believed to have been around 25 feet tall and more than 50 feet wide that marked the starting point of a road in Roman Iberia have been uncovered near southern Spain’s city of Mengíbar According to archaeologist Juan Pedro Bellón of the University of Jaén the arch of Janus Augustus signaled the beginning of the Hispania Baetica section of the Via Augusta a nearly 1,000-mile-long road that stretched from the Atlantic through the Pyrenees and connected with routes to Rome the southernmost Roman province of the Iberian Peninsula roughly corresponds to Spain’s autonomous community of Andalusia “We believe that both the Via Augusta and the Janus Augustus arch were part of a transformation of the frontier ordered by the emperor Augustus between 13 and 7 B.C.,” Bellón explains He says that the discovery of the arch will help reconstruct local territorial boundaries that would have been encountered by invading Romans and will provide important new insight into strategic decisions they made when building infrastructure and monumental symbols of Rome’s power in the region and pro­duc­tion con­trol in the olive sec­tor through cut­ting-edge tech­nol­ogy Regional agri­cul­ture min­is­ter Carmen Crespo empha­sized the impor­tance of posi­tion­ing Andalusia as a global leader in olive oil qual­ity while President Rafael Sánchez de Puerta high­lighted Andalusia’s lead­ing role in olive oil pro­duc­tion and mar­ket­ing empha­siz­ing the need to pro­mote this mes­sage world­wide The Andalusian regional gov­ern­ment and Fundación Patrimonio Comunal Olivarero have signed an agree­ment to cre­ate the Olive Oil Reference Center in Mengíbar The ref­er­ence cen­ter with state-of-the-art tech­nol­ogy is esti­mated to cost €7.3 mil­lion Fisheries and Sustainable Development is keen to pro­mote the ref­er­ence cen­ter and cre­ate more oppor­tu­ni­ties in the olive sec­tor through these types of pub­lic-pri­vate part­ner­ships Carmen Crespo, the regional agri­cul­ture min­is­ter, said the cen­ter would help Andalusia posi­tion itself as a glob­ally renowned bench­mark in food safety, qual­ity, trace­abil­ity and pro­duc­tion con­trol “We have to develop a ref­er­ence cen­ter that allows us not only to work on qual­ity and trace­abil­ity but also to ana­lyze costs and the evo­lu­tion of crops to know the sit­u­a­tion of the sec­tor,” Crespo said By set­ting up the ref­er­ence cen­ter, the regional gov­ern­ment intends to make the Mengíbar facil­ity a com­mu­nity and national point of ref­er­ence for con­trol­ling olive oil qual­ity Additionally, the cen­ter will pro­vide the Andalusian olive sec­tor with the knowl­edge and tech­nol­ogy to inves­ti­gate and ana­lyze the qual­ity of olive oils in the region and world­wide “Jaén has to be a ref­er­ence in the olive oil field,” Crespo said we have to talk unques­tion­ably about Jaén.” She also recalled that the province of Jaén is famous for pro­duc­ing extra vir­gin olive oils pro­tected by three Protected Designations of Origin (PDO) and a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) of the Fundación Patrimonio Comunal Olivarero and of the Andalusian gov­ern­ment is to con­tribute what we can to the sec­tor and take more steps every day so that it has a promis­ing future,” she said Rafael Sánchez de Puerta, the pres­i­dent of the Fundación Patrimonio Comunal Olivarero, said that Andalusia is an undis­puted global leader in olive oil pro­duc­tion and mar­ket­ing and the new research cen­ter would cement this “Now we have to work on the image and take the mes­sage to the whole world that talk­ing about olive oil is talk­ing about Spain More articles on:  , , Olive Oil-Based Films May Soon Replace Plastic Food Packaging Researchers in Turkey have developed biodegradable oleofilms which can prolong the shelf life of perishable foods by slowing oxidation Low-Carb Mediterranean Diet Aids Diabetes Patients in Achieving Remission A review found that a low-carbohydrate Mediterranean diet was more effective in helping type 2 diabetes patients achieve remission compared to a low-fat or traditional Mediterranean diet Low-Cost Olive Pest Control Solution in Development Researchers in Spain are developing an artificial intelligence tool to help farmers sustainably and affordably monitor for pests and take action against infestations Olive Center to Host Inaugural Olive Oil Sustainability Conference The International Olive Sustainability Conference will discuss sustainability from farming and milling to marketing and certifications After Devastating Year, Brazilian Producers Defy Odds Torrential rainfall during the spring followed by unprecedented autumnal flooding caused more than $3 billion in damage in Rio Grande do Sul Regenerating Soil Helps Tackle Water Crisis, Experts Say Specialists suggest agronomic plans to improve organic fertility An Accusation of Widespread Fraud Sparks Controversy in Spain The general secretary of the giant Spanish cooperative Dcoop accused bottlers of selling sunflower oil blends labeled as olive oil Rising Olive Oil Imports Contribute to Spain’s Trade Deficit with Argentina While Spain’s agricultural trade deficit fell by 33 percent between 2022 and 2023 olive oil imports increased by nearly 230 percent due to a poor harvest and rising prices 2019) — The University of Kentucky recognized exceptional faculty and teaching assistants with the Outstanding Teaching Awards during the 2019 UK Faculty Awards Ceremony held Thursday The Outstanding Teaching Awards annually recognize faculty and graduate teaching assistants who go above and beyond what is expected and demonstrate outstanding performance in the classroom or laboratory. Selected via nomination, candidates were reviewed by a selection committee empaneled by the Office for Faculty Advancement and the Center for Enhancement of Learning and Teaching. Winners received award certificates, pewter bowls, and cash awards of $4,000 for regular and special title series faculty and $1,500 for teaching assistants. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects a quarter of the world’s population and encompasses a spectrum of liver conditions, from non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) to inflammation and fibrosis. In addition, NAFLD also links to extrahepatic conditions like diabetes or obesity. However, it remains unclear if NAFLD independently correlates with the onset and progression of atherosclerosis. This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the relationship between NAFLD severity, assessed via liver biopsy, and early atherosclerosis using adventitial vasa vasorum (VV) density. It included 44 patients with obesity (33 with steatosis, 11 with NASH) undergoing bariatric surgery. Results revealed no significant differences in adventitial VV density between steatosis and NASH groups, neither in the mean values [0.759 ± 0.104 vs. 0.780 ± 0.043, P=0.702] nor left-right sides. Similarly, carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) did not vary between these groups. Additionally, no linear correlation existed between VV density and cIMT. Only gender showed an association with VV density. These findings suggest that NASH severity doesn’t independently drive early atherosclerosis or affects cIMT. Gender might play a role in early atherosclerotic disease in NAFLD, impacting VV density and cIMT. This highlights the need to consider other risk factors when evaluating cardiovascular risk in NAFLD patients. Volume 15 - 2024 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2024.1366015 Introduction: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects a quarter of the world’s population and encompasses a spectrum of liver conditions from non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) to inflammation and fibrosis NAFLD also links to extrahepatic conditions like diabetes or obesity it remains unclear if NAFLD independently correlates with the onset and progression of atherosclerosis Material and methods: This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the relationship between NAFLD severity and early atherosclerosis using adventitial vasa vasorum (VV) density It included 44 patients with obesity (33 with steatosis 11 with NASH) undergoing bariatric surgery Results: Results revealed no significant differences in adventitial VV density between steatosis and NASH groups neither in the mean values [0.759 ± 0.104 vs carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) did not vary between these groups no linear correlation existed between VV density and cIMT Only gender showed an association with VV density Conclusion: These findings suggest that NASH severity doesn’t independently drive early atherosclerosis or affects cIMT Gender might play a role in early atherosclerotic disease in NAFLD This highlights the need to consider other risk factors when evaluating cardiovascular risk in NAFLD patients While cIMT currently stands as one of the most widely employed predictors of atheromatosis (15), a growing body of evidence substantiates the notion that the atheromatous process initiates earlier, involving hyperplasia and pathological expansion of the adventitial vasa vasorum (VV) into the avascular intima (16) the visualization of adventitial VV holds the potential to detect atherosclerosis development well in advance of any discernible increase in cIMT thereby facilitating the early identification of individuals at elevated risk of CV disease the impact of NAFLD on VV structure and function remains unexplored the objective of our study was to assess whether the severity of NAFLD correlates with the onset and progression of atherosclerosis by examining the VV we conducted a single-center cross-sectional study involving 44 patients with severe obesity (33 patients with simple hepatic steatosis and 11 patients with NASH) who subsequently underwent bariatric surgery The research conducted in this study received approval from the Human Ethics Committee at Arnau de Vilanova University Hospital (CEIC-1275) The details of the study protocol were provided to all patients scheduled for a bariatric procedure in 2017 and they were extended an invitation to take part Those patients who chose to participate provided their informed consent through a signed written document The study adheres to the ethical principles outlined in the 1975 Declaration of Helsinki it did not necessitate registration as a clinical trial We assessed the density of adventitial VV based on the presence of NAFLD in a single-center analytical cross-sectional study involving 33 individuals with simple steatosis and 11 cases with NASH. The study was conducted at the Arnau de Vilanova University Hospital from Lleida (Lleida, Spain). Using the standard deviation (SD) of adventitial VV determined from a previous investigation, we calculated that a minimum sample size of 35 subjects was required (17) we contacted all 73 individuals scheduled for a programmed bariatric procedure in 2017 and invited them to participate in an outpatient clinic visit before the procedure and 6 patients were excluded from the final analysis due to technical issues (rapid contrast clearance impeding proper VV density assessment or missing reports of VV or cIMT) Figure 1 Flowchart of the study population estimated glomerular filtration rate; NAFLD *: ≥20g/day in women or 30mg/day