Tendencias en la mortalidad de médicos generales y especialistas en Cali, Colombia

Objective: To determine the Average Mortality Rate (TMP) and the causes of death of general practitioners and specialists in the city of Cali in the period studied. Methodology: Retrospective cohort study, carried out in a database of doctors associated with a fund of employees from the city of Cali between the years 1997 and 2011. The information of the medical specialty was obtained from the records of the employee fund and the cause of death of all the deceased (n = 181) was established from the records of the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE). Results: The TMP of the doctors in Cali in the period between 1997 to 2011 (5.8 / 1000) is lower than the TMP of the general population older than 30 years (8.3 / 1000) in the evaluated period (P < 0.001). The main causes of death are related to Cancer (36%) and Cardiovascular Diseases (30%). The first cause of death from Cancer is due to the Prostate and the first cause of Cardiovascular Disease was Acute Myocardial Infarction. The highest TMP with statistical significance was for doctors with surgical specialties. Conclusions: The studied medical population presents a TMP in the period 1997 to 2011 lower than the general population older than 30 years of the city of Cali. The main causes of death are associated with health problems characteristic of adulthood such as Cancer and cardiovascular diseases.Objetivo: Determinar la Tasa de Mortalidad Promedio (TMP) y las causas de muerte de médicos generales y especialistas en la ciudad de Cali en el periodo estudiado. Metodología: Estudio de cohorte retrospectivo, realizado en una base de datos de médicos asociados a un fondo de empleados de la ciudad de Cali entre los años 1.997 y 2.011. La información de la especialidad médica se obtuvo a partir de los registros del fondo de empleados y la causa de muerte del total de los fallecidos (n=181) se estableció a partir de los registros del Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística (DANE). Resultados: La TMP de los médicos en Cali en el periodo entre 1.997 a 2.011 (5,8/1000) es inferior a la TMP de la población general mayor de 30 años (8,3/1000) en el período evaluado (P<0,001). Las principales causas de muerte se relacionan con Cáncer (36%) y Enfermedades Cardiovasculares (30%). La primera causa de muerte por Cáncer se debe al de Próstata y la primera por Enfermedad Cardiovascular fue el Infarto Agudo de Miocardio. La TMP más alta con significancia estadística fue para los médicos con especialidades quirúrgicas. Conclusiones: La población médica estudiada presenta una TMP en el periodo 1.997 a 2.011 inferior a la población general mayor a 30 años de la ciudad de Cali. Las principales causas de muerte están asociadas a problemas de salud característicos de la edad adulta como son Cáncer y enfermedades cardiovasculares

Comunicar ciencia en México: Tendencias y narrativas

Para que sea útil, el conocimiento debe fluir desde las aulas, los laboratorios o la mente de los investigadores y creadores hacia el público en general y al especializado. Tarea primordial de la comunicación de la ciencia es tender los puentes que generen los diálogos y una retroalimentación enriquecedora entre ambos polos, y construir así una cultura que incorpore de una manera crítica y efectiva el conocimiento científico a la práctica cotidiana y al quehacer colectivo en aras de un desarrollo más armónico de la sociedad y con el entorno. Bajo esta perspectiva, en esta obra se presentan diversos trabajos que muestran desde las tendencias de la investigación académica internacional en la comunicación pública de la ciencia hasta la utilización de los periódicos, la televisión, los blogs u otros medios para vincular a los científicos y el público, y trasformar las relaciones entre ellos en beneficio común, ya sea a través del análisis y difusión de problemas médicos, como el Sida, o socioambientales, como la contaminación del agua, hasta el utilizar los principios del branding (construcción de marca) para una mejor difusión del conocimiento científico. Una obra de interés para todas aquellas personas involucradas en la generación y divulgación de la ciencia y la tecnología.ITESO, A.C

Contribution of pecan (Carya illinoinensis [Wangenh.| K. Koch) to Sustainable Development Goal 2 under the dual perspective of carbon storage and human nutrition.

This work aims to contextualize and analyze the potential contribution of pecan to SDG2 under the dual perspective of carbon storage and human nutrition. Particularly, the study focuses on the pecan agroecosystems in the Americas, representing the most important pecan-producing countries (the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Peru). We observed that pecan is a reliable sink for storing atmospheric C and also for quality nuts with high nutritional density. The Americas, hold a population of ca. 23 M pecan trees, with the younger tree populations and the highest C-storing potential in South America. This pecan tree population has removed 51.3 Mt CO2eq immobilizing the OC in their aboveground biomass, but if the C sequestration for the whole system is considered, the value reaches nearly 80 Mt CO2eq. From a nutritional perspective, there are different dietary needs to cover according to the country, although the common analysis output is a low proportion of nuts in the diet, which is expected to improve, given the efforts of each country to promote domestic consumption. All the mentioned countries in this study have a low pecan consumption going from 8 to 293 g per capita yr-1, which in the light of the Global Burden of Disease represents 0.08 to 3.2% of the recommended yearly dietary basis for nuts overall. The inclusion of pecan nuts in the daily diet is of utmost importance to offset the food nutrient dilution carbohydrates-based, linked to the excess of atmospheric CO2. Also, pecan orchards function as a platform to integrate sustainable systems. The global benefit of having pecan and alley crops has been proved in regions other than the Americas with interesting economic outputs leading to energizing the life of rural communities. Pecan orchards and pecan agroforestry may lead to sustainable agri-food systems, with global gains in SOC and nutritional richness and diversity. Therefore, more in-depth studies are needed not only to fully understand the functioning of the systems at a productive level but also to design and plan sustainable landscapes in rural land.Published 14 April 2023

