Morbidity and Mortality of Newborns with Gastrointestinal Surgical Pathology Admitted to the Neonatology Service of the Vicente Corral Moscoso Hospital

Morbidity and mortality in newborns with gastrointestinal malformations are high, even more so in low- and middle-income countries due to the need for immediate surgical care. However, the literature on these anomalies is scarce in Ecuador. This research aims to increase the registered data on the morbidity and mortality of newborns with gastrointestinal surgical pathology in Cuenca, Ecuador. A descriptive and cross-sectional study was carried out, involving 63 newborns with gastrointestinal surgical pathology admitted to the neonatology service of the Vicente Corral Moscoso Hospital. Data collection was done by reviewing medical records, using a form. The results showed that the mortality rate was higher in 2020. The majority of live newborns had esophageal atresia, they were male, born at term, with middle-aged mothers from urban areas. Of the deceased, the majority had a congenital diaphragmatic hernia, they were children of mothers from rural areas, and half died within 24 hours of being born, mainly from septic shock. In conclusion, the results of this study should not be considered definitive due to the omission of 23 clinical histories; moreover, a low mortality rate is evidenced. It was also observed that they died mainly from septic shock, a preventable cause of mortality from the first level of care with the detection of maternal risk factors. Keywords: morbidity, mortality, malformation, surgical neonate. Resumen Antecedentes: la morbimortalidad en recién nacidos con malformaciones gastrointestinales es elevada, más aún en países de ingresos medios y bajos debido a la necesidad de atención quirúrgica inmediata, sin embargo la literatura sobre estas anomalías es escasa en el Ecuador. Objetivos: incrementar los datos registrados sobre la morbimortalidad de recién nacidos con patología quirúrgica gastrointestinal en Cuenca, Ecuador. Métodos: se realizó un estudio descriptivo y transversal, participaron 63 recién nacidos con patología quirúrgica gastrointestinal ingresados en el servicio de neonatología del Hospital Vicente Corral Mosoco. La recolección de datos se realizó mediante la revisión de historias clínicas, empleando un formulario. Resultados: la tasa de mortalidad fue mayor, en el año 2020. La mayoría de recién nacidos vivos tenían atresia esofágica, eran hombres, nacidos a término, con madres de edad media, procedentes de zonas urbanas. De los fallecidos, la mayoría tenía hernia diafragmática congénita, eran hijos de madres procedentes de zonas rurales, la mitad murió a las 24 horas de nacido, principalmente de shock séptico. Conclusiones: los resultados de este estudio no deben considerarse como definitivos, debido a la omisión de 23 historias clínicas, se evidencia una baja tasa de mortalidad. También se observó que fallecieron principalmente de shock séptico, una causa de mortalidad prevenible desde el primer nivel de atención con la detección de factores de riesgo maternos. Palabras Clave: Morbilidad. Mortalidad. Malformación. Neonato quirúrgico

Operación de whipple en adenocarcinoma de vesícula biliar con invasión a colédoco y duodeno.

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Why do herbivorous mites suppress plant defenses?

Plants have evolved numerous defensive traits that enable them to resist herbivores. In turn, this resistance has selected for herbivores that can cope with defenses by either avoiding, resisting or suppressing them. Several species of herbivorous mites, such as the spider mites Tetranychus urticae and Tetranychus evansi, were found to maximize their performance by suppressing inducible plant defenses. At first glimpse it seems obvious why such a trait will be favored by natural selection. However, defense suppression appeared to readily backfire since mites that do so also make their host plant more suitable for competitors and their offspring more attractive for natural enemies. This, together with the fact that spider mites are infamous for their ability to resist (plant) toxins directly, justifies the question as to why traits that allow mites to suppress defenses nonetheless seem to be relatively common? We argue that this trait may facilitate generalist herbivores, like T. urticae, to colonize new host species. While specific detoxification mechanisms may, on average, be suitable only on a narrow range of similar hosts, defense suppression may be more broadly effective, provided it operates by targeting conserved plant signaling components. If so, resistance and suppression may be under frequency-dependent selection and be maintained as a polymorphism in generalist mite populations. In that case, the defense suppression trait may be under rapid positive selection in subpopulations that have recently colonized a new host but may erode in relatively isolated populations in which host-specific detoxification mechanisms emerge. Although there is empirical evidence to support these scenarios, it contradicts the observation that several of the mite species found to suppress plant defenses actually are relatively specialized. We argue that in these cases buffering traits may enable such mites to mitigate the negative side effects of suppression in natural communities and thus shield this trait from natural selection

