RESUMO

The brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus linnaei (Audouin, 1826), is distributed across the American continent and is formerly known as the "tropical lineage". It belongs to the Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Latreille, 1806) species complex, referred to as R. sanguineus (sensu lato). Mitochondrial genome sequences are frequently used for the identification and represent reference material for field studies. In the present study, the entire mitochondrial genomes of R. linnaei (∼15 kb) collected from dogs in Mexico were sequenced and compared with available mitogenomes of R. sanguineus (s.l.). The mitochondrial genome is ∼90% identical to the reference genome of R. sanguineus (sensu stricto, former "temperate lineage") and > 99% identical to R. linnaei mitogenome derived from the neotype. Two additional mitogenomes were obtained and described as R. linnaei and R. turanicus from dogs in Saudi Arabia. The present study delivers a molecular reference for R. linnaei from America and complements R. linnaei mitogenomes from Africa, Asia and Australia. We propose to consider the complete mitogenome, as the reference for American R. linnaei, even when partial mitochondrial cox1, 12S rRNA or 16S rRNA genes are characterised.

RESUMO

Veterinary medicine and animal science (VMAS) students coexist in asocial, geographic, and economic context that influences personal and career decisions. The goal of this study was to analyze students' perceptions of Animal Welfare (AW) and World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) topics by gender, religion, and stage of study at the school of veterinary medicine in the northeastern Mexican border area. Survey response rate was 60% of VMAS student enrollment, which was divided in basic, intermediate, and advanced academic levels. Student respondents reported animal production followed by animals for companionship and wildlife appreciation as their job placement expectations after graduation. Students in the basic training stage rated AW in general practice to be more important compared with those in intermediate and advanced training (p < 0.005). Compared with intermediate and advanced level students, students at the basic level considered bioethics, sustainable food production, and OIE animal welfare topics more important (p < 0.05). Regarding gender differences, compared with male students, their female counterparts rated AW more important, depending on areas of work practice and OIE topics (p < 0.05).

Assuntos

RESUMO

AIMS: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a treatment modality for several cancers involving the administration of a tumour-localising photosensitiser (PS) and its subsequent activation by light, resulting in tumour damage. Ras oncogenes have been strongly associated with chemo- and radio-resistance. Based on the described roles of adhesion and cell morphology on drug resistance, we studied if the differences in shape, cell-extracellular matrix and cell-cell adhesion induced by Ras transfection, play a role in the resistance to PDT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We employed the human normal breast HB4a cells transfected with H-RAS and a panel of five PSs. KEY FINDINGS: We found that resistance to PDT of the HB4a-Ras cells employing all the PSs, increased between 1.3 and 2.5-fold as compared to the parental cells. There was no correlation between resistance and intracellular PS levels or PS intracellular localisation. Even when Ras-transfected cells present lower adherence to the ECM proteins, this does not make them more sensitive to PDT or chemotherapy. On the contrary, a marked gain of resistance to PDT was observed in floating cells as compared to adhesive cells, accounting for the higher ability conferred by Ras to survive in conditions of decreased cell-extracellular matrix interactions. HB4a-Ras cells displayed disorganisation of actin fibres, mislocalised E-cadherin and vinculin and lower expression of E-cadherin and ß1-integrin as compared to HB4a cells. SIGNIFICANCE: Knowledge of the mechanisms of resistance to photodamage in Ras-overexpressing cells may lead to the optimization of the combination of PDT with other treatments.

Assuntos

RESUMO

The aim of this study is to automatically analyze, characterize and classify physical performance and body composition data of a cohort of Mexican community-dwelling older adults. Self-organizing maps (SOM) were used to identify similar profiles in 562 older adults living in Mexico City that participated in this study. Data regarding demographics, geriatric syndromes, comorbidities, physical performance, and body composition were obtained. The sample was divided by sex, and the multidimensional analysis included age, gait speed over height, grip strength over body mass index, one-legged stance, lean appendicular mass percentage, and fat percentage. Using the SOM neural network, seven profile types for older men and women were identified. This analysis provided maps depicting a set of clusters qualitatively characterizing groups of older adults that share similar profiles of body composition and physical performance. The SOM neural network proved to be a useful tool for analyzing multidimensional health care data and facilitating its interpretability. It provided a visual representation of the non-linear relationship between physical performance and body composition variables, as well as the identification of seven characteristic profiles in this cohort.

