La construcción del eje multimodal Manta-Manaos; como polo de desarrollo para el Ecuador, período de investigación año 2002-abril 2010

El Ecuador es un país que históricamente se ha caracterizado por tener un lento crecimiento económico, en comparación de sus países vecinos. La balanza comercial no petrolera es deficitaria, la economía tiene una fuerte dependencia en la extracción de petróleo y en la recepción de remesas del extranjero, por lo cual, si alguno de estos componentes se ve afectado por un factor externo, nuestra economía de igual manera se afecta directamente. Esto genera una fuerte reflexión, de que es necesario fomentar el crecimiento de diferentes sectores económicos y en diferentes regiones de nuestro país, para tener una economía sustentable, sólida y alcanzar un desarrollo paulatino. El gobierno del Economista Rafael Correa, posesionado en el año 2007, en su papel de dinamizador de la economía, debe promover proyectos y políticas que impulsen el desarrollo de zonas poco desarrolladas para descentralizar la concentración de la riqueza en pocas regiones, y fomentar la especialización. Por lo cual, en miras de generar este tan anhelado desarrollo, el gobierno, en su Agenda de Transformación Productiva, ha planteado como un sector estratégico, el sector de Transporte y Logística..

Pharmacokinetics, thrombogenicity and safety of a double viral inactivated factor IX concentrate compared with a prothrombin complex concentrate

Therapeutic options for developing countries have to assure an optimum safety and efficacy and low-cost antihaemophilic concentrates. A single blind randomized crossover study was carried out in 12 previously treated HB patients, comparing the pharmacokinetics (PK), thrombogenicity (TG) and safety of two plasma-derived double-inactivated (solvent/detergent heating at 100?C, 30 min) factor IX (FIX) concentrates, UMAN COMPLEX DI (product A) [plasma-derived prothrombin concentrates (PCC)] and a high purity FIX concentrate AIMAFIX DI (product B, HPFIX). In a non-bleeding state, they received one single intravenous dose 50 IU FIX kg−1 of PCC or HPFIX, and after a wash-out period of 14 days, the other product. We evaluated acute tolerance and determined PK parameters based on FIX levels measured over a 50 h postinfusion period. We studied fibrinogen, platelets, antithrombin, F1 + 2, TAT, D-dimer, over a 360 min postinfusion period. Ten cases remained in on-demand treatment for 6 months, five with PCC and five with HPFIX. PK and anti-FIX inhibitors were repeated at 3 and 6 months. No inhibitors were detected. PK values (PCC vs. HPFIX): clearence (CL; mL h−1 kg−1) 5.2 ? 1.4 vs. 6.5 ? 1.4; the volume of distribution at steady state (mL kg−1) 154.9 ? 54.9 vs. 197.5 ? 72.5; mean residence time (h) 29.7 ? 8.1 vs. 30.7 ? 9.2; T1/2 (h) 22.3 ? 7 vs. 23.5 ? 12.3; incremental recovery (IR; U dL−1 U−1 kg−1) 0.96 ? 0.17 vs. 0.76 ? 0.13. HPFIX showed significant lower IR and higher CL. There were no differences in PK at 3 and 6 months. In TG, significant increments in TAT and F1 + 2 at 30 min and 6 h were found with PCC. Product B PK results agrees with reported results for other HPFIX preparations. Use of PCC product A has to consider its thrombogenic activity

Poxviral CrmD is an essential virulence factor

The role of cytokines and chemokines in anti-viral defense has been demonstrated, but their relative contribution to protective anti-viral responses in vivo is not fully understood. Cytokine response modifier D (CrmD) is a secreted receptor for TNF and lymphotoxin containing the smallpox virus-encoded chemokine receptor (SECRET) domain and is expressed by ectromelia virus, the causative agent of the smallpox-like disease mousepox. Here we show that CrmD is an essential virulence factor that controls natural killer cell activation and allows progression of fatal mousepox, and demonstrates that both SECRET and TNF binding domains are required for full CrmD activity. Vaccination with recombinant CrmD protects animals from lethal mousepox. These results indicate that a specific set of chemokines enhance the inflammatory and protective anti-viral responses mediated by TNF and lymphotoxin, and illustrate how viruses optimize anti-TNF strategies with addition of a chemokine binding domain as soluble decoy receptors.This work was funded by Grants from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiviness and European Union (European Regional Development’s Funds, FEDER) (grant SAF2015-67485-R), and the Wellcome Trust (grant 051087/Z97/Z). M. B. R.-A. and A. Alejo were recipients of a Ramón y Cajal Contract from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation

Viabilidade Tecnica de Producao e Propiedades de Paineisde Particulas de Cascade Amendoim

No presente trabalho, considera-se o estudo do potencial de utilização de resíduos da casca de amendoim, com o intuito de agregar valor a este material, por meio da fabricação de painéis de partículas aglomeradas com resina ureia-formaldeído, prensados à temperatura de 100 oC. A qualidade dos painéis foi avaliada com base nas prescrições do documento normativo ASTM D 1037:2006 por meio de ensaios físico-mecânicos de densidade, inchamento em espessura, absorção de água e flexão estática. Os painéis avaliados apresentaram densidade média variando de 0,69 a 0,83 g cm-3, MOR 4,37 a 5,34 MPa e MOE 590 a 700 MPa, para painéis com e sem tratamento preservativo. É possível afirmar, baseando-se no documento normativo ANSI A208.1:1993, que o material apresenta potencial para utilização em ambientes internos, como revestimento superficial de residências, construções agrícolas, setor moveleiro e decorativo. Recomenda-se a intervenção no processo de fabricação do painel, para melhorar as propriedades mecânicas e possibilitar o uso estrutural do material.In this study, the potential use of residues of peanut husks was verified, in order to add value to these materials through the manufacture of panels of particleboards. For this procedure, it was used urea- formaldehyde resin and the panels were mechanical pressed at a temperature of 100 oC. The quality of the panels was evaluated based on the prescriptions of the normative document ASTM D 1037:2006, through physical and mechanical tests of characteristics, such as: density, swelling in thickness, water absorption and static bending. The panels evaluated showed bulk density varying between 0,69 a 0,83 g cm-3, MOR and MOE between 4,37 - 5,34 MPa and 590 - 700 MPa respectively, for panels with and without preservative treatment. It is possible to claim, based in the normative document ANSI A208.1:1993, that the material presents a potential for use in internal areas as superficial covering of residential buildings, agricultural buildings, furniture and decorative sectors. Intervention in the board production process is recommended, in order to improve the mechanical properties of the material and enable its structural use.Fil: Gatani, Mariana Pilar. Consejo Nacional de Invest.cientif.y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnol.conicet - Cordoba. Centro Experimental de la Vivienda Economica(i); Argentina;Fil: Fiorelli, Juliano. Universidade Do Sao Paulo. Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos; Brasil;Fil: Medina, Juan Carlos. Universidad Nacional de Santiago del Estero. Facultad de Cs.forestales; Argentina;Fil: Arguello, Ricardo Gustavo. Consejo Nacional de Invest.cientif.y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnol.conicet - Cordoba. Centro Experimental de la Vivienda Economica(i);Fil: Ruiz, Agustin Pascual. Universidad Nacional de Santiago del Estero. Facultad de Cs.forestales; Argentina;Fil: do Nascimento, Maria Fatima. Universidade Do Sao Paulo. Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos; Brasil;Fil: Savastano Jr., Holmer. Universidade Do Sao Paulo. Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos; Brasil

Structural conservation and functional diversity of the Poxvirus Immune Evasion (PIE) domain superfamily

Poxviruses encode a broad array of proteins that serve to undermine host immune defenses. Structural analysis of four of these seemingly unrelated proteins revealed the recurrent use of a conserved beta-sandwich fold that has not been observed in any eukaryotic or prokaryotic protein. Herein we propose to call this unique structural scaffolding the PIE (Poxvirus Immune Evasion) domain. PIE domain containing proteins are abundant in chordopoxvirinae, with our analysis identifying 20 likely PIE subfamilies among 33 representative genomes spanning 7 genera. For example, cowpox strain Brighton Red appears to encode 10 different PIEs: vCCI, A41, C8, M2, T4 (CPVX203), and the SECRET proteins CrmB, CrmD, SCP-1, SCP-2, and SCP-3. Characterized PIE proteins all appear to be nonessential for virus replication, and all contain signal peptides for targeting to the secretory pathway. The PIE subfamilies differ primarily in the number, size, and location of structural embellishments to the beta-sandwich core that confer unique functional specificities. Reported ligands include chemokines, GM-CSF, IL-2, MHC class I, and glycosaminoglycans. We expect that the list of ligands and receptors engaged by the PIE domain will grow as we come to better understand how this versatile structural architecture can be tailored to manipulate host responses to infection