A methodology to downscale water demand data with application to the Andean region (Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile)

Mountainous regions are a hotspot for water scarcity and anthropogenic pressure on water resources. Substantial uncertainty surrounds projections of future climate and water availability. Furthermore, quantitative and distributed data on water demand are generally scarce, dispersed, and highly heterogeneous. This forms a major bottleneck to studying water resources issues and developing strategies to improve water resource management. Here we present a methodology to produce and evaluate high-resolution gridded maps of anthropogenic surface water demand with application to the Andean region. These data are disaggregated according to the major types of water demand: domestic users, irrigated area, and hydropower. This dataset was built by homogenizing, integrating, and interpolating data obtained from various national institutions in charge of water resource management as well as relevant global datasets. The maps can be used to research anthropogenic impacts on water resources, and to guide regional decision-making in regions such as the Andes

Integration of miRNA and mRNA expression profles reveals microRNA-regulated networks during muscle wasting in cardiac cachexia

Cardiac cachexia (CC) is a common complication of heart failure (HF) associated with muscle wasting and poor patient prognosis. Although different mechanisms have been proposed to explain muscle wasting during CC, its pathogenesis is still not understood. Here, we described an integrative analysis between miRNA and mRNA expression profiles of muscle wasting during CC. Global gene expression profiling identified 1,281 genes and 19 miRNAs differentially expressed in muscle wasting during CC. Several of these deregulated genes are known or putative targets of the altered miRNAs, including miR-29a-3p, miR-29b-3p, miR-210-5p, miR-214, and miR-489. Gene ontology analysis on integrative mRNA/miRNA expression profiling data revealed miRNA interactions affecting genes that regulate extra-cellular matrix (ECM) organization, proteasome protein degradation, citric acid cycle and respiratory electron transport. We further identified 11 miRNAs, including miR-29a-3p and miR-29b-3p, which target 21 transcripts encoding the collagen proteins related to ECM organization. Integrative miRNA and mRNA global expression data allowed us to identify miRNA target genes involved in skeletal muscle wasting in CC. Our functional experiments in C2C12 cells confirmed that miR-29b down-regulates collagen genes and contributes to muscle cell atrophy. Collectively, our results suggest that key ECM-associated miRNAs and their target genes may contribute to CC in HF

Limitations of selective deltamethrin application for triatomine control in central coastal Ecuador

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This year-long study evaluated the effectiveness of a strategy involving selective deltamethrin spraying and community education for control of Chagas disease vectors in domestic units located in rural communities of coastal Ecuador.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Surveys for triatomines revealed peridomestic infestation with <it>Rhodnius ecuadoriensis </it>and <it>Panstrongylus howardi</it>, with infestation indices remaining high during the study (13%, 17%, and 10%, at initial, 6-month, and 12-month visits, respectively), which indicates a limitation of this strategy for triatomine population control. Infestation was found 6 and 12 months after spraying with deltamethrin. In addition, a large number of previously vector-free domestic units also were found infested at the 6- and 12-month surveys, which indicates new infestations by sylvatic triatomines. The predominance of young nymphs and adults suggests new infestation events, likely from sylvatic foci. In addition, infection with <it>Trypanosoma cruzi </it>was found in 65%, 21% and 29% at initial, 6-month and 12-month visits, respectively. All parasites isolated (n = 20) were identified as TcI.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>New vector control strategies need to be devised and evaluated for reduction of <it>T. cruzi </it>transmission in this region.</p

Ecological factors related to the widespread distribution of sylvatic Rhodnius ecuadoriensis populations in southern Ecuador

