Effects of a Combination of Elderberry and Reishi Extracts on the Duration and Severity of Respiratory Tract Infections in Elderly Subjects: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Elderly people are particularly vulnerable to respiratory tract infections, so natural strategies to ameliorate the duration and severity of these infections are of great interest in this population. The objective of this study is to evaluate the e cacy of the consumption of a combination of elderberry and reishi extracts on the incidence, severity, and duration of respiratory tract infections in a group of healthy elderly volunteers. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study was performed during the winter season. A group of 60 nursing home residents 65 years of age was randomly assigned to receive a combination of 1.5 g of elderberry +0.5 g of reishi or a placebo daily for 14 weeks. Data about the health conditions of the volunteers were evaluated and recorded by a medical doctor every 2 weeks. The incidence of respiratory infections was similar in both groups. However, volunteers in the extract group presented a significantly lower duration of common cold events (2.5 vs. 4.8 days, p = 0.033).and a significantly lower probability of having a high severity influenza-like illness event (p = 0.039). Moreover, the incidence of sleep disturbances was significantly lower in the extract group (p = 0.049). Therefore, the administration of a combination of elderberry and reishi extracts to the elderly population during the winter season might be used as a natural strategy to reduce the duration and severity of respiratory tract infections

Linfohistiocitosis hemofagocítica familiar. Presentación de un caso

The hemophagocytic syndrome, also known as macrophage activation syndrome or reactive histiocitosis, is a heterogeneous nosological entity that was described more than 60 years ago. Its etiology isstill unknown, but it has been related to a decontrol and exaggerated response of the immunological system. It has a 1-2 incidence forevery million children without predominance of age or sex. The clinical manifestations include the presence of a febrile syndrome,hepatosplenomegaly, coagulation alterations, hepatic dysfunction,neurological disorders and multiple organic failures. Paraclinicalstudies show pancitopenia and a clear hemophagocytosis especiallyin bone marrow aspirate smear. The treatment can vary, dependingon the triggering cause, and the prognosis also will depend directlyupon the kind of hemophagocytic syndrome involved. Average deathrate can be 60%. It was presented a case of a male 7 month old still on milk child who after of presenting several infections, is admitted in the Hospital due to a serius sepsis product of a Pneumonia, the Complete Blood Count reveled severe decrease of all the hemopoietic lines being diagnosed with Secondary Hemophagocytic syndrome, it was ordered a genetic study and the doctor acted in consequence of the disease, the patient didn´t respond to the treatment and died days before, arriving postmortem the genetic diagnose of Familiar hemophagocyticlymphohistiocytosis.El síndrome hemofagocítico, también conocido como síndrome de activación del macrófago o histiocitosis reactiva, es una entidad nosológica heterogénea que fue descrita por vez primera hace más de 60 años. Su etiología es aún desconocida, pero se ha relacionado con un descontrol y respuesta exagerada del sistema inmunológico. Tiene una incidencia de 1-2 por cada millón de niños sin predominio de edad o sexo. La mortalidad promedio puede ser de 60 %. Se presentó un caso de un lactante masculino de 7 meses de edad que luego de presentar varias infecciones, ingresa con una sepsis grave por neumonía. Los exámenes complementarios revelaron depleción de las tres líneas hematopoyéticas por lo que se diagnosticó una hemofagocitosis secundaria. Se extrajo sangre para estudios genéticos y se actuó en consecuencia, el paciente no respondió al tratamiento y fallece días después, arribando postmortem al diagnóstico genético de linfohistiocitosis hemofagocítica familiar

Soil Organic Carbon Depletion from Forests to Grasslands Conversion in Mexico: A Review

Land use change from forests to grazing lands is one of the important sources of greenhouse gas emissions in many parts of the tropics. The objective of this study was to analyze the extent of soil organic carbon (SOC) loss from the conversion of native forests to pasturelands in Mexico. We analyzed 66 sets of published research data with simultaneous measurements of soil organic carbon stocks between native forests and pasturelands in Mexico. We used a generalized linear mixed effect model to evaluate the effect of land use change (forest versus pasture), soil depth, and original native forest types. The model showed that there was a significant reduction in SOC stocks due to the conversion of native forests to pasturelands. The median loss of SOC ranged from 31.6% to 52.0% depending upon the soil depth. The highest loss was observed in tropical mangrove forests followed by highland tropical forests and humid tropical forests. Higher loss was detected in upper soil horizon (0⁻30 cm) compared to deeper horizons. The emissions of CO2 from SOC loss ranged from 46.7 to 165.5 Mg CO2 eq. ha−1 depending upon the type of original native forests. In this paper, we also discuss the effect that agroforestry practices such as silvopastoral arrangements and other management practices like rotational grazing, soil erosion control, and soil nutrient management can have in enhancing SOC stocks in tropical grasslands. The results on the degree of carbon loss can have strong implications in adopting appropriate management decisions that recover or retain carbon stocks in biomass and soils of tropical livestock production systems