New delivery systems for amphotericin B applied to the improvement of leishmaniasis treatment

Leishmaniasis is one of the six major tropical diseases targeted by the World Health Organization. It is a life-threatening disease of medical, social and economic importance in endemic areas. No vaccine is yet available for human use, and chemotherapy presents several problems. Pentavalent antimonials have been the drugs of choice to treat the disease for more than six decades; however, they exhibit high toxicity and are not indicated for children, for pregnant or breastfeeding women or for chronically ill patients. Amphotericin B (AmpB) is a second-line drug, and although it has been increasingly used to treat visceral leishmaniasis (VL), its clinical use has been hampered due to its high toxicity. This review focuses on the development and in vivo usage of new delivery systems for AmpB that aim to decrease its toxicity without altering its therapeutic efficacy. These new formulations, when adjusted with regard to their production costs, may be considered new drug delivery systems that promise to improve the treatment of leishmaniasis, by reducing the side effects and the number of doses while permitting a satisfactory cost-benefit rati

Análisis de la frecuencia cardíaca durante la competición en jugadores profesionales de fútbol sala

Con el propósito de controlar y analizar la evolución de la frecuencia cardiaca durante la competición en jugadores profesionales de fútbol sala pertenecientes al equipo de División de Plata de la ciudad de Melilla, se registraron, mediante monitores de ritmo cardíaco, cinco partidos en diferentes momentos de la temporada, correspondientes al inicio, a la mitad y al final de la misma. En valores absolutos, la FC máxima media obtenida es 192,1 lpm ± 0,8, la FC media es 172,9 lpm ± 4,0, mientras que la FC mínima promedio es 118,8 lpm ± 11,1. En valores relativos, derivados de relacionar la frecuencia cardíaca media con el valor de frecuencia cardíaca máxima individual, apreciamos que la frecuencia cardíaca media supone el 89,5 % de la FC máxima. La frecuencia cardiaca no suele situarse por debajo de 150 latidos, permaneciendo el 25,7 % del tiempo entre 150 y 170 lpm y alcanzando valores superiores a 170 latidos el 67,4 % del tiempo de participación. Estos datos demuestran que el 1,8 % del tiempo se encuentran por debajo del 65 % de su FC máxima, el 18,0 % entre el 65 % y el 85 % y el 80,7 % del tiempo por encima del 85 % de su FC máxima. Lo que parece demostrar una poderosa contribución del metabolismo anaeróbico en las exigencias solicitadas por la competición a los jugadores de esta especialidad

Towards a Circular Economy Development for Household Used Cooking Oil in Guayaquil: Quantification, Characterization, Modeling, and Geographical Mapping

This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of GIS and Remote Sensing for Sustainable Development[Abstract] The objective of the present study was to quantify, geo-locate, model, and characterize domestic used cooking oil (dUCO) generation for the city of Guayaquil. For this reason, and as a prerequisite for the proper planning of municipal cooking oil waste management in the city, we carried out 14-day fieldwork involving 532 households from different parishes of Guayaquil, combined with a survey to acquire data on their demographic and socioeconomic statistics. The artisanal characterization was further executed to 40 subsamples of dUCO to determine the density, moisture, solids content, and the volatile-matter characteristics present. Additionally, the Geographic Information System (GIS) was used to map the used cooking oil generation hotspots for the city, adding the Geographical Position System (GPS) of each participating household during the data acquisition. Finally, a multiple-regression model was proposed to establish correlations between the dUCO generated and five independent variables, such as household size, socioeconomic group, tenure status, education level, and income. Results showed that the per capita daily dUCO-generation rate was found to be 4.30 g/day/c or 4.99 mL/day/c, with a density of 0.86 g/mL. Filterable solids represented 0.37% for the entire dUCO collected sample, while separable water and grease represented 1.58% and 0.014%, respectively. In addition, the percentage of the volatile matter was found to be 7.7% ± 2.1% of the filtered dUCO. Using GIS mapping, we found that the areas near tourism sites have a higher dUCO generation value, considering the household survey. Following the developed multiple-regression model developed, it was found that household size and the socioeconomic group have the maximum effect on generating used cooking oil