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Chagas disease transmission risk is a function of the presence of triatomines in domestic habitats. <it>Rhodnius ecuadoriensis </it>is one of the main vectors implicated in transmission of <it>Trypanosoma cruzi </it>in Ecuador. This triatomine species is present in domestic, peridomestic and sylvatic habitats in the country. To determine the distribution of sylvatic populations of <it>R. ecuadoriensis </it>and the factors related to this distribution, triatomine searches were conducted between 2005 and 2009 in southern Ecuador.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Manual triatomine searches were conducted by skilled bug collectors in 23 communities. Sylvatic searched sites were selected by a) directed sampling, where microhabitats were selected by the searchers and b) random sampling, where sampling points where randomly generated. Domiciliary triatomine searches were conducted using the one man-hour method. Natural trypanosome infection was determined by microscopic examination and PCR. Generalized linear models were used to test the effect of environmental factors on the presence of sylvatic triatomines.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In total, 1,923 sylvatic individuals were collected representing a sampling effort of 751 man-hours. Collected sylvatic triatomines were associated with mammal and bird nests. The 1,219 sampled nests presented an infestation index of 11.9%, a crowding of 13 bugs per infested nest, and a colonization of 80% of the nests. Triatomine abundance was significantly higher in squirrel (<it>Sciurus stramineus</it>) nests located above five meters from ground level and close to the houses. In addition, 8.5% of the 820 examined houses in the same localities were infested with triatomines. There was a significant correlation between <it>R. ecuadoriensis </it>infestation rates found in sylvatic and synanthropic environments within communities (<it>p </it>= 0.012). Parasitological analysis revealed that 64.7% and 15.7% of the sylvatic bugs examined (n = 300) were infected with <it>Trypanosoma cruzi </it>and <it>T. rangeli </it>respectively, and 8% of the bugs presented mixed infections.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The wide distribution of sylvatic <it>R. ecuadoriensis </it>populations may jeopardize the effectiveness of control campaigns conducted to eliminate domestic populations of this species. Also, the high <it>T. cruzi </it>infection rates found in sylvatic <it>R. ecuadoriensis </it>populations in southern Ecuador could constitute a risk for house re-infestation and persistent long-term Chagas disease transmission in the region.</p

Interlaboratory exercise for the analysis of carotenoids and related compounds in dried mango fruit (Mangifera indica L.)

An interlaboratory comparison was done for the analysis of carotenoids in freeze-dried mango. The study was performed from July to September 2018. Mango fruit was freeze-dried, homogenized, and packaged under vacuum conditions in portions of 6 g (test sample). Two test samples were sent to the participating laboratories for analysis. Laboratory results were rated using Z-scores in accordance with ISO 13528 and ISO 17043. The standard deviation for proficiency assessment (also called target standard deviation) was determined using a modified Horwitz function and varied between 10% and 25%, depending on the analyte. Out of 14 laboratories from 10 different countries, 9 laboratories (64%) obtained a satisfactory performance (Z ≤ 2) for the analysis of β-carotene. While for 7 laboratories that analyzed α-carotene, (9Z)-β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, and zeaxanthin, 4 laboratories (57%) obtained a satisfactory performance. However, only 2 laboratories out of 7 (29%) obtained a satisfactory performance for lutein. Based on the comparability of the analytical results, this study concludes that freeze-dried mango pulp can be used as a reference material for the analysis of α and β-carotene, (9Z)-β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, and zeaxanthin by applying different analytical procedures for their extraction and quantification

Optical wavelength converters in fiber optical networks

Optical Networks often use a wavelength converter as part of a switching system to improve their networks. Wavelength conversion is defined as a process by which the wavelength of the transmitted signal is changed without altering the data carried by the signal. The device that performs this function is usually called a wavelength converter but it is also referred to as a wavelength (or frequency) changer, shifter or translator. It is termed an up-converter when the converted signal wavelength is longer than the original signal wavelength and it is called a down-converter if the converted signal wavelength is shorter than the original signal wavelength. A wavelength converter should be capable of receiving an incoming signal at any wavelength (i.e. a variable wavelength) at the input port and must produce the converted signal at a particular wavelength (i.e. a fixed wavelength) at the output port. Therefore the input/output (I/O) ports of the converter must possess the capability of a variable input–fixed output (VIFO) converter and the majority of the optical switching networks use this type of device

TRY plant trait database - enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits-the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants-determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait-based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits-almost complete coverage for 'plant growth form'. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait-environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives