Contaminantes inorgânicos (As, Cd, Pb) em batatas e batatas-doces descascadas e inteiras

Vegetables are a rich source of macro and micronutrients. Particularly, potatoes and sweet potatoes are widely consumed and are two of the most important food crops in the world. Therefore, contamination of these products due to their content of inorganic contaminants is of great concern. Considering the healthy trend of consuming these tubers and roots with their skins, which are rich in fiber and other nutrients, analysis of the whole product could provide valuable information in relation to their food safety. Therefore, the presence of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) in peeled and whole potatoes and sweet potatoes was studied. To do so, analytical methods were optimized and validated according to the Association of Official Analytical Collaboration International (AOAC) requirements for food analysis. Although the content of As, Cd and Pb was in most cases more than three times below the maximum allowed levels for these contaminants, the presence of Cd was detected in the samples of whole sweet potato but not in the peeled ones. The same behavior was observed for Pb in most of the sweet potato samples analyzed. This information points to the need to generate information on the whole root and tuber contaminants content, and to have analytical methods available to gather data on the occurrence of these contaminants in the whole vegetable in order to perform their risk assessment according to the consumption habits.Los vegetales son una fuente rica en macro y micronutrientes. En particular, la papa y el boniato se consumen ampliamente, siendo de los cultivos más importantes a nivel mundial. Por tanto, la contaminación de estos productos debido a la presencia de contaminantes inorgánicos es de gran preocupación. Considerando la creciente tendencia de consumo saludable de estos tubérculos y raíces con su cáscara, rica en fibra y otros nutrientes, el análisis del alimento entero podría brindar información valiosa con relación a su seguridad. Debido a esto, se estudió la presencia de As, Cd y Pb en papas y boniatos pelados y enteros. Para ello, se optimizaron y validaron métodos analíticos según los requerimientos de la Association of Official Analytical Collaboration International (AOAC) para análisis de alimentos. A pesar de que el contenido de arsénico (As), cadmio (Cd) y plomo (Pb) fue en la mayoría de los casos menor a un tercio de los valores máximos permitidos para estos contaminantes, la presencia de Cd se detectó en todos los boniatos enteros y no así en los pelados. El mismo comportamiento se observó para la presencia de Pb en la mayoría de las muestras de boniato analizadas. Esto señala la necesidad de generar información sobre el contenido de estos contaminantes en el alimento entero y disponer de metodologías analíticas para ello, de manera de poder realizar una evaluación de riesgo de acuerdo con los hábitos de consumo.Os vegetais são uma rica fonte de macro e micronutrientes. Particularmente a batata e a batata-doce são amplamente consumidas sendo uma das culturas alimentares mais importantes do mundo. Portanto, a contaminação desses produtos pelo conteúdo de contaminantes inorgânicos é preocupante. Considerando a tendência de consumo saudável desses tubérculos e raízes com suas cascas, ricas em fibras e outros nutrientes, a análise do conjunto poderia fornecer informações valiosas em relação à sua segurança. Portanto, a presença de arsênico (As), cádmio (Cd) e chumbo (Pb) em batatas descascadas e inteiras e batata-doce foi estudada. Assim, os métodos analíticos foram otimizados e validados de acordo com os requisitos da Association of Official Analytical Collaboration International (AOAC) para análise de alimentos. Embora o teor de As, Cd e Pb estivesse na maioria dos casos mais de três vezes abaixo dos níveis máximos permitidos estabelecidos para esses contaminantes, a presença de Cd foi detectada em todas amostras de batata-doce inteira, mas não nas descascadas. O mesmo comportamento ocorre para a presença de Pb na maioria das amostras de batata-doce analisadas. Esta informação aponta para a necessidade de gerar informação de todo o teor de contaminantes radiculares, dispor de métodos analíticos para recolher dados sobre a ocorrência destes contaminantes em toda a hortaliça realizando a sua avaliação de risco de acordo com os hábitos de consumo

Maternidad en un hogar de Acogida: impacto psicosocial en las usuarias

Este trabajo consta de una investigación sobre el impacto que la Casa de Acogida de la "Obra Social del Carmen" ha tenido en una muestra de siete madres solteras, inmigrantes y que han vivido en este recurso durante un periodo inferior a un año. Para este propósito se realizaron entrevistas a las usuarias, pudiendo comprobar tras un análisis que el impacto ha sido positivo

Aleaciones Al-Si Solidicadas Direccionalmente: El Fenómeno de Transición de Estructura Columnar a Equiaxial

El proceso desde el estado fundido (líquido) a un estado sólido. Es un importante proceso industrial ya que muchos metales se funden para moldearlos hasta darles una forma acabada o semiacabada. En el presente trabajo se realiza un estudio de la influencia de los parámetros térmicos de solidificación (velocidad de enfriamiento y gradiente térmico) sobre la macroestructura y microestructura de las aleaciones Aluminio-Silicio (Al-Si) solidificadas direccionalmente ,en el rango de concentraciones del uno al seis porciento de silicio (porcentajes en peso). Se efectúan experiencias empleando diferentes valores de velocidades de enfriamiento y gradientes de temperatura. La macroestructura se estudia mediante la observación a simple vista de los granos y la medición del tamaño de los mismos mediante la norma ASTM E 112. Se observa una fuerte dependencia del tamaño y ancho de los granos en la zona columnar y equiaxial respecto de la velocidad de enfriamiento. Se miden los espaciamientos dendríticos secundarios y se correlacionan las medidas de estos con los valores de la velocidad de enfriamiento y la posición desde la base de la probetas.Fil: Ibañez, Edgar Rolando. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones; ArgentinaFil: Alonso, Paula Regina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica; ArgentinaFil: Ares, Alicia Esther. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones; Argentina106◦ Reunión de la Asociación Física ArgentinaCórdobaArgentinaAsociación Física Argentin

Screening and evaluation of antiparasitic and in vitro anticancer activities of Panamanian endophytic fungi

