Centro Científico Tecnológico - Tandil

Abstract Body-mass index (BMI) has increased steadily in most countries in parallel with a rise in the proportion of the population who live in cities 1,2 . This has led to a widely reported view that urbanization is one of the most important drivers of the global rise in obesity 3–6 . Here we use 2,009 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in more than 112 million adults, to report national, regional and global trends in mean BMI segregated by place of residence (a rural or urban area) from 1985 to 2017. We show that, contrary to the dominant paradigm, more than 55% of the global rise in mean BMI from 1985 to 2017—and more than 80% in some low- and middle-income regions—was due to increases in BMI in rural areas. This large contribution stems from the fact that, with the exception of women in sub-Saharan Africa, BMI is increasing at the same rate or faster in rural areas than in cities in low- and middle-income regions. These trends have in turn resulted in a closing—and in some countries reversal—of the gap in BMI between urban and rural areas in low- and middle-income countries, especially for women. In high-income and industrialized countries, we noted a persistently higher rural BMI, especially for women. There is an urgent need for an integrated approach to rural nutrition that enhances financial and physical access to healthy foods, to avoid replacing the rural undernutrition disadvantage in poor countries with a more general malnutrition disadvantage that entails excessive consumption of low-quality calories.

Software visualization studies techniques and methods for graphically representing different aspects of software. Its main goal is to enhance, simplify and clarify the mental representation a software engineer has of a computer system. During many years, visualization in 2D space has been actively studied, but in the last decade, researchers have begun to explore new 3D representations for visualizing software. In this article, we present an overview of current research in the area, describing several major aspects like: visual representations, interaction issues, evaluation methods and development tools. We also perform a survey of some representative tools to support different tasks, i.e., software maintenance and comprehension, requirements validation and algorithm animation for educational purposes, among others. Finally, we conclude identifying future research directions.