The ocean sampling day consortium

Ocean Sampling Day was initiated by the EU-funded Micro B3 (Marine Microbial Biodiversity, Bioinformatics, Biotechnology) project to obtain a snapshot of the marine microbial biodiversity and function of the world’s oceans. It is a simultaneous global mega-sequencing campaign aiming to generate the largest standardized microbial data set in a single day. This will be achievable only through the coordinated efforts of an Ocean Sampling Day Consortium, supportive partnerships and networks between sites. This commentary outlines the establishment, function and aims of the Consortium and describes our vision for a sustainable study of marine microbial communities and their embedded functional traits

The Latin American experience of allografting patients with severe aplastic anaemia: real-world data on the impact of stem cell source and ATG administration in HLA-identical sibling transplants

We studied 298 patients with severe aplastic anaemia (SAA) allografted in four Latin American countries. The source of cells was bone marrow (BM) in 94 patients and PBSCs in 204 patients. Engraftment failed in 8.1% of recipients with no difference between BM and PBSCs (P = 0.08). Incidence of acute GvHD (aGvHD) for BM and PBSCs was 30% vs 32% (P = 0.18), and for grades III–IV was 2.6% vs 11.6% (P = 0.01). Chronic GvHD (cGvHD) between BM and PBSCs was 37% vs 59% (P = 0.002) and extensive 5% vs 23.6% (P = 0.01). OS was 74% vs 76% for BM vs PBSCs (P = 0.95). Event-free survival was superior in patients conditioned with anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG)-based regimens compared with other regimens (79% vs 61%, P = 0.001) as excessive secondary graft failure was seen with other regimens (10% vs 26%, P = 0.005) respectively. In multivariate analysis, aGvHD II–IV (hazard ratio (HR) 2.50, confidence interval (CI) 1.1–5.6, P = 0.02) and aGvHD III–IV (HR 8.3 CI 3.4–20.2, Po0.001) proved to be independent negative predictors of survival. In conclusion, BM as a source of cells and ATG-based regimens should be standard because of higher GvHD incidence with PBSCs, although the latter combining with ATG in the conditioning regimen could be an option in selected high-risk patient

Defining the Plasticity of Transcription Factor Binding Sites by Deconstructing DNA Consensus Sequences: The PhoP-Binding Sites among Gamma/Enterobacteria

Transcriptional regulators recognize specific DNA sequences. Because these sequences are embedded in the background of genomic DNA, it is hard to identify the key cis-regulatory elements that determine disparate patterns of gene expression. The detection of the intra- and inter-species differences among these sequences is crucial for understanding the molecular basis of both differential gene expression and evolution. Here, we address this problem by investigating the target promoters controlled by the DNA-binding PhoP protein, which governs virulence and Mg2+ homeostasis in several bacterial species. PhoP is particularly interesting; it is highly conserved in different gamma/enterobacteria, regulating not only ancestral genes but also governing the expression of dozens of horizontally acquired genes that differ from species to species. Our approach consists of decomposing the DNA binding site sequences for a given regulator into families of motifs (i.e., termed submotifs) using a machine learning method inspired by the “Divide & Conquer” strategy. By partitioning a motif into sub-patterns, computational advantages for classification were produced, resulting in the discovery of new members of a regulon, and alleviating the problem of distinguishing functional sites in chromatin immunoprecipitation and DNA microarray genome-wide analysis. Moreover, we found that certain partitions were useful in revealing biological properties of binding site sequences, including modular gains and losses of PhoP binding sites through evolutionary turnover events, as well as conservation in distant species. The high conservation of PhoP submotifs within gamma/enterobacteria, as well as the regulatory protein that recognizes them, suggests that the major cause of divergence between related species is not due to the binding sites, as was previously suggested for other regulators. Instead, the divergence may be attributed to the fast evolution of orthologous target genes and/or the promoter architectures resulting from the interaction of those binding sites with the RNA polymerase

Antibacterial activity of traditional medicinal plants used by Haudenosaunee peoples of New York State

