Search

In Mexico, diverse morphotypes of chili pepper with local recognition are distributed regionally contributing to the in-situ conservation of Capsicum diversity in the hands of farmers, as is the case of Huacle pepper in Oaxaca. The objective of this study was to evaluate the variation among morphotypes of Huacle, Guajillo, Ancho and Pasilla chili peppers, based on agromorphological traits, bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity in fruits. The morphotypes were established in greenhouse conditions under a random block design, obtaining fruit at physiological maturity for laboratory analysis. Significant differences (P ≤ 0.01) were determined in the analysis of variance among and within morphotypes for all the agromorphological characters evaluated, except in plant height at 120 days after transplantating (dat) and specific weight. Different growth patterns were evaluated from 30 to 120 dat, but the final height was similar. Size, weight, shape, pericarp thickness, locules, number and total weight of fruits per plant were used to determine the variation among and within morphotypes. Morphotypes of Huacle (CH-4, CH-9 and CH-15) and Ancho (AN-R) presented the highest values of fruits, total weight and a low number of fruits per plant. Among morphotypes, significant differences (P ≤ 0.01) were observed for fruit composition, but not for antioxidant activity. Also, significant differences were seen in vitamin C, flavonoids content, and antioxidant activity. In fruit composition, Huacle and Guajillo peppers presented a higher vitamin C content (4.5 mg acetic acid g-1). Huacle pepper was also high in total polyphenols (31.5 mg GAE g-1). Ancho pepper showed a higher content of carotenoids (2.8 mg β -carotene g-1) and total flavonoids (3.3 mg QE g-1). Pasilla pepper showed low values in all the evaluated compounds. In conclusion, all morphotypes showed variation in fruit characters (weight, length, width, pericarp thickness, number of locules and fruit length/width ratio). In fruit composition, the variation was in vitamin C, carotenoids, flavonoids and polyphenols, but not in antioxidant activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Phaseolus vulgaris L. is widely studied for its bioactive compounds and nutritional properties while minimal attention has been given to P. lunatus L. or P. coccineus L. Here, a comparison of the phenolic compounds, minerals and antioxidant activity between landraces of P. lunatus and P. coccineus was made based on samples from populations cultivated by indigenous communities in Oaxaca, Mexico and with reference to improved varieties of P. vulgaris. Methods: The phenolic compound contents and antioxidant activity in four samples of P. lunatus, four of P. coccineus and four improved varieties of P. vulgaris (control) were evaluated by spectrophotometry using reference standards. Through inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry, the mineral macro- and microelements contents were determined. Result: Except for Fe, Zn and Na, significant differences and high levels of variability were observed in the phenolic compound and mineral contents and antioxidant activity of P. lunatus, P. coccineus and P. vulgaris across the populations evaluated. The highest concentration of phenolic compounds was recorded in the seed coat, followed by whole grains and cotyledons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the concept of laparoscopic intracorporeal rectus muscle aponeuroplasty (LIRA) for parastomal hernia repair. Parastomal hernias are more common in patients with end colostomies, and there is currently no consensus on the best approach for repairing them. The modified Sugarbaker technique is favored over the keyhole approach when using laparoscopy. The LIRA technique, originally used for midline ventral hernia repair, has been successfully applied to parastomal hernias, providing a tension-free closure and the advantages of laparoscopic surgery. The article includes a video vignette demonstrating the LIRA technique for parastomal hernia repair. [Extracted from the article]