in men 4 patients were excluded for having a healthy liver and 4 patients were excluded due to hepatic conditions others than NAFLD (2 cirrhosis and 2 hemochromatosis) a total of 44 patients who underwent bariatric surgery were included in the study Pregnant women and individuals with active neoplasms or class III or IV heart failure were not included and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEU) of the carotid artery were conducted during the month prior to the scheduled surgery which was performed during the surgery itself Height and weight were conducted following established protocols, and body mass index (BMI) was computed as the ratio of weight to the square of height (kg/m²) (19) Blood samples were obtained after an overnight fast the samples were subjected to centrifugation (2000g at 4 °C for 20 minutes) and aliquots were stored at -80°C for later batched analyses Standard techniques were employed for the determination of biochemical parameter at the clinical biochemistry laboratory within our hospital Smokers who quit smoking a year or more before the visit were considered non-smokers CEU was utilized to assess carotid adventitial VV density employing a Siemens Sequoia 512 ultrasound system equipped with a 15L8W linear array probe and ultrasound contrast software utilizing cadence-contrast pulse sequencing technology A contrast agent composed of a phospholipid shell encapsulating sulphur hexafluoride was introduced (Sonovue; Bracco Spa Following solubilization in 5 ml of saline a 2.5ml bolus of the contrast agent was administered via the antecubital vein for each explored carotid artery using a 20-gauge needle to prevent microbubble rupture VV measurements were performed for both the right and left carotid arteries and the mean signal for both sides was presented All CEU studies were digitally stored for subsequent analysis and quantified by an investigator who remained blind to the data denoted by a focal intima-media thickness 1.5 mm extending into the lumen The normal distribution of variables was assessed using the Shapiro-Wilk test and evaluating skewness and kurtosis Continuous variables with a normal distribution were presented as mean values ± SD while non-normally distributed variables were reported as median and interquartile range (IQR) Categorical variables were presented as percentages Group differences were compared using the Student t-test for normally distributed data the Mann-Whitney U test for non-normally distributed data and χ² for categorical variables the homogeneity of variances was examined using the Levene test a correlation analysis between VV density and the other variables was conducted by calculating Spearman’s correlation coefficient (rho) To explore variables independently associated with adventitial VV density stepwise multivariate regression analyses were employed The independent variables included in the analyses were age and the presence of simple steatosis or NASH A separate analysis was conducted to explore the independent variables associated with cIMT All p-values were derived from two-sided tests of statistical significance and significance was accepted at the level of P < 0.05 The statistical analyses were carried out using the Stata statistical package (StataC version 16) Table 1 displays the primary clinical characteristics and metabolic data of the study population thirty-three individuals (75%) exhibited simple steatosis while eleven were diagnosed with NASH based on liver biopsy findings Although a greater proportion of males was noted among patients with NASH no discernible distinctions were observed in terms of age both groups showed similarities in metabolic parameters encompassing glucose metabolism Table 1 Baseline main clinical and metabolic characteristics of patients in the study Upon evaluating adventitial VV density in both groups, no discernible differences emerged between patients with simple steatosis and NASH, neither in the mean values [0.759 ± 0.104 vs. 0.780 ± 0.043, P=0.702] nor in the left nor right side (Table 2) no variations were observed when measuring cIMT in both groups Table 2 Baseline mean adventitial VV density according to steatosis or steatohepatitis condition In the univariate analysis, we did not observe any significant correlations between mean adventitial VV and cIMT (r=0.041, P=0.795), BMI (r=-0.017, P=0.908), and systolic blood pressure (r=0.028, P=0.854), nor with the other analytical variables (Table 3; Figure 2) Table 3 Linear correlations between mean adventitial vasa vasorum density and clinical and analytical variables in the entire study population Figure 2 Linear correlations between mean adventitial vasa vasorum (VV) density and mean carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) Table 4 Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis of variables associated with the mean adventitial VV density Table 5 Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis of variables associated with the mean carotid intima-media thickness this study represents the first attempt to evaluate whether NAFLD itself plays a role in the initiation of atherosclerosis Our findings indicate that early stages of atheromatosis are not conditioned by the presence of inflammation and fibrosis within the liver a comparison of adventitial VV density (mean and left sides) between patients with simple steatosis and those with NASH characterized by inflammation progressing through fibrosis and structural liver changes there was minimal discernible difference in cIMT between patients diagnosed with simple steatosis and NASH we did not observe any differences in the prevalence of CV risk factors between patients with simple steatosis and NASH This reinforces the idea that the severity of NAFLD does not have an impact in the initial phases of atheromatous disease our study suggests that male gender’s negative impact may extend to initial CV disease stages as indicated by an independent association with increased VV density and increased cIMT in multiple regression analysis although BMI does not appear as a variable independently associated with adventitial VV density the lack of BMI variability among the study population which consists of individuals with severe obesity who underwent bariatric surgery our findings suggest that NASH does not contribute to increased VV density or cIMT compared to simple steatosis This study emphasizes the complex interplay between NAFLD and CV disease highlighting the importance of considering other risk factors when evaluating cardiovascular risk in NAFLD patients Further research is needed to understand the nuanced relationships between NAFLD The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors The studies involving humans were approved by Human Ethics Committee at Arnau de Vilanova University Hospital (CEIC-1275) The studies were conducted in accordance with the local legislation and institutional requirements The participants provided their written informed consent to participate in this study The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research This study was supported by grants from the Fundación Sociedad Española Endocrinología y Nutrición (FSEEN) and Laboratorios Almirall (“Beca FSEEN de ayuda a la investigación sobre factores de riesgo cardiovascular”) The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher The prevalence and incidence of NAFLD worldwide: a systematic review and meta-analysis and treatment of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Mechanisms of NAFLD development and therapeutic strategies The diagnosis and management of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: practice guidance from the American association for the study of liver diseases Preparing for the NASH epidemic: A call to action PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and its links with inflammation and atherosclerosis Comprehensive review of cardiovascular disease risk in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Does nonalcoholic fatty liver disease cause cardiovascular disease doi: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2019.01.029 Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: relationship with cardiovascular risk markers and clinical endpoints Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and chronic vascular complications of diabetes mellitus A systematic review: Burden and severity of subclinical cardiovascular disease among those with nonalcoholic fatty liver; 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Accepted: 22 April 2024;Published: 07 May 2024 Copyright © 2024 León-Mengíbar, Sánchez, Herrerías, De La Fuente, Santamaría, Valdivielso, Bermúdez-López, Castro, Pallarés, Matias-Guiu, Vilardell, Caixàs, Bueno, Martí and Lecube. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited in accordance with accepted academic practice distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms *Correspondence: Albert Lecube, YWxlY3ViZUBnbWFpbC5jb20= Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher 94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or goodLearn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish Smurfit Kappa Group completed construction of its new paper recycling plant in Malaga Construction of the new plant is part of the company’s plans to expand its global network of recycling plants. With a processing capacity of 30,000t of recovered paper a year, the new recycling plant will strengthen Smurfit Kappa’s recovered paper service in the region The new Malaga facility is expected to enable Smurfit Kappa to become a sustainable partner of the Malaga smart city project which aims to promote sustainable living and use of renewable energy The facility will also enable Smurfit Kappa to tap into the growing shift by brand owners and manufacturers towards paper-based packaging solutions The renewable nature of paper is gaining recognition globally The new facility includes an area of 5,000m² for treating recovered paper It is equipped with IMABE IBÉRICA’s 120hp H-120/2000/850 industrial press which is capable of processing more than 20t of recovered paper an hour The press can produce bales weighing up to 1,000kg The facility is also equipped with two forklifts and a loader to collect the paper and a hook truck for removal of containers Smurfit Kappa has purchased two eco-friendly hybrid vehicles which are operated by three drivers to collect paper and board from households and businesses Collected paper is sorted at the plant and sent to Smurfit Kappa’s Mengibar containerboard mill in southern Spain Recovered paper is converted into board at the mill and used to make new packaging within a period of 14 days The new facility is located in close proximity to the point of consumption Méngibar is Smurfit Kappa group’s biggest paper plant in Spain and produces more than 240,000t of paper a year. The paper mill purchases recovered paper from third-party suppliers and uses recycled fibres to make containerboard for corrugated packaging Smurfit Kappa’s network of paper mills integrates with the Mengíbar paper mill through a supply chain system to meet the demands of customers The new recycling plant will enable Smurfit Kappa to reduce the carbon footprint coming from the supply chain to feed the paper plant Smurfit Kappa’s Mengíbar paper