Rovira i Virgili University

This article proposes to understand workplace bullying as the erosion of recognition from a phenomenological perspective. Drawing on Schutz's sociology of knowledge, it examines how rumours, silences, and informal labels reorganise the typifications through which colleagues are perceived. Once a worker is reframed as unstable, incompetent, or undesirable, ordinary interactions are filtered through this new categorisation. In Schutzian terms, the victim is expelled from the umwelt of reciprocity and relocated into the anonymous sphere of "they," losing not only credibility but also the community of affect that sustains belonging. The analysis is based on ethnographic material from Spain, including in-depth interviews and participant observation in an association of workers affected by workplace bullying. Findings show that processes of misrecognition are not collateral but central to workplace bullying, and that reputational harm emerges as one of their key manifestations. Minor gestures such as exclusion from information flows, disparaging jokes, or subtle task reassignments accumulate into enduring forms of exclusion. These dynamics chronically reorganise common sense, undermine legitimacy, and often persist beyond the initial conflict, revealing why those affected experience long-lasting damage and why institutional responses frequently reproduce rather than repair harm. Conceptually, the article advances workplace bullying research by opening a Schutzian phenomenological line of inquiry that highlights the intersubjective structures through which harassment becomes effective.

The increasing spread of toxin-producing Gambierdiscus dinoflagellates has led to cases of ciguatera poisoning in previously nonendemic regions. Ciguatoxins (CTXs) are potent, heat-stable compounds responsible for ciguatera, and their rapid and reliable analysis in seafood is essential to prevent illness. This study presents the development of the first lateral flow assay (LFA) for the detection of major Pacific CTXs congeners. The assay employs previously developed monoclonal antibodies in a sandwich format: specific antibodies against CTX1B and CTX3C are immobilized on a single test line, while the reporter antibody is a single antibody recognizing major Pacific CTX congeners that is conjugated to gold nanoparticles. The LFA provides one-step visual results in 30 min, making it suitable for resource-limited settings. It exhibits a visual limit of detection of 400 pg/mL and the assay is highly specific, showing no cross-reactivity with other marine toxins. It successfully detected Pacific CTXs spiked in noncontaminated fish extracts, as well as in naturally contaminated samples as previously confirmed by LC-MS/MS, with an estimated cutoff of approximately 0.1 μg/kg. Overall, this LFA demonstrates great potential as a rapid screening tool for outbreak investigations and research programs.

Background: Consumption of fruits of different origins with specific (poly)phenolic profiles can modulate the gene expression of enzymes and the levels of metabolites in a photoperiod-dependent manner. However, there is little information on how this affects the profile of hepatic and muscular fatty acids (FAs) and how it interferes with metabolic pathways. This study aimed to determine whether consuming local or non-local cherries alters liver and muscle FA profiles under different photoperiods, and to identify the associated changes in metabolic gene expression and serum metabolites. Methods: Seventy-two Fischer 344 rats, fed a standard diet and either vehicle (VH), Local Cherry (LC), or non-Local Cherry (nLC), were exposed to different hours of light to simulate photoperiods (winter, spring/autumn, or summer) for 7 weeks. The FA profiles of the liver and muscle were determined using GC-FID, and the gene expression of key enzymes involved in FA metabolism was evaluated. Moreover, the composition of hydrophilic and lipophilic metabolites in the serum and liver was analyzed using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and pathway analysis was performed. Results: Consumption of cherries in season (18 h of light) decreased saturated FAs levels in the liver, mainly palmitate, compared to their respective VH; interestingly, this effect was not observed in other photoperiods. Furthermore, muscle polyunsaturated FA (PUFAs) decreased, possibly due to increased oxidation. Conclusions: Seasonal cherry consumption improves the hepatic lipid profile and increases muscular oxidation. Future studies are needed to better define these effects and uncover the differences in lipid metabolism in response to cherry consumption.

Abstract A dual Co/photoredox catalytic coupling of 1,3‐enynes and α,ß‐unsaturated aliphatic aldehydes and ketones has been developed that creates access to highly functional 1,3‐diene synthons through a regio‐ and stereoselective carbon‐carbon coupling process. The scope of the process features diverse functionalized scaffolds with a high degree of molecular complexity. The synthetic utility of these 1,3‐dienes is demonstrated including a telescoped, one‐pot approach using an alkynyl cyclic carbonate as a 1,3‐enyne surrogate offering direct access to the 1,3‐diene product. Mechanistic analysis involving control reactions, deuterium labeling studies and DFT calculations are in line with the in situ formation of a Co─H species and an outer‐sphere coupling pathway in which a regio‐ and stereoselective coupling occurs between a dienyl radical and carbonyl species.