&mdash; The effects of daily herbage allowance (DHA = herbage mass [HM] x daily offered area [DOA]) and cow characteristics upon herbage intake at grazing were assessed in two experiments. In n experiment 1, two DHA (low and medium, 19 and 26 kg organic matter [OM]/cow/day) were com- pared in a continuous design using two groups of five cows. In experiment 2, three DHA (low, medium and high, 19, 29 and 46 kg OM/cow/day) were compared in a 3 x 3 latin square design using three groups of five cows. Mid-lactating cows (six first lactation per trial) were used. Fat-corrected milk at turnout (FCMt) ranged between 17 to 35 kg and live weight (LW) from 510 to 680 kg. Cows strip-grazed plots of vegetative Lolium perenne and did not receive concentrates. Herbage mass cut to ground level (HM) ranged from 3.5 to 7.1 t OM/ha. In experiment 1, herbage organic matter intake (HOMI) (13.5 vs 14.9 kg/day) and FCM yield (20.6 vs 22.0 kg/day) tended to increase from low to medium DHA but dif- ferences were not significant. In experiment 2, HOMI increased in a quadratic manner (13.8, 16.2 and 16.7 kg/day) and FCM increased linearly (P < 0.01 ) with DHA (20.4, 21 .7 and 23.0 kg/day for low, medium and high DHA, respectively). In both experiments, HOMI was consistently lower in first lac- tation compared to adult cows and large between-cow variations within lactation were noted. From the pooled data, HOMI was related to DHA and cow characteristics: HOMI = 7.9 -98 DHA-1 + 0.264 FCMt + 0.0073 LW (n = 95, R 2 = 0.60, rsd = 1.77 kg). However, splitting DHA into its two components accounted for more of the variance in HOMI: HOMI =-20.4 -115 DOA-1 + 9.63 HM -0.873 HM 2 + 0.266 FCMt + 0.0095 LW (R 2 = 0.70, rsd = 1.56 kg). These relationships showed that HOMI was affected by DHA but the original sward herbage mass/structure does have an independant effect in regulating intake. Moreover, voluntary intake increases with the potential of milk yield and this increase could account for the two-thirds of the supplementary energy requirements. dairy cows / grazing / intake / herbage allowance / animal requirements Rsum &mdash; Effet des quantits d'herbe offertes, de la biomasse et des caractristiques ani- males sur l'ingestion des vaches laitires au pturage. L'effet de la quantit d'herbe alloue (DHA = biomasse (HM) x surface offerte journellement (DOA)) et des caractristiques des animaux sur les quantits de MO d'herbe ingres au pturage (HOMI) ont t analyses au cours de deux essais. Dans l'essai 1, deux niveaux de DHA (Bas et Moyen, 19 et 26 kg MO/vache/jour) ont t compars dans un schma en continu en utilisant deux groupes de cinq vaches apparies. Dans le second essai, trois niveaux d'herbe alloue (Bas, Moyen et Haut ; 19, 29 et 46 kgljour) ont t compars dans un schma en carr latin 3 x 3 en utilisant trois lots de cinq vaches. Tous les animaux taient en milieu de lactation et six primipares ont t utilises par essai. la mise l'herbe, la production de lait 4 % (FCMt) et le poids vif (LtN) variaient de 17 35 kgljour et de 510 680 kg. Les vaches n'ont pas reu de concentr et ont t conduites en pturage rationn sur prairies de ray-grass anglais pendant toute la dure des essais. La biomasse coupe au niveau du sol a vari de 3,5 7,1 t MOlha entre les priodes. Dans l'essai 1, HOMI (13,5 versus 14,9 kglj) et la production de la 4 % (20,6 versus 22,0 kgljour) ont eu tendance augmenter entre le traitement Bas et Moyen mais les diffrences n'ont pas t significatives. Dans l'essai 2, HOMI a augment de manire curvilinaire (13,8 ; 16,2 ; 16,7 kgljour) et la production de lait 4 % a augment linairement avec le niveau d'herbe alloue (20,4; 21,7 et 23,0 kgljour). HOMI a toujours t beaucoup plus faible pour les vaches primipares que les vaches adultes et des diffrences interindividuelles importantes sont apparues pour un mme rang de lactation. partir de l'ensemble des donnes individuelles nous avons montr que HOMI peut tre prdite partir de DHA et des caractristiques des animaux : HOMI = 7,9 -98 DHA-1 + 0,264 FCMt+ 0,0073 LVV (n = 95, R 2 = 0,6 0 , etr= 1,77kg). Cependant, la prcision de ce modle est sensiblement amliore lorsque l'on considre sparment les deux composantes de DHA : HOMI = -20,4 -115 DOA-I + 9,63 HM -0,873 HM 2 + 0,266 FCMt + 0, 0095 LW(R2 = 0, 70, etr = 1,56 kg). Ces relations montrent que HOMI est affecte par DHA mais aussi que la biomasse et/ou la structure ini- tiale de la prairie affecte galement les quantits ingres. De plus les quantits ingres augmentent avec le potentiel de production des animaux et cet accroissement couvre environ les deux tiers des besoins supplmentaires de production pour des pturages de bonne qualit.

Maize ( Zea mays L.) grain yield responds greatly to plant density ( D ). However, the hybrid–plant density interaction usually found is not well understood. The objective of this work was to analyze responses of different maize hybrids to D considering their biomass plasticity and reproductive partitioning. Responses to D were analyzed during 2 yr in three hybrids with contrasting maturity and plasticity. The relationships between aboveground biomass per plant at maturity ( Bp ) and D and between grain yield per plant ( Yp ) and Bp were used to explain hybrid responses to D Optimum D. ranged from 10.3 to 13.7 plants m −2 . The hybrid with the lowest optimum D presented the greatest biomass plasticity and reproductive partitioning. Increasing D produced an increase in biomass production per unit area in all hybrids. Contrarily, a greater harvest index (HI) with increasing D was only observed in the hybrids with the least plasticity. Increments in grain yield with increasing D were, in all cases, more associated with increases in biomass production than with increments in HI. Parameters of the equations Bp − D and Yp − Bp were related to optimum D To validate these relationships, an independent data set was used. Some of these parameters were associated with biomass plasticity and reproductive partitioning and could be used to explain and estimate the responses to D