mill sources paper that contains Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI) list of standard grades of recovered paper such as high ordinary and special grades for processing Smurfit Kappa designs and manufactures paper-based packaging The company has its regional headquarters in Paris Smurfit Kappa has operations in more than 35 countries which include 22 countries in Europe and 13 in the Americas The company supplies corrugated cardboard boxes tubes and displays for the food and beverage All products produced by the company are 100% renewable and sustainable as it uses natural fibre raw materials to manufacture the packaging products Smurfit Kappa employs more than 46,000 people across its 370 production sites and generated revenue of €8.6bn ($10.5bn) in 2017 The company has recently purchased a 12,000m² site in Blackburn to significantly increase its recycling capabilities in the region Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights View all newsletters from across the GlobalData Media network "Digital technology has come a long way: today it is easy to produce thousands of radiological images – but who will read them?" Good question A cooperation agreement as part of the Asklepios Future Hospital programme seals practice-related advancement of the Siemens hospital information system i.s.h.med This website uses cookies to give our readers the best website experience. Please refer to our privacy policy to find out how we use cookies and how you can edit your preferences PUBLICIDAD / ADVERTISEMENT PUBLICIDAD / ADVERTISEMENT Eva Yerbabuena, Milagros Mengíbar, Aurora Vargas and Pedro Sierra joined this artist from Triana at the Cristina Heeren Foundation during the presentation of this gala which will take place on December 5th at the Seville’s Fibes Auditorium. The lineup includes, among others, Cristina Hoyos, Antonio Canales, La Farruca, Pastora Galván, Javier Barón, Pansequito, José de la Tomasa, El Pele, Arcángel, an entity which is collaborating with this charitable show Eva Yerbabuena explained that “Carmen is a strong woman flamencos» — she added — «are not just getting together to honor a professional career because what makes an artist great is the person behind it» This same sentiment was expressed by bailaora Milagros Mengíbar guitarist Pedro Sierra and — with a video message — by bailaor and choreographer Rubén Olmo current director of the Ballet Nacional de España which will collaborate with the scenic direction These are just a few of the many bailaores cantaores and guitarists who will honor the bailaora cantaora and teacher from Triana in this gala which will be a “celebration of the artistic life of a symbol of the art of Triana” Carmelilla Montoya was “speechless” as she tried to thank all her colleagues who will pay her a tribute on December 5th at Seville’s Fibes Auditorium she said very emotionally in the presentation of this gala at the Cristina Heeren Foundation where she has been a teacher for the last two years She stated that it will be “an incredible evening This bailaora and cantaora from Triana has a clear picture about the design of this gala because “it’s complicated to organize so many artists and I don’t want it to be monotonous” Montoya explained that the show is structured in three acts: “First the men will sing a round of tonás and martinetes then the women will sing and in the section of baile which will start with Rubén Olmo dancing Rafael Riqueni‘s Poema de amor with zapatilla other bailaores and bailaoras will add their touch for example Milagros Menjíbar will dance with her mantón or Eva Yerbabuena will dance copla… if she wants to” the bailaora and choreographer from Granada said that “flamencos will always support each other because it’s not possible to be a great artist without being a great person” stating that “flamencos care for each other This feeling was echoed by Milagros Mengíbar who recalled the two years they’ve been teaching in the flamenco academy of the Cristina Heeren Foundation highlighted the academic talent of the honored artist “In our school we didn’t want Triana to be just an institutional mention but we wanted to integrate the artists in our classrooms so that its flamenco legacy could be brought to life again” I’ve seen she starting her lessons having their students sing and I think it’s a great way to make them understand the uniqueness of Triana in this art” cantaora Aurora Vargas remembered that “we grew up together in the same neighborhood and we’ve worked together our whole lives She added that “Carmelilla Montoya is quite an artist niece of Antonia La Negra and Juan Montoya She started dancing when she was a little girl as attested by the iconic TV series Rito y geografía del cante she was part of the ensemble La Familia Montoya she was awarded the National Prize of Baile Flamenco by Jerez’s Cátedra de Flamencología  She continued her career performing with artists such as Camarón She has also taken part in shows such as Fedra showcasing her other artistic talent as cantaora a talent which she has also explored since she was a little girl She’s been part of the teaching staff at the Fundación Cristina Heeren de Arte Flamenco since 2017 and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Knowledge and passion The depth and the grief EXPOFLAMENCO connects Flamenco communities around the world This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. The goals of this systematic review are to delineate the existing body of evidence concerning the efficacy of Vojta therapy (VT) in treating a broad range of conditions, as well as understand the common therapeutic mechanisms underlying VT with a specific focus on the neuromodulation of motor control parameters. Fifty-five studies were included in the qualitative analysis and 18 in the meta-analysis. Significant differences in cortical activity (p = 0.0001) and muscle activity (p = 0.001) were observed in adults undergoing VT compared to the control, as well as in balance in those living with multiple sclerosis (p < 0.03). Non-significant differences were found in the meta-analysis when evaluating gross motor function, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, height, and head circumference in pediatrics. Systematic Review Registration:https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=476848, CRD42023476848. Volume 15 - 2024 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2024.1391448 This article is part of the Research TopicExploring Evidence for Neurorehabilitation AdvancementsView all 25 articles Parts of this article's content have been modified or rectified in: Erratum: Critical review of the evidence for Vojta Therapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis Introduction: It is essential to link the theoretical framework of any neurophysiotherapy approach with a detailed analysis of the central motor control mechanisms that influence motor behavior Vojta therapy (VT) falls within interventions aiming to modify neuronal activity Although it is often mistakenly perceived as exclusively pediatric its utility spans various functional disorders by acting on central pattern modulation This study aims to review the existing evidence on the effectiveness of VT across a wide range of conditions both in the adult population and in pediatrics Aim: The goals of this systematic review are to delineate the existing body of evidence concerning the efficacy of Vojta therapy (VT) in treating a broad range of conditions as well as understand the common therapeutic mechanisms underlying VT with a specific focus on the neuromodulation of motor control parameters and Embase databases were searched for eligible studies The methodological quality of the studies was assessed using the PEDro list and the Risk-Of-Bias Tool to assess the risk of bias in randomized trials Methodological quality was evaluated using the Risk-Of-Bias Tool for randomized trials Random-effects meta-analyses with 95% CI were used to quantify the change scores between the VT and control groups The certainty of our findings (the closeness of the estimated effect to the true effect) was evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations Results: Fifty-five studies were included in the qualitative analysis and 18 in the meta-analysis Significant differences in cortical activity (p = 0.0001) and muscle activity (p = 0.001) were observed in adults undergoing VT compared to the control as well as in balance in those living with multiple sclerosis (p < 0.03) Non-significant differences were found in the meta-analysis when evaluating gross motor function Conclusion: Although current evidence supporting VT is limited in quality there are indications suggesting its potential usefulness for the treatment of respiratory This systematic review and meta-analysis show the robustness of the neurophysiological mechanisms of VT and that it could be an effective tool for the treatment of balance in adult neurological pathology Neuromodulation of motor control areas has been confirmed by research focusing on the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying the therapeutic efficacy of VT Systematic Review Registration:https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=476848 Vojta therapy (VT) can be classified within the domain of interventions aimed at neuromodulation by influencing nervous activity using directed physical Vojta therapy is a therapeutic tool based on the neurophysiological principles of motor and postural control It has been a therapeutic approach in continuous development since its inception in the 1960s to the present day Vojta therapy uses tactile and proprioceptive sensory stimulation to activate innate locomotion complexes in humans known as “innate patterns.” The stimulation is performed in a defined starting position (Reflex Rolling in the supine and side lying position, and reflex creeping from the prone position), both postures activating coordinated muscle activation, including axial elongation of the spine, and automatic postural control. These interventions specifically target designated areas in the central nervous system (CNS), resulting in the modulation of the excitability and firing patterns of neuronal circuits (4) Although previous systematic reviews tried to understand the evidence of VT in pediatric population and in specific cohorts such as cerebral palsy (5) or specific body functions (2, 6, 7), no systematic review has studied the evidence of this approach according to its therapeutic effects in both motor behavior and motor control (1) This review is the first to encompass studies with clinical evidence in adults: orthopedics and neurology as well as studies with clinical evidence in pediatrics: respiratory specifically addressing pediatric neurological and orthopedic alterations VT is frequently misconceived as a technique exclusively designed for pediatric applications primarily attributed to its comprehensive understanding of the neuro-kinesiology of the ontogenetic development of human posture and movement Its significant contribution to knowledge in this domain often leads to the oversight of its potential applicability across a diverse spectrum of disorders of body functions through the neuromodulation of central locomotor patterns or synergies the primary aim of this systematic