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The Andean Altiplano, characterized by its extreme climatic conditions and high levels of biodiversity, provides a unique environment for studying ecological and evolutionary adaptations in insect morphology. Butterflies, due their large wing surface compared to body surface, and wide distribution among a geographical area given the flight capabilities provided by their wings, constitute a good biological model to study morphological adaptations following extreme weathers. This study focuses on Phulia nymphula, a butterfly species widely distributed in the Andes, to evaluate wing shape variation across six localities in the Northern Chilean Altiplano. The geometric morphometrics analysis of 77 specimens from six locations from the Chilean Altiplano (Caquena, Sorapata Lake, Chungará, Casiri Macho Lake, Surire Salt Flat, and Visviri) revealed significant differences in wing shape among populations. According to the presented results, variations are likely influenced by local environmental conditions and selective pressures, suggesting specific adaptations to the microhabitats of the Altiplano. The first three principal components represented 60.92% of the total wing shape variation. The detected morphological differences indicate adaptive divergence among populations, reflecting evolutionary responses to the extreme and fragmented conditions of the Altiplano. This study gives insights into the understanding of how high-altitude species can diversify and adapt through morphological variation, providing evidence of ecological and evolutionary processes shaping biodiversity in extreme environments.

Bergmann’s rule relates the trend of increasing body size with higher latitudes, where colder climates are found. In the Mexican Pacific, three marine ecoregions are distinguishable across a latitudinal gradient. Stenoplax limaciformis is an abundant chiton species that is distributed on rocky shores in these ecoregions. Geometric morphometric analyses were performed to describe the shape and size variation of S. limaciformis between marine ecoregions that vary in sea surface temperature with latitude, thus testing Bergmann’s rule. Individuals’ body shape ranged from elongated to wide bodies. Although there was variation in chitons’ body shape and size, the was no evidence of allometry among localities. The Gulf of California is the northernmost ecoregion evaluated in this work, where larger chitons were observed and lower sea surface temperature values were registered. The results suggest that S. limaciformis follows a trend to Bergmann’s rule, such as endotherms. These mollusks do not need heat dissipation, but they do need to retain moisture. In addition, larger chitons were observed in zones with high primary productivity, suggesting that chitons do not delay their maturation due to food shortage.

Inland fishing is an essential activity for the livelihood and food security the Colombian population. The knowledge and evaluation of exploited fish stocks is a priority to develop sustainable management and conservation strategies of the fisheries. To optimize the management processes of fishery resources and conservation of species, it is necessary to evaluate the population structure and identification of stocks. Geometric morphometrics analysis have shown useful in the evaluation of fish stocks. This study focuses on the species Plagioscion magdalenae, commonly called “Pacora”, corvinata, or river croaker, which belongs to the family Sciaenidae, a family characterized as an important fishery resource. With the aim of generating a baseline about the state of the P. magdalenae population structure, samples were collected along the marshy complex of the Dique channel, Colombia, between December 2020 and October 2021. In this study, the existence of morphometric variability between individuals of Plagioscion magdalenae was found across sampling sites, Ciénaga de Capote and Ciénaga del Jobo; shape differences between location suggest the action of environmental pressures and the existence of anthropogenic pressures, such as unsustainable artisanal fishing.

The current quality control of the dry-curing process in Iberian ham is performed with an olfactory evaluation by ham experts. The present study proposes to monitor the dry-curing process of Iberian ham using an objective analytical methodology that involves non-destructive sampling of the subcutaneous fat of the hams and a volatile profile analysis using gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry. Thirty-eight 100% Iberian acorn-fed hams were examined in total, with eighteen hams monitored during the post-salting stage and twenty during the drying-maturation stage. A total of 164 markers were detected in the samples monitored during the post-salting stage, whereas 276 were detected in the hams monitored during the drying-maturation stage. The study of the trends observed in the intensities of the markers throughout the curing process enabled the detection of potential indicators of the end of the post-salting stage. Thus, representative intensity thresholds were established for some markers (3-methylbutanal, pentanal, hexanal, ( E )-octen-2-al, 2-hexen-1-ol and heptan-1-ol) to determine the optimal point to specify the end of the post-salting process for hams. These findings provide an objective tool to support the traditional sensory evaluation currently performed in the industry.

