Unveiling Colombia's medicinal Cannabis sativa treasure trove: Phenotypic and Chemotypic diversity in legal cultivation.

INTRODUCTION: Cannabis sativa is a highly versatile plant with a long history of cultivation and domestication. It produces multiple compounds that exert distinct and valuable therapeutic effects by modulating diverse biological systems, including the endocannabinoid system (ECS). Access to standardized, metabolically diverse, and reproducible C. sativa chemotypes and chemovars is essential for physicians to optimize individualized patient treatment and for industries to conduct drug-discovery campaigns. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to characterize and assess the phytochemical diversity of C. sativa chemotypes in diverse ecological regions of Colombia, South America. METHODOLOGY: Ten cannabinoids and 23 terpenes were measured using liquid and gas chromatography, in addition to other phenotypic traits, in 156 C. sativa plants that were grown in diverse ecological regions in Colombia, a hotspot for global biodiversity. RESULTS: Our results reveal significant phytochemical diversity in Colombian-grown C. sativa plants, with four distinct chemotypes based on cannabinoid profile. The significant amount of usually uncommon terpenes suggests that Colombia's environments may have unique capabilities that allow the plant to express these compounds. Colombia's diverse climates offer enormous cultivation potential, making it a key player in both domestic and international medicinal and recreational C. sativa trade. CONCLUSION: These findings underscore Colombia's capacity to pioneer global C. sativa production diversification, particularly in South America with new emerging markets.

The evolution of loan volume and non-performing loans under COVID-19 innovations: The Colombian case.

Financial institutions' scale of total and non-performing loans are important figures signaling economic activity and its risk level. COVID-19 created an external shock with overarching effects on the global economy, impacting the credit activity and debtors' ability to repay their obligations. We study how Colombia's loans and non-performing loans market ratios could react to an external shock (absent of any relief measures) by developing a vector autoregressive model with exogenous variables (VARX) with the Central Bank intervention rate as an exogenous variable. We use impulse response functions to simulate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the market of loans and default levels in Colombia. Our results show that the effects remain significant over long periods.

Huellas históricas de la COVID-19 en la asistencia médica de los habitantes de Manicaragua, Cuba / Historical traces of COVID-19 in the medical care of the inhabitants of Manicaragua, Cuba

Fundamento: la pandemia de COVID-19 ha tenido un efecto socioeconómico disruptivo en el mundo; pero ha dejado huellas que constituyen lecciones aprendidas entre la población de numerosos países. Objetivo: describir las huellas históricas de la COVID-19 en el municipio de Manicaragua, Villa Clara, Cuba, como expresión de la reorganización y regionalización de los servicios de salud que demandaba el enfrentamiento a la pandemia. Métodos: se realizó un estudio descriptivo longitudinal cuantitativo sobre el comportamiento de la COVID-19 en Manicaragua desde el inicio de la pandemia, abril 2020 hasta el 2022. Se emplearon métodos teóricos: análitico-sintético e histórico-lógico; empíricos: análisis documental; y matemático-estadísticos: para los valores absolutos y relativos. Resultados: fue analizado el impacto de la COVID-19 a partir de los casos diagnosticados y sus tasas de incidencia por habitantes en las distintas áreas de salud. Se destacan cifras predominantes: el poblado de Manicaragua y el grupo etario de 19 a 64 años como los de mayor presencia de contagiados, la fuente de infección superior fue la intradomiciliaria y Estados Unidos como el país que aportó la mayor cifra de contaminados. Se argumentan algunas formas de indisciplinas sociales como causas de los rebrotes epidemiológicos. Conclusiones: la COVID-19 dejó huellas que pueden considerarse históricas en Manicaragua, pues representó una pausa en su desarrollo social y un reordenamiento de los servicios médicos asistenciales. El incumplimiento de los protocolos y la actuación comunitaria frente a las indisciplinas sociales hoy se consideran lecciones aprendidas frente a próximos eventos epidemiológicos.

