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Carlos Ríos,1 Génessis Maldonado,2 Carlos Paredes,2 Christian Ferro,3 Mario Moreno,4 Claudia Vera,3 Sara Vargas,5 Wendy Calapaqui,5 Carlos Vallejo6 1Rheumatology and Rehabilitation Center, Clinical Research Department, Guayaquil, Ecuador; 2Espíritu Santo University, Rheumatology Department, Samborondón, Ecuador; 3Santiago de Guayaquil Catholic University, Rheumatology Department, Guayaquil, Ecuador; 4Luis Vernaza Hospital, Rheumatology Service, Guayaquil, Ecuador; 5Ecuadorian Society of Rheumatology, Clinical Research Department, Guayaquil, Ecuador; 6Pontificia Catholic University of Ecuador, Rheumatology Department, Quito, Ecuador Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune inflammatory disease, wherein late diagnosis and treatment leads to deformities and disability.Objective: The aim of the study was to assess and describe the clinical and immunological characteristics, activity status of the disease, and functional capacity in a cohort of Ecuadorian patients with RA.Methods: This is a cross-sectional, descriptive study conducted on a population of patients with prediagnosed RA from public and private Ecuadorian rheumatology clinics. This study investigated 400 patients with a mean age of 50 years, 353 (82.25%) of which were female.Results: The study showed that 44.3%, 83.5%, 60.3%, 41.8%, 37.5%, and 11.5% had an acute onset of the disease, symmetrical polyarthritis, morning stiffness exceeding 1 h, dry eyes, dry mouth, and rheumatoid nodules, respectively. A total of 89.7% presented with positive rheumatoid factor, and 96.5% were anti-citrullinated protein antibody positive.Conclusion: This is the largest Ecuadorian cohort of patients with RA; clinical features are similar to those of other Latin American populations. Keywords: rheumatoid arthritis, epidemiology, Ecuador

M Imran Khan,1 Carlos Franco-Paredes,2,3 Sushant Sahastrabuddhe,4 R Leon Ochiai,5 Vittal Mogasale,4 Bradford D Gessner6 1Center of Excellence in Women and Child Health, The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan; 2Hospital Infantil de México, Federico Gómez, México DF., Mexico; 3Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, Albany, GA, USA; 4International Vaccine Institute, Seoul, Republic of Korea; 5Sanofi Pasteur, Lyon, 6Agence de Médecine Preventive, Ferney-Voltaire, France Abstract: Typhoid vaccines have been available as a means of disease control and prevention since 1896; however, their use as a routine tool for disease prevention in endemic settings has been hampered because of: 1) insufficient data on disease burden particularly regarding the lack of health care access in the poorest communities affected by typhoid; 2) limitations of the typhoid vaccine, such as shorter duration of protection, moderate efficacy in young children, and no efficacy for infants; 3) inadequate evidence on potential economic benefits when used for a larger population; 4) neglect in favor of alternative interventions that require massive infrastructure; 5) no financial support or commitment regarding vaccine delivery cost; 6) ambivalence about whether to invest in water and sanitation hygiene versus the vaccine; and 7) clarity on global policy for country adoption. If current typhoid-protein conjugate vaccines live up to their promise of higher efficacy, longer duration of protection, and efficacy in young children, typhoid vaccine use will be a critical component of short- and medium-term disease control strategies. Typhoid control could be accelerated if the global framework includes plans for accelerated introduction of the conjugate typhoid vaccine in developing countries. Keywords: typhoid fever, vaccines, policy, endemic countries, barriers, immunization

The internationalization of capitalism and its system of representative democracy is the all-powerful kingdom of businessmen and transnational companies that today are an expression of a larger system. This system of domination is what communitarian feminism designates Patriarchy. This article presents the foundations on which communitarian feminism is based, and how this form of feminism is different from other feminist currents. In particular, it analyses how neoliberal policies caused the institutionalization of the feminist movement through NGOs and networks that represented women and spoke on their behalf. In Bolivia, beginning with the popular insurrection of October 2003 led by El Alto, the Feminist Assembly created the conditions for the reconceptualization needed in the struggle against patriarchy and aimed at decolonizing feminism. Representatives of this Assembly went to Lima to the 13th Latin American and Caribbean Meeting, in November 2014, and suggested Bolivia as the next venue. As this initiative was turned down, Communitarian Feminism has launched a call for the 1st Feminist Meeting of the People to take place in Bolivia, in 2016. La internacionalización del capitalismo y su democracia representativa ha sido el reino todopoderoso de empresarios y trasnacionales que hoy son expresiones de un sistema mayor. A este sistema de dominación las feministas comunitarias denominamos Patriarcado. Este artículo presenta al feminismo comunitario en sus diferencias con respecto a otros feminismos. En particular, se analiza cómo las políticas neoliberales provocaron la institucionalización del movimiento feminista a través de ONGs y de redes que representaban y hablaban en lugar de las mujeres. En Bolivia, a partir de la insurrección popular de Octubre 2003 a la cabeza de El Alto, la Asamblea Feminista creó un espacio de reflexión para las reconceptualizaciones que se necesitaban en la lucha contra el patriarcado y para la descolonización del feminismo. Representantes de esta Asamblea asistieron al 13º Encuentro Feminista Latinoamericano y del Caribe y sugirieron que Bolivia fuese la próxima sede. Como esta iniciativa fue rechazada, el Feminismo Comunitario lanzó la convocatoiria al 1er. Encuentro Feminista de los Pueblos, a realizarse en Bolivia en 2016.

A new fungal disease of strawberry fruits caused by Neurospora dictyophora has been discovered in Mexico. The disease was observed in two greenhouses in the Santa Cruz Analco community, resulting in a 50% loss of production. The fungus was identified through morphological characteristics and DNA analysis. The disease is likely due to inadequate ventilation and high temperatures. This finding emphasizes the importance of alerting growers and implementing management strategies to prevent the spread of the disease. Funding for the research was provided by CONACyT-México, PRODEP-SEP-México, and the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla. [Extracted from the article]