Chagas Parasite Detection in Blood Images Using AdaBoost

The Chagas disease is a potentially life-threatening illness caused by the protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi. Visual detection of such parasite through microscopic inspection is a tedious and time-consuming task. In this paper, we provide an AdaBoost learning solution to the task of Chagas parasite detection in blood images. We give details of the algorithm and our experimental setup. With this method, we get 100% and 93.25% of sensitivity and specificity, respectively. A ROC comparison with the method most commonly used for the detection of malaria parasites based on support vector machines (SVM) is also provided. Our experimental work shows mainly two things: (1) Chagas parasites can be detected automatically using machine learning methods with high accuracy and (2) AdaBoost + SVM provides better overall detection performance than AdaBoost or SVMs alone. Such results are the best ones known so far for the problem of automatic detection of Chagas parasites through the use of machine learning, computer vision, and image processing methods

Haematological parameters in a free-ranging population of Didelphis virginiana from Mexico

The American opossum Didelphis virginiana is the marsupial species with the largest geographic distribution in North America, a very important natural host and key to the maintenance and transmission of many zoonotic pathogenic microorganisms of importance in public health, and one of the wild mammals with the greatest adaptation to the human environment, but despite all that very little is known about some physiological aspects in their free-ranging populations. In the present study, basic haematological parameters of 201 opossums from a synanthropic population of D. virginiana in a rural locality of the state of Yucatan, are first described. The average values of haemoglobin, packed cell volume, red blood cells, and eosinophils were higher in males and adults (except eosinophils) than in females and juveniles, respectively, and juvenile opossums had higher values of lymphocytes, neutrophils, and platelets than males. Non-pregnant females had significantly higher values of mean corpuscular volume, lymphocytes and platelets than pregnant ones, while red blood cell count and segmented neutrophils showed higher values in pregnant females. The establishment of the basic haematological parameters for free-ranging populations of D. virginiana is a very useful reference for both the health monitoring of the populations and further studying the host-parasite relationship of some zoonotic pathogens present in the Yucatan Peninsula

La investigación participativa en niños como herramienta en la promoción de la salud para la prevención de la Enfermedad de Chagas en Yucatán, México

Introducción: La Investigación Participativa (IP) es una herramienta que puede abordarse para el análisis de procesos socioculturales, medioambientales, y de salud pública. La participación de niños en edad escolar en la apropiación del conocimiento para la prevención de la Enfermedad de Chagas (EC) puede romper su ciclo de transmisión. La EC es un problema de salud pública que afecta principalmente a comunidades rurales endémicas de países en desarrollo. Objetivo: Desarrollar una estrategia para la adquisición y transferencia de nuevos conocimientos en niños, debido en la falta de información acerca del ciclo de transmisión de la Enfermedad de Chagas. Material y Métodos: Estudio observacional de corte transversal, realizado con un grupo de 48 niños de una comunidad en pobreza extrema en Yucatán, México. Mediante herramientas de IP y con el apoyo de padres de familia, autoridades ejidales y escolares, se impartieron talleres educativos a niños en la escuela de educación básica para conocer el ciclo de transmisión, y prevenir la EC debido a la abundancia del vector en el área de estudio. Se implementó un programa denominado “Pequeños Investigadores”, para iniciar procesos de apropiación y socialización del conocimiento en la comunidad. Resultados: El nuevo conocimiento adquirido por el grupo de niños fue aprovechado y diseminado a sus familias, compañeros de escuela, y círculos sociales, fomentando la prevención de la enfermedad. Fueron recolectados 182 triatomas a nivel domiciliar y peri domiciliar. Conclusiones: Los nuevos conocimientos, actitudes y prácticas adquiridos por los niños bajo esquemas de participación, resulta benéfico para la prevención de la EC. Se recomienda al sector oficial la participación en la promoción de la salud en niños bajo el esquema del presente estudio en países en desarrollo.   Keywords: Enfermedad de Chagas, niños, promoción de la salud, investigación participativa   ABSTRACT   INTRODUCTION: Participatory Research (PR) is a tool that can be approached for the analysis of sociocultural, environmental, and public health processes. The participation of school-age childrens in the appropriation of knowledge for the prevention of Chagas' Disease (CD) can break the cycle of transmission. CD is a public health problem that mainly affects rural endemic communities of developing countries. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out with a group of 48 childrens from a community in extreme poverty in Yucatan, Mexico. Through PR tools and with the support of parents, ejidal and school authorities, educational workshops were given to children of the basic education to know the cycle of transmission, and to prevent CD due to the abundance of the vector in the study area. A program called "Small Investigators" was implemented to initiate processes of appropriation and socialization of knowledge in the community. RESULTS: The new knowledge acquired by the group of children was used and disseminated to their families, partners, and social circles, promoting the prevention of the disease. 182 triatomas were collected at home and peri domicile. CONCLUSIONS: The new knowledge, attitudes and practices acquired by children under participation schemes is beneficial for the prevention of the Chagas Disease. The official sector is recommended to design the promotion health programs in children under the scheme of the present study in developing countries.   Keywords: Chagas Disease, childs, promotion health, participatory researc