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) cause hemorrhagic colitis (HC) and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) in humans. Outbreaks are linked to bovine food sources. STEC O157:H7 has been responsible for the most severe outbreaks worldwide. However, non-O157 serotypes have emerged as important enteric pathogens in several countries. The main virulence factor of STEC is the production of Shiga toxins 1 and 2. Additional virulence markers are a plasmid-encoded enterohemolysin (ehxA), an autoagglutinating adhesin (Saa), a catalase-peroxidase (katP), an extracellular serine protease (espP), a zinc metalloprotease (stcE), a subtilase cytotoxin (subAB), among others. Other virulence factors are intimin and adhesins that had a roll in the adherence of STEC to bovine colon. This review focuses on the virulence traits of STEC and especially on those related to the adhesion to bovine colon. The known of the interaction between STEC and the bovine host is crucial to develop strategies to control cattle colonization.

Bovine leukaemia virus (BLV) causes lymphosarcoma and persistent lymphocytosis (PL). Some MHC class II gene polymorphisms have been associated with resistance and susceptibility to the development of lymphosarcoma and PL, as well as with a reduced number of circulating BLV-infected lymphocytes. Previously, 230 BLV-infected Holstein cattle were classified into two infection profiles characterized by low and high proviral loads (LPL and HPL respectively). Here, the influence of the polymorphism at the BoLA-DRB3.2* gene of these animals was examined. After genotyping, the association between the BoLA-DRB3.2* alleles and the BLV infection profile was determined as the odds ratio (OR). Two subtypes of allele *11 were identified (ISAG*0901 and *0902). Allele ISAG*0902 showed a stronger association with the LPL profile (OR = 8.24; P < 0.0001) than allele *11 itself (OR = 5.82; P < 0.0001). Allele ISAG*1701 (*12) also showed significant association with the LPL profile (OR = 3.46; P < 0.0055). Only one allele, ISAG*1501 or 03 (*16), showed significant association with HPL (OR = 0.36; P < 0.0005). The DRB3.2* alleles were assigned to three categories: resistant (R), susceptible (S) and neutral (N). Based on their DRB3 genotypes, cattle were classified as homozygous or heterozygous. The RR and RN genotypes were associated with the LPL profile, while the SS and NS genotypes were associated with the HPL profile. The RS genotype could not be associated with any particular profile. Our results show that allele ISAG*0902 appears to be the best BLV resistance marker in Holstein cattle.

The bovine leukemia virus (BLV) causes leukemia or lymphoma in cattle. Although most BLV-infected animals do not develop the disease, they maintain the transmission chain of BLV at the herd level. As a feasible approach to control the virus, selection of cattle carrying the BoLA-DRB3*0902 allele has been proposed, as this allele is strongly associated with a BLV infection profile or the low proviral load (LPL) phenotype. To test whether these cattle affect the BLV transmission chain under natural conditions, selected BLV-infected LPL-BoLA-DRB3*0902 heterozygous cows were incorporated into a BLV-negative dairy herd. An average ratio of 5.4 (range 4.17-6.37) BLV-negative cows per BLV-infected cow was maintained during the 20mo of the experiment, and no BLV-negative cattle became infected. The BLV incidence rate in this herd was thus zero, whereas BLV incidence rates in different local herds varied from 0.06 to 0.17 cases per 100 cattle-days. This finding strongly suggests that LPL-BoLA-DRB3*0902 cattle disrupted the BLV-transmission chain in the study period.