Parasitic infections are major causes of human chronic diseases in most countries of the tropics. The parasites include protozoa and helminths, infect billions of people, and the resulting diseases cause debilitating injuries such as blind ness and disfigurement, or death in millions of people. According to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, 25% of the human population is infected with parasitic worms. However, attempts to develop vaccines against these pathogens have been frustrated by the difficulty of cultivating the parasites in the laboratory, the complexity of their multicellular organization and—in many species—their multistage development, in addition to their impressive antigenic variability [http://www.who.int/vaccine_research/diseases/ soa_parasitic/en/index.html]. Malaria is the most dangerous parasitic disease, as evidenced by the high rates of complications and mortality caused by the most fatal species, Plasmodium falciparum [15]. Chagas disease, or American trypanosomiasis, is a potentially life-threatening two-phase illness caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi. The acute phase persists for about two months after infection; symptoms are absent or mild and can include fever, headache, enlarged lymph glands, pallor, muscle pain, difficulty in breathing, swelling, and abdominal or chest pain. In the chronic phase, the parasites reside mainly in the heart and digestive muscle, resulting in cardiac disorders in up to 30% of patients and digestive, neurological, or mixed pathologies in up to 10%. Eventually, the infection can lead to sudden death or heart failure, caused by progressive destruction of cardiac muscle [10,15]. Leishmaniasis, a worldwide disease, is caused by several species of the flagellated protozoan parasite Leishmania. In its more severe forms, the disease causes serious disfigurement and may be fatal. The WHO estimates a worldwide prevalence of leishmaniasis of approximately 12 million cases, with an annual mortality of about 60,000 and approximately 350 million people at risk. The expansion of leishmaniasis and the alarming rise in the number of cases has been attributed to environmental changes, such as deforestation, dam construction, new irrigation schemes, and the migration of non-immune individuals to endemic areas [10,15]. At the same time, the frequency of drug-resistant parasites has greatly increased and most treatments involve highly toxic drugs. In addition, the chemotherapeutic agents used in patients with these diseases have lacked effectiveness. Thus, there is an urgent need to search for novel drugs from previously unexplored sources, including natural products, to combat the global health problems posed by parasitic infections. Cancer is another major cause of mortality worldwide; in 2008, it accounted for 7.6 million deaths. According to WHO forecasts, an increase to 11 million deaths annually is expected by 2030. The prevalence is higher in low and middle-income countries. As a part of the on-going research activities, the Panamanian International Cooperative Biodiversity Group (ICBG) [17] recently decided to explore endophytic fungi as a source of molecules with antiparasitic and anticancer bioactivities [18,21,22]. Within the ICBG program, we have assayed the antiparasitic and in vitro anticancer activities of 25 isolates, while also analyzing the effect of the culture medium on the production of secondary metabolites by Panamanian endophytic fungi. The results of these studies are reported and discussed hereinParasitic infections are major causes of human chronic diseases in most countries of the tropics. The parasites include protozoa and helminths, infect billions of people, and the resulting diseases cause debilitating injuries such as blind ness and disfigurement, or death in millions of people. According to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, 25% of the human population is infected with parasitic worms. However, attempts to develop vaccines against these pathogens have been frustrated by the difficulty of cultivating the parasites in the laboratory, the complexity of their multicellular organization and—in many species—their multistage development, in addition to their impressive antigenic variability [http://www.who.int/vaccine_research/diseases/ soa_parasitic/en/index.html]. Malaria is the most dangerous parasitic disease, as evidenced by the high rates of complications and mortality caused by the most fatal species, Plasmodium falciparum [15]. Chagas disease, or American trypanosomiasis, is a potentially life-threatening two-phase illness caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi. The acute phase persists for about two months after infection; symptoms are absent or mild and can include fever, headache, enlarged lymph glands, pallor, muscle pain, difficulty in breathing, swelling, and abdominal or chest pain. In the chronic phase, the parasites reside mainly in the heart and digestive muscle, resulting in cardiac disorders in up to 30% of patients and digestive, neurological, or mixed pathologies in up to 10%. Eventually, the infection can lead to sudden death or heart failure, caused by progressive destruction of cardiac muscle [10,15]. Leishmaniasis, a worldwide disease, is caused by several species of the flagellated protozoan parasite Leishmania. In its more severe forms, the disease causes serious disfigurement and may be fatal. The WHO estimates a worldwide prevalence of leishmaniasis of approximately 12 million cases, with an annual mortality of about 60,000 and approximately 350 million people at risk. The expansion of leishmaniasis and the alarming rise in the number of cases has been attributed to environmental changes, such as deforestation, dam construction, new irrigation schemes, and the migration of non-immune individuals to endemic areas [10,15]. At the same time, the frequency of drug-resistant parasites has greatly increased and most treatments involve highly toxic drugs. In addition, the chemotherapeutic agents used in patients with these diseases have lacked effectiveness. Thus, there is an urgent need to search for novel drugs from previously unexplored sources, including natural products, to combat the global health problems posed by parasitic infections. Cancer is another major cause of mortality worldwide; in 2008, it accounted for 7.6 million deaths. According to WHO forecasts, an increase to 11 million deaths annually is expected by 2030. The prevalence is higher in low and middle-income countries. As a part of the on-going research activities, the Panamanian International Cooperative Biodiversity Group (ICBG) [17] recently decided to explore endophytic fungi as a source of molecules with antiparasitic and anticancer bioactivities [18,21,22]. Within the ICBG program, we have assayed the antiparasitic and in vitro anticancer activities of 25 isolates, while also analyzing the effect of the culture medium on the production of secondary metabolites by Panamanian endophytic fungi. The results of these studies are reported and discussed herei

Screening and evaluation of antiparasitic and in vitro anticancer activities of Panamanian endophytic fungi

