COMPOSITION AND ANIMAL PREFERENCE FOR PLANTS USED FOR GOAT FEEDING IN SEMIARID NORTHEASTERN MEXICO

ABSTRACT Arid and semiarid zones of Northeastern Mexico are characterized as regions with high variation in their climatic conditions but rich in drought-tolerant botanical species which are potentially useful for grazing and pastoral activities. Feeding habits and voluntary intake from a total of 100 grazing goats were determined through identification of the plants that make up their diet, their availability in the rangeland, preference index, browsing height and their chemical composition during a 10-month growing period. Four heights of browsing were determined in the different vegetative strata. Climatic factors were determinant in the height of grazing and the availability of forage. Shrub species constituted 78% of the animal diet during the growing season followed by herbs (12-18%) and grasses (6-10%). The species with higher index of preference offered high availability in the rangeland with proper content of crude protein (10.7-24%), crude fiber (12.2-24.5%), cellulose (5.9-20.6%) and nitrogen free extract (30.2-50.6%). These results indicate that in seasons of high feed availability the intake of most preferred shrubs is taking place most of the time at a browsing height between 80 and 120 cm with species rich enough in nutrients to satisfy their minimum daily protein and fiber requirements. [¿Y que ónda con aquello de que cuando hay muchas hierbas abajo prefieren comer esas hierbas?]Thus, the pasture conditions, climate and the availability of the vegetation in a given season are crucial factors for suitable livestock management

Exploratory analysis of dietary intake and brain iron accumulation detected using magnetic resonance imaging in older individuals: the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936

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Incidence, clinical characteristics and management of inflammatory bowel disease in Spain: large-scale epidemiological study

(1) Aims: To assess the incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Spain, to describe the main epidemiological and clinical characteristics at diagnosis and the evolution of the disease, and to explore the use of drug treatments. (2) Methods: Prospective, population-based nationwide registry. Adult patients diagnosed with IBD—Crohn’s disease (CD), ulcerative colitis (UC) or IBD unclassified (IBD-U)—during 2017 in Spain were included and were followed-up for 1 year. (3) Results: We identified 3611 incident cases of IBD diagnosed during 2017 in 108 hospitals covering over 22 million inhabitants. The overall incidence (cases/100, 000 person-years) was 16 for IBD, 7.5 for CD, 8 for UC, and 0.5 for IBD-U; 53% of patients were male and median age was 43 years (interquartile range = 31–56 years). During a median 12-month follow-up, 34% of patients were treated with systemic steroids, 25% with immunomodulators, 15% with biologics and 5.6% underwent surgery. The percentage of patients under these treatments was significantly higher in CD than UC and IBD-U. Use of systemic steroids and biologics was significantly higher in hospitals with high resources. In total, 28% of patients were hospitalized (35% CD and 22% UC patients, p < 0.01). (4) Conclusion: The incidence of IBD in Spain is rather high and similar to that reported in Northern Europe. IBD patients require substantial therapeutic resources, which are greater in CD and in hospitals with high resources, and much higher than previously reported. One third of patients are hospitalized in the first year after diagnosis and a relevant proportion undergo surgery. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Impact of Human Management on the Genetic Variation of Wild Pepper, Capsicum annuum var. glabriusculum

Management of wild peppers in Mexico has occurred for a long time without clear phenotypic signs of domestication. However, pre-domestication management could have implications for the population's genetic richness. To test this hypothesis we analysed 27 wild (W), let standing (LS) and cultivated (C) populations, plus 7 samples from local markets (LM), with nine polymorphic microsatellite markers. Two hundred and fifty two alleles were identified, averaging 28 per locus. Allele number was higher in W, and 15 and 40% less in LS and C populations, respectively. Genetic variation had a significant population structure. In W populations, structure was associated with ecological and geographic areas according to isolation by distance. When LM and C populations where included in the analysis, differentiation was no longer apparent. Most LM were related to distant populations from Sierra Madre Oriental, which represents their probable origin. Historical demography shows a recent decline in all W populations. Thus, pre-domestication human management is associated with a significant reduction of genetic diversity and with a loss of differentiation suggesting movement among regions by man. Measures to conserve wild and managed populations should be implemented to maintain the source and the architecture of genetic variation in this important crop relative