Risk analysis to identify the more profitable or less risky crops in areas with shallow soil requires quantification of yield responses to physical constraints to root penetration. Grain yield, shoot biomass, and harvest index (HI) were measured in commercial fields of indeterminate soybean ( Glycine max L. Merr.), maize ( Zea mays L.), sunflower ( Helianthus annuus L.), and wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) grown on Typic Argiudols and Petrocalcic Paleudols. At crop maturity, shoots were sampled along transects (approximately 200 m) with soil depths between 0.35 and &gt;1 m as determined by petrocalcic horizon depth. In all four species, shallow soil reduced shoot biomass and grain yield but did not affect HI in wheat. Harvest index was most affected by shallow soil in maize. Seasonal water deficit [maximum – actual evapotranspiration (ET)] accounted for 43 to 90% of the variation in yield. Average water use efficiency (WUE) was wheat, 14.5; maize, 11.7; soybean, 8.9; and sunflower, 7.5 kg grain ha −1 mm −1 ET. In relation to crops on the deepest soil, yield decline per centimeter reduction in soil depth was 0.41% in wheat, 0.45% in soybean, 0.54% in sunflower, and 0.76% in maize. This ranking of grain yield response to shallow soil was mostly accounted for by (i) cropping season (autumn to late spring for wheat vs. spring to autumn for row crops), (ii) timing of the most critical period for grain yield determination (later in soybean than in sunflower and maize), and (iii) plant features related to vegetative and reproductive plasticity, including growth habit.

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of rainfall, soil depth, and crop management practices on the yield of dryland maize ( Zea mays L.) crops of the Argentine Pampas. We were concerned with the relevance of known physiological mechanisms in commercial crops and with developing a framework to quantify the impact of improved management practices on crop yield. Our approach included three steps. First, baseline functions were developed to quantify the relationship between yield and water availability (W) during the critical period for kernel set. Second, baseline functions were tested using an independent data set. Third, using the baseline functions as benchmarks, the effects on yield of soil depth and crop management practices were evaluated. Yield varied between 4.2 and 10 t ha −1 , and most of this variation (&gt;84%) was accounted for by W during the period bracketing flowering. Shallow soils presented lower yield than deep soils at a given rainfall. Using yield vs. W functions to account for the effect of variation in W, we quantified the impact of crop management on productivity. Technology‐related yield increases were (a) 2.3 t ha −1 from the late 1980s to the mid‐1990s, mainly explained by P fertilization, better and earlier weed control, and improved hybrids; (b) 0.9 t ha −1 from the mid‐1990s to 1996–1998, related to no‐till and higher plant density; and (c) 0.8 t ha −1 from 1996–1998 to 1999–2000, mainly explained by enhanced rates of N fertilization.

Shiga Toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are a group of foodborne pathogens associated with diarrhea, dysentery, hemorrhagic colitis (HC) and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Shiga toxins are the major virulence factor of these pathogens, however adhesion and colonization to the human intestine is required for STEC pathogenesis. A subset of STEC strains carry the Locus of Enterocyte Effacement (LEE) pathogenicity island (PAI), which encodes genes that mediate the colonization of the human intestine. While LEE-positive STEC strains have traditionally been associated with human disease, the burden of disease caused by STEC strains that lacks LEE (LEE-negative) has increased recently in several countries; however, in the absence of LEE, the molecular pathogenic mechanisms by STEC strains are unknown. Here we report a 86-kb mosaic PAI composed of four modules that encode 80 genes, including novel and known virulence factors associated with adherence and autoaggregation. Therefore, we named this PAI as Locus of Adhesion and Autoaggregation (LAA). Phylogenomic analysis using whole-genome sequences of STEC strains available in the NCBI database indicates that LAA PAI is exclusively present in a subset of emerging LEE-negative STEC strains, including strains isolated from HC and HUS cases. We suggest that the acquisition of this PAI is a recent evolutionary event, which may contribute to the emergence of these STEC.