review is to delineate the existing body of evidence concerning the efficacy of VT in treating a broad range of conditions This involves the meta-analysis of measured outcomes within the International Classification of Functioning and Health (ICF) framework to improve comprehensibility The second goal is to compile evidence regarding the common therapeutic mechanisms underlying VT’s effectiveness across diverse pathologies with a specific focus on the neuromodulation of motor control parameters Guidelines from the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) statement were consulted to develop this systematic review (9). The computerized databases Medline (PubMed), SCOPUS, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were used to search for relevant studies. Keywords referring to the intervention were used, combined with Boolean operators (the complete search strategy is shown in Appendix A) Searches were performed between 11 November 2023 and 11 December 2023 (from the date of inception of each database) using a combination of controlled vocabulary (i.e. medical subject headings) and free-text terms Search strategies were modified to meet the specific requirements of each database Searches of the reference lists of the included studies and previously published systematic reviews were also conducted This meta-analysis was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO registration no We used the Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcomes, Time, and Study design (PICOTS) as a framework to formulate eligibility criteria (10) Any healthy population group or with any pathology Any measurement variable related to the effects of Vojta therapy No temporal restrictions were applied to the duration of the intervention or outcome measures No filters were applied by the publication date All types of VT intervention studies were included in any type of cohort VT should be carried out within an interventional group only or in comparison with a control group studies on the degree of satisfaction or quality of life of families of children with disabilities single-group intervention studies with combined treatment (not just Vojta) articles on diagnostic system according to Vojta and articles with non-specified outcomes were excluded from this study two blinded investigators (JLSG and VNL) examined the studies obtained from the databases by screening by title and abstract according to the established inclusion criteria the selected articles were read full text to understand if they met the criteria and could be included in the analysis The authors of the included studies were contacted by e-mail with the aim of accessing possible unclear data Two reviewers independently assessed the risk of bias in the studies (VNL and JLSG) A revised tool to assess the risk of bias in randomized clinical trials (RoB2) (11) was used to assess the risk of bias in randomized trials The tool is structured into five domains through which bias could be introduced into the outcome These were identified based on empirical evidence and theoretical considerations Because the domains cover all types of bias that may affect the results of randomized trials The five domains for individually randomized trials (including crossover trials) are: bias arising from the randomization process (D1); bias due to deviations from intended interventions (D2); bias due to missing outcome data (D3); bias in the measurement of the outcome (D4); and bias in the selection of the reported result (D5) Studies with research designs other than RCT are and no formal quality appraisal was undertaken Uncertainties and disagreements between reviewers were resolved in team discussions The overall quality of the evidence was based on the classification of the results into levels of evidence according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessments which is based on five domains: (1) study design; (2) imprecision; (3) indirectness; (4) inconsistency; and (5) publication bias In instances where the authors only provided standard errors the authors reached out to obtain them; if the results were not accessible in this format the means and SDTs were approximated from graphs (Image J program; National Institute of Health in Bethesda the study was omitted from the quantitative analysis and the data were exhibited in a qualitative manner A meta-analysis was performed for each different application of VT an analysis of the different conditions evaluated was performed: effects of VT on adults: neurophysiological tests (muscle activity and cortical activity) and adults with neurological diseases (balance); effects of VT on pediatrics: children with respiratory disorders (SpO2 and respiratory rate); pediatric patients with non-neurological disorders (orthopedic disorders); pediatric patients with neurological disorders (gross motor function) Subgroup analyses were performed for the different scales used in the different primary outcome measures (for example in the outcome measures of balance in adults with neurological disorders balance was assessed with different tests such as the Timed Up and Go and a subgroup analysis was performed for each different scale) Meta-analysis was performed using the inverse variance method and a random-effects model with 95% confidence intervals as it provides more conservative results in case of heterogeneity between studies p-values <0.05 were considered statistically significant An effect size (SMD) of 0.8 or greater was considered large an effect size between 0.5 and 0.8 was considered moderate and an effect size between 0.2 and 0.5 was considered small These analyses were performed only if the subgroups had at least three studies Inter-rater reliability for screening, risk of bias assessment, and quality of the evidence rating were assessed using percentage agreement and Cohen’s kappa coefficient (22) There was strong agreement between reviewers for the screening records and full texts (94.12% agreement rate and k = 0.84) the risk of bias assessment (98.19% agreement rate and k = 0.96) and the quality and strength of the evidence assessment (99.27% rate and k = 0.98) Figure 1. Complete search process flowchart. From Moher et al. (23) The studies included in this review have been divided into different thematic areas: studies related to neurophysiological evidence; studies with clinical evidence in adults: orthopedics and neurology; and studies with clinical evidence in pediatrics: respiratory, neurology, and non-neurological disorders. The characteristics of the intervention protocols of the VT groups are detailed in the Supplementary material Table 3 summarizes the main features of the included studies Four studies were included in the qualitative analysis Interventional studies included two randomized controlled trials and two non-randomized clinical trials These studies were conducted in South Korea (47), Spain (48, 49), Poland (50), and Romania (51) Table 5 summarizes the main features of the included studies Nine studies were included in the qualitative analysis Interventional studies included six randomized controlled trials and three non-randomized clinical trials Table 6 summarizes the main features of the included studies Eight studies were included in the qualitative analysis Interventional studies included five randomized controlled trials and three non-randomized clinical trials 40% (2/5) of the studies showed a low risk of bias The items with some concerns were “Randomization process,” in which 20% (1/5) and “Selection of the reported result,” in which 20% (1/5) 100% (4/4) of the studies showed a high risk of bias The items with the highest risk of bias were “Randomization process,” in which 40% (2/5) “Missing outcome data,” in which 40% (2/5) and “Selection of the reported result,” in which 20% (1/5) 33% (1/3) of the studies showed a high risk of bias The item with the highest risk of bias was “Randomization process,” in which 33% (1/3) 25% (1/4) of the studies showed a high risk of bias and 25% (1/4) of the studies showed a low risk of bias The item with the highest risk of bias was “Randomization process,” in which 25% (1/4) 100% (2/2) of the studies showed a low risk of bias Figure 2 summarizes the risk of bias of 50 selected studies Assessment of the risk of bias according to the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials (ROB-2) Risk of bias is represented as percentages among all included studies All PEDRO scale scores can be found in Table 7 The methodological quality score ranged from 5 to 9 out of a maximum of 10 points The mean methodological quality score of the included studies was 7.1 Most of the included studies had “good” methodological quality The most frequent biases were related to therapist blinding the agreement between the two reviewers regarding the methodological quality of the included studies was excellent according to the kappa coefficient (k = 0.98) The mean methodological quality score of the included studies was 6.1 The methodological quality score ranged from 6 to 7 out of 10 points The mean methodological quality score of the included studies was 6.5 All of the included studies had “good” methodological quality The most frequent biases were related to therapy and patient blinding The methodological quality score ranged from 8 to 9 out of 10 points The mean methodological quality score of the included studies was 8.4 and it was “excellent” in two of them The most frequent biases were related to therapy blinding according to the kappa coefficient (k = 0.88) The methodological quality score ranged from 7 to 10 out of 10 points The mean methodological quality score of the included studies was 8.6 All of the included studies had “excellent” methodological quality and it was “good” in two of them according to the kappa coefficient (k = 0.90) The methodological quality score ranged from 6 to 9 out of 10 points The mean methodological quality score of the included studies was 7.8 and it was “excellent” in one of them Evaluation of the effectiveness of VT on muscle activity and cortical activation was performed. The effects of VT on muscle activity were significant when compared with the control group (SMD = 0.81; 95% CI: 0.41–1.21; n = 770; Z = 3.98; p < 0.001) with substantial heterogeneity (I2 = 82%; p < 0.001) (Figure 3) The sensitivity analysis was performed by eliminating from the analysis the studies by Perales López et al Sensitivity analysis maintained significance in favor of the VT group reducing effect size and heterogeneity (SMD = 0.48; 95% CI: 0.27–0.69; n = 624; Z = 4.54; p < 0.001 I2 = 25%; p = 0.17) Effects of Vojta Therapy compared to control on adult muscle activity Forest plot of the results of a random-effects meta-analysis shown as standardized mean differences (SMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI) The shaded square represents the point estimate for each individual study and the study weight in the meta-analysis The diamond represents the overall mean difference of the studies The effects of VT on cortical activation were significant when compared with the control group (SMD = 0.25; 95% CI: 0.1–0.41; n = 774; Z = 3.22; p = 0.001) with low heterogeneity (I2 = 14%; p = 0.28) (Figure 4) Subgroup analysis showed that there were non-significant differences in different balance