Quantification and mapping of domestic plastic waste using GIS/GPS approach at the city of Guayaquil

[Abstract] A significant contributor to the waste stream is the domestic single-use plastic used in households, being the final disposal in most cases the local landfill. There is a significant opportunity to promote resource recovery and efficiency through the introduction of circular economy strategies. However, the knowledge and management of post-consumer plastic waste in the country is poor, and there is a lack of an efficient collection and sorting system. In this context, spatial information on domestic plastic waste generation (DPWG) is essential for recycling decision-making. The integration of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and the Global Positioning System (GPS) shows an opportunity to collect, mapping, and analyse spatial DPWG issues. Thus, this paper had a double objective. The first was to assess the evolution of eight different types of plastic waste in the city’s households and their daily per capita generation between 2019 and 2021. The second objective was to provide a complete geo-referenced information on the quantities and typologies of domestic plastic waste (DPW) produced in Guayaquil and analyse how the flows have shifted throughout the years. The results showed that PET is the most generated, recording 97.76% and 100.00 % of the households who generate this type of plastic for 2019 and 2021, respectively, with an average of 13.08 and 15.13 g/day/c. Following, we had HDPE, PP and PVC occupying the second, third and fourth place for 2019 with 5.86, 3.05, 2.54 g/day/c, respectively. On the other hand, for 2021, PP (7.43 g/day/c), HDPE (5.92 g/day/c), and LDPE (3.99 g/day/c) occupied the second, third and fourth, respectively. According to the spatial maps, the DPW increment is in most of the popular zones. These popular zones are neighborhoods with a considerable quantity of population and limited basic services. Most of these people live in extreme poverty, being a possible relation between the COVID-19 lockdown and the increasement of DPW

Physical Education Classes as a Precursor to the Mediterranean Diet and the Practice of Physical Activity

Physical activity and a healthy, balanced diet are remaining unresolved issues among young people. According to the World Health Organization, young people do not get enough exercise during the week, and physical education classes are the best way to promote healthy habits. This study aims to analyze how the role of the teacher influences the frustration of psychological needs, coping strategies, motivation, and the adoption of healthy eating habits through the Mediterranean diet and the regular practice of physical activity. The study involved 1031 boys and 910 girls between the ages of 13 and 18. To explain the relationships between the different variables included in this study, a model of structural equations has been developed. The results showed that autonomy support negatively predicted the frustration of four psychological needs. The failure to meet four psychological needs negatively predicted resilience. Likewise, resilience positively predicted autonomous motivation, and this positively predicted the Mediterranean diet and the practice of physical activity. Thus, the results obtained in the present study are in line with those of various studies wherein physical education classes were seen to help consolidate healthy living habits

The influence of summer upwelling at the western boundary of the Cantabrian coast

7 páginas, 1 tabla, 4 figurasRecent characterizations of atmospheric conditions favorable to upwelling events in the Western Cantabrian Sea have stressed the need to analyze the significance of the orientation of the coast on the phenomenon of upwelling. Surface-wind fields for the northwestern Galician marine area were provided by the QuikSCAT satellite and an SST map was elaborated using the NASA GHRSST satellite data. A cruise was conducted aboard the RV Lura in June 2009 during northern prevailing winds. Data of thermohaline variables, concentration of dissolved oxygen, dissolved inorganic nitrogen, chlorophyll, dissolved and particulate organic carbon and nitrogen and phytoplankton abundances were obtained. When the upwelling developed west of the Cape Ortegal was strong, the Eastern North Atlantic Central Water mixed with coastal water eastward of the Cape and the upwelled seawater reached the westernmost of the Northern Galician Rias, the Ria of Ortigueira. Incoming seawater was poor in nitrate and chlorophyll concentrations when compared to that of the upwelling events in the Western Galician Rias. The phytoplankton assemblages were typical of summer upwelling blooms in the latter Rias but phytoplankton biomass was lower in the Ria of Ortigueira and the species were indicatives of initial (inner ria under continental influence) and advanced (outer ria under upwelling inputs) stages of phytoplankton succession. The observed process arose when the upwelling edge-zone reaches a change of coastal orientation as may also occur in other upwelling regions.This work was CICYT-FEDER financed (CTM2007-62546-C03/MAR).Peer reviewe