Assuntos

RESUMO

In the present study, the effects of ultrasound (10, 20, and 30 min) on the bioactive compounds, antioxidant capacity, enzymatic inhibition, and in vitro digestion of six honey extracts from the Oaxaca state, Mexico, were analyzed. Significant differences were found in each honey extract with respect to the ultrasonic treatment applied (p < 0.05). In the honey extract P-A1 treated with 20 min of ultrasound, the phenols reached a maximum concentration of 29.91 ± 1.56 mg EQ/100 g, and the flavonoids of 1.92 ± 0.01 mg EQ/100 g; in addition, an inhibition of α-amylase of 37.14 ± 0.09% was noted. There were also differences in the phases of intestinal and gastric digestion, presenting a decrease in phenols (3.92 ± 0.042 mg EQ/100 g), flavonoids (0.61 ± 0.17 mg EAG/100 mg), antioxidant capacity (8.89 ± 0.56 mg EAG/100 mg), and amylase inhibition (9.59 ± 1.38%). The results obtained from this study indicate that, in some honeys, the processing method could increase the concentration of bioactive compounds, the antioxidant capacity, and the enzymatic inhibition; however, when subjected to in vitro digestion, the properties of honey are modified. The results obtained could aid in the development of these compounds for use in traditional medicine as a natural source of bioactive compounds.

Assuntos

RESUMO

This paper analyzes the reliability and usability of a portable electronic instrument that measures balance and balance impairment in older adults. The center of pressure (CoP) metrics are measured with a modified Wii Balance Board (mWBB) platform. In the intra- and inter-rater testing, 16 and 43 volunteers (mean 75.66 and standard deviation (SD) of 7.86 years and 72.61 (SD 7.86) years, respectively) collaborated. Five volunteer raters (5.1 (SD 3.69) years of experience) answered the System Usability Scale (SUS). The most reliable CoP index in the intra-examiner tests was the 95% power frequency in the medial-lateral displacement of the CoP with closed-eyes. It had excellent reliability with an intraclass correlation coefficient ICC = 0.948 (C.I. 0.862-0.982) and a Pearson's correlation coefficient PCC = 0.966 (p < 0.001). The best index for the inter-rater reliability was the centroidal frequency in the anterior-posterior direction closed-eyes, which had an ICC (2,1) = 0.825. The mWBB also obtained a high usability score. These results support the mWBB as a reliable complementary tool for measuring balance in older adults. Additionally, it does not have the limitations of laboratory-grade systems and clinical screening instruments.

Assuntos

RESUMO

Early detriment in the muscle mass quantity, quality, and functionality, determined by calf circumference (CC), phase angle (PA), gait time (GT), and grip strength (GSt), may be considered a risk factor for sarcopenia. Patterns derived from these parameters could timely identify an early stage of this disease. Thus, the present work aims to identify those patterns of muscle-related parameters and their association with sarcopenia in a cohort of older Mexican women with neural network analysis. Methods: Information from the functional decline patterns at the end of life, related factors, and associated costs study was used. A self-organizing map was used to analyze the information. A SOM is an unsupervised machine learning technique that projects input variables on a low-dimensional hexagonal grid that can be effectively utilized to visualize and explore properties of the data allowing to cluster individuals with similar age, GT, GSt, CC, and PA. An unadjusted logistic regression model assessed the probability of having sarcopenia given a particular cluster. Results: 250 women were evaluated. Mean age was 68.54 ± 5.99, sarcopenia was present in 31 (12.4%). Clusters 1 and 2 had similar GT, GSt, and CC values. Moreover, in cluster 1, women were older with higher PA values (p < 0.001). From cluster 3 upward, there is a trend of worse scores for every variable. Moreover, 100% of the participants in cluster 6 have sarcopenia (p < 0.001). Women in clusters 4 and 5 were 19.29 and 90 respectively, times more likely to develop sarcopenia than those from cluster 2 (p < 0.01). Conclusions: The joint use of age, GSt, GT, CC, and PA is strongly associated with the probability women have of presenting sarcopenia.