The purpose of this study was to investigate temporospatial and ground reaction force variables in the stance phase of walking during late pregnancy. An eight-camera motion-analysis system was used to record 13 pregnant women at 38 weeks' gestation and again 8 weeks after birth. In late pregnancy, there was a wider step width, and mediolateral ground reaction force tended to be increased in a medial direction. The center of pressure moved more medially initially and less anteriorly at 100% of stance in late pregnancy. The differences suggest that women may adapt their gait to maximize stability in the stance phase of walking and to control mediolateral motion.

The high level of resistance to the macrocyclic lactones has encouraged the search for strategies to optimize their potential as antiparasitic agents. There is a need for pharmaco-parasitological studies addressing the kinetic-dynamic differences between various macrocyclic lactones under standardized in vivo conditions. The current work evaluated the relationship among systemic drug exposure, target tissue availabilities and the pattern of drug accumulation within resistant Haemonchus contortus for moxidectin, abamectin and ivermectin. Drug concentrations in plasma, target tissues and parasites were measured by high performance liquid chromatography. Additionally, the efficacy of the three molecules was evaluated in lambs infected with resistant nematodes by classical parasitological methods. Furthermore, the comparative determination of the level of expression of P-glycoprotein (P-gp2) in H. contortus recovered from lambs treated with each drug was performed by real time PCR. A longer persistence of moxidectin (P < 0.05) concentrations in plasma was observed. The concentrations of the three compounds in the mucosal tissue and digestive contents were significant higher than those measured in plasma. Drug concentrations were in a range between 452 ng/g (0.5 day post-treatment) and 32 ng/g (2 days post-treatment) in the gastrointestinal (GI) contents (abomasal and intestinal). Concentrations of the three compounds in H. contortus were in a similar range to those observed in the abomasal contents (positive correlation P = 0.0002). Lower moxidectin concentrations were recovered within adult H. contortus compared to abamectin and ivermectin at day 2 post-treatment. However, the efficacy against H. contortus was 20.1% (ivermectin), 39.7% (abamectin) and 89.6% (moxidectin). Only the ivermectin treatment induced an enhancement on the expression of P-gp2 in the recovered adult H. contortus, reaching higher values at 12 and 24 h post-administration compared to control (untreated) worms. This comparative pharmacological evaluation of three of the most used macrocyclic lactones compounds provides new insights into the action of these drugs.

AIMS: To study the seasonal variation of Shiga toxin-encoding genes (stx) and to investigate the presence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157 in cattle belonging to five dairy farms from Argentina. METHODS AND RESULTS: Rectal swab samples were collected from 360 dairy cows in each season and 115 and 137 calves in autumn and in spring, respectively. The stx were investigated by multiplex PCR and it was used as the indicator for STEC. Samples positives for stx were tested by PCR for eae-gamma1 of E. coli O157 and then subjected to IMS (immunomagnetic separation). In positive animals significant differences in the prevalence of stx between warm and cold seasons were detected. In warm seasons, stx1 + stx2 increased and stx1 decreased, independently of the animal category. The prevalence of STEC O157 in cows and calves were 0.2% and 0.8%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This work provides new data about the occurrence of stx and STEC O157 in dairy herds from Argentina and suggests a relationship between the type of stx and season of year. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF STUDY: The detection of STEC O157 and the seasonality of stx and its types provide an opportunity to improve control strategies designed to prevent contamination of food products and transmission animal-person.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of visual impairment among elderly in the world. Early detection of AMD is of great importance, as the vision loss caused by this disease is irreversible and permanent. Color fundus photography is the most cost-effective imaging modality to screen for retinal disorders. Cutting edge deep learning based algorithms have been recently developed for automatically detecting AMD from fundus images. However, there are still lack of a comprehensive annotated dataset and standard evaluation benchmarks. To deal with this issue, we set up the Automatic Detection challenge on Age-related Macular degeneration (ADAM), which was held as a satellite event of the ISBI 2020 conference. The ADAM challenge consisted of four tasks which cover the main aspects of detecting and characterizing AMD from fundus images, including detection of AMD, detection and segmentation of optic disc, localization of fovea, and detection and segmentation of lesions. As part of the ADAM challenge, we have released a comprehensive dataset of 1200 fundus images with AMD diagnostic labels, pixel-wise segmentation masks for both optic disc and AMD-related lesions (drusen, exudates, hemorrhages and scars, among others), as well as the coordinates corresponding to the location of the macular fovea. A uniform evaluation framework has been built to make a fair comparison of different models using this dataset. During the ADAM challenge, 610 results were submitted for online evaluation, with 11 teams finally participating in the onsite challenge. This paper introduces the challenge, the dataset and the evaluation methods, as well as summarizes the participating methods and analyzes their results for each task. In particular, we observed that the ensembling strategy and the incorporation of clinical domain knowledge were the key to improve the performance of the deep learning models.