Background: the COVID-19 pandemic has had a disruptive socioeconomic effect on the world; but it has left traces that constitute lessons learned among the population of many countries. Objective: to describe the historical traces of COVID-19 in the municipality of Manicaragua, Villa Clara, Cuba, as an expression of the reorganization and regionalization of health services that the confrontation with the pandemic demanded. Methods: a quantitative longitudinal descriptive study was carried out on the behavior of COVID-19 in Manicaragua from the beginning of the pandemic, April 2020 to 2022. Theoretical methods were used: analytical-synthetic and historical-logical; empirical ones: documentary analysis; and mathematical-statistical: for absolute and relative values. Results: the impact of COVID-19 was analyzed based on the diagnosed cases and their incidence rates per population in the different health areas. Predominant figures stand out: the town of Manicaragua and the age group from 19 to 64 years as the ones with the highest presence of infected people, the highest source of infection was intra-domiciliary and the United States as the country that contributed the highest number of infected people. Some forms of social indiscipline are argued as causes of epidemiological outbreaks. Conclusions: COVID-19 left traces that can be considered historical in Manicaragua, since it represented a pause in its social development and a reordering of medical care services. Failure to comply with the protocols and community action against social indiscipline today are considered lessons learned in the face of upcoming epidemiological events.

English proficiency level in Colombian undergraduate students of medical programs / Nivel de inglés de los futuros egresados de los programas de pregrado de medicina en Colombia

Abstract Introduction: The government intends to position Colombia as a health and welfare tourism destination. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to increase the levels of English proficiency in health professionals, which is in line with the goal set by the Colombian Ministry of National Education for 2014: 20% of medical graduates should score at intermediate or advanced English proficiency levels. Objectives: To determine if the bilingualism goal set for 2014 was achieved by students of undergraduate medical programs in Colombia. Materials and methods: Descriptive and statistical approach (parametric and nonparametric tests) based on data from the Saber Pro test (2011-2015) for medical programs offered in universities of academic nature. Results: The overall percentage of students who met the goal countrywide (28.6%) was satisfactory; however, only 16 medical programs out of 43 (37.2%) achieved the goal. Conclusions: In general, the English proficiency level of potential medical graduates is aligned with the government's goal. However, there is much to be improved considering that about 70% of future medical graduates do not have an intermediate or advanced level in this skill.

Resumen Introducción. El gobierno propuso posicionar a Colombia como un destino turístico de salud y bienestar, siendo uno de los objetivos aumentar los niveles de competencia del inglés en los profesionales de la salud. Esto se relaciona con la meta, para 2014, del Ministerio de Educación Nacional (MEN) de que 20% de los graduados deberían clasificar en nivel intermedio o superior en inglés. Objetivos. Analizar el cumplimiento de la meta establecida por el MEN para los graduandos de los programas de medicina. Materiales y métodos. Aproximación descriptiva y estadística (pruebas de proporciones paramétricas y no paramétricas) que empleó datos de la prueba Saber Pro (2011-2015) para los programas de medicina de las instituciones de educación superior de carácter académico universitario. Resultados. El porcentaje global de estudiantes que cumplió la meta (28.6%) fue satisfactorio; sin embargo, solo 18 de 43 (37.2%) programas de medicina la cumplieron. Conclusiones. El nivel de inglés de los potenciales graduados de los programas de medicina está alineado con la meta del gobierno. No obstante, hay mucho por mejorar si se tiene en cuenta que cerca del 70% de los futuros graduados de los programas de medicina no alcanza un nivel intermedio o superior en esta competencia.

El control del cáncer en el municipio de Manicaragua / Cancer control in Manicaragua municipality

El control del cáncer no es vulnerable a acciones parciales, discontinuas o de escasa cobertura, sino que requiere de una estrategia de carácter integral. El municipio de Manicaragua haimplementado acciones en función del control del cáncer. Con el objetivo de caracterizar algunos aspectos relacionados con los pacientes registrados en el municipio en el 2015, se desarrolló una investigación descriptiva. Aun cuando se han implementado un grupo de tecnologías, los indicadores de diagnóstico temprano fueron desfavorables. En la actualidad se encuentran definidas las estrategias para reducir estos indicadores, que facilitarán elevar la supervivencia yreducir la mortalidad por cáncer(AU)

Serological detection of Toxoplasma gondii in domestic dogs in the western region of Cuba.