In this paper we present the solution of the stationary Schrödinger equation in the coordinates and momentum representations for three simple problems: the linear potential, the harmonic oscillator and the Dirac delta potential. We verify through explicit calculation that the wave functions obtained in each representation are connected through the Fourier transform, showing that both solutions constitute two complementary representations of the same quantum state. From a pedagogical point of view, this shows that both solutions contain information of equal theoretical value and constitute two complementary representations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The HLA system shows the most extensive polymorphism in the human genome. Allelic and haplotypic frequencies of HLA genes vary dramatically across human populations. Due to a complex history of migration, populations in Latin America show a broad variety of admixture proportions, usually varying not only between countries, but also within countries. Knowledge of HLA allele and haplotype frequencies is essential for medical fields such as transplantation, but also serves as a means to assess genetic diversity and ancestry in human populations. Here, we have determined high‐resolution HLA‐A, ‐B, ‐C, and ‐DRB1 allele and haplotype frequencies in a sample of 713 healthy subjects from three Mestizo populations, one population of African descent, and Amerindians of five different groups from Costa Rica and Nicaragua and compared their profiles to a large set of indigenous populations from Iberia, Sub‐Saharan Africa, and the Americas. Our results show a great degree of allelic and haplotypic diversity within and across these populations, with most extended haplotypes being private. Mestizo populations show alleles and haplotypes of putative European, Amerindian, and Sub‐Saharan African origin, albeit with differential proportions. Despite some degree of gene flow, Amerindians and Afro‐descendants show great similarity to other Amerindian and West African populations, respectively. This is the first comprehensive study reporting high‐resolution HLA diversity in Central America, and its results will shed light into the genetic history of this region while also supporting the development of medical programs for organ and stem cell transplantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Land‐use change can alter trophic interactions with wide‐ranging functional consequences, yet the consequences for aquatic food webs have been little studied. In part, this may reflect the challenges of resolving the diets of aquatic organisms using classical gut contents analysis, especially for soft‐bodied prey. We used next‐generation sequencing to resolve prey use in nearly 400 individuals of two predatory invertebrates (the Caddisfly, Rhyacophila dorsalis, and the Stonefly Dinocras cephalotes) in streams draining land with increasingly intensive livestock farming. Rhyacophila dorsalis occurred in all streams, whereas D. cephalotes was restricted to low intensities, allowing us to test whether: (i) apparent sensitivity to agriculture in the latter species reflects a more specialized diet and (ii) diet in R. dorsalis varied between sites with and without D. cephalotes. DNA was extracted from dissected gut contents, amplified without blocking probes and sequenced using Ion Torrent technology. Both predators were generalists, consuming 30 prey taxa with a preference for taxa that were abundant in all streams or that increased with intensification. Where both predators were present, their diets were nearly identical, and R. dorsalis's diet was virtually unchanged in the absence of D. cephalotes. The loss of D. cephalotes from more intensive sites was probably due to physicochemical stressors, such as sedimentation, rather than to dietary specialization, although wider biotic factors (e.g., competition with other predatory taxa) could not be excluded. This study provides a uniquely detailed description of predator diets along a land‐use intensity gradient, offering new insights into how anthropogenic stressors affect stream communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atmospheric monitoring is one of the fundamental steps in identifying strategies to minimize, prevent and control the impact of the dispersion of pollutants in the air, on public health and the environment. Therefore, the main objective of this article is to propose a methodology for selecting air monitoring sites in urban areas affected by emissions from mobile sources. First, the places with the highest vehicular flow were identified and prioritized according to the following selection criteria: safety, influence of other sources, ease of assembly of equipment, accessibility to the site, identification of barriers and obstacles, historical record of data and degree concentration of the pollutant: in this case carbon monoxide, using CALINE 3 software. The modeling grouped characteristic data related with roads, meteorology and vehicular flow of a typical year of the zone under study. A quantitative assessment is assigned to each of these parameters, which defines the sites where the monitoring will be performed. As a result, it was developed a guide to select those places where atmospheric monitoring campaigns related with mobile sources can be held. This methodology was applied in the city of Cartagena de Indias by using air quality model for assessment, CALINE 