Phytochemical study and antioxidant capacity of three fractions from the stem of Caesalpinia bahamensis Lam.

Context: Caesalpinia bahamensis Lam. is a medicinal plant used by the Cuban population to treat renal and hepatic diseases. However, this species lacks scientific studies that support its biological applications. Aims: To evaluate the chemical composition and the antioxidant capacity of fractions obtained from the stem of Caesalpinia bahamensis Lam. Methods: A continuous extraction of the stem was made by maceration using a battery of solvents of increasing polarity: chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol. All fractions were analyzed by TLC and phytochemical screening. The compounds of the chloroform fraction were identified by GC/MS, while the ethyl acetate and methanol fractions were characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy. The antioxidant capacity was evaluated by the DPPH and FRAP assays. Results: Ten compounds were identified by GC/MS of the chloroform fraction, associated with fatty acids, terpenoids and phytosterols. The major compounds of this fraction were octacosanol, monopalmitin and palmitic acid. The presence of flavonoids in the ethyl acetate and methanol fractions was demonstrated by phytochemical screening, TLC and UV spectroscopy. The three fractions showed antioxidant capacity in the DPPH assay, with the methanol fraction (IC50=11.1 µg/mL) being the most active. The ethyl acetate fraction (equivalent to 100.7 µmol ascorbic acid) and the methanol fraction (equivalent to 37.3 µmol ascorbic acid) showed antioxidant capacity in the FRAP assay at concentrations of 125 µg/mL and 1000 µg/mL, respectively. Conclusions: The fractions evaluated showed antioxidant capacity in the DPPH and FRAP assays, possibly associated with the presence of phenols and flavonoids

Utility of the Tourniquet Test and the White Blood Cell Count to Differentiate Dengue among Acute Febrile Illnesses in the Emergency Room

Dengue often presents with non-specific clinical signs, and given the current paucity of accurate, rapid diagnostic laboratory tests, identifying easily obtainable bedside markers of dengue remains a priority. Previous studies in febrile Asian children have suggested that the combination of a positive tourniquet test (TT) and leucopenia can distinguish dengue from other febrile illnesses, but little data exists on the usefulness of these tests in adults or in the Americas. We evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of the TT and leucopenia (white blood cell count <5000/mm3) in identifying dengue as part of an acute febrile illness (AFI) surveillance study conducted in the Emergency Department of Saint Luke's Hospital in Ponce, Puerto Rico. From September to December 2009, 284 patients presenting to the ED with fever for 2–7 days and no identified source were enrolled. Participants were tested for influenza, dengue, leptospirosis and enteroviruses. Thirty-three (12%) patients were confirmed as having dengue; 2 had dengue co-infection with influenza and leptospirosis, respectively. An infectious etiology was determined for 141 others (136 influenza, 3 enterovirus, 2 urinary tract infections), and 110 patients had no infectious etiology identified. Fifty-two percent of laboratory-positive dengue cases had a positive TT versus 18% of patients without dengue (P<0.001), 87% of dengue cases compared to 28% of non-dengue cases had leucopenia (P<0.001). The presence of either a positive TT or leucopenia correctly identified 94% of dengue patients. The specificity and positive predictive values of these tests was significantly higher in the subset of patients without pandemic influenza A H1N1, suggesting improved discriminatory performance of these tests in the absence of concurrent dengue and influenza outbreaks. However, even during simultaneous AFI outbreaks, the absence of leucopenia combined with a negative tourniquet test may be useful to rule out dengue

Efecto de la pulpa de Coffea arábica L., sobre suelos del macizo montañoso Guamuhaya

En el bene¿cio del café del macizo montañoso Guamuhaya se generan grandes cantidades de contaminantes orgánicos. Uno de ellos es la pulpa, que contiene pH ácido y alta carga de fenoles y polifenoles que son tóxicos para la mayor parte de la fauna edá¿ca. Darle un uso e¿ciente a este compuesto es una de las principales vías de salida a este problema medioambiental. Es por ello que el objetivo del presente trabajo fue determinar el efecto de la pulpa de café en proporción 3:1 sobre la estructura de los suelos Acrisol Alúmico Crómico (AAC), Cambisol Éutrico Húmico (CEH) y Cambisol Éutrico (CE) con diferentes estados de sostenibilidad. Para complementar el objetivo se analizó la distribución de los agregados en los tamices secos y húmedos, se determinaron los coe¿cientes de estabilidad estructural y se calculó el índice de peso promedio de agregados ponderado por diámetro. Para el procesamiento de los datos se utilizó el programa estadístico STATGRAPHICS Plus para Windows 5,1 y la prueba de ANOVA factorial. Como resultado se obtuvo que la pulpa de café puede ser usada como un compuesto mejorador de la estructura edá¿ca ya que las tres unidades suelos aumentaron la agregación de las fracciones, principalmente las de 5 y 3mm,evidenciaron disminución de los contenidos de partículas dispersas menores de 0,25 mm y aumentaron el peso promedio de cada uno de los conglomerados agronómicamente útiles

¡El curioso parlante! : pensamientos, poesías y artículos de costumbres

Album en honor y recuerdo de Ramón Mesonero Romanos, reunido y publicado por su hijo político Sebastián López Arroj

Imnplementación y uso de las nuevas tecnología como recurso en la docencia e investigación en el Máster de Derecho Privado Patrimonial

Memoria ID-0011. Ayudas de la Universidad de Salamanca para la innovación docente, curso 2016-2017

Distintos modelos de tutorías en el ámbito de la educación superior. Determinación de la adecuación a las distintas finalidades

Memoria ID-0066. Ayudas de la Universidad de Salamanca para la innovación docente, curso 2017-2018