An experimental study on hard X-ray pulses emitted by a small plasma focus is performed, regarding its application to biological radiographs in fast dynamic situations. It is found that the radiation intensity in a single shot is high enough to obtain fine resolution radiographs in very short exposures (about 10 ns). As an example, a radiograph on a live mouse is shown. It is found that the relation between responses of different detectors, i.e., thermoluminescence dosimeters and scintillator-photomultiplier, is linear.

Health of reproductive tract is tightly associated with balance of microbial communities in this area. Bacterial vaginosis (BV) and vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) represent common disturbances of vaginal communities. Vaginal discharge due to BV or VVC is a very frequent reason for visiting gynaecologist. We aimed to evaluate the impact of the novel evidence-based probiotics on BV and VVC patients. The study group included 89 BV and 93 VVC patients (aged 18-50 years) who were recruited into randomised double-blind placebo-controlled two-arm parallel trial. The patients of each diagnosis group received oral or vaginal probiotic capsules, or placebo capsules during 3 months. A probiotic capsule contained two (DSM32717 and DSM32720, in case of BV) or three (DSM32720, DSM32718 and DSM32716, in case of VVC) Lactobacillus crispatus strains. Vaginal, intestinal and general health was monitored weekly by questionnaire. Blood analyses were done in the beginning and at the end of trial. Vaginal samples were collected monthly, microscopic and molecular analyses were performed. The study revealed that both oral and vaginal capsules reduced the signs and symptoms in BV patients. Remarkable improvement was noted in Nugent score, amount and smell of discharge, but also in itching/irritation. Consumption of vaginal probiotics significantly increased the lactobacilli counts in their vagina while mean proportion of some BV-related bacteria decreased. In VVC patients, both oral and vaginal capsules lowered the combined score of two most important symptoms, amount of discharge and itching/irritation. In conclusion, the novel formulations of evidence-based well-focused probiotic L. crispatus strains are effective against BV and VVC being suitable for both vaginal and oral administration. Clinical trial registration: ISRCTN34840624, BioMed Central

The chirality of drugs, with particular reference to agents used in veterinary medicine, is reviewed. Basic concepts of chirality and aspects of the methodology for the separation of enantiomers are considered. Chiral compounds are in common use in animals and their pharmacological actions and side-effects (pharmacodynamics) and absorption into and fate within the body (pharmacokinetics) are of fundamental importance; pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties of enantiomeric pairs commonly differ and this has major implications for their effective and safe therapeutic use. As examples of the particular significance of chirality in veterinary medicine, the following drug classes are reviewed; benzimidazole anthelmintics, cloprostenol, verapamil, ketamine, halogenated hydrocarbon anaesthetics and 2-arylpropionic acid anti-inflammatory drugs. The implications of chirality for drug product development and approval by registration authorities are discussed.

