Perspectives on the implementation of screening and treatment for depression and alcohol Use disorder in primary care in Colombia

Q2Depression and alcohol use disorder (AUD) greatly contribute to the burden of disease worldwide, and have large impact on Colombia’s population. In this study, a qualitative analysis evaluates the implementation of a technology-supported model for screening, decision support, and digital therapy for depression and AUD in Colombian primary care clinics. Patient, provider, and administrator interviews were conducted, exploring attitudes towards depression and AUD, attitudes towards technology, and implementation successes and challenges. Researchers used qualitative methods to analyze interview themes. Despite stigma around depression and AUD, the model improved provider capacity to diagnose and manage patients, helped patients feel supported, and provided useful prevalence data for administrators. Challenges included limited provider time and questions about sustainability. The implementation facilitated the identifcation, diagnosis, and care of patients with depression and AUD. There is ongoing need to decrease stigma, create stronger networks of mental health professionals, and transition intervention ownership to the healthcare center.Revista Internacional - Indexad

Evaluation of nitrous oxide emission by soybean inoculated with Bradyrhizobium strains commonly used as inoculants in South America

Aims: The purpose of this work was to analyze the agronomic and environmental performance of soybean plants inoculated with the Bradyrhizobium strains widely used as soybean biofertilizers in South America and to determine if these strains possess any functional or taxonomic trait associated with the NO emission. Methods: Bradyrhizobium japonicum E109 and CPAC 15, B. diazoefficiens USDA 110 and CPAC 7, and B. elkanii SEMIA 5019 and SEMIA 587 were used to inoculate soybean seeds. The field experiment was carried out in a soil without history of soybean cultivation in the Argentinian Humid Pampa. The natural N abundance method was applied to estimate N-fixation, and NO production was evaluated using gas chromatography. Among other physiological parameters, shoot dry weight, shoot N content, and crop yield were estimated after harvest. Results: B. japonicum inoculation produced the greatest increases in soybean growth and crop yield but also led to higher NO emissions compared to all other inoculated treatments. Plants inoculated with B. diazoefficiens released the lowest amount of NO, and their growth and yield were the least affected. Inoculation with B. elkanii resulted in intermediate NO emission fluxes and crop yield compared with B. japonicum and B. diazoefficiens. Conclusions: We found that soybean inoculation with strains of B. japonicum and B. elkanii that lack the nosZ gene led to the highest NO emissions under field conditions, but also to the highest crop yield, while inoculation with strains that carry out complete denitrification, nosZ-containing B. diazoefficiens, showed lower NO emission and lower crop yield.To the Instituto de Investigaciones Agrobiotecnológicas (INIAB); Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto (UNRC); Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científcas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Fondo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (FONCyT); Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). FC is Researcher of CONICET at the UNRC. DT and FD are Postdoc and PhD students at the UNRC granted by CONICET. MOC is a former PhD student at the UNRC granted by CONICET. To Mariano Cicchino from INTA Chascomús, who was in charge of sowing and yield estimation at R8. To Juan Pedro Ezquiaga from INTA Castelar, for their contribution to N2O measurements

PRODUTOS NATURAIS DE ALGAS MARINHAS PERTENCENTES À FAMÍLIA DICTYOTACEAE: POTENCIAIS BIOATIVOS ANTIFÚNGICO E ANTIOXIDANTE

Nos últimos anos, a pesquisa acerca do ambiente marinho tem aumentado, originando uma grande variedade de compostos com expressiva diversidade de atividades biológicas. Assim, algas marinhas configuram-se como fonte promissora de moléculas com interesse biotecnológico e farmacêutico. Algas pardas da família Dictyotaceae contribuem com uma importante porcentagem à diversidade estrutural de produtos naturais, que já demonstraram potencial antifúngico, antibacteriano, antiviral, além de exercerem múltiplas funções ecológicas nas algas. A maioria das espécies pertencem aos gêneros Dictyota, Lobophora e Padina, sendo conhecidas por produzirem diterpenos, esteróis, ácidos graxos e polissacarídeos. Levando em conta o exposto, o objetivo desta revisão é trazer um panorama atualizado dos produtos naturais produzidos pela família Dictyotaceae, dando destaque às atividades antioxidante e antifúngica. Esta revisão abre caminhos de discussão sobre a utilização da biodiversidade marinha para desenvolvimento e inovação de novos bioprodutos, promovendo uma abordagem crítica da bioprospecção, sustentabilidade e conservação de algas pardas marinhas

Antimicrobial Potential Of Some Plant Extracts Against Candida Species.