Polyfunctional T cell responses in children in early stages of chronic Trypanosoma cruzi infection contrast with monofunctional responses of long-term infected adults

Background: Adults with chronic Trypanosoma cruzi exhibit a poorly functional T cell compartment, characterized by monofunctional (IFN-γ-only secreting) parasite-specific T cells and increased levels of terminally differentiated T cells. It is possible that persistent infection and/or sustained exposure to parasites antigens may lead to a progressive loss of function of the immune T cells. Methodology/Principal Findings: To test this hypothesis, the quality and magnitude of T. cruzi-specific T cell responses were evaluated in T. cruzi-infected children and compared with long-term T. cruzi-infected adults with no evidence of heart failure. The phenotype of CD4+ T cells was also assessed in T. cruzi-infected children and uninfected controls. Simultaneous secretion of IFN-γ and IL-2 measured by ELISPOT assays in response to T. cruzi antigens was prevalent among T. cruzi-infected children. Flow cytometric analysis of co-expression profiles of CD4+ T cells with the ability to produce IFN-γ, TNF-α, or to express the co-stimulatory molecule CD154 in response to T. cruzi showed polyfunctional T cell responses in most T. cruzi-infected children. Monofunctional T cell responses and an absence of CD4+TNF-α+-secreting T cells were observed in T. cruzi-infected adults. A relatively high degree of activation and differentiation of CD4+ T cells was evident in T. cruzi-infected children. Conclusions/Significance: Our observations are compatible with our initial hypothesis that persistent T. cruzi infection promotes eventual exhaustion of immune system, which might contribute to disease progression in long-term infected subjects.Fil: Albareda, María Cecilia. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorio e Instituto de Salud. Instituto Nacional de Parasitología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Ministerio de Salud. Hospital Interzonal de Agudos "Eva Perón"; ArgentinaFil: de Rissio, Ana María. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorio e Instituto de Salud. Instituto Nacional de Parasitología; ArgentinaFil: Tomas, Gonzalo. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorio e Instituto de Salud. Instituto Nacional de Parasitología; ArgentinaFil: Serjan, Alicia. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital General de Agudos "Juan A. Fernández"; ArgentinaFil: Alvarez, María Gabriela. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Ministerio de Salud. Hospital Interzonal de Agudos "Eva Perón"; ArgentinaFil: Viotti, Rodolfo Jorge. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Ministerio de Salud. Hospital Interzonal de Agudos "Eva Perón"; ArgentinaFil: Fichera, Laura Edith. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorio e Instituto de Salud. Instituto Nacional de Parasitología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Esteva, Mónica Inés. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorio e Instituto de Salud. Instituto Nacional de Parasitología; ArgentinaFil: Potente, Daniel Fernando. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Ministerio de Salud. Hospital Interzonal de Agudos "Eva Perón"; ArgentinaFil: Armenti, Alejandro. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Ministerio de Salud. Hospital Interzonal de Agudos "Eva Perón"; ArgentinaFil: Tarleton, Rick L.. University of Georgia; Estados UnidosFil: Laucella, Susana Adriana. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorio e Instituto de Salud. Instituto Nacional de Parasitología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

SECRET domain of variola virus CrmB protein can be a member of poxviral type II chemokine-binding proteins family