Re-infestation of houses by <i>Triatoma dimidiata</i> after intradomicile insecticide application in the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico

In most countries, Chagas disease transmission control remains based on domestic insecticide application. We thus evaluated the efficacy of infra-domicile cyfluthrin spraying for the control of Triatoma dimidiata, the only Chagas disease vector in the Yucatán peninsula, Mexico, and monitored potential re-infestation every 15 days for up to 9 months. We found that there was a re-infestation of houses by adult bugs starting 4 months after insecticide application, possibly from sylvatic/peridomicile areas. This points out the need to take into account the potential dispersal of sylvatic/peridomestic adult bugs into the domiciles as well as continuity action for an effective vector control.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Síntesis quimioenzimática de ésteres metílicos de ácidos grasos a partir de aceite residual y cálculo de sus parámetros fisicoquímicos

Mediante el desarrollo de un diseño factorial 2k se evaluó la temperatura y concentración del catalizador en la reacción para la obtención de ésteres metílicos de ácidos grasos (FAME) utilizando aceite residual como sustrato metanol como aceptor de acilo Candida antarctica Lipasa B como catalizador y tamices moleculares como agente secante. Los datos experimentales se analizaron con un análisis de varianza (ANOVA). Las relaciones óptimas de catalizador-temperatura se determinaron a 13% -30 ° C, 14,5% -34 ° C y 14% -35 ° C. No se detectó ningún efecto de los tamices moleculares en el rendimiento de la reacción. Por el contrario, se registró para la acidez del producto, que mostró una disminución significativa, de 0,79 a 0,40 mg KOH / g. Aplicando las reglas de mezcla, se calcularon las propiedades fisicoquímicas de los FAME (densidad, gravedad API, viscosidad cinemática, punto de enturbiamiento, presión de vapor, índice de cetano y capacidad calorífica). Los resultados establecieron que el biocombustible es apto para uso comercial y cumple con las regulaciones para biocombustibles: ASTM D6751 y EN-14214. Se determinó que el terc-butanol es el disolvente óptimo para la recuperación y reutilización de la lipasa. DOI: https://doi.org/10.54167/tecnociencia.v15i1.75

Primer consenso en leucemia linfocítica crónica de la agrupación mexicana para el estudio de la hematología: epidemiología, diagnóstico y tratamiento

La leucemia linfocítica crónica (LLC) es la leucemia crónica menos frecuente en México. En consideración a los avances recientes, a una mejor clasificación pronóstica y a la introducción de nuevas modalidades terapéuticas, la Agrupación Mexicana para el Estudio de la Hematología organizó el primer consenso mexicano en leucemia linfocítica crónica. Este consenso se llevó a cabo en Cancún, Quintana Roo, México, en Septiembre del 2007. Los objetivos de esta reunión fueron actualizar y compartir los conocimientos de la enfermedad entre los especialistas mexicanos, con el fin de mejorar el diagnóstico y el pronóstico de la LLC en México. En el artículo se discute los aspectos clínicos, diagnósticos y terapéuticos de la LLC

Risk profiles and one-year outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation in India: Insights from the GARFIELD-AF Registry.