assessments (p = 0.48) but a significant difference was observed in favor of VT in left premotor cortex (SMD = 0.48; 95% CI: 0.12–0.85; n = 120; Z = 2.6; p = 0.009) left SMA (SMD = 0.43; 95% CI: 0.07–0.79; n = 120; Z = 2.34; p = 0.02) and right SMA (SMD = 0.39; 95% CI: 0.03–0.75; n = 120; Z = 2.13; p = 0.03) Sensitivity analysis could not be performed since the overall analysis was performed in three studies Effects of Vojta Therapy compared to control on adult cortical activation Evaluation of the effectiveness of VT on balance in people with MS was performed. The effects of VT were significant when compared with the control group (SMD = 0.5; 95% CI: 0.17–0.83; n = 315; Z = 2.96; p = 0.003) with moderate heterogeneity (I2 = 47%; p = 0.07) (Figure 5) Subgroup analysis showed that there were non-significant differences in different balance assessments (p = 0.09) but a significant difference was observed in favor of VT in the tandem test (SMD = 1.1; 95% CI: 0.51–1.69; n = 60; Z = 3.64; p < 0.001) Effects of Vojta Therapy compared to control on balance in people living with multiple sclerosis Evaluation of the effectiveness of VT on oxygen saturation levels and respiratory rate was performed. The effects of VT on oxygen saturation levels were non-significant when compared with the control group (SMD = 0.11; 95% CI: −0.33 to 0.56; n = 171; Z = 0.5; p = 0.62) with moderate to substantial heterogeneity (I2 = 52%; p = 0.08) (Figure 6) Subgroup analysis showed that there were non-significant differences between Sp02 Effects of Vojta Therapy compared to control on oxygen saturation levels in children and premature babies The effects of VT on respiratory rate were non-significant when compared with the control group (SMD = 0.7; 95% CI: −0.31 to 1.71; n = 93; Z = 1.35; p = 0.18) with substantial heterogeneity (I2 = 82%; p = 0.02) (Figure 7) Effects of Vojta Therapy compared to control on respiratory rate in children and premature babies Evaluation of the effectiveness of VT on weight, height, and head circumference was performed. The effects of VT on orthopedic disorders were non-significant when compared with the control group (SMD = −0.01; 95% CI: −0.47 to 0.45; n = 318; Z = 0.04; p = 0.97) with substantial heterogeneity (I2 = 75%; p = 0.001) (Figure 8) Subgroup analysis showed that there were non-significant differences between weight and head circumference (p = 0.68) but a significant difference was observed in favor of the control group in weight gain (SMD = −0.7; 95% CI: −1.09 to −0.3; n = 106; Z = 3.48; p < 0.001) Effects of Vojta Therapy compared to control on weight and head circumference in children and premature babies Evaluation of the effectiveness of VT on gross motor function was performed. The effects of VT on gross motor function were non-significant when compared with the control group (SMD = −0.02; 95% CI: −0.32 to 0.27; n = 179; Z = 0.16; p = 0.87) with low heterogeneity (I2 = 0%; p = 0.49) (Figure 9) Subgroup analysis showed that there were non-significant differences between the different scores of the gross motor function test and the Alberta scale (p = 0.95) Effects of Vojta Therapy compared to control on gross motor function in pediatric patients with neurological disorders Table 8 provides the details of the GRADE assessment In the assessment of the quality of evidence the overall quality of the evidence is classified as “very small.” The small number of studies the heterogeneity among the included studies and the small effect size of the results have reduced the level of evidence for the overall effect this systematic review with meta-analysis found significant differences in cortical activity and muscle activity in adults undergoing VT compared to the control group Significantly better results in improving balance in people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) when using VT have also been confirmed when compared with other techniques such as balance Non-significant differences were found when evaluating outcomes such as gross motor function and head circumference in pediatric respiratory Non-significant differences between groups in other conditions suggest that VT is as efficient as other approaches in improving patients with neurological The neural circuits established between the thalamus, basal ganglia, and cortex, together with the action of the cerebellum, are necessary to ensure correct motor control, including learning and adaptation (76) The supplementary motor area (SMA) plays an important role in the preparation, initiation, and execution of movements (77). Authors, including Takakusaki et al. (78) described a direct interconnection among the primary motor area (M1) along with the basal ganglia and the cerebellum The neurophysiological effects produced in cortical and subcortical structures point to the activation of thalamo-cortical circuits, basal ganglia, and supplementary motor area involved in motor control and movement learning (28) VT is in close alignment with contemporary neuroscience concepts substantiated by clinical evidence and supported by studies positioning it as a neurorehabilitation tool consistent with the plasticity and learning objectives proposed by other therapeutic techniques while evidence is unclear in other respiratory techniques One of the main long-term sequelae of preterm birth remains respiratory distress syndrome, which is mainly contributed by the effect of early lung inflammation superimposed on immature lungs (83) In agreement with previous authors and considering the above VT is recommended as an intervention technique for premature children Physiotherapy advocates the importance of removing barriers for our patients to manifest their best potential. This principle is equally applicable to evidence-based practices within the health profession. Our SR also reflects the large effort of clinical physiotherapists to spread their knowledge in a scientific format, breaking barriers such as time constraints, inadequate resources, and geographical imbalances in therapeutic inputs (93) It is also a reminder that “lack of scientific evidence” does not equal “having evidence that an intervention has no therapeutic effect.” Allied healthcare professionals are often burdened with demanding clinical responsibilities challenges in advance clinical research expose other inequalities such as insufficient support from professional bodies and workplaces resistance to understanding classical interventions in neurorehabilitation limitations in accessing training opportunities or poor coordination between clinical and research positions with 42 new scientific works in the last 3 years (2020–2023) in contrast with 36 articles published in the previous decade (2010–2019) The millennium was a turning point for physiotherapists to start publishing their works while very few reports were published before that date The limited quality of evidence found for our analysis requires that the results be interpreted with caution Neuromodulation measurements have mostly been experimented with in healthy adults although there are some in people living with MS as well as two studies that measure physiological parameters in healthy children or those at neurological risk Future studies aiming to broaden our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of VT must include larger and more diverse samples Combining results in motor behavior as well as motor control in different conditions will also help us to understand the potentiality and limitations of this intervention This will put into the context of neuromodulation and neuroscience what we could initially only based on standard neurologic and neurophysiologic terms Consistent outcomes and effects over medium- and long-term periods are also recommended as are explicit descriptions of the 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This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) *Correspondence: Mónica Menéndez-Pardiñas, bW9uaWNhbWVuZW5kZXozMUBnbWFpbC5jb20= using data min­ing method­olo­gies and machine learn­ing algo­rithms aims to pro­vide a freely avail­able web-based appli­ca­tion to improve farm man­age­ment and resource opti­miza­tion in the olive sec­tor with the poten­tial to enhance deci­sion-mak­ing and sus­tain­abil­ity in the indus­try Following more than three years of devel­op­ment the results of the Predic 1 Operational Group’s work were pre­sented last month at a con­fer­ence in Mengíbar The group’s remit was to deliver a plat­form capa­ble of pre­dict­ing olive har­vests an entire sea­son in advance a goal they said they accom­plished with an accu­racy of up to 90 per­cent The work was car­ried out by a con­sor­tium com­pris­ing the University of Jaén Cooperativas Agro-ali­men­ta­rias de Andalucía using tra­di­tional Picual olive groves in Jaén According to María Isabel Ramos, a pro­fes­sor at the University of Jaén’s Department of Cartographic, Geodetic and Photogrammetric Engineering and cor­re­spond­ing author of a 2022 study about the tech­nol­ogy pre­dic­tive sys­tems are cru­cial to the future of the olive sec­tor crop har­vest pre­dic­tion is one of the most com­plex prob­lems within pre­ci­sion agri­cul­ture,” she said ​“There are sev­eral stud­ies that make these pre­dic­tions based on the close rela­tion­ship between the emis­sion of pollen and fruit pro­duc­tion phe­no­log­i­cal and mete­o­ro­log­i­cal vari­ables all with effi­cient and accept­able accu­ra­cies from July onwards.” “We intend to advance this pre­dic­tion and be able to make opti­mal pre­dic­tions in the period before flow­er­ing… long before the farmer car­ries out their strate­gic plan­ning and eco­nomic invest­ment in the farm,” Ramos added The group used data min­ing method­olo­gies pre­vi­ously used in pre­dic­tive health­care projects to cre­ate regres­sion mod­els from mete­o­ro­log­i­cal data and his­tor­i­cal har­vest data from across the ini­tial tar­get area This was com­bined with cur­rent data from drones equipped with ther­mo­graphic sen­sors and mul­ti­spec­tral cam­eras foliar and soil analy­ses and data col­lected from model farms the best-estab­lished field of arti­fi­cial intel­li­gence and one with a proven track record in agri­cul­ture to pre­dict crop yields as accu­rately as pos­si­ble Using a sup­port vec­tor machine algo­rithm made it pos­si­ble to use mul­ti­ple ker­nels This makes it eas­ier for the algo­rithm to adapt to the nature of the data allow­ing infi­nite trans­for­ma­tions to be car­ried out The plat­form will be freely avail­able as a web-based appli­ca­tion sim­i­lar to SIGPAC the Spanish government’s geo­graphic infor­ma­tion sys­tem for agri­cul­tural parcels Users can view an inter­ac­tive graph­i­cal rep­re­sen­ta­tion of the requested infor­ma­tion and export the data chair of com­puter graph­ics and geo­mat­ics at the University of Jaén and tech­ni­cal coor­di­na­tor of the project explained that as the num­ber of users increases and the results of future har­vests are fed back into the sys­tem the accu­racy of pre­dic­tions will improve More effi­cient mod­els tai­lored to each area will be pos­si­ble José Menar Pacheco of the Cooperativas Agro-ali­men­ta­rias de Andalucía high­lighted the impor­tance of his organization’s role in dis­sem­i­nat­ing the project results and knowl­edge to stake­hold­ers He hopes to ensure