Estudio, diseño de prototipo general de sistema fotovoltaico para proyecto centro urbano de bienestar y oportunidades (CUBO)

El proyecto de los CUBOS son una iniciativa del gobierno salvadoreño que se enfoca en brindar servicios básicos y acceso a la tecnología a comunidades rurales y urbanas de bajos ingresos. Hasta ahora, los CUBOS han dependido exclusivamente de un diseño de suministro eléctrico convencional. Nuestro objetivo es presentar una propuesta que pueda implementarse para mejorar el ahorro económico a largo plazo y, sobre todo, reducir el impacto ambiental. Esta iniciativa busca servir como un incentivo para que se amplíe o adapte a más instituciones gubernamentales. Además, promovemos el uso de la energía solar fotovoltaica (SFV) debido a su carácter de energía renovable y limpia, así como su alta eficiencia. Este sistema podría funcionar durante todo el año, sin importar las interrupciones en el suministro eléctrico por parte de las empresas distribuidoras

Renta básica como medida temporal ante la coyuntura del COVID-19 En Colombia

Ensayo de Seminario InternacionalLa Renta Básica, es una definición utilizada globalmente, sin embargo, para los fines del presente ensayo, no se empleará como concepto de universalidad, sino específicamente en lo que concierne con la emergencia económica que atraviesa Colombia a causa del COVID-19. Buscando la implementación de una renta mínima extraordinaria, que garantice las condiciones necesarias de vida digna de la población.RESUMEN INTRODUCCIÓN 1. DESARROLLO 2. PROPUESTAS ECONÓMICAS CONCLUSIONES BIBLIOGRAFÍAEspecializaciónEspecialista en Análisis y Administración Financier

Impulse oscillometry reference values and bronchodilator response in three- to five-year old children living at high altitude

Q2Q1Introduction: Impulse oscillometry (IOS) is used to measure airway impedance. It is an effective tool for diagnosing and treating respiratory diseases, and it has the advantage that it does not require forced respiratory maneuvers. IOS reference values are required for each population group. Objective: This study aimed to determine the IOS reference values and bronchodilator response in healthy preschool children living in Bogotá, Colombia. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study in preschool children who had no history of respiratory disease; 96 children fit the parameters for testing to determine normal values according to the American Thoracic Society and European Respiratory Society criteria. Results: Values for respiratory resistance (Rrs) and reactance (Xrs) at 5, 10, and 20 Hz, respiratory impedance (Zrs, and resonance frequency (Fres) were established. Height was the most influential independent variable for IOS values; an increase in height led to a reduction in Rrs5 and Rrs20 and an increase in Xrs5. After the administration of 400 mcg of salbutamol the values for Rrs5(-17.48%), Rrs20(-8.63%), Fres (-10.68%), and area of reactance (-35.44%) were reduced, meanwhile Xrs5 (15.35%) was increased. Conclusions: Normal IOS values before and after the administration of 400 mcg of salbutamol were determined for a population of children aged 3-5 years at 2,640 m. Reference IOS equations for these children are presented. A relative change of up to -28% and 36% after the use of salbutamol for respiratory resistance and reactance, respectively, should be considered as an upper limit of the normal range, and possible appropriate cut-off values for defining significant response for evaluating therapeutic interventions. Keywords: children; cross-sectional studies; high altitude; oscillometry; reference values; respiratory function tests.N/

A randomized clinical trial of unfractioned heparin for treatment of sepsis (the HETRASE study): design and rationale [NCT00100308]

INTRODUCTION: Infection promotes coagulation via a large number of molecular and cellular mechanisms, and this procoagulant activity has boosted basic and clinical research using anticoagulant molecules as therapeutic tools in sepsis. Heparin, which is a naturally occurring proteoglycan that acts by reducing thrombin generation and fibrin formation, has not been rigorously tested in a randomized clinical trial. METHODS: Randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled, single-center clinical trial. Patients are recruited through the emergency room at Hospital Universitario San Vicente de Paul. This is a 650-bed University Hospital in Medellín, Colombia and is a referral center for a region with approximately 3 million habitants. The recruitment process started on July 2005 and will finish on June 2007. Patients aged 18 years or older, males or females, hospitalized with clinically or microbiological confirmed sepsis, have been included. The interventions are unfractioned heparin in low dose continuous infusion (500 units per hour for 7 days) or placebo, additionally to the standard of care for sepsis patients in Colombia. RESULTS: Our primary aims are to estimate the effects of heparin on hospital length of stay and change from baseline Multiple Organ Dysfunction (MOD) score. Secondary objectives are to estimate the effects of heparin on 28-day all-cause mortality, and to estimate the possible effect modification on 28-day all-cause mortality, in subgroups defined by source and site of infection, and baseline values of APACHE II score, MOD score and D-dimer. CONCLUSION: The available literature in animal and human research, and the understanding of the molecular biology regarding inflammation and coagulation, supports a randomized clinical trial for the use of heparin in sepsis. Our study will provide appropriate power to detect differences in valid surrogate outcomes, and it will explore important preliminary data for efficacy regarding the clinical end-point of mortality

