having stage III or IV squamous head and neck carcinoma between 1997 and 2005. They were treated following two different CCR protocols. RESULTS: Of the 103 patients, 26 (25 %) required rescue surgery. Eight patients in this group (30.76 % of those operated on) presented complications. The average stay in our department was 52.8 days (7-197 days). CONCLUSIONS: Patients treated with CCR who have needed rescue surgery apparently have a higher rate of complications and a longer stay than those treated with surgery alone.

Complicaciones quirúrgicas en la cirugía de rescate de pacientes con carcinomas de cabeza y cuello tratados con quimioterapia y radioterapia concomitantes / Surgical complications in salvage surgery of patients with head and neck carcinomas treated with concomitant chemoradiotherapy (CCR)

Introducción: Una de las modalidades de tratamiento de los carcinomas epidermoides de cabeza y cuello es con radioterapia y quimioterapia concomitantes (RQC). En este estudio se intentará evaluar la incidencia de complicaciones que presenta la cirugía de rescate tras la realización de RQC. Material y método: Se ha estudiado los datos de 103 pacientes diagnosticados de carcinoma epidermoide de cabeza y cuello en estadios III y IV tratados entre 1997 y 2005. Se los trató siguiendo dos protocolos distintos de RQC. Resultados: De los 103 pacientes, requirieron cirugía de rescate 26 (25 %). Dentro de este grupo presentaron complicaciones 8 pacientes (el 30,76 % de los intervenidos). La estancia media en el servicio de otorrinolaringología fue de 52,8 (7-197) días. Conclusiones: Los pacientes que han recibido RQC y han necesitado cirugía de rescate posteriormente presentan una aparente mayor tasa de complicaciones, así como un ingreso más prolongado, que aquellos en quienes inicialmente se opta por la cirugía

Introduction: One way of treating head and neck carcinomas is using concomitant chemoradiotherapy (CCR). In this study we will try to evaluate the incidence of complications in rescue surgery after CCR. Material and method: We have studied data from 103 patients diagnosed as having stage III or IV squamous head and neck carcinoma between 1997 and 2005. They were treated following two different CCR protocols. Results: Of the 103 patients, 26 (25 %) required rescue surgery. Eight patients in this group (30.76 % of those operated on) presented complications. The average stay in our department was 52.8 days (7-197 days). Conclusions: Patients treated with CCR who have needed rescue surgery apparently have a higher rate of complications and a longer stay than those treated with surgery alone

Effects of tumors on the daily mitotic activity of mouse pars intermedia.

We have investigated the effects of EA21a and EA34 mammary carcinomas on daily PI cell proliferation in mice. Animals were divided into groups grafted with either EA34 or EA21a carcinomas (and a non-grafted control group). They were all injected intraperitoneally with 2 microg colchicine per g of body weight 4 h before sacrifice and the number of mitoses per 1000 nuclei was calculated. The mitotic index (MI) of pars-intermedia epithelial cells in control animals showed significant temporal variations. However, the MI from mice grafted with EA34 or EA21a carcinomas showed no such variation. There was no difference between the daily MIs of controls and tumor grafted groups. The absence of a 24 h mitotic activity curve in both EA21a and EA34 tumor-bearing animals demonstrates a lower level of synchronization of cells entering mitosis.

Lewis acid-promoted intermolecular carbonyl-ene reaction of enantiopure 4-oxoazetidine-2-carbaldehydes. Rapid entry to novel fused polycyclic beta-lactams.

Lewis acid-promoted carbonyl-ene reaction of enantiomerically pure 4-oxoazetidine-2-carbaldehydes with various activated alkenes gives 4-[(1'-hydroxy)homoallyl]-beta-lactams with a very high level of syn diastereofacial selectivity. The above homoallylic alcohols are used for the diastereoselective preparation of fused bicyclic, tricyclic, and tetracyclic beta-lactams of nonconventional structure using tandem one-pot radical addition/cyclization or elimination-intramolecular Diels-Alder sequences. In addition, a novel domino process was discovered, the C4-N1 beta-lactam bond breakage/intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction.

Genetic instability of sugarcane plants derived from meristem cultures

The RADP (Random amplified polymorphic DNA) technique was used to detect tissue-culture-induced variations in sugarcane. Plants of the Brazilian variety RB83-5486 propagated via rhizomes and via meristem cultures were studied. The polymorphism rate for 98 RAPD loci was 6.93 percent when the plants derived from meristems. Besides, in order to evaluate the influence of the number of subcultures on the generation of somaclonal variation, field-grown RB83-5486 plants derived from 10 meristems were studied after five subcultivations. Although different rates of polymorphism were observed, there was no direct association with the stage of subcultivation. The analysis of plants of two sugarcane varieties cultivated in vitro from meristems showed that variety RB83-5486 was more unstable than variety SP80-185

Stereoselective Synthesis of Fused Bicyclic beta-Lactams through Radical Cyclization of Enyne-2-azetidinones(1).

A convenient, stereoselective entry to racemic and enantiomerically pure fused bicyclic beta-lactams has been developed that involves the radical-mediated cycloisomerization of easily available monocyclic enyne-beta-lactams as the key synthetic step. These compounds are obtained provided that an activated double bond is present as a radical acceptor. In the absence of this condition, new forms of reactivity were observed, including C3-C4 bond cleavage of the beta-lactam ring to yield tetrahydropyridine derivatives and 1,5-radical translocation to yield new bicyclic derivatives. Some simple transformations were tested on representative examples of the different types of bicyclic systems prepared to demonstrate their potential as intermediates in the preparation of other differently functionalized systems.