Updated Database and Trends of Declared Low- and No-Calorie Sweeteners From Foods and Beverages Marketed in Spain.

Background: The past few years have witnessed an increase in the availability of food products containing one or more low- and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCS) in the Spanish market, mostly due to the new massive reformulation plan. However, these are not included in food composition tables or databases, and, therefore, assessment of their intake among the population is complex. This study aims to update a database including commercialized foods and beverages. Method: A systematic search of ingredients information from the different food and beverage categories was undertaken during 2019 by recording the availability and type of LNCS declared in the information of the product from labels and online shopping platforms of retailers from Spain to update a previous food composition database compiled in 2017. Results: A total of 1,238 products were identified. The major groups were sugar and sweets (24%), non-alcoholic beverages (21%), cereals and grains (19%), and milk and dairy products (14%) accounting for >70% of total products. The mainly declared LNCS were sorbitol (19.5%), sucralose (19.5%), and acesulfame K (19.2%). Conclusion: There is a wide variety of products that include LNCS as a main ingredient with higher availability than when compared with the results of database of 2017, consequently, it might be expected that LNCS are commonly consumed at present in the Spanish diet.

Why is the novel Hb Miguel Servet visualised by CE-HPLC newborn and not by the CE-HPLC ß-thalassaemia programme?

Screening of haemoglobinopathies is indicated for the detection of sickle cell anaemia; thus, neonates can benefit from early and adequate treatment that prevents neurological damage, reduces morbidity and mortality associated with the disease. These types of programmes sometimes lead to unexpected findings. We present a new haemoglobin (Hb) variant (Hb Miguel Servet) detected by newborn screening. During neonatal screening of haemoglobinopathies by cation-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography (CE-HPLC) newborn, an Hb variant was detected. An analysis at 8 months of age using capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) confirmed the presence of this new Hb. The molecular characterisation was performed by automatic sequencing of the α and ß globin genes in an ABI PRISM 3100 Genetic Analyzer. Hb analysis by CE-HPLC ß-thalassaemia short programmedid not indicate the presence of abnormal Hbs. By CZE showed a peak in the zone 12 zone comprising 3.3% of the total Hb. A new analysis by CE-HPLC on a Tosoh G8-2 (Horiba) shown a peak, in the region of HbA1b, did not interfere with the quantification of HbA1c. Sequencing of the ß gene revealed the substitution of a guanine for a thymine (GGT >TGT) in codon 69 of the second exon, resulting in substitution of cysteine for the amino acid glutamine (HBB:c.208G>T). Hb Miguel Servet is a ß-chain globin variant detected by CE-HPLC newborn (BioRad), by CZE and by CE-HPLC-CE Tosoh G8-2 (Horiba), but no by CE-HPLC-CE ß-thalassaemia short programme (BioRad). In fact, for all the techniques that are visualised, what would be detected would be the glutathione variant of Hb (Miguel Servet).

Arsenic release from pyrite ash waste over an active hydrogeological system and its effects on water quality.

Arsenic is a potentially toxic element of concern for environmental compartments, and it is a frequent pollutant in many abandoned industrial sites. In this study, geochemical and hydrogeological tools were used to determine the long-term effects of As-rich pyrite ash disposal (83,000 m3 as estimated by geostatistical tools) in a brownfield located over a quaternary alluvial aquifer. Throughout the site, soil pollution and water table oscillation led to leachates in the form of both run-off and infiltration waters, thereby reducing (ground)water quality (e.g. pH, electrical conductivity) and, in particular, increasing the concentration of arsenic (average approx. 4000 µg/l for one hydrological year). By means of laboratory and in situ measurements, the main mechanisms through which the sulphide remaining in the pyrite ash leaches were identified. In addition, to evaluate the effects of the polluted groundwater on the nearby main river, a mathematical approach using the Domenico analytical groundwater transport model revealed potential concentrations of 49 µg/l of arsenic in the junction between the study aquifer and the river, equivalent to an annual quantity of 49 kg of this element.

C>A substitution in NT 46 of the 3' UTR region (the α complex protected region) of the alpha-1 globin gene: a non-deletional mutation or polymorphism?

AIMS: Untranslated regions (UTRs) play an important role in post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression, including by modulating messenger RNA (mRNA) transport out of the nucleus, translation efficiency, subcellular localisation and stability. Any mutation in this region could alter the stability of mRNA and thereby affect protein synthesis. We analysed if a mutation located in the α complex protected region of the α1 globin gene could cause non-deletional α-thalassaemia by affecting post-transcriptional stability (mRNA stability). METHODS: A total of 14 patients without anaemia, normal or slight microcytosis and hypochromia (medium concentration haemoglobin [MCH] <27 pg) were studied. Haemoglobin subtypes were screened using capillary zone electrophoresis and ion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography (VARIANT II ß-Thalassaemia Short Program). The most common α-globin mutations were identified by multiplex PCR (Alpha-Globin StripAssay kit) and the molecular characterisation by automatic sequencing of alpha globin genes. RESULTS: All of them shown a novel transversion mutation in nt 778 (C>A), which is located in the 3' UTR in the α complex protected region [HBA1: c.*+46C>A]. CONCLUSIONS: This mutation is in the αRNAmin binding site, so a single nucleotide substitution in this region can decrease mRNA stability by potentially compromising the binding of α-complex protein to αRNAmin, favouring the decay of α-globin mRNA via erythroid cell-enriched endoribonuclease cleavage. In this case, it is a non-deletional α-thalassaemia. However, in silico and empirical studies predicted that it could be a silent polymorphism. Functional studies should be carried out to confirm whether it is a pathological mutation or a silent polymorphism.