Agronomical aspects of desalinated seawater for crop irrigation in the Segura River Basin (south-eastern Spain)

[SPA] Este estudio evalúa los aspectos agronómicos que deben ser considerados en el uso del agua marina desalada (DSW) en la cuenca del río Segura (SRB), dentro de un estudio de marco de orden superior, donde se analizan aspectos de planificación, ambientales (agua y energía), huella de carbono y económicos, y donde se describe y examina desde una perspectiva crítica el desarrollo y ejecución del abastecimiento del agua desalada para la agricultura en la cuenca del Segura. En este sentido, para la caracterización de la química del agua desalada, se han analizado datos de salinidad, nutrientes, elementos fitotóxicos, SAR y estabilidad química y pH de las cuatro principales desaladoras (IDAM) que abastecen a las zonas regables (Águilas, Valdelentisco, Torrevieja y Escombreras), realizando una comparación con el Trasvase Tajo Segura (TSW) y el agua de salobre de pozos (BGW). Este estudio sienta las bases de la caracterización química para las estrategias de mezcla que deben ser modelizadas según las diferentes zonas regables y tipología de cultivo de la cuenca. [ENG] Este estudio evalúa los aspectos agronómicos que deben ser considerados en el uso del agua marina desalada (DSW) en la cuenca del río Segura (SRB), dentro de un estudio de marco de orden superior, donde se analizan aspectos de planificación, ambientales (agua y energía), huella de carbono y económicos, y donde se describe y examina desde una perspectiva crítica el desarrollo y ejecución del abastecimiento del agua desalada para la agricultura en la cuenca del Segura. En este sentido, para la caracterización de la química del agua desalada, se han analizado datos de salinidad, nutrientes, elementos fitotóxicos, SAR y estabilidad química y pH de las cuatro principales desaladoras (IDAM) que abastecen a las zonas regables (Águilas, Valdelentisco, Torrevieja y Escombreras), realizando una comparación con el Trasvase Tajo Segura (TSW) y el agua de salobre de pozos (BGW). Este estudio sienta las bases de la caracterización química para las estrategias de mezcla que deben ser modelizadas según las diferentes zonas regables y tipología de cultivo de la cuenca.Esta investigación ha sido financiada por el Programa de Apoyo a la Investigación de la Fundación Séneca-Agencia de Ciencia y Tecnología de la Región de Murcia a través del proyecto 19280/PI/14. Agradecimientos también a la Cátedra Trasvase y sostenibilidad – José Manuel Claver Valderas, y a los datos suministrados por ACUAMED

Evaluación del crecimiento y nodulación de plantas de soya Glycine max inoculadas con Rhizobium y Bradyrhizobium japonicum en Manglaralto, Santa Elena Ecuador