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The evolution and spread of antibiotic resistance, as well as the evolution of new strains of disease causing agents, is of great concern to the global health community. Our ability to effectively treat disease is dependent on the development of new pharmaceuticals, and one potential source of novel drugs is traditional medicine. This study explores the antibacterial properties of plants used in Haudenosaunee traditional medicine. We tested the hypothesis that extracts from Haudenosaunee medicinal plants used to treat symptoms often caused by bacterial infection would show antibacterial properties in laboratory assays, and that these extracts would be more effective against moderately virulent bacteria than less virulent bacteria.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>After identification and harvesting, a total of 57 different aqueous extractions were made from 15 plant species. Nine plant species were used in Haudenosaunee medicines and six plant species, of which three are native to the region and three are introduced, were not used in traditional medicine. Antibacterial activity against mostly avirulent (<it>Escherichia coli, Streptococcus lactis</it>) and moderately virulent (<it>Salmonella typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus</it>) microbes was inferred through replicate disc diffusion assays; and observed and statistically predicted MIC values were determined through replicate serial dilution assays.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Although there was not complete concordance between the traditional use of Haudenosaunee medicinal plants and antibacterial activity, our data support the hypothesis that the selection and use of these plants to treat disease was not random. In particular, four plant species exhibited antimicrobial properties as expected (<it>Achillea millefolium, Ipomoea pandurata, Hieracium pilosella</it>, and <it>Solidago canadensis</it>), with particularly strong effectiveness against <it>S. typhimurium</it>. In addition, extractions from two of the introduced species (<it>Hesperis matronalis </it>and <it>Rosa multiflora</it>) were effective against this pathogen.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our data suggest that further screening of plants used in traditional Haudenosaunee medicine is warranted, and we put forward several species for further investigation of activity against <it>S. typhimurium </it>(<it>A. millefolium, H. matronalis, I. pandurata, H. pilosella, R. multiflora, S. canadensis</it>).</p

Ecological and Physiological Studies of Gymnodinium catenatum in the Mexican Pacific: A Review

This review presents a detailed analysis of the state of knowledge of studies done in Mexico related to the dinoflagellate Gymnodinium catenatum, a paralytic toxin producer. This species was first reported in the Gulf of California in 1939; since then most studies in Mexico have focused on local blooms and seasonal variations. G. catenatum is most abundant during March and April, usually associated with water temperatures between 18 and 25 ºC and an increase in nutrients. In vitro studies of G. catenatum strains from different bays along the Pacific coast of Mexico show that this species can grow in wide ranges of salinities, temperatures, and N:P ratios. Latitudinal differences are observed in the toxicity and toxin profile, but the presence of dcSTX, dcGTX2-3, C1, and C2 are usual components. A common characteristic of the toxin profile found in shellfish, when G. catenatum is present in the coastal environment, is the detection of dcGTX2-3, dcSTX, C1, and C2. Few bioassay studies have reported effects in mollusks and lethal effects in mice, and shrimp; however no adverse effects have been observed in the copepod Acartia clausi. Interestingly, genetic sequencing of D1-D2 LSU rDNA revealed that it differs only in one base pair, compared with strains from other regions

Clinical phenotypes of acute heart failure based on signs and symptoms of perfusion and congestion at emergency department presentation and their relationship with patient management and outcomes

Objective To compare the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with acute heart failure (AHF) according to clinical profiles based on congestion and perfusion determined in the emergency department (ED). Methods and results Overall, 11 261 unselected AHF patients from 41 Spanish EDs were classified according to perfusion (normoperfusion = warm; hypoperfusion = cold) and congestion (not = dry; yes = wet). Baseline and decompensation characteristics were recorded as were the main wards to which patients were admitted. The primary outcome was 1-year all-cause mortality; secondary outcomes were need for hospitalisation during the index AHF event, in-hospital all-cause mortality, prolonged hospitalisation, 7-day post-discharge ED revisit for AHF and 30-day post-discharge rehospitalisation for AHF. A total of 8558 patients (76.0%) were warm+ wet, 1929 (17.1%) cold+ wet, 675 (6.0%) warm+ dry, and 99 (0.9%) cold+ dry; hypoperfused (cold) patients were more frequently admitted to intensive care units and geriatrics departments, and warm+ wet patients were discharged home without admission. The four phenotypes differed in most of the baseline and decompensation characteristics. The 1-year mortality was 30.8%, and compared to warm+ dry, the adjusted hazard ratios were significantly increased for cold+ wet (1.660; 95% confidence interval 1.400-1.968) and cold+ dry (1.672; 95% confidence interval 1.189-2.351). Hypoperfused (cold) phenotypes also showed higher rates of index episode hospitalisation and in-hospital mortality, while congestive (wet) phenotypes had a higher risk of prolonged hospitalisation but decreased risk of rehospitalisation. No differences were observed among phenotypes in ED revisit risk. Conclusions Bedside clinical evaluation of congestion and perfusion of AHF patients upon ED arrival and classification according to phenotypic profiles proposed by the latest European Society of Cardiology guidelines provide useful complementary information and help to rapidly predict patient outcomes shortly after ED patient arrival