Quantitative measures of leaf epidermal cells as a taxonomic and phylogenetic tool for the identification of Stanhopea species (Orchidaceae) International Journal of

Mediciones cuantitativas en las células epidérmicas de la hoja como herramienta taxonómica y filogenética para la identificación de especies de Stanhopea (Orchidaceae) A Ab bs st tr ra ac ct t. . Orchids of the genus Stanhopea are currently identified only by their floral structure characteristics. A statistical analysis of a significant number of species of this genus disclosed that measurements of adaxial and abaxial epidermal cell surface areas can be correlated with specific recognized species by a leaf printing method. This allows an objectively either positive or nearly positive confirmation of the identity of a species in the absence of flowers and without damage to plants. When ordering the mean values obtained for these surface areas in each species in a decreasing order, a correlation was observed in a hierarchical way that went from primitive to more advanced floral forms. This reflects the evolutionary radiation of the genus. It is established that in Stanhopea, the presence of large leaf epidermal cells on species from South America represents a primitive evolutionary condition that became to smaller cells in evolutionarily more recent individuals as the genus radiated towards Mexico. ( 114 análisis estadístico de un número significativo de especies de este género reveló que las áreas promedio de las células epidérmicas adaxiales y abaxiales se pueden correlacionar con especies específicamente reconocidas utilizando un método de impresión de la hoja. Esto permitiría una confirmación positiva o casi positiva de la identidad de una especie de modo objetivo, en ausencia de flores y sin daño a las plantas. Al ordenar los valores obtenidos para dichas áreas de las células epidérmicas en cada especie en un orden descendente, se observó una correlación de modo jerárquico que va de las formas florales primitivas a las formas más avanzadas. Esto reflejó una radiación evolutiva del género. Se establece que en Stanhopea, las grandes células epidérmicas presentes en las hojas de especies de Sudamérica representan una condición evolutiva primitiva que fue cambiando a células más pequeñas en individuos evolutivamente más recientes a medida que el género se expandió hacia México. P Pa al la ab br ra as s c cl la av ve e: : Stanhopea, taxonomía cuantitativa, morfometría, impresión de hoja, Orchidaceae

Evaluation of Oxasqualenoids from the Red Alga Laurencia viridis against Acanthamoeba

Acanthamoeba genus is a widely distributed and opportunistic parasite with increasing importance worldwide as an emerging pathogen in the past decades. This protozoan has an active trophozoite stage, a cyst stage, and is dormant and very resistant. It can cause Acanthamoeba keratitis, an ocular sight-threatening disease, and granulomatous amoebic encephalitis, a chronic, very fatal brain pathology. In this study, the amoebicidal activity of sixteen Laurencia oxasqualenoid metabolites and semisynthetic derivatives were tested against Acanthamoeba castellanii Neff. The results obtained point out that iubol (3) and dehydrothyrsiferol (1) possess potent activities, with IC values of 5.30 and 12.83 µM, respectively. The hydroxylated congeners thyrsiferol (2) and 22-hydroxydehydrothyrsiferol (4), active in the same value range at IC 13.97 and 17.00 µM, are not toxic against murine macrophages; thus, they are solid candidates for the development of new amoebicidal therapies.This work was funded by PI18/01380 from Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain and RICET (RD16/0027/0001) project, from Programa Redes Temáticas de Investigación Cooperativa, FIS (Ministerio Español de Salud, Madrid, Spain), FEDER and INTERREG-MAC/1.1b/042 (BIOTRANSFER2).Peer Reviewe