Publications by authors named "Periago M"

Paprika, obtained from dried red pepper (), is valued for its characteristic colour and flavour. Its carotenoid content, which is important for both sensory and nutritional quality, varies depending on several factors (agronomic conditions and technological treatment with special attention to the drying methods) that influence the colour and antioxidant capacity of the samples. This study investigated the effect of an accelerated thermal treatment (80 °C for 8 h) applied to evaluate the oxidative stability of the carotenoids and the colour of ground paprika depending on its origin (Peru or China).

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Background: Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of Trypanosoma cruzi and hepatitis B virus (HBV) increases morbidity and disability in Latin America and the Caribbean. The tailormade comprehensive antenatal care based on the Framework for the elimination of MTCT of HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B virus (HBV), and Chagas disease (EMTCT Plus) has been implemented in the region since 2018 through a private-public partnership. This study aimed to estimate the effectiveness of the intervention in preparing MTCT of T.

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Introduction: Intestinal parasites particularly affect vulnerable populations, making their management crucial in endemic areas.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between intestinal parasites, socioeconomic characteristics, and anthropometric nutritional status.

Methods: This is an observational, cross-sectional study conducted on children aged 1 to 15 years in Tartagal, Argentina, for a year.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a parasitic disease caused by Echinococcus granulosus, primarily affecting ungulates and humans through ingestion of eggs from feces, with over 1 million cases globally leading to significant health and economic impacts.
  • - Loop mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is a promising low-cost DNA detection method that doesn't require complex equipment, making it suitable for use in areas with limited resources where CE is endemic.
  • - This study compared three LAMP protocols, including two newly developed methods, and found one to be particularly effective in detecting different DNA stages of E. granulosus, providing a practical solution for labs in affected regions.
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Menopause is a critical stage in a woman's life in which cardiometabolic alterations appear, such as insulin resistance or a predisposition to visceral fat deposits, leading to an increased risk of cardiometabolic diseases (R-CMBs). New strategies to reduce the R-CMBs in postmenopausal women using natural compounds without adverse effects are desirable. In this sense, plant-based diets rich in fruits and vegetables could play a fundamental role due to the high content of bioactive compounds found in these diets, such as (poly)phenols, known for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and vasodilator properties.

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Honey is traditionally used for its medicinal properties attributed to its antibacterial and antioxidant effects. It is considered a natural alternative to conventional antibiotics. This effect has been attributed to their physico-chemical properties, as various chemical parameters can synergistically influence this effect.

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Argentina has a heterogeneous prevalence of infections by intestinal parasites (IPs), with the north in the endemic area, especially for soil-transmitted helminths (STHs). We analyzed the spatial patterns of these infections in the city of Tartagal, Salta province, by an observational, correlational, and cross-sectional study in children and adolescents aged 1 to 15 years from native communities. One fecal sample per individual was collected to detect IPs using various diagnostic techniques: Telemann sedimentation, Baermann culture, and Kato-Katz.

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Lemon peel represents an interesting by-product owing to its content of dietary fibre (DF) and (poly)phenols, which is of great importance for its valorisation. Hence, the objective of this study was to characterise the DF, total phenolic content (TPC), and antioxidant capacity of two lemon-peel-derived ingredients using two different methods (drying with warm air and enzymatic hydrolysis with pectinesterase). The analysis included a DF assessment, followed by neutral sugars characterisation through GC-FID and uronic acids determination via colorimetry.

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Background: Soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) are widely distributed throughout the world. Various factors, including the environment, socioeconomic characteristics, and access to water and sanitation, play an important role in the spread and persistence of these parasites within communities. They, in turn, affect the growth and development of members of the community, especially children.

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Strategies for the prevention of arboviral diseases transmitted by have traditionally focused on vector control. This remains the same to this day, despite a lack of documented evidence on its efficacy due to a lack of coverage and sustainability. The continuous growth of urban areas and generally unplanned urbanization, which favor the presence of , demand resources, both material and human, as well as logistics to effectively lower the population's risk of infection.

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Neglected tropical diseases are a group of 20 disabling diseases, which, in particular, are the most common chronic infections in the most vulnerable people. This study aimed to characterize the infection by intestinal parasites (IPs) in dwellings from a peri-urban neighborhood in Pampa del Indio, Chaco (Argentina), and its association with socioeconomic and environmental variables. Single stool samples were collected from all individuals older than 1 year through household visits and processed using coprological sedimentation and flotation techniques.

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Background: Chagas Disease (ChD) is a Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) affecting 6 to 7 million people worldwide, mostly from Latin America. In Argentina, a national control program has been implemented since 1962, yet there are still an estimated 1.6 million infected individuals.

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In Europe, around 31 million tonnes of food by-products are generated during primary production and trade. The management of these by-products may cause a negative impact, both at the economic and environmental levels, for both industry and society. In this regard, taking into consideration that these by-products retain the dietary fibre compositions and the bioactive compounds of the starting materials, plant food agro-industries have an interest in taking advantage of them, from a nutritional point of view.

