Exploring the Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Inulin by Integrating Transcriptomic and Proteomic Analyses in a Murine Macrophage Cell Model.

Inulin is a natural polysaccharide classified as a soluble fiber with demonstrated prebiotic activity. Prebiotics can reduce intestinal and systemic inflammation through modulation of the gut microflora and their metabolites. Additionally, extensive research is illuminating the role of macrophages in the interaction between gut microbiota and many systemic inflammatory diseases.

Fast Real-Time PCR Method for Detection of Soy in Foods.

Soy is used as an additive in the manufacturing of diverse products, because of their ability of emulsification, water and fat absorption, contributing to the consistency of food products. Moreover, soy is recognized as a potential allergen, so its presence should be indicated in all the food products.These issues highlight the need for techniques that allow the detection of soy in foods.

Fast Real-Time PCR for the Detection of Crustacean Allergens in Foods.

Crustaceans are one of the most common allergens causing severe food reaction. Hypersensitivity reactions associated with seafood intake are one of the most common food allergies in adults. Crustaceans including shrimps, prawns, crabs, lobster, and crayfish are a common cause of anaphylaxis or hypersensitivity, with shrimps and crabs being the most common causes of allergy.

Assessment of global DNA methylation in peripheral blood cell subpopulations of early rheumatoid arthritis before and after methotrexate.

Introduction: DNA methylation is an epigenetic mechanism regulating gene expression that has been insufficiently studied in the blood of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, as only T cells and total peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with established RA have been studied and with conflicting results.

Method: Five major blood cell subpopulations: T, B and NK cells, monocytes, and polymorphonuclear leukocytes, were isolated from 19 early RA patients and 17 healthy controls. Patient samples were taken before and 1 month after the start of treatment with methotrexate (MTX).

Development of a multiplex PCR-ELISA method for the genetic authentication of Thunnus species and Katsuwonus pelamis in food products.

In the present work a PCR-ELISA technique for the authentication of Thunnus species was developed. This method is composed by four systems that can be used in a hierarchical way allowing the identification of several scombroids species; or each individual system independently. The hierarchical strategy, proposes a first step, to assign one sample to the Thunnus genus.

Identification of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), ling (Molva molva), and Alaska pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) by PCR-ELISA using duplex PCR.

Species-specific PCR-ELISA assays for the identification of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), Alaska pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus), and ling (Molva molva) in food products have been developed. The method, comprising a set of primers common to the first two species, a set of primers for M. molva, and a probe for each species, was designed using ND4 and cytochrome b genes as molecular markers.

Developed of a method for the genetic identification of ling species (Genypterus spp.) in seafood products by FINS methodology.

In the present work a method of authentication of Genypterus and their substitute species was developed, by means of Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique followed by phylogenetic analysis (FINS, Forensically Informative Nucleotide Sequencing). The methodology developed allows the identification of all the studied species using the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene (COXI) as molecular marker. Substitutions of the species belonging to Genypterus genera by other species with minor value can take place, since in a lot of seafood products , is not possible the assignation to a particular species based on morphological traits, because it are removed in the transformation process.

Development of a real-time PCR method for the identification of Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus).

A Real Time-PCR method based on TaqMan technology for the identification of Scomber scombrus has been developed. A system of specific primers and a Minor Groove Binding (MGB) TaqMan probe based on sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b region was designed. The method was successfully tested in 81 specimens of S.

Validation of end-point and real-time PCR methods for the rapid detection of soy allergen in processed products.

This work describes the development and validation of two PCR methods, end-point and real-time PCR, for the detection of soy protein in a wide rage of foodstuffs. These techniques are reliable and sensitive, allowing detection of trace amounts of soybean in processed products. TaqMan real-time PCR was the simpler and more rapid process, with a higher potential for automation and, therefore, currently the most suitable screening method.

Validation of a method for the detection of five species, serogroups, biotypes and virulence factors of Vibrio by multiplex PCR in fish and seafood.

In this work a sequential multiplex PCR system was designed and validated for the detection of most frequent foodborne pathogen Vibrio species in fish and seafood (Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio vulnificus, Vibrio alginoliticus and Vibrio mimicus). The method proposed functions in a hierarchical way, being composed of an end-point multiplex PCR to detect the presence of DNA belonging to the studied species, followed by multiplex PCR and fragment analysis allowing the viability assessment of the detected strains. The final multiplex PCR step of the method may be applied if identification of the serogroup, biotype and/or virulence factor level is necessary.

Development of a method for the genetic identification of commercial bivalve species based on mitochondrial 18S rRNA sequences.

In this study a genetic methodology based on the amplification of an 18S rRNA fragment by PCR and phylogenetic analysis of the obtained DNA sequences was developed. This technique allows the genetic identification of more than 50 bivalve species in fresh, frozen, precooked and canned products. The developed method was applied to 30 commercial samples to check their labeling, showing that 12 samples were incorrectly labeled (40%).

Authentication of anglerfish species (Lophius spp) by means of polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and forensically informative nucleotide sequencing (FINS) methodologies.

Lophius represents the most important genus of the family Lophiidae from a commercial point of view. The main marketing formats of the species included in this genus are tails and cheeks, making impossible the species identification on the basis of their morphological characters. In the present study, two methods based on the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequences [forensically informative nucleotide sequencing (FINS)] were developed to differentiate the seven species contained in the genus Lophius.

Development of a method for the genetic identification of flatfish species on the basis of mitochondrial DNA sequences.

In the present study a method for genetic identification of flatfish species was developed. The technique is based on DNA sequencing of amplified DNA by PCR and subsequent phylogenetic analysis ( FINS). A phylogenetic tree using the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) was constructed and the bootstrap values calculated.

Genetic identification of squids (families Ommastrephidae and Loliginidae) by PCR-RFLP and FINS methodologies.

Cephalopods are a taxonomic group that contains a great number of families, genera and species, with many of them very important at the commercial level. The existence of very similar species in this class added up to the transformation process applied to them makes it difficult or even impossible for species identification based on morphological characterization. Moreover, the global commerce makes it possible that one determined species can be marketed in its antipodes.

Molecular detection of Xenostrobus securis and Mytillus galloprovincialis larvae in Galician Coast (Spain).

The mussel species Xenostrobus securis from New Zealand was detected in the Spanish coast recently, in the mouth of the Verdugo River into the Vigo Ria. In view of the great importance of the farm mussel sector in this region, the presence of this alien species greatly concerned producers and administration authorities, because of its potential medium- or long-term effects on the autochthonous species, Mytilus galloprovincialis, an important marine resource widely exploited in this location. The goal of this study was to develop a DNA-based technique to identify X.

Detection of land animal remains in fish meals by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism technique.

In the present study a technique was developed with the aim of guaranteeing the composition and security of fish meals, since it allows verification of whether these meals contain land animal remains. The method is based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and length polymorphism, followed by a restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Specific primers for every species were designed and calibrated, generating exclusively a PCR product with a specific size when DNA for each species was present in the sample.

Development of a method for the genetic identification of mussel species belonging to Mytilus, Perna, Aulacomya, and other genera.

Legislation regarding the labeling of processed products is an important issue in the protection of consumer rights. This labeling is especially important in products that cannot be identified on the basis of their morphological characters, because these are removed from the animal in the transformation process. The goal of this study was the identification of mussel species using Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and Forensically Informative Nucleotide Sequencing (FINS) methodologies.