The increase in the resistance to antimicrobial drugs in use has attracted the attention of the scientific community, and medicinal plants have been extensively studied as alternative agents for the prevention of infections. The Candida genus yeast can become an opportunistic pathogen causing disease in immunosuppressive hosts. The purpose of this study was to evaluate dichloromethane and methanol extracts from Mentha piperita, Rosmarinus officinalis, Arrabidaea chica, Tabebuia avellanedae, Punica granatum and Syzygium cumini against Candida species through the analysis of Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC). Results presented activity of these extracts against Candida species, especially the methanol extract.701065-

Action of Coriandrum sativum L. Essential Oil upon Oral Candida albicans Biofilm Formation

The efficacy of extracts and essential oils from Allium tuberosum, Coriandrum sativum, Cymbopogon martini, Cymbopogon winterianus, and Santolina chamaecyparissus was evaluated against Candida spp. isolates from the oral cavity of patients with periodontal disease. The most active oil was fractionated and tested against C. albicans biofilm formation. The oils were obtained by water-distillation and the extracts were prepared with macerated dried plant material. The Minimal Inhibitory Concentration—MIC was determined by the microdilution method. Chemical characterization of oil constituents was performed using Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). C. sativum activity oil upon cell and biofilm morphology was evaluated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The best activities against planktonic Candida spp. were observed for the essential oil and the grouped F8–10 fractions from C. sativum. The crude oil also affected the biofilm formation in C. albicans causing a decrease in the biofilm growth. Chemical analysis of the F8–10 fractions detected as major active compounds, 2-hexen-1-ol, 3-hexen-1-ol and cyclodecane. Standards of these compounds tested grouped provided a stronger activity than the oil suggesting a synergistic action from the major oil constituents. The activity of C. sativum oil demonstrates its potential for a new natural antifungal formulation

The sudden change phenomenon of quantum discord

Even if the parameters determining a system's state are varied smoothly, the behavior of quantum correlations alike to quantum discord, and of its classical counterparts, can be very peculiar, with the appearance of non-analyticities in its rate of change. Here we review this sudden change phenomenon (SCP) discussing some important points related to it: Its uncovering, interpretations, and experimental verifications, its use in the context of the emergence of the pointer basis in a quantum measurement process, its appearance and universality under Markovian and non-Markovian dynamics, its theoretical and experimental investigation in some other physical scenarios, and the related phenomenon of double sudden change of trace distance discord. Several open questions are identified, and we envisage that in answering them we will gain significant further insight about the relation between the SCP and the symmetry-geometric aspects of the quantum state space.Comment: Lectures on General Quantum Correlations and their Applications, F. F. Fanchini, D. O. Soares Pinto, and G. Adesso (Eds.), Springer (2017), pp 309-33

Application of exogenous xyloglucan oligosaccharides affects molecular responses to salt stress in Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings

Soil salinity is one of the most devastating problems which reduces crop production and increases desertification. New approaches to overcome the negative effect of salinity on plants include the use of plant biostimulants, such as Xyloglucan oligosaccharides (XGOs) derived from the breakdown of xyloglucans from plant cell walls. The present study aimed at verifying the influence of exogenous XGOs derived from Tamarindus indica L. cell walls, on Arabidopsis thaliana’s tolerance to salt stress by understanding the gene expression, enzymatic and metabolic changes resulting from its application. A. thaliana plants were grown in liquid media and after 15 days they were treated by a salt shock with 100 mM of sodium chloride, with or without XGOs at 0.1 mg L-1. Gene expression of four oxidative stress markers as well as catalase and peroxidase activities and content of glutathione, total carbonyl, polyphenolics and chlorophyll were quantified. Bioinformatic models were used to obtain the co-expression network of the four oxidative stress response gene markers from microarray data of Arabidopsis under salt stress. Results showed that in saline conditions, XGOs dramatically increased catalase gene expression and enzymatic activity, peroxidase activity, and chlorophyll a/b ratio, while reducing protein oxidation and total polyphenols. Thus, XGOs may act to counteract negative effects of oxidative stress under saline conditions

Mental Health Status of Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 Outbreak An International Study

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is a massive health crisis that has exerted enormous physical and psychological pressure. Mental healthcare for healthcare workers (HCWs) should receive serious consideration. This study served to determine the mental-health outcomes of 1,556 HCWs from 45 countries who participated in the COVID-19 IMPACT project, and to examine the predictors of the outcomes during the first pandemic wave. Methods: Outcomes assessed were self-reported perceived stress, depression symptom, and sleep changes. The predictors examined included sociodemographic factors and perceived social support. Results: The results demonstrated that half of the HCWs had moderate levels of perceived stress and symptoms of depression. Half of the HCWs (n = 800, 51.4%) had similar sleeping patterns since the pandemic started, and one in four slept more or slept less. HCWs reported less perceived stress and depression symptoms and higher levels of perceived social support than the general population who participated in the same project. Predictors associated with higher perceived stress and symptoms of depression among HCWs included female sex, not having children, living with parents, lower educational level, and lower social support. Discussion: The need for establishing ways to mitigate mental-health risks and adjusting psychological interventions and support for HCWs seems to be significant as the pandemic continues