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Variola virus (VARV) the causative agent of smallpox, eradicated in 1980, have wide spectrum of immunomodulatory proteins to evade host immunity. Recently additional biological activity was discovered for VARV CrmB protein, known to bind and inhibit tumour necrosis factor (TNF) through its N-terminal domain homologous to cellular TNF receptors. Besides binding TNF, this protein was also shown to bind with high affinity several chemokines which recruit B- and T-lymphocytes and dendritic cells to sites of viral entry and replication. Ability to bind chemokines was shown to be associated with unique C-terminal domain of CrmB protein. This domain named SECRET (Smallpox virus-Encoded Chemokine Receptor) is unrelated to the host proteins and lacks significant homology with other known viral chemokine-binding proteins or any other known protein.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p><it>De novo </it>modelling of VARV-CrmB SECRET domain spatial structure revealed its apparent structural homology with cowpox virus CC-chemokine binding protein (vCCI) and vaccinia virus A41 protein, despite low sequence identity between these three proteins. Potential ligand-binding surface of modelled VARV-CrmB SECRET domain was also predicted to bear prominent electronegative charge which is characteristic to known orthopoxviral chemokine-binding proteins.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results suggest that SECRET should be included into the family of poxviral type II chemokine-binding proteins and that it might have been evolved from the vCCI-like predecessor protein.</p

Autoimagen-autoestima y percepción del futuro de los adolescentes de 14-16 años de edad del sexo masculino y sexo femenino residentes en comunidades marginales y no marginales de la ciudad de San Salvador

Se exploró a los adolescentes de 14-16 años, residentes en comunidades marginales y no marginales; para investigar sus niveles de autoimagen-autoestima y percepción del futuro. Para ello se tomó una muestra de 220 sujetos de centros educativos oficiales y se les administró un cuestionario de autoimagen-autoestima y otro de percepción del futuro.Después de administrar los instrumentos mencionados se encontró que los adolescentes residentes en comunidades marginales tenían niveles bajos de autoimagen-autoestima en comparación con los residentes en comunidades no marginales. Así mismo, se apreció que los adolescentes residentes en comunidades marginales del sexo femenino presentaban niveles más bajos de autoimagen-autoestima que los del sexo masculino. Por otra parte al analizar los resultados en relación a la percepción del futuro, se encontró que no había diferencia alguna tanto entre los del sexo masculino y femenino, como entre los residentes en comunidades marginales y no marginales

Incidencia De La Cadena De Valor En El Desarrollo Sustentable Del Cultivo De Café Robusta (Coffea Canephora) Estudio De Caso: Parroquia San Jacinto Del Búa, Provincia De Santo Domingo De Los Tsáchilas - Ecuador

The research has as its objective, determine the incidence of the value chain in the sustainable development of the cultivation of Robust Coffee (Coffea canephora) in San Jacinto del Búa parish, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas province. From this, arose a line based on coffee farms, also analyzing Robusta coffee value chain and was drafted the proposal for the development of producers under a sustainable approach. The methodology was not experimental but used deductive, inductive and analytical methods. The diagnosis identified the existence of a culture of international quality, with negative factors such as low unfavorable yields from cultivation, inadequate income, living conditions, all this coupled with the lack of environmental awareness in the producers and marketers. At the same time the value chain shows the low percentage of participation by the producer in the seven marketing channels identified. So it proposed 9 economic indicators, 10 social 7 environmental and 13 technical and productive indicators as a basis for future monitoring of this agricultural activity. Also a plan for sustainable development which contains 30 strategies that will improve the economic, social, environmental was developed and will be displayed in the area

Rodent herpesvirus Peru encodes a secreted chemokine decoy receptor

Viruses have long been studied not only for their pathology and associated disease but also as model systems for understanding cellular and immunological processes. Rodent herpesvirus Peru (RHVP) is a recently characterized rhadinovirus related to murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV68) and Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) that establishes acute and latent infection in laboratory mice. RHVP encodes numerous unique proteins that we hypothesize might facilitate host immune evasion during infection. We report here that open reading frame (ORF) R17 encodes a high-affinity chemokine binding protein that broadly recognizes human and murine CC and C chemokines. The interaction of R17 with chemokines is generally characterized by rapid association kinetics, and in the case of CCL3, CCL4, CCL5, CCL24, and XCL1, extremely stable complexes are formed. Functionally, R17 potently inhibited CCL2-driven chemotaxis of the human monocytic cell line THP-1, CCL3-driven chemotaxis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and CCL2-mediated calcium flux. Our studies also reveal that R17 binds to glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in a process dependent upon two BBXB motifs and that chemokine and GAG binding can occur simultaneously at distinct sites. Collectively, these studies suggest that R17 may play a role in RHVP immune evasion through the targeted sabotage of chemokine-mediated immune surveillance