Background/Objectives : The evaluation of the efficacy of antibacterial treatments in complex oral ecosystems is limited by the inability to differentiate live from dead bacteria using omic techniques. The objective of this study was therefore to assess the ability of the combination of the 16S rRNA Illumina sequencing methodology and the action of propidium monoazide (PMA) to study viable bacterial profiles in oral biofilms after exposure to an antiseptic compound. Methods : Cariogenic supragingival biofilms were developed in an ex vivo model for 96 h, using saliva from healthy volunteers. The biofilms were treated with 0.12% chlorhexidine (CHX) combined with 0.05% cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), for 60 s, using phosphate buffered saline as a control. After exposure, each biofilm was treated or not with PMA to then extract the bacterial DNA, quantify it by Qubit, quantify the bacterial population using qPCR, and perform the metataxonomic study of the samples using Illumina 16S rRNA sequencing. Results : A significantly lower DNA concentration in the PMA-treated biofilms ( p < 0.05 compared with those not exposed to PMA) was observed. The viable bacterial count obtained by qPCR differed significantly from the total bacterial count in the biofilm samples exposed to the antiseptic ( p < 0.05). The viable microbiome differed significantly from the total bacterial profile of the samples treated with CHX/CPC after exposure to PMA ( p < 0.05 at the α- and β-diversity levels). Conclusions : The combination of Illumina 16S rRNA sequencing and PMA helps solve the inability to evaluate the efficacy of antibacterial treatments in the bacterial profile of complex ecosystems such as oral biofilms.

Universal health coverage has been proposed as a strategy to improve health in low- and middle-income countries, but this depends on a good provision of health services. Under-5 mortality (U5M) reflects the quality of health services, and its reduction has been a milestone in modern society, reducing global mortality rates by more than two-thirds between 1990 and 2020. However, despite these impressive achievements, they are still insufficient, and most deaths in children under 5 can be prevented with the provision of timely and high-quality health services. The aim of this paper is to conduct a literature review on amenable (treatable) mortality in children under 5. This indicator is based on the concept that deaths from certain causes should not occur in the presence of timely and effective medical care. A systematic and exhaustive review of available literature on amenable mortality in children under 5 was conducted using MEDLINE/PubMed, Cochrane CENTRAL, OVID medline, Scielo, Epistemonikos, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar in both English and Spanish. Both primary sources, such as scientific articles, and secondary sources, such as bibliographic indices, websites, and databases, were used. Results: The main cause of amenable mortality in children under 5 was respiratory disease, and the highest proportion of deaths occurred in the perinatal period. Approximately 65% of avoidable deaths in children under 5 were due to amenable mortality, that is, due to insufficient quality in the provision of health services. Most deaths in all countries and around the world are preventable, primarily through effective and timely access to healthcare (amenable mortality) and the management of public health programs focused on mothers and children (preventable mortality).

The metagenomic surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in wastewater has been suggested as a methodological tool to characterize the distribution, status, and trends of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In this study, a cross-sectional collection of samples of hospital-associated raw and treated wastewater were obtained from February to March 2020. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing and bioinformatic analysis were performed to characterize bacterial abundance and antimicrobial resistance gene analysis. The main bacterial phyla found in all the samples were as follows: Proteobacteria , Bacteroides , Firmicutes , and Actinobacteria . At the species level, ESKAPEE bacteria such as E. coli relative abundance decreased between raw and treated wastewater, but S. aureus , A. baumannii , and P. aeruginosa increased, as did the persistence of K. pneumoniae in both raw and treated wastewater. A total of 172 different ARGs were detected; bla OXA , bla VEB , bla KPC , bla GES , mphE , mef , erm , msrE , AAC(6') , ant(3″) , aadS , lnu , PBP-2 , dfrA , vanA-G , tet , and sul were found at the highest abundance and persistence. This study demonstrates the ability of ESKAPEE bacteria to survive tertiary treatment processes of hospital wastewater, as well as the persistence of clinically important antimicrobial resistance genes that are spreading in the environment.