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple myeloma is a neoplastic proliferation of a plasma cell clone that produces a monoclonal immunoglobulin. It is one of the most common haematological malignancies and the incidence increases with age, with a median age at diagnosis of 65–70 years. The diagnosis of multiple myeloma requires the presence of ≥10% plasma cells in the bone marrow and an M-protein in serum and/or urine. Cytogenetic status, serum β2-microglobulin and response to therapy are the key prognostic factors. Treatment is necessary for the patient diagnosed with symptomatic multiple myeloma, with organ damage. Patients older than 65 years are ineligible for autologous transplantation. The introduction of novel agents, such as thalidomide, bortezomib and lenalidomide, have changed the management of myeloma and extended overall survival. However, in older patients the results are not as satisfactory and treatment strategies have to be individualized to improve tolerability and optimize efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Tetralogy of Fallot is the most common form of cyanotic congenital heart disease; its clinical manifestations vary depending on the degree of obstruction of the right ventricular outflow tract and its hemodynamic repercussion. Surgical treatment may be complete repair or palliative depending on the patient's condition. Doppler color echocardiogram is the diagnostic method of choice; however, angiotomography has recently become a useful tool for diagnosis and postoperative monitoring. Objective: review the specialized literature on diagnostic criteria for Tetralogy of Fallot and discuss the principal postoperative findings in computed angiotomography. Material and methods: exhaustive review of the specialized literature and selection of representative cases of patients with diagnosis of tetralogy of Fallot (with computed angiotomography) at Instituto Nacional de Cardiologia Ignacio Chavez. Conclusion: computed angiotomography has emerged as an additional tool for diagnosis and postoperative monitoring of patients with tetralogy of Fallot, especially in patients with inconclusive echocardiograms, in whom it is preferable to avoid the sedation required for evaluation by magnetic resonance. The radiologist must be familiar with the key signs for diagnosis of tetralogy of Fallot and for monitoring palliative or definitive surgical treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic resonance of the lumbar spine is one of the studies most often requested in our field due to the high prevalence of lumbago (as cause for consultation at medical care centers) and the outstanding anatomical detail it offers. Objective: describe the anatomy of the lumbar spine and establish a step-by-step guide on what should be evaluated when making a report on magnetic resonance. Material and methods: exhaustive bibliographic review, in addition to analysis of a selection of representative magnetic resonance studies of the lumbar spine performed with a 1.5 T resonator. Conclusion: magnetic resonance is the imaging method of choice for studies of the spine; therefore, imaging specialists need to be familiar with spinal anatomy and able to make a suitable radiological report following a sequential order of its component structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the behaviour of the Raman emission spectrum, it is possible to obtain structural and compositional information of the material under study. Analysis of this information is made difficult due to low intensities of the signal, relative to noise in measurement process, and the signals generated by the nature of the compounds. Raman spectra are composed of overlapping emission bands associated with the samples, and the noise generated by fluorescence, which constitutes the baseline. The useful information is screened by the fluorescence, hiding emission peaks, which are assigned to the normal modes of vibration of low intensity. Signal processing techniques, and pattern recognition that allow to reconstruct the Raman spectrum of ZnO by subtracting the fluorescence signal, are presented in this work. In the linearizing, the Huber and the truncated quadratic functions are used, both symmetric and asymmetric, the baseline is adjusted to a lower-order polynomial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Para conocer el efecto de la edad de corte, la producción de materia seca (PMS) y la altura en el contenido de proteína de genotipos de Brachiaria humidicola, así como para construir curvas de dilución de la proteína de los diferentes genotipos, con el objetivo de determinar su pertinencia como herramienta de selección, se evaluaron 22 genotipos en un diseño de parcelas divididas con tres repeticiones. La investigación se enmarcó de junio a septiembre de 2004. El genotipo fue la parcela principal, y la edad de corte (14, 28. 