The outcome of these studies will help to improve our understanding of several important aspects of food allergies in the European Community, providing for more well-informed policies and effective measures of disease prevention, diagnosis and management.

This study aimed to describe the current practices in the diagnosis and dietary management of phenylketonuria (PKU) in Latin America, as well as the main barriers to treatment. We developed a 44-item online survey aimed at health professionals. After a pilot test, the final version was sent to 25 practitioners working with inborn errors of metabolism (IEM) in 14 countries. Our results include 22 centers in 13 countries. Most countries (12/13) screened newborns for PKU. Phenylalanine (Phe) targets at different ages were very heterogeneous among centers, with greater consistency at the 0–1 year age group (14/22 sought 120–240 µmol/L) and the lowest at >12 years (10 targets reported). Most countries had only unflavored powdered amino acid substitutes (10/13) and did not have low-protein foods (8/13). Only 3/13 countries had regional databases of the Phe content of foods, and only 4/22 centers had nutrient analysis software. The perceived obstacles to treatment were: low purchasing power (62%), limited/insufficient availability of low-protein foods (60%), poor adherence, and lack of technical resources to manage the diet (50% each). We observed a heterogeneous scenario in the dietary management of PKU, and most countries experienced a lack of dietary resources for both patients and health professionals.

This article shows the preliminary design process for a tailor-made Initial Test of Integrated Skills (ITIS) specially adapted to the needs of TRADILEX, a project (2020-2023) funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities to study the scope and validity of using audiovisual translation (AVT) tools to develop communicative competence in a foreign language. We also design a complete virtual AVT-based teaching platform that will help to promote faster and better EFL learning. In this paper we present one of the project’s initial stages, i.e. the ITIS design and the methodological framework for the design process from draft stage to final product. The draft pilot ITIS was tested by specialists, who produced a series of reports and anticipated several potential problems that occurred when the test was carried out. We pay special attention to the changes and improvements made to the draft ITIS as well as its three-stage process and remedial measures. The validity of the ITIS is currently being tested with a pilot group. The ITIS will be complemented with a Final Test of Integrated Skills (FITIS), which is currently underway.

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The main hypothesis for the aetiology of meningoencephalitis of unknown origin (MUO) in dogs is an autoimmune or genetic cause that is associated with a triggering event (environmental factors/infectious agents). The aim of this ambispective cohort study was to test for Leishmania infantum infection in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of dogs with MUO in an endemic area of canine leishmaniosis. Dogs with MUO were selected amongst all dogs undergoing blood anti-L. infantum antibody testing (control group). The blood plasma or serum samples from all dogs were analysed for anti- L. infantum antibodies by a quantitative indirect fluorescent assay (IFAT). In dogs with MUO, CSF samples were obtained for analysed by PCR detection of L. infantum DNA. Forty-four percent and 22% of the dogs in the MUO group featured magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings and CSF cytology respectively, consistent with L. infantum infection. IFAT, PCR, and histological findings were negative for L. infantum. A significant difference in L. infantum infection prevalence was found between the control and MUO group (p = 0.0022). While it seems unlikely that L. infantum plays a role in the aetiology of MUO, in endemic areas, this pathogen should be included in the differential diagnosis of this neurological disorder.