Microregiones alternativas de desarrollo para la Zona Oriental de El Salvador

En el desarrollo de este proceso de investigación el que se centra en el estudio de los factores que intervienen en la formación de las microregiones y tratar de conocer si estas son alternativas de desarrollo para la zona oriental de El Salvador para lo que se utilizó el enfoque sistémico el que nos permitió reconocer el territorio y el desarrollo local como categorías centrales así también el conocer los elementos diversos e interconectados que lo conforman, el carácter de unidad global, los objetivos asociados al mismo y cómo se integran. Uno de los factores que intervienen en el funcionamiento de las microregiones es el proceso de descentralización que no se realiza completo, solo se descentralizan o delegan funciones y no recursos lo que permitiría invertir en asistencia técnica financiera y política, aunque es claro que hoy es más difícil ya que después que el país es catalogado como de “renta media”, las condiciones de cooperación son más exigentes y menor la cantidad de proyectos a realiza

Vinyl sulfone silica: application of an open preactivated support to the study of transnitrosylation of plant proteins by S-nitrosoglutathione

Background S-nitrosylaton is implicated in the regulation of numerous signaling pathways with a diversity of regulatory roles. The high lability of the S-NO bond makes the study of proteins regulated by S-nitrosylation/denitrosylation a challenging task and most studies have focused on already S-nitrosylated proteins. We hypothesize that: i) S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) transnitrosylation is a feasible mechanism to account for the physiological S-nitrosylation of rather electropositive sulfur atoms from proteins, ii) affinity chromatography is a suitable approach to isolate proteins that are prone to undergo S-transnitrosylation and iii) vinyl sulfone silica is a suitable chromatographic bead.Results The combination of vinyl sulfone silica with GSNO yielded an affinity resin that withstood high ionic strength without shrinking or deforming and that it was suitable to isolate potential GSNO transnitrosylation target candidates. Fractions eluted at 1500 mM NaCl resulted in a symmetrical peak for both, protein and S-nitrosothiols, supporting the idea of transnitrosylation by GSNO as a selective process that involves strong and specific interactions with the target protein. Proteomic analysis led to the identification of 22 physiological significant enzymes that differ with the tissue analyzed, being regulatory proteins the most abundant group in hypocotyls. The identification of chloroplastidic FBPase, proteasome, GTP-binding protein, heat shock Hsp70, syntaxin, catalase I, thioredoxin peroxidase and cytochrome P450 that have already been reported as S-nitrosylated by other techniques can be considered as internal positive controls that validate our experimental approach. An additional validation was provided by the prediction of the S-nitrosylation sites in 19 of the GSNO transnitrosylation target candidates.Conclusions Vinyl sulfone silica is an open immobilization support that can be turned ad hoc and in a straightforward manner into an affinity resin. Its potential in omic sciences was successfully put to test in the context of the analysis of post-translational modification by S-nitrosylation with two different tissues: mature pea leaves and embryogenic sunflower hypocotyls. The identified proteins reveal an intriguing overlap among S-nitrosylation and both tyrosine nitration and thioredoxin regulation. Chloroplastidic FBPase is a paradigm of such overlap of post-translational modifications since it is reversible modified by thioredoxin and S-nitrosylation and irreversibly by tyrosine nitration. Our results suggest a complex interrelation among different modulation mechanisms mediated by NO-derived molecules.Financial Support was provided by Dirección General de Investigacion Cientıfica y Técnica (DGICYT) (CTQ2008-01754), Junta de Andalucía (P07-FQM-02899), Universidad de Jaén campus de Excelencia Internacional Agroalimentario ceiA3 and by ERDF-cofinanced grants from Ministry of Science and Innovation (BIO2012-33904) and Junta de Andalucía (research groups BIO286 and BIO192). We also acknowledge support of the publication fee by the CSIC Open Access Publication Support Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI)

Dual regulation of cytosolic ascorbate peroxidase (APX) by tyrosine nitration and S-nitrosylation