broad aware­ness and adop­tion of the pro­jec­t’s find­ings to improve his mem­bers’ farm man­age­ment and resource opti­miza­tion Those mem­bers account for more than €11 mil­lion in annual turnover and over 70 per­cent of Andalusia’s total olive oil pro­duc­tion The project is financed through the European agri­cul­tural funds for rural devel­op­ment and the Andalusian regional gov­ern­ment as part of the call for regional oper­a­tional groups of the European Innovation Partnership in agri­cul­tural pro­duc­tiv­ity and sus­tain­abil­ity in the olive sec­tor “Within the Common Agricultural Policy, a series of new reforms are being imple­mented, includ­ing the fight against cli­mate change with these envi­ron­men­tal objec­tives as well as the achieve­ment of a sus­tain­able and com­pet­i­tive agri­cul­tural sec­tor by sup­port­ing farm­ers and all this with a strong com­mit­ment to the dig­i­tal­iza­tion of the olive sec­tor to achieve these objec­tives,” Ramos said ​“The ful­fill­ment of these objec­tives depends on the appro­pri­ate deci­sion-mak­ing by each of the actors involved in the sec­tor pre­dic­tive sys­tems are a cru­cial tool in man­age­ment and deci­sion-mak­ing.” More articles on:  , , Researchers Investigate Olive Powder as Food Ingredient Freeze-drying may hold the answer to recovering value from the discarded fruit in table olive production Spain and Italy Ask Restaurants to Comply with Olive Oil Container Laws Spain and Italy are urging restaurants to comply with long-standing bans on refillable olive oil containers through new enforcement efforts and consumer awareness campaigns Italian Bill Would Support Hobby Growers to Prevent Abandonment The proposed legislation recognizes the role of hobbyist olive growers in preserving the environment and Italy’s agricultural heritage Olive Council Incorporates Germplasm Bank Into Global Treaty the IOC plans to facilitate greater cooperation to preserve genetic diversity and find solutions to climate change-related challenges Daily Olive Oil Consumption Linked to Lower Dementia Death Risk, Study Finds Harvard researchers found that daily consumption of at least seven grams of olive oil was associated with a 28 percent lower risk of dementia-related death Calabrian Cooperative Emphasizes Quality While Building Economies of Scale Seventeen olive oil producers have joined to promote Carolea extra virgin olive oils while driving down farming and milling costs Greek Court Rules Kalamon Olives May Use Kalamata Brand The supreme court rejected an appeal by Messenia-based growers that only they could use the Kalamata branding an appellation worth €200 million in exports funded by the Andalusian Government and the Provincial Council of Jaén with a total invest­ment of 7.1 mil­lion euros The museum aims to pro­mote the cul­ture of olive oil and table olives through exhi­bi­tions becom­ing a national ref­er­ence point in the indus­try opened today the Active Museum of Olive Oil and Sustainability located on the Geolit Technology and Business Park in Mengíbar (Jaén) which will help to spread the cul­ture of olive oil and table olives.The Active Museum of Olive Oil and Sustainability has raised a total invest­ment of 7.1 mil­lion euros funded mainly between the Andalusian Government and the Provincial Council of Jaén In its last phase the Ministry of Agriculture 4.6 mil­lion have been ear­marked for infra­struc­ture works and con­struc­tion This cen­ter will turn in a short period of time into a national bench­mark The museum is eas­ily acces­si­ble for fast com­mu­ni­ca­tion chan­nels and the design of the build­ing itself is endowed with bio­cli­matic solu­tions and effi­cient man­age­ment of water con­structed with eco-friendly mate­ri­als and the sup­port of addi­tional cen­ters also installed in the Geolit Technology an Business Park The Museum will serve as a per­ma­nent exhi­bi­tion space intended to instruct and inform the gen­eral pub­lic its mis­sion is to dis­sem­i­nate the cul­ture sur­round­ing olive oil and table olives and pro­mote any­thing con­cern­ing olive cul­ti­va­tion plus any man­i­fes­ta­tion of cul­tural sci­ence and tech­nol­ogy related to olive oil Conceived as a cen­ter of knowl­edge ded­i­cated to olive oil the Active Museum of Olive Oil and Sustainability is struc­tured in dif­fer­ent func­tional areas includ­ing an Olive Oil and Mediterranean Diet Gastronomy Center This cen­ter is divided into three floors cov­er­ing an area of 3,445 square meters of the total area of the build­ing which is 11,222 square meters The Museum facil­i­ties include also an exhi­bi­tion area which cov­ers areas of per­ma­nent and tem­po­rary exhi­bi­tions Olive Biennial Cycle (mor­phol­ogy and phys­i­o­log­i­cal processes cycle of fruit­ing olive model..) Olive Design (vari­eties of olives in Spain breed­ing sys­tems in the cul­ti­va­tion of olives olive design plan­ning…) and Olive Cultivation (olive repro­duc­tions and inte­grated pro­duc­tion tech­niques…) will be the main top­ics of the per­ma­nent exhi­bi­tion fea­tured top­ics such as the extrac­tion process of vir­gin olive oils at the mill ‑includ­ing videomap­ping machin­ery-; the qual­ity of vir­gin olive oil through tast­ing pan­els and organolep­tic analy­sis; pro­duc­tion con­sump­tion and dis­tri­b­u­tion; health ben­e­fits of extra vir­gin olive oil through nutri­tion tables; will be treated widely in this cen­ter there has been enabled an area for the exhi­bi­tion of machin­ery and a for­est of cen­te­nary olive trees of dif­fer­ent vari­eties This cen­ter also has a Promotion Area in which dif­fer­ent olive juices will be exposed and many tast­ing activ­i­ties will be under­taken This area also includes a library spe­cial­ized in olive oil and olive indus­try The Teaching Area con­sists of a class­room while the Office Area is equipped with a doc­u­men­ta­tion cen­ter and a stor­age and telecom­mu­ni­ca­tions room This museum also includes an olive oil ​“bodega” the cen­ter incor­po­rates the lat­est tech­no­log­i­cal inno­va­tions and a cen­tral bio­mass recy­cling sys­tem of rain­wa­ter Mercacei arti­cles also appear in Mercacei mag­a­zine and are not edited by Olive Oil Times More articles on:  , Researchers Introduce AI Tool to Help Olive Farmers Predict Harvest Timing Using machine learning to analyze a range of data points from model farms researchers were able to predict the timing of the olive harvest with 90 percent accuracy Officials in Spain Optimistic Ahead of Harvest as Prices Remain Elevated Spain is expected to produce between 1.4 and 1.5 million tons of olive oil in the 2024/25 crop year after a wet winter and mild spring favored a bumper crop Italy Unveils Plan to Revitalize Olive Oil Sector funding initiatives and an interprofessional association proposes a fresh course for Italian olive oils Renowned Sommelier Program Branches Out in Europe Olive Oil Times is partnering with the Olive Oil Academy to offer its flagship course in the Netherlands and beyond Trials and Triumphs of Organic Farming in Andalusia The fifth-generation family behind Luque Ecológico believes organic farming produces flavorful extra virgin olive oil protects the environment and mitigates the impacts of drought New Class of Sommeliers Affirmed in London retailers and olive oil enthusiasts from around the world delved into production and sensory assessment in Central London Renowned Olive Oil Sommelier Program Returns to New York The five-day program teaches quality assessment, production best practices, health and nutrition, culinary applications and more. Volume 13 - 2022 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2022.795533 Positive effects after neurologic music therapy (NMT) have been described regarding the motor function of children with severe cerebral palsy (CP) This study aimed to quantify improvements in participation as well as complexity on task-related manual activities in children with severe bilateral CP This analytic quasi-experimental study exposed 17 children with severe cerebral palsy to 13 NMT sessions to improve motor learning through therapeutic instrumental music performance (TIMP) using principally percussion musical instruments Hoisan software video recording was used to quantify participation involved in creating music the number of active movements performed in each NMT session was quantified therefore increasing the intensity of the psychomotor intervention A systematic literature review by Weller and Baker (35) about the role of music therapy in physical rehabilitation encouraged the quantification of interrelated variables during the therapeutic process Our hypothesis is that NMT enhances participation during task-related manual activities and facilitates increasing complexity This study aimed to quantify participation and complexity improvement during task-related manual activities using TIMP in children with severe bilateral CP This analytic quasi-experimental study used both pre-intervention and post-intervention measurements without a randomly selected control group This analytic design study NMT as etiological factor to improve the clinical picture of the subjects Twenty-four children were assessed before and after a period of 4 months when they received their usual therapeutic input NMT intervention was added without modifications on the previous program This quantitative design not only solved the ethical limitations of considering a control group without the requested intervention but also turns every subject in his/her own control with the same personal factors and therapeutically conditions Children were recruited from “La Cruz Roja Cerebral Palsy Center” Inclusion criteria were: aged between 4 and 18 years old severe degree of gross motor function (GMFCS-E&R) severe to moderate degree of communication function (CFCS) interest in music and no risk of self-harming participant's parents or guardians gave informed consent for participation in the study and video recording Exclusion criteria were: severe behavioral problems, poor attention due to secondary effects of medication and non-attendance at more than 20% of the sessions. Only 17 patients met the inclusion criteria (12 males and five females), but two had to be excluded due to visual impairments. Sample features are summarized in Table 1, Figure 1 Visual contact difficulties were observed as the children could not hold a stare for more than 1 or 2 s toward the instruments This limited interaction and intentional participation was better when they could focus for more than 3 s a threshold of 3 s was established to measure significant differences in sustained visual contact and the duration of intentional motor participation manual and communication classifications (GMFCS MACS and CFCS) were also obtained at this initial assessment Musical habits and preferences of each child were also inquired to parents or carers Forty-minute customized one-to-one sessions were performed once a week for 4 months A total of thirteen NMT sessions were carried out simultaneously by a team of two music therapists who facilitated the use of musical instruments for upper limb tasks to improve motor learning Several repetitions of these activities were performed The exercises with musical instruments were specifically designed to enhance participation and encourage movement as