We investigated the prevalence of IgG antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in 176 dogs from Havana Province and Mayabeque Province, Cuba, by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA). The overall prevalence was 72.72% (128/176). Dogs living on the cemented floor environment were significantly higher (p=0.01) in being positive for T. gondii. The high detection of antibodies to T. gondii parasite confirms the outstanding dogs in the West of the Cuban provinces, which is a potential hazard in the region, not only for dogs, but also for public health, considering it is a zoonosis of great importance.

The Diels-Alder Cycloaddition Reaction of Substituted Hemifullerenes with 1,3-Butadiene: Effect of Electron-Donating and Electron-Withdrawing Substituents.

The Diels-Alder (DA) reaction provides an attractive route to increase the number of six member rings in substituted Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). The density functional theory (DFT) B3LYP method has been used in this work to inquire if the substitution of H over the edge of triindenetriphenylene (pristine hemifullerene 1) and pentacyclopentacorannulene (pristine hemifullerene 2), could improve the DA cycloaddition reaction with 1,3-butadiene. The substituents tested include electron-donating (NH2, OMe, OH, Me, i-Pr) and electron-withdrawing groups (F, COOH, CF3, CHO, CN, NO2). The electronic, kinetic and thermodynamic parameters of the DA reactions of the substituted hemifullerenes with 1,3-butadiene have been analyzed. The most promising results were obtained for the NO2 substituent; the activation energy barriers for reactions using this substituent were lower than the barriers for the pristine hemifullerenes. This leads us to expect that the cycloadditions to a starting fullerene fragment will be possible.

Elimination vs substitution reaction. A dichotomy between Brønsted-Lowry and Lewis basicity.

The Brønsted-Lowry and Lewis basicity dichotomy in the elimination vs substitution reaction competition is analyzed in terms of a novel Brønsted-Lowry-Lewis basicity ωp/e. This new index unifies the dichotomy and explains the competition between elimination and substitution mechanisms of alkyl centers with para-substituted phenols.

Protophilicity index and protofelicity equalization principle: new measures of Brønsted-Lowry-Lewis acid-base interactions.

The simultaneous contributions of proton and electron transfer to the Brønsted-Lowry and Lewis acid-base properties of a set of p-substituted phenols are reported in this work. As a result of the analysis, a novel protophilicity index considered as the second-order energy change of a Brønsted-Lowry base as it is saturated with protons, a combined Brønsted-Lowry-Lewis acidity index (with a corresponding basicity index), and a protofelicity equalization principle (a parallel of the electronegativity equalization principle) are presented.

Growth of fullerene fragments using the Diels-Alder cycloaddition reaction: first step towards a C60 synthesis by dimerization.

Density Functional Theory has been used to model the Diels-Alder reactions of the fullerene fragments triindenetriphenilene and pentacyclopentacorannulene with ethylene and 1,3-butadiene. The purpose is to prove the feasibility of using Diels-Alder cycloaddition reactions to grow fullerene fragments step by step, and to dimerize fullerene fragments, as a way to obtain C60. The dienophile character of the fullerene fragments is dominant, and the reaction of butadiene with pentacyclopentacorannulene is favored.

Basaloid squamous cell carcinoma of the penis with papillary features: a clinicopathologic study of 12 cases.