This study explores the development of functional fermented beverages using fibre-rich residues derived from olive pruning, vineyard pruning, chicory root, and red onion, obtained after subcritical water extraction of polyphenols. Two microbial strains, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Bacillus subtilis, were evaluated for their fermentation performance across different fibre matrices, with and without sugar supplementation. Key parameters including microbial growth, pH evolution, and reducing sugar content were monitored, and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum showed superior acidification and viability (>9 log CFU/mL), especially in sugar-enriched formulations, while Bacillus subtilis showed a limited performance. Based on fermentation efficiency, three sugar-supplemented formulations were selected to scale-up: olive pruning fibre and vineyard pruning fibre fermented with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and olive pruning fibre fermented with Bacillus subtilis. Red onion fibre extract was excluded from scale-up experiments due to its high viscosity, which made it impossible to measure reducing sugars, consistent with its high water-holding capacity. Fermentation significantly increased antioxidant capacity, reaching up to 750 µmol Trolox equivalents/L and 18 mg of gallic acid equivalents/L in L. plantarum-fermented samples, confirming microbial release of bound phenolics and formation of bioactive metabolites. The resulting beverages were microbiologically stable (final pH < 4.5), sensorially acceptable, and potentially antioxidant-rich, supporting their role in sustainable food system development and circular bioeconomy.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as powerful biomarkers for early-stage disease detection and prognosis support. However, their reliable quantification in complex biological fluids remains a significant challenge. Here, we present a simple and robust electrochemical DNA (E-DNA) sensor for the direct detection of miRNA-29c in whole human serum. The sensing mechanism harnesses the conformational change that occurs upon miRNA hybridization to the immobilized DNA capture probe. By exploiting the intrinsic base-pairing specificity of nucleic acids, our system achieves high selectivity, while the conformational change-based sensing mechanism confers resistance to electrode fouling. This dual advantage enables sensitive miRNA detection in complex media and effective discrimination of closely related miRNA sequences. Under optimized conditions, the biosensor exhibited a sigmoidal response to miRNA-29c in whole serum across the concentration range of 0.1–100 nM and showed excellent agreement with the Langmuir–Hill model (R2 = 0.994). Notably, the sensor demonstrated outstanding recovery rates (±10%) when challenged with serum spiked with known miRNA-29c concentrations. Furthermore, it displayed high selectivity and specificity in serum, showing significantly lower responses to non-complementary and two-base-mismatched sequences. Overall, the platform enables reagentless, amplification-free, and direct detection of miRNA in complex matrices such as whole serum, while maintaining high accuracy, reproducibility, and resistance to fouling. These findings underscore the efficacy of the conformational change-based electrochemical sensing approach, offering a promising avenue for practical, point-of-care miRNA diagnostics in clinically relevant settings.

(Poly)phenols are plant-derived bioactive molecules that are associated with several health benefits. Therefore, it is essential to study the factors that affect the bioavailability of these phenolic compounds. Recently, circannual rhythms have been identified as one of the factors that may affect the bioavailability of these compounds. Hence, this study evaluates the impact of circannual rhythms on grape seed proanthocyanidins extract (GSPE) bioavailability in healthy and obesogenic contexts. Male Fischer 344 rats, fed standard (ST) or cafeteria (CAF) diets, were housed under different photoperiod conditions (6, 12, or 18 h of light per day) during 9 weeks and an oral dose of GSPE (25 mg/kg) was daily administered for the last 4 weeks. Serum GSPE-derived metabolites were then quantified by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS. A higher bioavailability was observed in rats exposed to a 12 h photoperiod and fed ST diet. However, this pattern was altered in CAF-fed rats, suggesting an attenuated influence of photoperiod under obesogenic conditions. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the complex relationships between diet, photoperiod, and serum metabolites.

Emerging evidence suggests a potential role of gut dysbiosis in neurodegenerative disorders and, in particular, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology and cognitive decline. However, the role of gut microbiome in the early prodromal stages of AD and particularly in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) remains understudied and has been mostly explored in Asian populations with no representation of European populations. To address this research gap in the literature and to suggest novel microbiome features associated with MCI, we conducted a cross-sectional study in a European population sample and profiled gut microbiota in 99 individuals without dementia through 16s ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequencing. Individuals were categorized by cognitive status based on standard clinical criteria to cognitively normal (n = 49) or individuals with MCI (n = 50). Differential abundance through Microbiome Multivariable Associations with Linear model (MaAsLin2) and elastic net logistic regression analyses were used to identify gut microbiome features associated with MCI. MCI group was older than the CN group and age was used as covariate in the differential abundance analysis. No differences in alpha and beta diversity were found between the two groups (p > 0.05). At false discovery rate (FDR) < 0.05, we identified specific genera associated with MCI, mostly linked to short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) production (e.g., Candidatus_Soleaferrea q = 0.027, MaAsLin2 coefficient = 1.65, Sellimonas q = 0.017, MaAsLin2 coefficient = −4.45), while we highlight nominal (p < 0.05, q > 0.05) correlations of genera (e.g., Hydrogenoanaerobacterium, Subdoligranulum) with metrics of cognitive assessment. Microbiota was shown to have a fairly good discriminative capacity for MCI status (area under the curve AUC = 0.77), with Rothia genus found as the top predictor for MCI (beta coefficient [95% confidence intervals] = 0.224 [0.216–0.233]). Overall, our findings add to current knowledge reporting gut microbiome alterations in MCI by suggesting novel associated microbiome features; however, larger scale longitudinal studies are needed to further elucidate the underlying biological pathways linked to the disease.

ABSTRACTHigh‐fat (HF) diets contribute to obesity, insulin resistance, fatty liver, gut microbiota dysbiosis, oxidative stress, and low‐grade chronic inflammation. This study evaluated the preventive effects of dietary Type 2 resistant starch (RS2) from high‐amylose maize and low‐dose d‐fagomine (FG) from buckwheat on these metabolic disturbances. Male Wistar‐Kyoto rats (9–10 weeks old) were assigned to four diet groups for 10 weeks: standard (STD) diet, HF diet (45% kcal from fat), HF + RS diet (15% RS2), and HF + FG diet (0.1% FG). Body characteristics, metabolic parameters, oxidative stress, gut microbiota, short‐chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and eicosanoids were analyzed. Both HF + RS and HF + FG diets reduced perigonadal fat, plasma triacylglycerols, and oxidative stress. HF + RS diet improved glucose tolerance without significantly affecting insulin sensitivity, while HF + FG diet showed a tendency for improvement at later stages. Additionally, HF + RS diet showed greater beneficial effects on body weight and liver steatosis than HF + FG diet, likely due to gut microbiota and SCFA modulation. RS2 exerted stronger metabolic effects than FG under HF diet conditions, suggesting its greater potential in mitigating obesity‐related complications. FG effects may require longer exposure to manifest.