JBM acknowledges a PhD fellowship (F.P.U.) from the Ministry of Science and Innovation. This work was supported by an ERDF-co-financed grant from the Ministry of Science and Innovation (BIO2009-12003-C02-01, BIO2009-12003-C02-02, and BIO2012-33904) and Junta de Andalucia (group BIO286 and BIO192), Spain. LC/MS/MS analyses were carried out at the Laboratorio de Proteomica LP-CSIC/UAB, a member of the ProteoRed network. Technical and human support provided by CICT of Universidad de Jaen (UJA, MINECO, Junta de Andalucia, FEDER) is gratefully acknowledged. We acknowledge Mr Carmelo Ruiz-Torres for his excellent technical support.Post-translational modifications (PTMs) mediated by nitric oxide (NO)-derived molecules have become a new area of research, as they can modulate the function of target proteins. Proteomic data have shown that ascorbate peroxidase (APX) is one of the potential targets of PTMs mediated by NO-derived molecules. Using recombinant pea cytosolic APX, the impact of peroxynitrite (ONOO–) and S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO), which are known to mediate protein nitration and S-nitrosylation processes, respectively, was analysed. While peroxynitrite inhibits APX activity, GSNO enhances its enzymatic activity. Mass spectrometric analysis of the nitrated APX enabled the determination that Tyr5 and Tyr235 were exclusively nitrated to 3-nitrotyrosine by peroxynitrite. Residue Cys32 was identified by the biotin switch method as S-nitrosylated. The location of these residues on the structure of pea APX reveals that Tyr235 is found at the bottom of the pocket where the haem group is enclosed, whereas Cys32 is at the ascorbate binding site. Pea plants grown under saline (150mM NaCl) stress showed an enhancement of both APX activity and S-nitrosylated APX, as well as an increase of H2O2, NO, and S-nitrosothiol (SNO) content that can justify the induction of the APX activity. The results provide new insight into the molecular mechanism of the regulation of APX which can be both inactivated by irreversible nitration and activated by reversible S-nitrosylation.Spanish GovernmentERDF from the Ministry of Science and Innovation BIO2009-12003-C02-01 BIO2009-12003-C02-02 BIO2012-33904Junta de Andalucia BIO286 BIO192CICT of Universidad de Jaen (UJA, MINECO, Junta de Andalucia, FEDER

Age and growth estimates of the jumbo flying squid (Dosidicus gigas) off Peru

Mantle length (ML) and age data were analyzed to describe the growth patterns of the flying jumbo squid, Dosidicus gigas, in Peruvian waters. Six non-asymptotic growth models and four asymptotic growth models were fitted. Length-at-age data for males and females were analysed separately to assess the growth pattern. Multi-model inference and Akaike's information criterion were used to identify the best fitting model. For females, the best candidate growth model was the Schnute model with L∞ = 106.96 cm ML (CI 101.23–110.27 cm ML, P < 0.05), age at growth inflection 244.71 days (CI 232.82–284.86 days, P < 0.05), and length at growth inflection 57.26 cm ML (CI 55.42–58.51 cm ML, P < 0.05). The growth pattern in males was best described by a Gompertz growth model with L∞ = 127.58 cm ML (CI 115.27–131.80 cm ML, P < 0.05), t0 = 21.8 (CI 20.06–22.41, P < 0.05), and k = 0.007 (CI 0.006–0.007, P < 0.05). These results contrast with the growth model previously reported for D. gigas in the region, where the growth pattern was identified as non-asymptotic

Lung Paragonimiais in Children: Report of Two Cases

RESUMEN: La paragonimiasis es una zoonosis parasitaria, de transmisión alimentaria, causada por especies de tremátodos del género Paragonimus, presente en áreas tropicales y subtropicales de Asia, África y América. El ser humano se infecta mediante la ingestión de crustáceos de agua dulce crudos o mal cocidos. La infección afecta principalmente los pulmones, con desarrollo de múltiples manifestaciones clínicas y radiológicas, dependiendo del momento del ciclo vital del parásito. El diagnóstico diferencial más importante de esta enfermedad es la tuberculosis pulmonar. En este artículo se describe esta enfermedad en dos niñas con diferentes manifestaciones pulmonares. La paragonimiasis se debe sospechar en pacientes con tos crónica, esputo herrumbroso, dolor torácico, con o sin compromiso cerebral, que viven o han residido en una zona endémica y que presentan una eosinofília elevada, con cambios radiológicos sugestivos del síndrome de Loeffler.ABSTRACT: Paragonimiasis is a parasitic, food-borne zoonosis, caused by species of trematodes of the genus Paragonimus, found in tropical and subtropical areas of Asia, Africa and America. Human beings become infected by ingestion of raw or undercooked freshwater shellfish. The infection primarily affects the lungs, with the development of multiple clinical and radiological manifestations, depending on the moment in the life cycle of the parasite. The most important differential diagnosis of this disease is pulmonary tuberculosis. We report two cases of lung paragonimiasis in aboriginal Colombian girls with different pulmonary manifestations. Paragonimiasis should be suspected in patients with chronic cough, rusty sputum, chest pain, with or without brain involvement, who live or have lived in en-demic areas and have a highlevel eosinophilia with radiographic changes suggestive of Loeffler’s syndrome

Recommendations for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of community-acquired pneumonia in immunocompetent adults

Introducción En nombre de las Asociaciones Colombianas de Neumología y Cirugía del Tórax, de Medicina Crítica y Cuidado Intensivo, de Medicina Interna y de Infectología, es un placer presentar las “Recomendaciones para el diagnóstico, tratamiento y prevención de la neumonía adquirida en la comunidad en adultos inmunocompetentes”. Este el fruto de un trabajo en conjunto durante tres años, en los cuales profesionales de las 4 asociaciones contribuyeron en el desarrollo de este documento que actualiza la versión previa de la guía del 2003. En este documento, no solo se tuvo en cuenta la mejor evidencia disponible publicada mediante la evaluación de guías existentes y búsquedas primarias, sino que también se incluyó información valiosa publicada localmente, especialmente datos epidemiológicos relacionados con etiología y resistencia bacteriana, entre otros.Guía de práctica clínica1-3