BACKGROUND: The Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF) is an ongoing prospective noninterventional registry, which is providing important information on the baseline characteristics, treatment patterns, and 1-year outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). This report describes data from Indian patients recruited in this registry. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 52,014 patients with newly diagnosed AF were enrolled globally; of these, 1388 patients were recruited from 26 sites within India (2012-2016). In India, the mean age was 65.8 years at diagnosis of NVAF. Hypertension was the most prevalent risk factor for AF, present in 68.5% of patients from India and in 76.3% of patients globally (P < 0.001). Diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD) were prevalent in 36.2% and 28.1% of patients as compared with global prevalence of 22.2% and 21.6%, respectively (P < 0.001 for both). Antiplatelet therapy was the most common antithrombotic treatment in India. With increasing stroke risk, however, patients were more likely to receive oral anticoagulant therapy [mainly vitamin K antagonist (VKA)], but average international normalized ratio (INR) was lower among Indian patients [median INR value 1.6 (interquartile range {IQR}: 1.3-2.3) versus 2.3 (IQR 1.8-2.8) (P < 0.001)]. Compared with other countries, patients from India had markedly higher rates of all-cause mortality [7.68 per 100 person-years (95% confidence interval 6.32-9.35) vs 4.34 (4.16-4.53), P < 0.0001], while rates of stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding were lower after 1 year of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Compared to previously published registries from India, the GARFIELD-AF registry describes clinical profiles and outcomes in Indian patients with AF of a different etiology. The registry data show that compared to the rest of the world, Indian AF patients are younger in age and have more diabetes and CAD. Patients with a higher stroke risk are more likely to receive anticoagulation therapy with VKA but are underdosed compared with the global average in the GARFIELD-AF. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION-URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01090362

The Opossum Didelphis virginiana as a Synanthropic Reservoir of Trypanosoma cruzi in Dzidzilché, Yucatán, México

In México, the role of mammals in the transmission cycle of Trypanosoma cruzi   is poorly known. In the State of Yucatán, an endemic area of Chagas disease, both Didelphis virginiana   and D. marsupialis occur sympatrically. However, until now, only the former species had been found infected with T. cruzi . To evaluate the role of D. virginiana in a peridomestic transmission, nine periods of capture-recapture were performed around the village of Dzidzilché, Yucatán. The sex, age, reproductive status, location, and presence of infection with T. cruzi were recorded for each opossum. The chromosome morphology was used to identify the opossum species. T. cruzi was identified by the presence of pseudocysts of amastigotes in cardiac muscle fibers of Balb/c mice inoculated with strains isolated from opossums. However, xenodiagnosis was the best diagnostic method. Triatoma dimidiata, the vector, were collected in and around the opossums' nests, and human dwellings; and were checked for T. cruzi . From 102 blood samples of D. virginiana examined 55 (53.9%) were positive to T. cruzi , the only two D. marsupialis captured were negative. Significant differences were found between infection, and both sex and reproductive condition. Eight out of 14 triatomines collected in peridomestic nests (57.1%), and 32 of 197 captured inside houses (16.3%) were found infected, suggesting a peridomestic transmission. The statistically high abundance of infected opossums and triatomines during the dry season (March to May) suggested the existence of a seasonality in the peridomestic transmission of T. cruzi in Dzidzilché

El acceso a la justicia ambiental y la posibilidad de implantación de tribunales ambientales en Chiapas, México

El Estado de Chiapas es considerado como uno de los que cuenta con más recursos naturales en México, los cuales no siempre son aprovechados de manera sustentable, ocasionando numerosos problemas ambientales. Esto requiere una aplicación efi caz y expedita de las leyes ambientales. Para conocer las percepciones de abogados acerca del acceso a la justicia ambiental y la posibilidad de creación de tribunales ambientales en el Estado de Chiapas, se aplicaron instrumentos de investigación. Se trabajó con tres grupos: (1) litigantes de juzgados, (2) titulares de despachos jurídicos, y (3) representantes de Procuradurías ambientales. Los abogados en general manifestaron tener conocimiento de derecho ambiental y consideran que la legislación ambiental ha avanzado y que es bastante compleja. Esto difi culta la aplicación de las leyes ambientales, las cuales se manejan con base en procedimientos administrativos, penales o civiles, en vez de que exista un proceso autónomo. Consideran que esto no resuelve la problemática ambiental y que promueve la impunidad. Identifi can que esto se complica más por la complejidad y extensión territorial del Estado, en el sentido de la acción de las autoridades, de la difusión de la información ambiental y del acceso a la justicia ambiental. Además, varias comunidades rurales se han manifestado en contra del gobierno. Los abogados consideran pertinente la creación de tribunales ambientales para el Estado de Chiapas