Assuntos

RESUMO

Cordyceps s.l. is a paraphyletic group of ascomycete fungi that exhibit multifunctional lifestyles, that is, as saprotrophs, endophytes, and pathogens of insects, spiders, fungi, and grasses. The family Cordycipitaceae includes macroscopically similar species that have been erroneously considered to be conspecific with Cordyceps militaris. In this study, we describe a new species within the C. militaris complex that is distributed in the Quercus-Pinus forests of central Mexico on the basis of its morphology, phylogenetic relationships, and life cycle. Phylogenetically, Cordyceps mexicana is a well-supported new sister species of the C. militaris complex. It is distinguished by the morphology of its conidiophore, host association, and geographic distribution. This species parasitizes pupae of Paradirphia sp. (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae: Hemileucinae) and might be macroscopically confused with C. militaris. Its stromata are large, can measure up to 10 cm in length, and the fertile part is always bright yellow. This species develops whitish mycelial cords that emerge from the stromata and grow toward the host. Microscopically, it develops asci with filiform ascospores disarticulating in part-spores. Its life cycle and geographic distribution are also discussed.

Assuntos

RESUMO

Leptospirosis in small ruminants is an economically important disease that causes important losses by pathologies of the reproductive tract. The present study aimed to estimate the seroprevalence and risk factors associated with Leptospira spp. in small ruminants under traditional husbandry systems. A cross-sectional epidemiological study was carried out in a sample of 1039 animals which included 793 sheep and 245 goats from 49 farms of 10 municipalities of northeastern areas of Colombia. The MAT test using a panel of 13 laboratory serovars was performed to diagnose the Leptospira spp. antibodies in the serum samples of animals. A structured questionnaire was filled in each farm to obtain information on putative risk factors, and its association with Leptospira spp. infection was detected by univariate and multivariate logistic regression. The general seroprevalence showed a rate of 13.9%, the 79.6% of farms showed at least one positive animal, the 14.2% and 0.4% of positive animals showed titers ≥ 1:100 and 1:200, respectively. The seroprevalence in sheep and goats showed a rate of 13.1% and 16.2%, respectively. The most common serovars in positive animals were Autumnalis (3.6%), Tarassovi (3.4%), Bratislava (2.9%), Mini (2.9%), Bataviae (1.4%), Canicola (0.3%), and Grippotyphosa (0.3%). The univariate and multivariate analysis showed as risk factors the absence of housing system (OR = 3.412 CI: 1.347-8.152), the absence of quarantine measures to new animals (OR = 1.371 CI: 0.943-1.978), and the protective factor identified was the use of Toggenburg breed (OR = 0.571 CI: 0.249-1.074). This exploratory study showed the Leptospira spp. positive small ruminants located in the northeastern areas of Colombia with titer associated with chronic and subclinical infection.

Assuntos

RESUMO

Mexico is one of the countries most affected by the COVID-19 disease. Although there is vast information on the disease, there still are unknown data on the societal and economic cost of the pandemic. To estimate this impact, the disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) can be a useful tool. Objective: To assess the DALYs due to COVID-19 in Mexico. Methods: We used the data released by the Mexican Ministry of Health to estimate the DALYs by the sum of the years of life lived with disability (YLDs) and the years of life lost (YLLs). Results: A total of 1,152,885 confirmed cases and 324,570 suspected cases of COVID-19 have been registered. Half of the cases were men, with a median age of 43.4 ± 16.9 years. About 8.3% died. A total of 39,202 YLDs were attributable to COVID-19. The total YLLs caused by COVID-19 were 2,126,222. A total of 2,165,424.5 DALYs for COVID-19 were estimated. The total DALYs were the highest in people between 50 and 59 years. The DALYs for each COVID-19 case were the highest in individuals between 60 and 79 years. Conclusion: The DALYs generated by the COVID-19 represent a more significant disease burden than that reported for other causes, such as the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic. Although it impacts all age groups in terms of disability, the most affected group are people over 50 years of age, whose risk of death is higher.

Assuntos