well as increase the level of difficulty progressively The music was always live and customized according to each patient's needs and preferences keyboard (Casio Tone Bank-6) and digital table drums (e-drum 150) Each session included TIMP activities that facilitated specific tasks with the upper limbs Activities were performed in the prone position on a mat and sitting on their own adapted chairs Resting periods (1 to 3 min) were adapted according to each child needs as well as the task-specific activities and musical instruments with the goal of maximize the progression in every session Sessions were video-recorded and analyzed afterwards to prepare the following intervention understand which movements where difficult for further practice and sequencing more complex functional tasks Specific musical activities were then design according to these parameters warm up activities were included at the beginning of each session with the goal of facilitate TIMP implementation Interventions were defined with the goal of increasing the participation of the children The structure of these activities aimed to facilitate visual contact and up-righting orientation of the head and trunk toward the instruments before the movement of the upper limbs The music therapist initiated placing the instruments at the level of the eye and then moving them to different heights The visual-hearing interaction included also different timbres and intensities Children were also encouraged to press the keyboard or hit the drum to facilitate the vertical movement of the upper limbs Therapists assisted the posture of the children with their hands if needed and this support was reduced when the motivation to hold their trunk increased TIMP stimuli may be created by a specific compositional or improvisational process that the therapist uses to accommodate the specific needs of patients (5). Training exercises involve a strong rhythmic component. Music provide rhythmic cues to facilitate auditory-motor entrainment. Cueing frequency is initially matched to the comfort level and gradually decreased/increased depending on the therapy goal (26) Encouraging words and facial expressions were used by the therapists while placing the musical instruments and sticks according to the observed needs the position as well as the shape and width of the sticks This adaptation aimed at progressive accessibility to the percussion instruments and increasing difficulty levels during both improvisation and structured therapy Table 2 describes more specifically the intervention protocol according to the session progression Intervention protocol according to session progression Hoisan (Tool Observation Social Interaction in Natural Environments) (39) is a software application that enables de-encoding, recording, description and handling of video recordings. Two cameras were used to quantify in seconds the participation variables according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (40) Children “participated” if they maintained a stare at the source of sound (visual orientation) or create sounds with a musical instrument for at least 3 s (motor participation) The number of participative repetitions of each subject was also quantified Participation was organized hierarchically according to four levels of task difficulty: (1) Visual contact with the task for at least 3 s (2) Reaching for and stroking a musical instrument with either hand for at least 3 s (3) Hitting a musical instrument with the hand for at least 3 s (4) Grasping and holding an intermediate object and hitting a musical instrument with it for at least 3 s hitting and grasping were considered progressively more difficult subcategories in order to quantify the complexity of the motor participation Video recordings of their last session were used for the post-intervention assessment; however to get used to the new therapist and intervention the second session was selected for the pre-test assessment Video recordings of the children were randomized to blind the therapist-rater to the pre- or post-intervention assessment With the goal of attaining even higher levels of verification of these assessment nine of the 17 (52.9%) video recordings were randomly selected and scored again after 6 months to calculate the intra-rater reliability of the examiner This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of [institution name removed for purposes of blind review] A descriptive statistical analysis was performed to obtain the frequency distribution of each variable as well as standard deviations were calculated These authors chose “moderate” as the minimum relevant size effect to consider the results of an intervention valid Paired-sample t-tests were performed with the goal of verifying differences due to the intervention in the different categories The random effects model of the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to verify the intra-rater reliability after two scorings of the same videos Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 25 (IBM) and only p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant Quantification of the participation categories at pre and post intervention A moderate effect size was observed in the participation subcategories: “hitting with the hand” (d = 0.78) and “grasping and hitting with an object” (d = 0.64) In the subcategory “reaching and stroke,” only a poor effect size (d = 0.49) was obtained the effects were moderate only for the subcategory “hits with the hand” (d = 0.62) and poor for both “number of strokes” (d = 0.32) and “number of grasps and hits” (d = 0.55) No statistically significant differences were found after the NMT intervention in the following variables: “total number of strokes,” “total number of hitting with the hand” and “total number of grasping and hitting with an object;” nevertheless an overall tendency toward statistical significance was observed Previous research hypothesized that music is employed to connect the physiological, psychological, cognitive and emotional components of physical rehabilitation (35) The results obtained in our study confirmed our hypothesis: the systematic combination of NMT techniques using musical instruments therapeutically facilitated the psychomotor aspects of manual function in our children and adolescents with severe bilateral CP for the first time in this group of children the positive effects of TIMP intervention on participation in a manual task (reaching Significant improvements in the willingness to participate were confirmed from different aspects while playing musical instruments: duration of participation (p = 0.0005) and number of attempts (p = 0.004) to stroke hit or gasp intermediate objects to hit the instrument These facts and the relevant effect size showed by the standardized mean difference (Cohen's d) should make us think of NMT as a complementary treatment and as a support for manual daily living activities NMT significantly increased the visual contact of our subjects during manual activities; this factor is essential to succeed with any therapeutic intervention (19). Specific tests to quantify attention capacities in our sample have not been found. Bottcher (41) used the Test of Everyday Attention for Children (TEA-CH) in subjects with GMFCS I-II-III (94%); however this scale was not applicable to our sample due to severe motor difficulties classified as GMFCS IV and V (V = 93.33%) We therefore timed intentional visual contact toward the source of the sounds to measure the attention span Non-intentional staring or shorter than 3 s was not quantified according to our previous analysis 4 months before the intervention Children with CP are among the populations least served by music therapy services in neurorehabilitation. More research into cognitive and communication rehabilitation are required in order to better understand the symptomatic findings in this neurological condition (45). Interrelations among rhythm, movement, cognitive and socio-emotional aspects (15) were achieved in our study This process implies the understanding of proposed activities which is a difficult requirement considering the severe communication difficulties of our sample Most of our children had no verbal communication and found it difficult to communicate even in a familiar environment The music therapistS had to develop a communication channel with them through the music Longer participation times and increases in the number of movements indicated better understanding of the instructions regarding the musical resources Therapeutic techniques with musical instruments were mixed with resting periods during our interventions This fact allowed children to interact for 40 min in the sessions The remaining 40% (15 min) was distributed over the warm up summary and preparation for the next session The cooperative work between both music therapists was key to break through the communicative possibilities expressive and prosodic resources reflected the children's mood behavior and attitudes in order to empathized with them This contributed to improve their motivation as well as avoiding “acting out.” Improving bonding helped also with their arousal and predisposition to movement because their needs were immediately satisfied The posterior analysis of the video recorded sessions was required to understand with more details their behavior and improve further communication and reduced the chances of therapist “burn out.” A total of 1,937 music therapy interventions with percussion instruments were mentioned in Matney's review (36) Our study included analog instruments (bongo drums for instance) that could be placed according to the patient's requirements but also digital instruments (an e-drum 150 and Casio tone keyboard) These provided a clearer sound because sound intensity could be adjusted and provided better registration of the hits The ethical limitations of randomized untreated control groups or placebo interventions limit the quality of the intervention in this field The current assessment of the cognitive aspects was not controlled and this could be considered a limitation of the current study Specific improvements in visual contact and manual performance are described here under the same personal factors and therapeutic conditions but a one-to-one control without NMT intervention is not available balance and psychological parameters of 10 athletes with CP showing the relevant difficulties of these subjects Further research is needed to explore the benefits of using TIMP in people with CP including other parameters such as active range of motion Studies should recruit subjects with other neurological conditions who may benefit from a methodical intervention with instruments for therapeutic purposes This study provides preliminary evidence that the therapeutic use of NMT active techniques using percussion instruments for children with severe bilateral CP improves participation during manual activities Psychomotor rehabilitation will benefit from these requirements because the level of difficulty the number of repetitions and the duration of participation during task-specific motor learning can be increased The studies involving human participants were reviewed and approved by Research Ethics Committee of the University of Murcia ID: 1186/2015 Written