42, 56 y 70 d) la subparcela. Las variables estudiadas fueron: altura (cm), PMS (t ha-1) y contenido de proteína cruda (% MS). Las curvas se obtuvieron al modelar la relación del contenido de proteína con la PMS. Se elaboró un sistema de ecuaciones acopladas para un modelo mecanístico dinámico en cada uno de los genotipos y se compararon sus curvas mediante análisis discriminante. Los resultados mostraron interacción genotipo x edad de corte en las variables evaluadas (P < 0.05). A los 14 d se obtuvo el mayor contenido de proteína (10.75 ± 1.14 %), menor PMS (2.92±1.03 t ha-1) y menor altura (12.75 ± 5.45 cm). En cambio, a los 70 d se registró menor contenido de proteína (6.03 ± 0.82 %), mayor PMS (11.80 ± 4.07 t ha-1) y altura (58.06 ± 9.50 cm). Los genotipos CIAT-26407 y CIAT-168687 tuvieron menor y mayor dilución de la proteína, respectivamente. El contenido de proteína se correlacionó negativamente con la PMS y la altura (P < 0.001). Los promedios de los parámetros de las curvas mostraron una tasa de síntesis de materia seca de 0.0312 t d-1 y de proteína de 0.2083 t d-1. El análisis discriminante aplicado a las curvas evidenció diferencias significativas (P < 0.05) entre los genotipos evaluados. Se concluye que los genotipos de B. humidicola y la edad al corte constituyen una fuente de variación en el comportamiento de las curvas de dilución de la proteína, y que dichas curvas se pueden utilizar como herramienta para seleccionar los genotipos con menor tasa de dilución de la proteína según crece la planta. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twenty -two Brachiaria humidicola genotypes were evaluated in a split plot design with three repetitions to know the effect of cut age, dry matter production (DMP), and height on the protein content of the genotypes, as well as on the construction of their protein dilution curves, aiming at determining its pertinence as selection tool. The research was conducted from June to September in 2004. The genotype was the main plot, and the cut age (14, 28. 42, 56, and 70 d), the subplot. The variables under study were: height (cm), DMP (t ha-1), and content of crude protein (% DM). The curves were obtained by modeling the ratio of the protein content with the DMP. A system of equations fitted to a dynamic mechanistic model in each of the genotypes was elaborated, comparing their curves through discriminating analysis. The outcomes showed genotype x cut age interaction in the variables (P < 0.05). At 14 d, the highest protein content (10.75 ±1.14 %), the lowest DMP (2.92±1.03 t ha-1) and the lowest height (12.75 ± 5.45 cm) were obtained. Conversely, at 70 d, lower protein content (6.03 ± 0.82 %), higher DMP (11.80 ± 4.07 t ha-1) and height (58.06 ± 9.50 cm) were recorded. The genotypes CIAT-26407 and CIAT-168687 had lower and higher protein dilution, respectively. The protein content was correlated negatively with the DMP and the height (P < 0.001). The means of the parameters of the curves showed a rate of synthesis of dry matter of 0.0312 t d-1 and of protein of 0.2083 t d-1. The discriminating analysis applied to the curves evidenced significant differences (P < 0.05) between the genotypes. It was concluded that the genotypes of B. humidicola and the age cut are a source of variation in the performance of the protein dilution curves, and that these curves can be used as tool to select the genotypes with lowest protein dilution rate as the plant grows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experiments were performed in a cooling batch crystallizer to develop a phenomenological model that represents the dissolution stage in crystallization. Two models were used: a theoretical and a black box, comparing their results with the experimental ones through the simulation of these models (use the mean and the standard deviation of crystal size like comparative means). The theoretical model was obtained by population's balance, mass and energy balances, and constitutive relations (decrease speed and production‐reduction speed). The black box model consisted of a set of equations, which are functions of the mean, standard deviation, agitation speed and time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on the content of protein per unit of dry matter accumulated in tropical forage species, in limiting and non-limiting fertility conditions of the soil during the winter. The work was carried out in experimental plots in the country environment of Huimanguillo in Tabasco, Mexico. It was found that the content of crude protein diminished as the yield of dry matter was increased, being higher the content of protein per unit of dry matter accumulated in non-limiting fertility conditions.