New ways of learning have emerged in the last years by using computers in education. For instance, many Virtual Learning Environments have been widely adopted by educators, obtaining promising outcomes. Recently, these environments have evolved into more advanced ones using 3D technologies and taking into account the individual learner needs and preferences. This focus has led a shift to more personalized learning approaches, requiring that the environments adapt themselves to the learner. Then, many adaptive 3D environments have explored adaptive features to create new and enhanced learning experiences in different contexts. However, very little is known about both what factors are involved with adaptive 3D environments to achieve learning benefits and what assessment factors are present in current studies. For this reason, this review analyzes the recent publications on Adaptive 3D Virtual Learning Environments. Findings have revealed that these environments have covered factors on defining the learner's model, the instructional strategies and contents, and the adaptations mechanisms. Nearly half of the environments have addressed thorough assessments whereas the rest has not reported any evaluation at all. Moreover, when they report assessment, promising outcomes have also been shown not only in multiple domains of knowledge but also at various stages of education. These findings indicate that the field of Adaptive 3D Virtual Learning Environments is an active and ongoing area, and this study highlights several promising directions and suggestions for future research.

AIMS: To investigate the in vivo gene transfer of high-level gentamicin resistance (HLRG) from Enterococcus faecalis isolated from the food of animal origin to a human isolate, using a mouse model of intestinally colonized human microbiota. METHODS AND RESULTS: In vitro study: The presence of plasmids involved in HLRG coding was investigated. After the conjugation experiment, the recipient strain, Ent. faecalis JH2-SS, acquired a plasmid responsible for HLRG [minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) >800 μg ml(-1) ], in a similar position to the donor cells. In vivo study: Seven BALB/c mice were dosed with ceftriaxone (400 mg kg(-1) ) and then inoculated with a dilution of 1/100 of human faeces (HFc). After 72 h, Ent. faecalis JH2-SS (recipient) was inoculated and then, after a further 72 h, the animals were given Ent. faecalis CS19, isolated from the food of animal origin, involved in HLRG (donor). The presence of transconjugant strains in HFc was subsequently recorded on a daily basis until the end of the experiment. The clonal relationship between Ent. faecalis and Escherichia coli in faeces was assessed by RAPD-PCR. Both the in vitro and in vivo studies showed that the receptor strain acquired a plasmid responsible for HLRG (MICs >800 μg ml(-1) ), which migrated with a similar relative mobility value. Transconjugant strains were detected from 24 h after the donor strain inoculation and persisted until the end of the experiment. CONCLUSIONS: The in vivo gene transfer of HLRG from Ent. faecalis strains, isolated from the food of animal origin, to human microbiota has been demonstrated in a mouse model. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The complexity found on the therapeutic responses of invasive infectious diseases caused by Ent. faecalis facilitates the assessment of food of animal origin as a resistant pathogen reservoir. In addition, this study may contribute to the understanding of antimicrobials' resistance gene transfer between Ent. faecalis strains from food and human GI tract.

Increased arterial stiffness is an important determinant of cardiovascular risk, able to predict morbidity and mortality, and closely associated with ageing and blood pressure. The aims of this study were: (1) To determine the age‐dependent reference pulse wave velocity (PWV), and compare it with values from hypertensive patients, and (2) to evaluate the impact of isolated and untreated hypertension on arterial stiffness. A total of 1079 patients were enrolled and divided into a control group (NT) of asymptomatic normotensive patients and a group of asymptomatic hypertensive patients (HT). Blood pressure, carotid‐femoral PWV, and body mass index were measured in each subject, whose blood was drawn for laboratory tests. Aortic mean PWV in the NT group was 6.85 ± 1.66 m/s, which increased linearly ( R 2 = 0.62; P &lt; .05) with age. In patients over 50 years of age, PWV was significantly higher than in younger patients (8.35 vs 5.92 m/s, respectively, P &lt; .001). This significant difference persisted when observing male and female patients separately. In the hypertensive group, mean PWV value was 8.04 ± 1.8 m/s (range 4.5‐15.8 m/s) and increased ( R 2 = 0.243; P &lt; .05) with age. The PWV increase in HT was significantly higher (0.93 m/s per decade, P &lt; .001) than in NT (0.44 m/s per decade). Our study provides normal values of PVW per decade, and shows that these values increase with age, especially after 50 years of age, particularly in HT patients. This stiffness growth rate may be responsible for increased cardiovascular risk in both groups.