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Introduction: Canine soil-transmitted helminth (cSTH) parasites need specific environmental conditions to complete their life cycle. and are the most important zoonotic cSTH, since they are the causal agents of human toxocariasis. Canine STHs are dispersed in feces from infected domestic and wildlife canines.

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The industry generates large amounts of by-products to which value could be added because of the characteristics of their composition. The aim was to extract different fibre fractions from broccoli stalks to obtain potential new added-value ingredients. Using an ethanol and water extraction procedure, two fibre-rich fractions (total fibre fraction, TF, and insoluble fibre fraction, IF) were obtained.

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Menopause is characterized by endocrine and physiological changes and is often accompanied by increased body weight and cholesterol, glucose intolerance, and/or hypertension. These alterations are associated with increased risk for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and Type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) that may be moderate by dietary plant phenolic compounds. In this review, we examine the current evidence of the impact of a variety of plant products (foods, extracts, beverages) rich in a mixture of phenolics and polyphenols on: (i) glucose and insulin levels; (ii) lipid profile; (iii) blood pressure; and (iv) biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress in postmenopausal women.

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Article Synopsis
  • A new coprological LAMP method called Copro-LAMPAc was developed to detect a zoonotic nematode affecting humans and animals, focusing on DNA extraction and primer design.
  • This method demonstrated an impressive analytical sensitivity of 100 fg and a specificity of 100% when tested against DNA from hosts and other pathogens.
  • When evaluated with canine fecal samples, Copro-LAMPAc proved to be more sensitive than traditional optical microscopy, positioning it as a promising tool for epidemiological studies in areas where the nematode is endemic.
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Background: The first case of SARS-CoV-2 was reported in Argentina on 3 March 2020. Measures to limit the spread of the virus were implemented, including complete lockdown (26 March). Nonetheless, the virus spread throughout the country, with a first peak of almost a million cases in October.

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Raspberry is a source of dietary fibre and phenolic compounds, which are metabolised by the gut microbiota, resulting in the production of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and phenolic catabolites; but the formation of these compounds depends on the microbiota composition. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the raspberry and its fractions (phenolic extract, total and insoluble dietary fibre) affect the microbial activity depending on the body weight condition. For this, in vitro fermentations of raspberry fractions were carried out using faeces from normal-weight (NW) and overweight volunteers (OW) during 48 h, and phenolic catabolites and SCFAs were analysed at 0, 6, 24 and 48 h.

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Background: Intestinal parasites (IPs) are widely distributed worldwide and are one of the major contributors to gastrointestinal disease. Their prevalence is associated with poor access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). The objective of this study was to identify the prevalence of IPs, including soil-transmitted helminths (STH), and their relation to socioeconomic characteristics, as well as a first approach to molecularly characterize the types of Giardia intestinalis, Blastocystis spp.

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Quantitative coprological analyses of children were performed in Alexandria and Behera governorates, Egypt, to ascertain whether individual intensities in the Nile Delta lowlands reach high levels as those known in hyperendemic highland areas of Latin America. Analyses focused on subjects presenting intensities higher than 400 eggs per gram of faeces (epg), the high burden cut-off according to WHO classification. A total of 96 children were found to shed between 408 and 2304 epg, with arithmetic and geometric means of 699.

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Background: peri- and post-menopausal women exhibit a high tendency towards obesity and visceral fat deposition, which increases cardiometabolic risk. Objective: to evaluate through a prospective nutritional study the effect of carotenoid consumption on cardiometabolic risk biomarkers in peri- and post-menopausal women. Material and methods: twelve peri- and post-menopausal women without previous symptoms of cardiovascular disease, but with some cardiometabolic risk factor, were recruited.

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Eating chocolate in the morning or in the evening/at night, may differentially affect energy balance and impact body weight due to changes in energy intake, substrate oxidation, microbiota (composition/function), and circadian-related variables. In a randomized controlled trial, postmenopausal females (n = 19) had 100 g of chocolate in the morning (MC), in the evening/at night (EC), or no chocolate (N) for 2 weeks and ate any other food ad libitum. Our results show that 14 days of chocolate intake did not increase body weight.

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Soil-Transmitted Helminths (STH) are highly prevalent Neglected Tropical Disease in Ethiopia, an estimated 26 million are infected. Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing (RS) technologies assist data mapping and analysis, and the prediction of the spatial distribution of infection in relation to environmental variables. The influence of socioeconomic, environmental and soil characteristics on hookworm infection at the individual and household level is explored in order to identify spatial patterns of infection in rural villages from Zenzelema (Amhara region).

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Different strategies have been developed to increase the concentration of bioactive compounds in tomatoes during post-harvest, with ultraviolet light (UV) and light emitting diodes (LEDs) being interesting tools. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of ultraviolet (UVA at 366 nm and UVC at 254 nm) pre-treatment (1 kJ/m) and red-blue LED light (25.4 µmol/m/s) on the concentration of carotenoids, (poly)phenols and hydrophilic/lipophilic antioxidant capacity during 7 days of refrigeration storage of green tomatoes ( L.

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