Intact jicama (Pachyrhizus erosus) roots are chilling sensitive, but quality of fresh-cut pieces (1.8 x 4.5 cm cylinders) was best maintained at low storage temperatures (0 to 5 °C). Respiration rates of different piece sizes were similar, and averaged 2, 7 and 10 µL CO2⋅g-1⋅h-1 at 0 °C, 5 °C and 10 °C, respectively. Storage in air at 5 °C to 10 °C resulted In surface browning and was associated with increases in phenolics and phenylalanine ammonia lyase and polyphenol oxidase activities. High CO2 atmospheres (5 to 10%) at 5 °C were very effective in retarding microbial growth and discoloration. The source of jicama root notably affected the quality and shelf-life of the fresh-cut pieces. Fresh-cut pieces from stored roots (2 wk at 19 to 22 °C) had lower visual quality and crispness during subsequent storage than did pieces from recently harvested roots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We find that spinning particles with suitable couplings propagating in certain supersymmetric backgrounds of D = 4 , N = 2 and D = 5 , N = 1 minimal supergravities are invariant under symmetries generated by the twisted covariant form hierarchies of these theories. We also compare our results with the symmetries of spinning particles generated by Killing-Yano forms which are responsible for the separability properties of some gravitational backgrounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. To relate dental age and bone age to chronological age in a group of children with isolated growth hormone deficiency (GHD). Design. A group of 25 children between the ages of 6 and 18 years, diagnosed as having GHD were studied. Of these, 16 were male and nine were female, undergoing replacement therapy with growth hormone (GH) over 2·5 years. Dental age (DA) was estimated from orthopantograms (Haavicko Methods) and compared to bone age (BA) by Greulich and Pyle Standards, and chronological age (CA). Results. CA versus BA – there was a statistically significant difference of 1·52 years between the average chronological age and bone age (t = 5·61, P < 0·001). CA versus DA – there was a statistically significant difference of 0·92 years between the average chronological age and dental age (t = 3·93, P < 0·001). BA versus DA – statistically nonsignificant differences were found between the average bone age and dental age (t = –0·60, P = 0·10). Conclusion. After 2·5 years of therapy with growth hormone both DA and BA showed a significant delay compared to CA. Despite the fact that some catch-up occurs in speed of growth there is no evidence from the children in our study that might support the occurrence of a similar speed-up in dental age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The geographical distribution of bovine leukaemia-virus (BLV)-infected herds in Costa Rica and the isolation of BLV from cases of enzootic bovine leukosis are presented. It was found that BLV is prevalent throughout the country, affecting mostly dairy cattle ( Bos taurus) located in the highlands around the central valley of Costa Rica. By contrast, beef cattle ( Bos indicus) raised in the lowlands were affected to a lesser extent. One out of four isolates of BLV obtained from local cattle with lymphosarcomatous tumours was analysed and had similar physical, serological and biological characteristics to a reference strain of BLV isolated in the USA. However, different patterns of recognition of BLV-protein p24 were observed among naturally infected cattle using the western-blotting technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new HLA‐A*74:23 allele differs from the closest allele A*74:01 by a nucleotide change in exon 3 at codon 97. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

B Background: b Rickettsiosis are zoonotic diseases, caused by bacteria of the Rickettsia genus, which can be transmitted to humans through the bite or contact with feces of different arthropods, including ticks, lice, mites and fleas. B Results: b 434/506 (85.8%) positive samples were obtained against R. rickettsii, 306/506 (60.4%) against R. typhi and 242/506 (47.8%) against R. felis, a cross-reactivity of 52.7% was presented between R. Rickettsii and R. typhi; 41.7% between R. rickettsii and R. felis and 32.60% between R. typhi and R. felis B Conclusion: b Seroprevalence of Rickettsia spp. infection in prioritized rural areas in the department of Cauca is high. [Extracted from the article]