We report a joint high-pressure experimental and theoretical study of the structural, vibrational, and photoluminescent properties of pure and Eu 3+ -doped cubic Y 2 O 3 nanoparticles with two very different average particle sizes. We compare the results of synchrotron X-ray diffraction, Raman scattering, and photoluminescence measurements in nanoparticles with ab initio density-functional simulations in bulk material with the aim to understand the influence of the average particle size on the properties of pure and doped Y 2 O 3 nanoparticles under compression. We observe that the high-pressure phase behavior of Y 2 O 3 nanoparticles depends on the average particle size, but in a different way to that previously reported. Nanoparticles with an average particle size of ~37 nm show the same pressure-induced phase transition sequence on upstroke and downstroke as the bulk sample; however, nanoparticles with an average particle size of ~6 nm undergo an irreversible pressure-induced amorphization above 16 GPa that is completed above 24 GPa. On downstroke, 6 nm nanoparticles likely consist of an amorphous phase.

Background: Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT) is a vascular autosomically inherited rare disease. Epistaxis (nose bleeds) is the most common symptom in HHT, leading to anemia and affecting the patient's quality of life. In addition to epistaxis, gastrointestinal bleeding (GI), more often at older ages, may lead to severe anemia and the need for blood transfusions. Thus, finding drugs to control both types of bleeding is a primary necessity in HHT., Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted in a series of 11 HHT patients treated with low tacrolimus doses (0.5-2 mg/day) on an off-label prescription basis. Patients showed refractory bleeding to previous treatments. The epistaxis severity score (ESS) and hemoglobin levels were the parameters used to evaluate the impact of tacrolimus. The occurrence of side effects was also recorded., Results: Tacrolimus was well tolerated in all of the patients except 2 (who stopped the treatment). The remaining patients tolerated the treatment, with a general improvement in their health condition. Epistaxis was significantly reduced when comparing the ESS before and after the treatment. Hemoglobin levels significantly increased, overcoming the anemia, during the course of the treatment., Conclusion: Tacrolimus at low doses should be considered as a promising treatment for epistaxis and gastrointestinal bleeding in HHT.

Moodle is an open-source learning management system that is widely used today, especially in higher education settings. Although its technological acceptance by undergraduate students has been extensively studied in the past, very little is known about its acceptance by university professors. In particular, as far as we know, the literature contains no previous experiences related to South American teachers. This paper aims to bridge this gap by quantifying and analyzing the drivers of Moodle's technological acceptance among Ecuadorian academic staff. Considering the responses of 538 teachers and taking a modified UTAUT2 model as a theoretical basis, we found that Ecuadorian teachers have high levels of acceptance of Moodle, regardless of their age, gender, ethnicity, or discipline. However, this acceptance is significantly higher in teachers with high levels of education and with considerable previous experience with e-learning systems. The main determinants of this acceptance are attitude strength, effort expectancy, performance expectancy, and facilitating conditions. We found no moderating effects in relation to the age, gender, or previous experience of the participants (including second- and third-order interactions derived from these variables). We conclude that, albeit moderately (e.g., adjusted R2=0.588), the model tested confirms the predictive power of the part of UTAUT2 that was inherited from UTAUT.

Nursing workforce shortage is one of the main challenges for healthcare organizations and it is important to determine if nurses are fulfilling their full scope of practice. There is a questionnaire that measures the activities carried out by nurses, but there is no version available for the Spanish context. The purpose of this study was to develop a cross-cultural adaptation of the "Actual Scope of Nursing Practice" questionnaire by D'Amour et al., and to assess the psychometric characteristics of the Spanish version. An exploratory sequential research design was used. The cross-cultural adaptation was performed using translation, back-translation, review, and pre-testing. Psychometric properties were assessed to determine its construct validity and internal consistency. Among the 501 eligible nurses from the three main hospitals in the region, the first 310 nurses to respond to an online questionnaire were included in our study. The response rate was 61.9%. They were invited via email and completed the survey using the SurveyMonkey platform. The Spanish version of the questionnaire was obtained. A final scale with twenty items and two factors was confirmed with an adequate fit, with the item scores demonstrating that all items were optimally related to their respective latent construct. The alpha coefficients for the Spanish ASCOP scale were robust and revealed good internal consistency. This study showed that the Spanish version of the scale, "Scope of Nursing Practice", has a good degree of validity and reliability. This questionnaire can support nurse managers in realising nursing activities within their organisations and in promoting desirable work outcomes among nurses.

The use of sulfidogenic bioreactors is a biotechnology trend to recover valuable metals such as copper and zinc as sulfide biominerals from mine-impacted waters. In the present work, ZnS nanoparticles were produced using "green" H 2 S gas generated by a sulfidogenic bioreactor. ZnS nanoparticles were physico-chemically characterized by UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopy, TEM, XRD and XPS. The experimental results showed spherical-like shape nanoparticles with principal zinc-blende crystalline structure, a semiconductor character with an optical band gap around 3.73 eV, and fluorescence emission in the UV-visible range. In addition, the photocatalytic activity on the degradation of organic dyes in water, as well as bactericidal properties against several bacterial strains, were studied. ZnS nanoparticles were able to degrade methylene blue and rhodamine in water under UV radiation, and also showed high antibacterial activity against different bacterial strains including Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The results open the way to obtain valorous ZnS nanoparticles from the use of dissimilatory reduction of sulfate using a sulfidogenic bioreactor.

Bladder cancer is a worldwide problem and improved therapies are urgently needed. In the search for newer strong antitumor compounds, herein, we present the study of three nitric oxide-releasing compounds and evaluate them as possible therapies for this malignancy. Bladder cancer cell lines T24 and 253J were used to evaluate the antiproliferative, antimigratory, and genotoxic effects of compounds. Moreover, we determined the NF-κB pathway inhibition, and finally, the survivin downregulation exerted by our molecules. The results revealed that compounds 1 and 3 exerted a high antiproliferative activity against bladder cancer cells through DNA damage and survivin downregulation. In addition, compound 3 reduced bladder cancer cell migration. We found that nitric oxide donors are promising molecules for the development of a new therapeutic targeting the underlying mechanisms of tumorigenesis and progression of bladder cancer.

Handgrip strength is a simple measure of general muscle strength and is related to functionality in people with intellectual disabilities. The objective of this research was to describe the normative values of absolute and relative handgrip strength in children, adolescents and adults according to sex. The sample was made up of 264 schoolchildren (n = 168 men) belonging to five special education schools in Santiago of Chile. The results show higher levels of absolute handgrip strength in males compared to females. The maximum peak of the absolute manual handgrip is reached in females in adolescence with a decrease in adulthood. Relative handgrip strength levels are similar in boys and girls. In females, the relative handgrip strength is similar in childhood and adolescence. Relative handgrip strength declines in both sexes from adolescence to adulthood. The reference values of this study can be used by professionals in the areas of health and education as a guide for interpretation, monitoring and follow-up of Chilean schooled people with intellectual disabilities.