Many compounds produced by fungi have relevant pharmaceutical applications. The purpose of this study was to collect and isolate endophytic fungi from different regions of Panama and then to test their potential therapeutic activities against Leishmania donovani, Plasmodium falciparum, and Trypanosoma cruzi as well as their anticancer activities in MCF-7 cells. Of the 25 fungal isolates obtained, ten of them had good anti-parasitic potential, showing selective activity against L. donovani; four had significant anti-malarial activity; and three inhibited the growth of T. cruzi. Anticancer activity was demonstrated in four isolates. Of the active isolates, Edenia sp. strain F0755, Xylaria sp. strain F1220, Aspergillus sp. strain F1544, Mycoleptodiscus sp. strain F0194, Phomopsis sp. strain F1566, Pycnoporus sp. strain F0305, and Diaporthe sp. strain F1647 showed the most promise based on their selective bioactivity and lack of toxicity in the assays.Many compounds produced by fungi have relevant pharmaceutical applications. The purpose of this study was to collect and isolate endophytic fungi from different regions of Panama and then to test their potential therapeutic activities against Leishmania donovani, Plasmodium falciparum, and Trypanosoma cruzi as well as their anticancer activities in MCF-7 cells. Of the 25 fungal isolates obtained, ten of them had good anti-parasitic potential, showing selective activity against L. donovani; four had significant anti-malarial activity; and three inhibited the growth of T. cruzi. Anticancer activity was demonstrated in four isolates. Of the active isolates, Edenia sp. strain F0755, Xylaria sp. strain F1220, Aspergillus sp. strain F1544, Mycoleptodiscus sp. strain F0194, Phomopsis sp. strain F1566, Pycnoporus sp. strain F0305, and Diaporthe sp. strain F1647 showed the most promise based on their selective bioactivity and lack of toxicity in the assays

Avanza hacia el conocimiento científico - experiencias educativas científicas : dinámicas sociales del conocimiento científico tecnológico

Es una actividad que se desarrolla desde la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales y Agrimensura de la universidad nacional del Nordeste, consistente en una tarea eminentemente de Extensión y vinculación hacia el medio, con la participación principalmente de alumnos de las carreras de Ingeniería de la facultad. Quienes acompañados por sus profesores desarrollan kits educativos consistentes en experiencias didácticas sobre el desarrollo tecnológico referidos a las ramas de la ingeniería en colaboración con otras disciplinas, que permiten a modo de museo interactivo de las ciencias, que los alumnos de los niveles educativos desde el último año de la primaria, pasando por toda la secundaria y alumnos del primer año universitario, participen de manera lúdica e interactiva con estas experiencias , que se desarrollaron en distintos ámbitos en una presentación anual o semestral, en sus primeros años se desarrollaron en los salones del Edificio de física del campus universitario

Reprogramming human A375 amelanotic melanoma cells by catalase overexpression: Reversion or promotion of malignancy by inducing melanogenesis or metastasis

Advanced melanoma is the most aggressive form of skin cancer. It is highlymetastatic and dysfunctional in melanogenesis; two processes that are induced byH2O2. This work presents a melanoma cell model with low levels of H2O2 inducedby catalase overexpression to study differentiation/dedifferentiation processes.Three clones (A7, C10 and G10) of human A375 amelanotic melanoma cells withquite distinct phenotypes were obtained. These clones faced H2O2 scavenging by two main strategies. One developed by clone G10 where ROS increased. This resulted in G10 migration and metastasis associated with the increased of cofilin-1 and CAP1. The other strategy was observed in clone A7 and C10, where ROS levels were maintained reversing malignant features. Particularly, C10 was not tumorigenic, while A7 reversed the amelanotic phenotype by increasing melanin content and melanocytic differentiation markers. These clones allowed the study of potential differentiation and migration markers and its association with ROS levels in vitro and in vivo, providing a new melanoma model with different degree of malignancy.Fil: Bracalente, María Candelaria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia de Área de Investigación y Aplicaciones no Nucleares. Gerencia de Desarrollo Tecnológico y Proyectos Especiales. Departamento de Micro y Nanotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Salguero, Noelia. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia de Área de Investigación y Aplicaciones no Nucleares. Gerencia de Desarrollo Tecnológico y Proyectos Especiales. Departamento de Micro y Nanotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Notcovich, Cintia Karina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia de Área de Investigación y Aplicaciones no Nucleares. Gerencia de Desarrollo Tecnológico y Proyectos Especiales. Departamento de Micro y Nanotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Muller, Carolina. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; BrasilFil: Da Motta, Leonardo L.. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; BrasilFil: Klamt, Fabio. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; BrasilFil: Ibañez, Irene Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia de Área de Investigación y Aplicaciones no Nucleares. Gerencia de Desarrollo Tecnológico y Proyectos Especiales. Departamento de Micro y Nanotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Duran, Hebe Alicia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Escuela de Ciencia y Tecnología; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia de Área de Investigación y Aplicaciones no Nucleares. Gerencia de Desarrollo Tecnológico y Proyectos Especiales. Departamento de Micro y Nanotecnología; Argentin