informed consent to participate in this study was provided by the participants' legal guardian/next of kin All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version The authors would like to thank the children and professionals who participate in our research A home-based program using patterned sensory enhancement improves resistance exercise effects for children with cerebral palsy: a randomized controlled trial Immediate effects of therapeutic music on loaded sit-to-stand movement in children with spastic diplegia Effect of rhythmic auditory stimulation on gait performance in children with spastic cerebral palsy PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Differential effects of rhythmic auditory stimulation and neurodevelopmental treatment/Bobath on gait patterns in adults with cerebral palsy: a randomized controlled trial Google Scholar Neurologic music therapy in upper-limb rehabilitation in children with severe bilateral cerebral palsy: a randomized controlled trial Content validity of the expanded and revised gross motor function classification system The manual ability classification system (MACS) for children with cerebral palsy: scale development and evidence of validity and reliability Developing and validating the communicaton function classification system for individuals with cerebral palsy Musical training as a framework for brain plasticity: behavior Gait improvement in patients with cerebral palsy by visual and auditory feedback FMRI assessment of neuroplasticity in youths with neurodevelopmental-associated motor disorders after piano training The Case for Musical Instrument Training in Cerebral Palsy for Neurorehabilitation PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Getting the beat: entrainment of brain activity by musical rhythm and pleasantness Neurobiological foundations of neurologic music therapy: rhythmic entrainment and the motor system Neural entrainment in drum rhythms with silent breaks: evidence from steady-state evoked and event-related potentials Auditory priming improves neural synchronization in auditory-motor entrainment doi: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.05.017 PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Treatment of Cerebral Palsy and Motor Delay PubMed Abstract | Google Scholar Physical Management In Neurological Rehabilitation CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Theories and control models and motor learning: clinical applications in neurorehabilitation Music and emotions: from enchantment to entrainment PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google 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Pakdeesatitwara N, Tamplin, J,. Music Therapy Services In Neurorehabilitation: An international survey. Australian Journal of Music Therapy. (2018). p. 62–90. 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This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) *Correspondence: Fernando Santonja-Medina, ZmVybmFuZG9Ac2FudG9uamF0cmF1bWEuZXM= After nearly a decade of squatters occupying houses in the Almuñécar Hills residential are above El Tesorillo on Granada province's Costa Tropical the Guardia Civil has started evictions in a total of 36 luxury homes The illegal tenants have a maximum of ten days to leave the properties of their own accord Nine of them are already empty after two days of action by the police who have a court order to carry out the evictions According to sources close to the operation a total of 27 houses are still occupied in the Almuñécar Hills area including Calles Citalsol and Citalmar These properties were left unfinished and abandoned after the bankruptcy of the construction company during Spain's 2008 financial crisis Families and individuals in apparently vulnerable situations took advantage of unfinished buildings and moved in The eviction operation started on Wednesday 8 May by informing the illegal tenants of the ten-day deadline for them to leave the property by their own means while others have begun to move their belongings Almuñécar Hills is just a few steps away from Fuentes de Almuñécar another residential area which is home to around 1,000 people The announcement of the eviction order has relieved the homeowners "We have problems with squatters because they don't respect anything They have broken into our communal swimming pools several times They have no right to go in there and we have had to change the entry system When they leave we will be more relaxed," a resident of Fuentes de Almuñécar told Ideal "The residents drive through the entrance to Alhambra Hills to go down to the town centre of Almuñécar We often have to brake because they drive around with scooters or cars without respecting the speed limits We go with children and are afraid of getting into trouble Especially as pedestrians and at certain times when it is safer not to pass," she said Comentar es una ventaja exclusiva para registrados Telepizza will be ahead of the Pizza Day giving away this Thursday 400 slices in some of its stores in Seville Telepizza will celebrate Pizza Day which will take place worldwide next Sunday giving away 400 slices in each of its stores participating in the promotion 400 establishments throughout Spain will participate giving away portions equivalent to 50 family pizzas during their usual opening hours Not all the establishments are part of this initiative so we detail below the stores in Seville where you can enjoy this promotion Remember that the delivery is limited to one slice of pizza per person Seville stores participating in the promotion: A herd of horses appeared in the vicinity of the Sierra Nevada ski resort in Spain's Granada province to the surprise of visitors and workers earlier this week are known to inhabit the area and at least a dozen of them were seen grazing in the area around Hoya de la Mora They are usually seen from certain slopes of the resort but it is unusual to find them so close to visitors," souces from Cetursa The Sierra Nevada ski resort reopened its facilities on Tuesday after it was forced to close on Monday due to the storm in the area Staff worked fast to clear the mud that cascaded down some of the slopes following downpours last weekend 2025 © Ayuntamiento de Mengíbar - Todos los derechos reservados - Desarrollado por Mengisoft Barcelona Packaging Hub and its partners showcased the latest trends in machinery and global solutions for the sector Volpak y Xolertic – Prodec presented their new packaging line solutions visitors had the opportunity to stay informed about the sector’s latest developments through guidance provided by the professionals from each company within the Hub Sustainability was a central theme at the fair emphasizing the industry’s dedication to preserving and protecting the environment Innovative packaging formats that contribute to reducing global waste and minimizing the environmental impact of disposal were also showcased general director of Barcelona Packaging Hub “The interpack fair has surpassed our expectations fulfilling all our objectives of cooperative development in global packaging solutions with the latest innovations We extend our gratitude to all our visitors and partners for joining us in this remarkable experience.” This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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The Packman is a leading packaging magazine published in India that comprehensively encompasses the entire packaging supply chain we provide a continuous stream of packaging-related updates Contact us: editor@thepackman.in © Copyright - The Packman | RH Media Publications A man in the Andalusian province Granada is requesting to voluntarily go to prison because he is afraid of being on his own revealed on his social media accounts that he wants to go to Albolote prison despite not committing any criminal offence The Motril resident is suffering from cancer and heart problems and said he is lonely and has been abandoned by his family "I volunteer to go to prison," he said from the living room of his house while holding a sign that relayed the same message "I am 60 years old and have suffered from heart problems for 15 years sometimes I would go into cardiac arrest and I would be practically dead She called the emergency services and managed to revive me before they arrived Now she is no longer here and I'm afraid it will happen to me alone Nobody can help me," Justo Márquez told the local Granada newspaper Justo got married in 1999 to "the shop assistant of a grocery store he ran" After nearly 24 years of love and five children Last June he had no choice but to move out of his family home I try not to lose contact with my children I have recently become a grandfather and my daughter has not introduced me to my grandson I have suffered from depression and anxiety That's why prison doesn't seem such a bad fate for me," he said He cannot go behind bars without committing a crime I just want to live with someone and be able to talk Rather than being on the street without a family and isolated I've already been to social services and they haven't helped me," he said Justo spends his days living on a small pension in his house in Motril He is currently on sick leave due to his cancer and cardiovascular complications but I didn't want to have surgery because my brother got very worn out and died shortly afterwards when he had it," Justo added He plans to rally in October in front of the doors of the Motril courthouse to make his case known "Through TikTok I am receiving a lot of support The messages cheer me up and encourage me to continue," he said This is not the first time that Justo Márquez has appeared in the media he went on pilgrimage to the villages of the Costa Tropical the Alpujarra and even outside Andalucía asking for justice for various causes But it was how he did it that sparked headlines carrying a large wooden cross on his back along the way and a lawsuit against the use of water from a farmhouse were some of his crusades This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page The Vithas Xanit International Hospital in Benalmádena officially opened the expansion of its facilities on Friday a project in which the Vithas Group has invested 16 million euros The project has practically doubled the current capacity of the hospital from 12,000 to approximately 25,000 square metres President of the Vithas Group; Dr Pedro Rico territorial director of Vithas in Andalucía Managing Director of the Vithas Xanit International Hospital and the head of the territorial delegation of the Ministry of Health and Consumption in Malaga which will enable the hospital to attend to more than 500,000 patients a year has included 51 new outpatient consultation rooms; a state-of-the-art surgical facility with seven operating theatres; two endoscopy rooms and a hemodynamic room; 141 single inpatient rooms and a new intensive care unit “The expansion of the Vithas Xanit International Hospital reinforces and strengthens the healthcare service in Benalmádena with a clear commitment to medical innovation and excellence,” Víctor Navas said “Vithas will soon celebrate its tenth anniversary and I am especially excited to be able to mark it with such a relevant milestone as the inauguration of the expansion of this emblematic centre.”