Sorghum contains antioxidants such as tannins. However, these are considered antinutritional factors since they are responsible for the low digestibility of proteins and carbohydrates. Nevertheless, these can be extracted by solid-state fermentation (SSF). Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of SSF from Aspergillus oryzae and Aspergillus niger Aa210 on the tannin contents, phenolic profiles determined by HPLC-MS, and antioxidant activities (ABTS, DPPH, and FRAP) of two genotypes of sorghum. The results showed that with SSF by A. niger Aa210, a higher tannin content was obtained, with yields of 70-84% in hydrolyzable tannins (HT) and 33-49% in condensed tannins (CT), while with SSF by A. oryzae the content of HT decreased by 2-3% and that of CT decreased by 6-23%. The extracts fermented by A. niger at 72 and 84 h exhibited a higher antioxidant activity. In the extracts, 21 polyphenols were identified, such as procyanidins, (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin, scutellarein, arbutin, and eriodictyol, among others. Therefore, SSF by A. niger was an efficient process for the release of phenolic compounds that can be used as antioxidants in different food products. It is also possible to improve the bioavailability of nutrients in sorghum through SSF. However, more studies are required.

Lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the social, psychological, and physical well-being of the world population. In the case of people with intellectual disabilities, the impact of lockdown on their physical condition and functionality is not completely clear. This study aimed to determine the effects of COVID-19 lockdown on the anthropometric indicators of cardiometabolic risk, muscle strength, and functionality on schoolchildren with intellectual disabilities. The sample was composed of 132 students of both sexes ( n = 74 pre-lockdown; n = 58 lockdown) belonging to two special education centers from the Metropolitan Region of Santiago, Chile. Our results showed significant reductions ( p ≤ 0.05) in absolute and relative handgrip strength, as well as in functionality, when comparing pre-lockdown and lockdown measurements, with a greater loss in girls than boys. The design and implementation of physical exercise programs centered on strength training are necessary for the physical and functional reconditioning of this population. These programs need to be implemented in special education centers considering the general well-being, quality of life and work needs of people with intellectual disabilities.

Bacteria in the oral cavity, including commensals and opportunistic pathogens, are organized into highly specialized sessile communities, coexisting in homeostasis with the host under healthy conditions. A dysbiotic environment during biofilm evolution, however, allows opportunistic pathogens to become the dominant species at caries-affected sites at the expense of health-associated taxa. Combining tooth brushing with dentifrices or rinses combat the onset of caries by partially removes plaque, but resulting in the biofilm remaining in an immature state with undesirables' consequences on homeostasis and oral ecosystem. This leads to the need for therapeutic pathways that focus on preserving balance in the oral microbiota and applying strategies to combat caries by maintaining biofilm integrity and homeostasis during the rapid phase of supragingival plaque formation. Adhesion, nutrition, and communication are fundamental in this phase in which the bacteria that have survived these adverse conditions rebuild and reorganize the biofilm, and are considered targets for designing preventive strategies to guide the biofilm towards a composition compatible with health. The present review summarizes the most important advances and future prospects for therapies based on the maintenance of biofilm integrity and homeostasis as a preventive measure of dysbiosis focused on these three key factors during the rapid phase of plaque formation.

The aim of the present study is to analyze the relation between the severity of symptoms in people with ASD on their parents' overload, moderated by parental well-being and the ASD pragmatic level. A sample consisted of 28 fathers and mothers whose children had ASD. The obtained results showed that the higher the ASD severity, the better the parental overload was perceived if parents had low well-being levels. However, this relation did not occur if the parental well-being level was high. Moreover, the relation between severity and parental overload moderated by parental well-being occurred regardless of the pragmatic language level. Therefore, the main results of this study are that the responsibility for parental overload depends more on parental well-being than on the symptom severity of the person with ASD. The relevance of carrying out interventions with not only people with ASD, but also with their parents or caregivers for their well-being is highlighted.

The objective of this study was to determine the presence and persistence of antimicrobial-resistant enterobacteria and their clonal distribution in hospital wastewater. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in wastewater from two Mexico City tertiary level hospitals. In February and March of 2020, eight wastewater samples were collected and 26 isolates of enterobacteria were recovered, 19 (73.1%) isolates were identified as E. coli , 5 (19.2%) as Acinetobacter spp. and 2 (7.7%) as Enterobacter spp. Antimicrobial susceptibility profiles were performed using the VITEK 2 ® automated system and bacterial identification was performed by the Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization-Time of Flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS ® ). ESBL genes were detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and clonal distributions of isolates were determined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). E. coli susceptibility to different classes of antimicrobials was analyzed and resistance was mainly detected as ESBLs and fluoroquinolones. One E. coli strain was resistant to doripenem, ertapenem, imipenem and meropenem. The analysis by PCR showed the presence of specific β-lactamases resistance genes ( bla KPC , bla CTX-M ). The PFGE separated the E. coli isolates into 19 different patterns (A-R). PFGE results of Acinetobacter spp. showed the presence of a majority clone A. Surveillance of antimicrobial resistance through hospital wastewater is an important tool for early detection of clonal clusters of clinically important bacteria with potential for dissemination.

Canine leishmaniasis (CanL) diagnosis is not fully resolved. Currently, two specific methodologies are in continuous development, the detection of the parasite DNA or RNA in target organs and the detection of specific antibodies against Leishmania sp. For a correct diagnosis, it has been shown that the joint use of this type of test is necessary. In this work, a Sybr Green and a TaqMan Probe based on real time PCRs (qPCR) was performed for the detection of Leishmania sp. in order to correlate the results with clinicopathological and serological evaluations (IFA, ELISA and DAT) to propose an optimal biological sample to be used to detect the parasite in both early and late stages of the infection. A total of four samples were processed: conjunctival swabs, popliteal lymph node aspirates, bone marrow aspirates, and peripheral blood from experimentally infected dogs belonging to a larger study. Our results indicated that a single non-invasive sample (conjunctival swab) and the application of both types of qPCR would be reliable for determining Leishmania infection as well as the disease stage in dogs, thus avoiding bone marrow, lymph node aspirate or blood samples collection.

In response to increasing pretreatment drug resistance (PDR), Mexico changed its national antiretroviral treatment (ART) policy, recommending and procuring second-generation integrase strand-transfer inhibitor (INSTI)-based regimens as preferred first-line options since 2019. We present a four-year observational study describing PDR trends across 2017-2020 at the largest HIV diagnosis and primary care center in Mexico City. A total of 6688 baseline protease-reverse transcriptase and 6709 integrase sequences were included. PDR to any drug class was 14.4% (95% CI, 13.6-15.3%). A significant increasing trend for efavirenz/nevirapine PDR was observed (10.3 to 13.6%, p = 0.02). No increase in PDR to second-generation INSTI was observed, remaining under 0.3% across the study period. PDR was strongly associated with prior exposure to ART (aOR: 2.9, 95% CI: 1.9-4.6, p < 0.0001). MSM had higher odds of PDR to efavirenz/nevirapine (aOR: 2.0, 95% CI: 1.0-3.7, p = 0.04), reflecting ongoing transmission of mutations such as K103NS and E138A. ART restarters showed higher representation of cisgender women and injectable drug users, higher age, and lower education level. PDR to dolutegravir/bictegravir remained low in Mexico City, although further surveillance is warranted given the short time of ART optimization. Our study identifies demographic characteristics of groups with higher risk of PDR and lost to follow-up, which may be useful to design differentiated interventions locally.

There is a relationship between systemic sarcoidosis (SS) and malignancy. Sarcoidosis results from an exaggerated immune response in genetically susceptible individuals. In oncologic patients with sarcoidosis, tumoral antigens and antineoplastic treatment are considered potential triggering factors. The observation of a patient with granulomas in a parotid carcinoma who later developed SS led us to review the previous tumors of patients with SS. The aim of the study is to see whether granulomas were already present in the tumors that preceded sarcoidosis. We identified 196 sarcoidosis patients, 47 of whom had previously had a tumor. We were able to review 29 cases, 12 of which showed tumor-associated granulomas (TAGs) (41.4%). This ratio is much higher than that of the normal population (4.4-13.8). We analyzed five control patients without sarcoidosis for each tumor. In conclusion, we observed an increased number of TAGs in patients who later developed SS. This finding reinforces a pathogenic relationship between SS and neoplasia. The histology of tumors in patients with SS should be reviewed in an attempt to identify granulomas.