Publications by authors named "Alejandra Ponce"

Poultry litter is a valuable source of nutrients for crop production, but its use in agriculture can lead to environmental and public health concerns due to the presence of pollutants, antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs). We compared the effect of different on-farm poultry litter composting processes on physicochemical, biological, and toxicological parameters, as well as on the occurrence of antibiotics and resistant Escherichia coli. The composting treatments consisted of passively-aerated piles C:N = 19 (PAC), mechanically-aerated piles C:N = 19 (MAC), and mechanically-aerated piles C:N = 30 (MAC).

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Background Patient-reported outcome measures have been shown to have important prognostic value after various cardiac interventions. We assessed the association between the change in Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire 12 (KCCQ-12) score after transcatheter aortic valve replacement and mortality. Methods and Results We included patients who underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement at Mayo Clinic between February 2012 to June 2022 and who completed a KCCQ-12 before and 30 to 45 days after the procedure.

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Polymeric anthocyanins are biologically active, pH-sensitive natural compounds and pigments with beneficial functional, pharmacological and therapeutic properties for consumer health. More recently, they have been used for the manufacture of active and pH-sensitive ("intelligent") food nanopackaging, due to their bathochromic effect. Nevertheless, in order for polymeric anthocyanins to be included either as a functional food or as a pharmacological additive (medicinal food), they inevitably need to be stabilized, as they are highly susceptible to environmental conditions.

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Escherichia coli is the bacteria most commonly used as an indicator of fecal contamination in agricultural environments. Moreover, E. coli is categorized as a priority pathogen due to its widespread antibiotic resistance.

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is an invasive red alga that forms extensive mats in sheltered marine habitats around the world. To determine its genomic structure and genetic relationship to native and other non-native populations of , high-throughput sequencing analysis was performed on an introduced specimen from Bennett Slough, Moss Landing, California, USA. Assembly of 23,146,595 filtered 150 bp paired-end Illumina sequencing reads yielded its complete mitogenome (GenBank accession MT193839) and plastid genome (GenBank accession MT193838).

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Article Synopsis
  • Genomic analysis of an invasive marine snail from Elkhorn Slough in California led to the assembly of its complete mitochondrial genome, which measures 16,095 base pairs and includes various genes like rRNA, protein-coding, and tRNA.
  • The organization and gene content of this mitogenome match those found in the Turritellidae and Pachychilidae families, indicating a close evolutionary relationship.
  • Phylogenetic analysis confirms it belongs to a clade with these families within the Cerithioidea superfamily, and similar genetic sequences were found in invasive populations from California and British Columbia, as well as native populations from Japan, highlighting the utility of mitogenome sequencing for classification and evolutionary studies.
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Astaxanthin (ASX) is a carotenoid pigment with strong antioxidant properties. We have reported previously that ASX protects neurons from the noxious effects of amyloid-β peptide oligomers, which promote excessive mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mROS) production and induce a sustained increase in cytoplasmic Ca concentration. These properties make ASX a promising therapeutic agent against pathological conditions that entail oxidative and Ca dysregulation.

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In Chile, the mortality from colorectal cancer has been on the rise. A national screening program based on a fecal immunochemical test was started in 2012 as an international collaboration with Japan. This case-control study was designed to identify the risk factors for colorectal cancer, with a goal of increasing the participation rate for colorectal cancer screening.

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Background: Colorectal Cancer Screening Programs (CRCSP) are widely accepted in developed countries. Unfortunately, financial restrictions, low adherence rate and variability on colonoscopy standardization hamper the implementation of CRCSP in developing countries.

Aim: To analyze a multicentric pilot model of CRCSP in Chile.

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Background: In Chile, a national colorectal cancer (CRC) screening program using immunochemical fecal occult blood tests and colonoscopy was started in 2012 as an international collaboration between Chile and Japan. In the present study, we quantified exosomes in the peripheral blood and evaluated the implication of the results for CRC screening.

Methods: A total of 25 peripheral plasma samples from the participants of CRC screening in Punta Arenas, Chile, were analyzed for exosomes.

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A national colorectal cancer (CRC) screening program began in Chile in 2012, which is an international collaboration between Japan and Chile and is based on a standardized protocol supported by Tokyo Medical and Dental University. We describe the results from the first 2 years of screening at one public hospital in Punta Arenas, Chile. Of 4124 asymptomatic individuals aged between 50 and 75 years, 485 participants with immunological fecal occult blood test values of at least 100 ng/ml and/or those with family histories of CRC underwent colonoscopies.

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Background: Little information is available regarding the effect of dietary fibers added into edible coatings on quality attributes of ready-to-eat fruits. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of sodium alginate (AL) and chitosan (CH) edible coatings enriched with four different dietary fibers (apple fiber, orange fiber, inulin and oligofructose) on microbiological, nutritional, physico-chemical and sensorial properties of ready-to-eat fresh blueberries stored for 18 days at 5 °C.

Results: The most encouraging results were found for CH coatings (with and without fibers) which significantly inhibited the growth of mesophilic bacteria and yeasts/molds (reductions up to 1.

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Selection of lettuce varieties less sensitive to quality deterioration and more tolerant to abusive temperatures during handling, transportation, and storage is essential to minimize economical and quality losses that affect both producers and consumers. This work was focused on the quality changes of four baby head lettuces (Lactuca sativa L.), two butter (red and green) and two oak-leaf (red and green) types, during storage at 0 ℃ and 10 ℃ for 10 days.

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Edible films can be used as carriers for antimicrobial compounds to assure food safety and quality; in addition, pathogenesis of food bacteria is related to a cell to cell communication mechanism called quorum sensing (QS). Oregano essential oil (OEO) has proved to be useful as food antimicrobial; however, its food applications can be compromised by the volatile character of its active constituents. Therefore, formulation of edible films containing OEO can be an alternative to improve its food usages.

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Background: The combined effects of bioactive agents (tea tree essential oil, propolis extract and gallic acid) and storage temperature on the microbiological and sensory quality of fresh-cut mixed vegetables for soup (celery, leek and butternut squash) were studied with the objective of preserving its quality and safety.

Results: Refrigeration temperature was confirmed as the main factor to limit the growth of spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms. Biopreservatives applied on mixed vegetables were effective only when combined with optimal refrigeration temperature (5 °C).

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Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/cellulose nanowhisker (CNW) nanocomposite hydrogels to be used for wound dressing were obtained by freezing-thawing technique and characterized by means of morphological, physical, thermal, mechanical, barrier and antimicrobial properties. First, cellulose nanowhiskers were obtained by the acid hydrolysis of commercial crystalline microcellulose (MCC) and characterized by its size, shape, morphological, structural and thermal properties. Then, PVA/CNW nanocomposites with several CNW contents (0, 1, 3, 5 and 7wt.

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Unlabelled: The use of edible coatings and mild heat shocks is proposed as postharvest treatments to prevent microbial deterioration of refrigerated broccoli. Minimally processed broccoli was coated with either chitosan or carboxymethyl-cellulose (CMC) combined or not with a previous application of a mild heat shock. The evolution of microbial populations (mesophilic, psycrotrophic, Enterobacteriaceae, molds and yeast, and lactic acid bacteria) was studied during 20 d of storage and fitted to Gompertz and logistic models.

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Investigations were carried out to assess the efficiency of 3 essential oils, clove, tea tree, and rosemary, as natural preservatives during the postharvest of lettuce leaves. The effect of different concentration (1 and 0.5 MIC) of plant essential oils applied in 3 forms (spray, immersion, and capsules) was studied on lettuce leaves.

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