Cuantificación de 17B-Estradiol proveniente de Efuentes Hospitalarios mediante Cromatografía de líquidos de alta resolución y determinación de Cinética de Degradación

En este trabajo de investigación se efectuó la determinación de 17β-estradiol en el afluente y efluente de una planta de tratamiento de agua residual de un hospital, la metodología incluye una extracción en fase sólida para la recuperación del analito en la muestra empleando el cartucho Oasis HLB, posteriormente se procedió a la cuantificación de esta hormona por un método analítico desarrollado por Cromatografía de Líquidos de Alta Resolución validado, el cual se basó en la separación de la hormona utilizando la columna cromatográfica Symmetry C18 3.0×250 mm×5µm Waters con detección UV a 280 nm para lo cual se empleó una fase móvil compuesta por acetonitrilo: agua en proporción 60:40 con 0.1% de ácido fórmico. La curva de calibración de 17β-estradiol se realizó en un rango de 100μg/L-5000 μg/L, mostrando una linealidad con un coeficiente de determinación igual a 0.9997.El límite de detección fue de 50 μg/L y el límite de cuantificación de 100 μg/L. El método analítico resultó lineal, preciso, específico y exacto en el desarrollo de su validación en el intervalo de las concentraciones estudiadas. Para la cuantificación de 17β-estradiol en el agua residual del hospital, se realizaron 11 muestreos semanales en los meses comprendidos de abril a junio del 2013. El analito se extrajo y concentró a través de cartuchos Oasis HLB. El promedio de los recobros obtenidos para el afluente fueron de 82.66%-104.52% y del efluente de 86.57-99.25%. La cuantificación por CLAR mostró la presencia de 17β-estradiol con niveles de concentración en el afluente de 18.81-60.57 µg /L y en el efluente de 5.29-54.63 µg/L

Sexismo y homofobia en adolescentes residentes en Lima Norte, Perú, 2020

El presente estudio pretendió determinar la relación entre sexismo y homofobia en adolescentes residentes en Lima Norte, Perú, 2020. El tipo de investigación fue descriptivo-correlacional y el diseño no experimental. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 73 adolescentes, de ambos sexos, con edades comprendidas entre los 15 y 17 años. Los instrumentos empleados fueron la Escala de detección de sexismo en adolescentes construida por Recio, Ramos y Cuadrado (2007) y la Escala de homofobia moderna adaptada por Rodríguez, Lameiras, Carrera y Vallejo (2013). Los resultados evidenciaron que el sexismo y la homofobia se relacionan de manera directa y significativa (Rho=.557), asimismo, se demostró que el sexismo se relaciona de manera directa y significativa con los componentes de la homofobia, expresados en homofobia hacia gays (Rho=.544) y homofobia hacia lesbianas (Rho=.536), de igual manera, se encontró que la homofobia se relaciona de manera directa y significativa con los componentes del sexismo, expresados en sexismo hostil (Rho=.601) y sexismo benévolo (Rho=.383)

Estudio de prefactibilidad para la instalación de una planta productora de salsa picante a partir de rocoto verde (Capsicum pubescens) y sacha tomate (Solanum betaceum)

Gran parte de la población peruana acostumbra acompañar su comida con las salsas picantes hechas, en su mayoría, a base de ají amarillo y rocoto rojo. El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo hacer uso de frutos poco implementados para constituir un producto novedoso y más natural. Para ello, se ha evaluado la viabilidad de mercado, técnica y económico financiera para la instalación de una planta productora de salsa picante a partir de rocoto verde y sacha tomate. El producto tiene como mercado objetivo a las personas de los NSE A y B de Lima Metropolitana. Se realizó el estudio de mercado con información histórica, la opinión de expertos y una encuesta a una muestra representativa del público objetivo, este determinó que la demanda para el 2026 es de 88.79 toneladas. La localización de planta se empleó un análisis de macro y micro localización mediante la metodología del Ranking de Factores, haciendo uso de factores de evaluación y rangos de puntaje, que dio como resultado el distrito de Chilca. Se realizó la evaluación del tamaño de planta tomando en cuenta el mercado, los recursos productivos, la tecnología y el punto de equilibrio para así establecer el tamaño óptimo que esta debe tener. En cuanto a la ingeniería del proyecto, se describieron las máquinas a utilizar, el cálculo de la capacidad instalada, la calidad del producto, el impacto ambiental, medidas se seguridad, la cadena de suministro y un programa de producción anual a lo largo de la vida útil del proyecto. Finalmente, se realizó la evaluación económica y financiera del proyecto, determinándose el monto total a invertir. Se concluyó que el proyecto es viable, por los resultados obtenidos: VAN mayor a cero, TIR mayor al COK, beneficio costo mayor a la unidad y periodo de recuperación de 3.34 años.A large part of the Peruvian population is used to eat their food with spicy sauce made, for the most part, from aji amarillo and rocoto rojo. The objective of this research is to make use of the fruits that are not widely used to make a novel and more natural product. To this end, the market, technical and economic-financial evaluation has been determined to stablish the feasibility of installing a plant that produces spicy sauce from Rocoto Verde and Sacha Tomate. The target market of the product is people from the NSE A and B of Lima Metropolitana. The market study used was carried out with historical information, expert opinion and the results of the survey to a representative sample of the target,which determined that the demand for 2026 is 88.79 tons. The location of the plant was submitted with a macro-location and micro-location through the Factor Ranking methodology, using evaluation factors and scoring ranges, which resulted in the district of Chilca. The evaluation of the plant size was carried out considering the market, the production resources, the technology, and the equilibrium point to establish the optimal size it should have. As for the engineering of the project, the machines to be used, the calculation of the installed capacity, the product quality, the environmental impact, the safety measures, the supply chain, and the annual production program were described over the life of the project. Finally, the economic and financial evaluation of the project was carried out, determining the total amount to be invested. It was concluded that the project is viable due to the results obtained: NPV greater than zero, TIR greater than the COK, costbenefit, greater than one and recovery periodo of 3.34 years

The common murre (Uria aalge), an auk seabird, reacts to underwater sound

Author Posting. © Acoustical Society of America, 2020. This article is posted here by permission of Acoustical Society of America for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 147(6), (2020): 4069, doi:10.1121/10.0001400.Marine mammals have fine-tuned hearing abilities, which makes them vulnerable to human-induced sounds from shipping, sonars, pile drivers, and air guns. Many species of marine birds, such as penguins, auks, and cormorants, find their food underwater where light is often limited, suggesting sound detection may play a vital role. Yet, for most marine birds, it is unknown whether they are using, and can thereby be affected by, underwater sound. The authors conducted a series of playback experiments to test whether Alcid seabirds responded to and were disrupted by, underwater sound. Underwater broadband sound bursts and mid-frequency naval 53 C sonar signals were presented to two common murres (Uria aalge) in a quiet pool. The received sound pressure levels varied from 110 to 137 dB re 1 μPa. Both murres showed consistent reactions to sounds of all intensities, as compared to no reactions during control trials. For one of the birds, there was a clearly graded response, so that more responses were found at higher received levels. The authors' findings indicate that common murres may be affected by, and therefore potentially also vulnerable to, underwater noise. The effect of man-made noise on murres, and possibly other marine birds, requires more thorough consideration.This project was funded by the U. S. Navy's Living Marine Resources Program (BAA N39433015R7203) and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Birds were loaned from Copenhagen Zoo. Work was conducted under permission from the WHOI Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, and animal permit to University of Southern Denmark No. 2300-50120-00003-09 from the Danish Ministry of Food and Agriculture. Statistical analysis was assisted by Simeon Smeele (MPI Konstanz, Germany) and Owen Jones (University of Southern Denmark).2020-12-2

Determinantes del gasto de gobierno

Este estudio se encarga de analizar los determinantes del gasto público, hecho para 94 países. A través de la ley de Wagner se observa que el crecimiento del PBI real propicia la expansión del gasto público, por ende, variables como el PBI per cápita, el crecimiento de la población urbana es de sumo interés para este análisis. Asimismo, se consideran como variables del modelo al índice de percepción de la corrupción, índice de democracia, la apertura comercial y los subsidios, obtenidos principalmente del Banco Mundial. Mediante una regresión lineal y utilizando el modelo MCO, se estimaron las variables y se obtuvieron resultados sugestivos, tales como que el PBI per cápita guarda relación negativa con el gasto público, y que el índice de percepción de la corrupción, por algún motivo, no resulta influyente en el modelo propuesto

A promising novel formulation for articular cartilage regeneration: Preclinical evaluation of a treatment that produces SOX9 overexpression in human synovial fluid cells

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic disorder of synovial joints, in which there is progressive softening and disintegration of the articular cartilage. OA is the most common form of arthritis, and is the primary cause of disability and impaired quality of life in the elderly. Despite considerable medical necessity, no treatment has yet been proven to act as a disease‑modifying agent that may halt or reverse the structural progression of OA. The replacement of the joint with a prosthesis appears to be the best option in the advanced stages of the disease. A formulation (BIOF2) for cartilage regeneration has been recently developed. The present study evaluated the effects of BIOF2 on gene expression in human cell cultures, followed by efficacy trials in three OA animal models. Human synovial fluid cells that were exposed to the formulation exhibited increased transcription factor SOX‑9 (SOX9; chondrogenic factor) expression, and decreased mimecan (mineralization inducer) and macrophage‑stimulating protein receptor (osteoclastogenic factor) expression. The intra‑articular application of BIOF2 in the animal models significantly increased cartilage thickness from 12 to 31% at 28 days, compared with articular cartilage treated with saline solution. The articular area and number of chondrocytes additionally increased significantly, maintaining an unaltered chondrocyte/mm2 proportion. Evaluation of the histological architecture additionally displayed a decrease in the grade of articular damage in the groups treated with BIOF2. In conclusion, BIOF2 has proven to be effective for treating OA in animal models, most likely due to SOX9 overexpression in articular cells

Plant Trait Diversity Buffers Variability in Denitrification Potential over Changes in Season and Soil Conditions

BACKGROUND: Denitrification is an important ecosystem service that removes nitrogen (N) from N-polluted watersheds, buffering soil, stream, and river water quality from excess N by returning N to the atmosphere before it reaches lakes or oceans and leads to eutrophication. The denitrification enzyme activity (DEA) assay is widely used for measuring denitrification potential. Because DEA is a function of enzyme levels in soils, most ecologists studying denitrification have assumed that DEA is less sensitive to ambient levels of nitrate (NO(3)(-)) and soil carbon and thus, less variable over time than field measurements. In addition, plant diversity has been shown to have strong effects on microbial communities and belowground processes and could potentially alter the functional capacity of denitrifiers. Here, we examined three questions: (1) Does DEA vary through the growing season? (2) If so, can we predict DEA variability with environmental variables? (3) Does plant functional diversity affect DEA variability? METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The study site is a restored wetland in North Carolina, US with native wetland herbs planted in monocultures or mixes of four or eight species. We found that denitrification potentials for soils collected in July 2006 were significantly greater than for soils collected in May and late August 2006 (p<0.0001). Similarly, microbial biomass standardized DEA rates were significantly greater in July than May and August (p<0.0001). Of the soil variables measured--soil moisture, organic matter, total inorganic nitrogen, and microbial biomass--none consistently explained the pattern observed in DEA through time. There was no significant relationship between DEA and plant species richness or functional diversity. However, the seasonal variance in microbial biomass standardized DEA rates was significantly inversely related to plant species functional diversity (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These findings suggest that higher plant functional diversity may support a more constant level of DEA through time, buffering the ecosystem from changes in season and soil conditions

Efecto de la actividad física y una buena cultura alimenticia sobre el metabolismo de lípidos de jóvenes universitarios

“Determinar la relación que hay entre los habitos de alimentación, condición fisica y los niveles de lípidos en plasma, así como determinar la efectividad de un tratamiento higienico dietetico como atención primaria en jovenes de ambos sexos propensos a desarrollar enfermedades cardiovasculares en alumnos universitarios del aréa de Medicina en la “BUAP Complejo Regional Sur”. Estudio descriptivo, transversal, observacional. El muestre fue no probabilístico Se obtuvo perfil lipidico completo de cada uno de los estudiantes por medio de un muestreo sanguineo en dos ocasiones con una diferencia de 3 meses entre cada una. Se realizaron mediciones de peso y talla. Para analizar los datos fue aplicada estadística no paramétrica, puesto que no hubo distribución normal de las variables continuas. De acuerdo a este estudio realizado se llegó a la deducción de que los habitos alimenticios precarios en los que se encuentran alimentos con alto contenido de azucares, en conjunto con una actividad física sedentaria, aunado a factores hereditarios, contribuyen significativamente en el aumento en los niveles de lipidos especificamente LDL y niveles muy por debajo de los deseados de HDL que nos da la conclusión de que existe un alto margen de alumnos que tendran un riesgo de ECV a 10 años

A novel head-fixed assay for social touch in mice uncovers aversive responses in two autism models.

Social touch, an important aspect of social interaction and communication, is essential to kinship across animal species. How animals experience and respond to social touch has not been thoroughly investigated, in part due to the lack of appropriate assays. Previous studies that examined social touch in freely moving rodents lacked the necessary temporal and spatial control over individual touch interactions. We designed a novel head-fixed assay for social touch in mice, in which the experimenter has complete control to elicit highly stereotyped bouts of social touch between two animals. The user determines the number, duration, context, and type of social touch interactions, while monitoring an array of complex behavioral responses with high resolution cameras. We focused on social touch to the face because of its high translational relevance to humans. We validated this assay in two different models of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the Fmr1 knockout (KO) model of Fragile X Syndrome and maternal immune activation mice. We observed higher rates of avoidance running, hyperarousal, and aversive facial expressions (AFEs) to social touch than to object touch, in both ASD models compared to controls. Fmr1 KO mice showed more AFEs to mice of the same sex but whether they were stranger or familiar mice mattered less. Because this new social touch assay for head-fixed mice can be used to record neural activity during repeated bouts of social touch it could be used to uncover underlying circuit differences.Significance StatementSocial touch is important for communication in animals and humans. However, it has not been extensively studied and current assays to measure animals' responses to social touch have limitations. We present a novel head-fixed assay to quantify how mice respond to social facial touch with another mouse. We validated this assay in autism mouse models since autistic individuals exhibit differences in social interaction and touch sensitivity. We find that mouse models of autism exhibit more avoidance, hyperarousal, and aversive facial expressions to social touch compared to controls. Thus, this novel assay can be used to investigate behavioral responses to social touch and the underlying brain mechanisms in rodent models of neurodevelopmental conditions, and to evaluate therapeutic responses in preclinical studies