The essential amino acid tryptophan is the precursor in the anabolic pathway of melatonin, a hormone with immunomodulatory properties. The present study shows the in vivo effect of tryptophan on the phagocytic function and oxidative metabolism of heterophils from Streptopelia roseogrisea of < 1 year of age, with a parallel evaluation of the plasma levels of melatonin. The L-tryptophan was administered orally (125 and 300 mg/kg b.w.) at 19:00, before the beginning of the period of darkness, for 7 days. At the end of the tryptophan treatment, determinations were made at 21:00 and 02:00 of the Phagocytosis Index, the Phagocytosis Percentage, the Phagocytic Efficiency and the superoxide anion levels in heterophils isolated from blood and of the plasma levels of melatonin. The results showed, for the determinations at 21:00 in the animals that had received 125 mg L-tryptophan/kg b.w., enhanced heterophil phagocytic function and raised levels of plasma melatonin, with no affect on the oxidative metabolism of the phagocytes. For the administration of the greater concentration of tryptophan (300 mg/kg b.w.), there were raised plasma melatonin levels together with increases in heterophil phagocytic capacity and phagocyte oxidative metabolism at 02:00. The results indicate that tryptophan administered orally at night to diurnal animals of less than 1 year in age affects the circulating levels of melatonin at the same time as inducing stimulation of the innate immune function.

The effect of nucleotides in the newborn is a determinant in this first stage of life, and their correct level in breastmilk is vital. We have designed a new method for the assay of nucleotides in milk by capillary electrophoresis (CE) after acid hydrolysis. Breastmilk samples were collected from healthy mothers (ages, 25-35 years) of one month lactation, and stored at-20 °C. The duplicated samples were dissociated by acidic hydrolysis (HClO 4) and the CE assay was performed in an uncoated fused-silica capillary using an alkaline (borate) electrophoretic separation system. The method gave good recoveries of 5´-mononucleotides. Under the conditions used, the actual CE analysis time was less than 20 minutes. The physiologically and nutritionally important nucleotides were detected at concentrations of 387 µg/100ml for UMP-5P, 385.3 µg/100ml for AMP-5P, 67 µg/100ml for CMP-5P, 172 µg/100ml for TMP-5P and 315 µg/100ml for GMP-5P. Nucleotides are a significant nutrient in infant growth, and capillary electrophoresis is a sensitive and efficient tool for the assay of nucleotides with a purine or pyrimidine base in breastmilk.

Las ceremonias crean una imagen dinámica —temporal y espacial— de cómo se imagina una comunidad social, siendo unos espacios de negociación entre distintas culturas políticas. La monarquía ocupó tradicionalmente un lugar preeminente en esta conquista del espacio público que, en el siglo XIX, compartió con las nuevas instituciones representativas. Pese a todo, el naciente Estado liberal no supo configurar su propio corpus ceremonial, en parte por la gran conflictividad entre las familias políticas. Por ello, aquellos eventos puramente políticos que debían celebrar al Estado introdujeron elementos monárquicos, instrumentalizando su legitimidad y solidez ceremonial. Igualmente, las ceremonias dinásticas de la monarquía devinieron en fiestas del Estado, encarnando la Familia Real el cuerpo de la nación. Este artículo analiza los discursos y representaciones generadas en eventos de la Familia Real —como bodas, bautizos, etc.— en un momento de construcción del sistema político liberal, de desarrollo del nacionalismo y de redefinición de los roles de género.

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