Cofilin-1 levels and intracellular localization are associated with melanoma prognosis in a cohort of patients

Melanoma is an aggressive cancer with highly metastatic ability. We propose cofilin-1, a key protein in the regulation of actin dynamics and migration, as a prognostic marker. We determined cofilin-1 levels in a retrospective cohort of patients with melanomas and benign lesions of melanocytes (nevi) by immunohistochemistry. Higher cofilin-1 levels were found in malignant melanoma (MM) with Breslow Index (BI)>2 vs MM with BI2 vs MM with BI<2, MIS and nevi. In conclusion, an association of cofilin-1 levels with malignant features and an inverse correlation with survival were demonstrated. Moreover, this study suggests that not only the higher levels of cofilin-1, but also its nuclear localization can be proposed as marker of worse outcome of patients with melanoma.Fil: Bracalente, María Candelaria. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Rinflerch, Adriana Raquel. Hospital Italiano; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Ibañez, Irene Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica; ArgentinaFil: García Chicote, Francisco Manuel. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Escuela de Ciencia y Tecnología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Volonteri, Victoria. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Galimberti, Gastón N.. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Klamt, Fabio. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; BrasilFil: Duran, Hebe Alicia. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Escuela de Ciencia y Tecnología; Argentin

Electrochemical Properties of Diluted Al-Mg Alloys With Columnar-To-Equiaxed Transition

The objective of the present research is to study the corrosion susceptibility of two Al-Mg diluted alloys (Al-0.5wt.%Mg and Al-2wt.%Mg) with different grains structures obtained by directional solidification (columnar, equiaxed and columnar-to-equiaxed transition, CET) in 0.5% NaCl solution, at room temperature. The corrosion resistance is analyzed by potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques in both longitudinal and transversal sections of the samples. The columnar grain zone presents higher corrosion resistance than the equiaxed grain zone. In addition, the transversal section shows higher corrosion resistance than the longitudinal section of the samples. Then, the Al-0.5wt.% Mg alloy displays higher corrosion resistance than the Al-2wt.% Mg alloy. The values of the polarization resistance are used as a basic criterion for the evaluation of the corrosion resistance of both alloys. In this way, when the polarization resistance decreases with the increasing in the distance from the base, the grain size, secondary dendritic arm spacings and hardness increases. In addition, when the polarization resistance increases, the critical temperature gradient decreases.Fil: Roman, Alejandra Silvina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones; ArgentinaFil: Ibañez, Edgar Rolando. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones; ArgentinaFil: Méndez, Marcela Claudia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones; ArgentinaFil: Pedrozo, Marianela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones; ArgentinaFil: Kramer, Gustavo Raul. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones; ArgentinaFil: Zadorozne, Natalia Silvina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones; ArgentinaFil: Alonso, Paula Regina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Martín; ArgentinaFil: Ares, Alicia Esther. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones; Argentin