Los bioinsumos rizobianos son considerados desde hace algunos años como la mejor alternativa para reducir la aplicación de los fertilizantes sintéticos y con repercusión en la economía rural campesina. El objetivo de este trabajo fue valorar los efectos de infección y efectividad en tres tipos de semillas de soya (Glycine max), inoculados con tres biofertilizantes rizobianos, en las condiciones de una zona productiva de la provincia de Santa Elena (Ecuador). Se inocularon los materiales genéticos de soya INIAP 307, INIAP 308 e INTEROC SSK con los biofertilizantes Endure-Rhizobium (USA), Bradyrhizobium Católica y un biofermento obtenido de la colección de cepas de Rhizobium del Centro de Investigaciones CIAP-UPSE. Los resultados evidencian el mutualismo que las leguminosas establecen con sus huéspedes rizobianos, obteniendo resultados significativos en la mayoría de las variables investigadas en todas las variables inoculadas, incluyendo la nodulación de Bradyrhizobium con G. max., confirmando la especificidad que presenta la simbiosis planta-leguminosa. Seguramente, la inoculación en soya contribuirían a los planes de desarrollo en una futura producción a gran escala, en una zona de interés agropecuario

Humoral Responses and Ex Vivo IFN-γ Production after Canine Whole Blood Stimulation with Leishmania infantum Antigen or KMP11 Recombinant Protein

The effect of Leishmania infantum soluble antigen (LSA) and recombinant Kinetoplastid Membrane Protein 11 (rKMP11) on the induction of ex vivo specific IFN-γ (n = 69) and antibody responses (n = 108) was determined in dogs. All dogs were tested for serological response to both antigens and divided into Group 1: healthy (Asturias, Spain, n = 26), Group 2: sick (n = 46), Group 3: healthy Ibizan hounds (Mallorca, Spain, n = 22) and Group 4: healthy (Bari, Italy, n = 14). Antibody levels were higher for LSA when compared to rKMP11 (p = 0.001). Ibizan hounds were all seronegative to rKMP11 and 18% were low seropositive to LSA. Sick dogs presented higher antibody response to both antigens compared to the rest of the groups (p < 0.0001). All groups showed higher IFN-γ levels after LSA compared to rKMP11 responses (p < 0.05). The highest response to LSA was found in Ibizan hounds (p < 0.05). IFN-γ to LSA and rKMP11 stimulation was observed in 34% and in 2.8% of the sick dogs, respectively. Here, we demonstrated that anti-rKMP11 antibodies are mainly present in dogs with moderate to severe disease. Furthermore, cellular immune response measured by specific ex vivo IFN-γ production was more intense to LSA than stimulated to rKMP11

The mineralizing effect of zinc oxide-modified hydroxyapatite-based sealer on radicular dentin

Objective To evaluate the remineralization ability of three endodontic sealer materials at different root dentin regions. Material and methods Cervical, medial and apical root dentin surfaces were treated with two experimental hydroxyapatite-based cements, containing sodium hydroxide (calcypatite) or zinc oxide (oxipatite); an epoxy resin-based canal sealer, AH Plus; and gutta-percha. Remineralization, at the inner and outer zones of dentin disk surfaces, was studied by nanohardness (Hi) and Raman analysis. Nano-roughness and collagen fibrils width measurements were performed. Numerical data, at 24 h or 12 m, were analyzed by ANOVA and Student-Newman-Keuls (P<0.05). Results At the outer and inner zones of cervical dentin treated with oxipatite, the highest Hi after 12 m of immersion was achieved. The same group showed the highest intensity of phosphate peak, markers for calcification and crystallinity. Nanoroughness was lower and fibrils diameter was higher at the inner zone of dentin treated with oxipatite. Dentin mineralization occurred in every region of root dentin treated with oxipatite and calcypatite, especially at inner zone of dentin after 12 m. Conclusions Oxipatite, reinforced the inner root zone at any third of radicular dentin, by increasing both nanohardness and remineralization. When using calcypatite, the highest nanohardness was found at the apical third of the inner root dentin, but the lowest mechanical performance was obtained at the cervical and the medial thirds of the roots. Therefore, application of oxipatite as sealing cement of root canals is recommended. Clinical relevance Oxipatite, when used as endodontic sealing material, strengthens radicular dentin.Project MAT2017-85999-P MINECO/AEI/FEDER/UE supported by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) and European Regional Development Fund (FEDER)