There are 3 distinct variants of penile squamous cell carcinoma frequently associated with human papillomavirus (HPV): basaloid, warty-basaloid, and warty carcinomas. Considering the high incidence rates of penile cancer in some countries, a large international study was designed to evaluate the presence of HPV, its genotype distribution, and its association with histologic types of penile cancer. In this international review of >900 cases, we found a group of highly distinct papillary neoplasms composed of basophilic cells resembling urothelial tumors but frequently associated with HPV. Macroscopically, tumors were exophytic or exoendophytic. Microscopically, there was a papillomatous pattern of growth with a central fibrovascular core and small basophilic cells lining the papillae. Positivity for HPV was present in 11 of 12 tumors (92%). Single genotypes found were HPV-16 in 9 tumors and HPV-51 in 1 tumor. Multiple genotypes (HPV-16 and HPV-45) were present in another case. Overexpression of p16 was observed in all cases. Uroplakin-III was negative in all cases. The differential diagnosis was with basaloid, warty-basaloid, warty, and papillary squamous cell carcinoma and with urothelial carcinomas. Local excision (4 cases), circumcision (3 cases), or partial penectomy (5 cases) were preferred treatment choices. Tumor thickness ranged from 1 to 15 mm (average, 7 mm). Two patients with tumors invading 11 and 15 mm into the corpus spongiosum developed inguinal nodal metastasis. Of 11 patients followed up (median 48 mo), 7 were alive with no evidence of metastatic disease, 3 died from causes other than penile cancer, and another died postoperatively. This morphologically distinct tumor probably represents a papillary variant of basaloid carcinomas (papillary-basaloid carcinomas). Unlike typical basaloid carcinomas, the overall prognosis was excellent. However, deeply invasive tumors were associated with regional nodal metastasis indicating a potential for tumor-related death.

The diatomic dication CuZn2+ in the gas phase.

In the present combined experimental and theoretical study we report the observation of the novel gas-phase dication CuZn(2+) and provide some theoretical insight into the electronic binding of this exotic metastable molecule and its formation mechanism. Using mass spectrometry we have detected four isotopomer signals of CuZn(2+) at half-integer m/z values for ion flight times of about 14 µs. CuZn(2+) was unambiguously identified by its isotopic abundance. High-current energetic Ar(+) ion bombardment of a brass surface was used for its production. Subsequent dication formation was found to take place in the ion extraction region of our mass spectrometer several tens of microns in front of the sputtered brass surface. The dication formation mechanism appears to be resonant electron transfer in soft gas-phase collisions between sputter-ejected singly charged CuZn(+) molecular ions and incoming Ar(+) projectiles. This conclusion is supported by our theoretical study that obtained an ionization energy of CuZn(+) of 15.75 eV, in excellent agreement with both the experimental and calculated ionization energy of Ar (15.76 and 15.67 eV, respectively). The ground state of CuZn(2+) is found to be a metastable one with a very shallow potential well at an internuclear equilibrium distance of about 2.7 Å the dissociation energy being very difficult to estimate. Interestingly, spin-orbit corrections are found to be necessary to get an adequate description of the metastable state of CuZn(2+), whereas relativistic corrections have no effects on neutral CuZn nor on CuZn(+).

A density-functional study on the formation of Mo(2)2+.

The presence of metastable states in the doubly ionized molybdenum dimer is studied using gradient-corrected scalar-relativistic density-functional theory. Seventeen metastable states are found within an energy range of less than 6.5 eV. All those states show lifetimes large enough to assure experimental detection. The calculation of the second adiabatic ionization potential of the neutral molybdenum dimer seems to confirm that the doubly ionized dimer is produced by the electron-capture process Mo2++Ar+-->Mo2(2+)+Ar, in which the ionization potentials of Ar and Mo2+ play a crucial role [K. Franzreb, R. C. Sobers, Jr., J. Lorincik, and P. Williams, J. Chem. Phys. 120, 7983 (2004)]. Moreover, the present results indicate that other species having ionization potentials between 13.01 and 15.34 eV could be used as projectiles to produce Mo(2)2+. It is also shown that Xe+ ions could not react with Mo2+ to produce double ionized dimers. A simple thermodynamic argument is also proposed that seems to increase the possibilities of forming Mo2(2+) from Mo2+ by using Ar+ as projectile ions.