Preliminary evaluation of the anaerobic biodegradability of three biobased materials used for the production of disposable plastics.

Biodegradable plastics have been introduced to the market to substitute "traditional", non-biodegradable, petro-based plastics to alleviate plastic pollution. Biochemical methane potential tests were carried out on compostable bags made of MaterBi®, biodegradable bottle wine corks and cellulosic plates to examine the anaerobic biodegradability of those materials. The impact of four factors: type of pretreatment (predigestion, mechanical, alkaline, predigestion and alkaline), digestion duration, type of inoculum and temperature were statistically evaluated through regression modeling. Anaerobic tests on compostable and polyethylene bags (control) were carried out in mesophilic (35 °C) and thermophilic (55 °C) conditions, while tests on bottle wine corks and cellulosic plates were carried out in mesophilic conditions only. After 15 days of digestion, a dry mass reduction of 22.8 ±â€¯6.2 % and 27.6 ±â€¯14.0 % for mesophilic and thermophilic tests respectively was recorded for MaterBi®. Chemical pretreatment with NaOH led to a mass reduction of 78.2 ±â€¯7.2 % and was the only statistically significant factor to affect both methane yields and dry mass loss. A higher digestion temperature led to an increased mass loss without a concurrent increase in methane production. The cellulosic plates were completely degraded (99.9 ±â€¯0.03 % mass reduction), while the wine bottle corks weight did not change.

High prevalence of folic acid and vitamin B12 deficiencies in infants, children, adolescents and pregnant women in Venezuela.

BACKGROUND: There is increased worldwide concern about the consequences of folic acid and vitamin B12 deficiencies on health, which include megaloblastic anemia, neural tube defects and cardiovascular disease. OBJECTIVE: This study intended to determine the prevalence of folic acid and vitamin B12 deficiencies in vulnerable groups in labor and poor socioeconomic strata of the Venezuelan population. METHODS: A total of 5658 serum samples were processed to determine folic acid and vitamin B12 concentrations. The study involved three surveys performed during 2001-2002 and included infants, children, adolescents and pregnant women from labor and poor socioeconomic strata of the population. The method used was a radio immunoassay designed for the simultaneous measurement of serum folic acid and vitamin B12. RESULTS: The prevalence of folic acid deficiency was higher than 30% for all groups studied, reaching 81.79% in adolescents. Vitamin B12 deficiency was 11.4% in samples collected nationwide, but there was also a similar prevalence of high serum levels. The prevalence of folic acid and vitamin B12 deficiencies in pregnant women reached 36.32 and 61.34%, respectively. CONCLUSION: This work shows that there is a high prevalence of folic acid deficiency, especially in women of reproductive age, pregnant adolescents and in the whole population studied in Vargas state. This situation requires immediate intervention as supplementation or food fortification programs.

Medium requirements for neuritic outgrowth from goldfish retinal explants and the trophic effect of taurine.

The use of culture media of known composition are necessary for studying the role of trophic molecules. Since most of the in vitro research on regeneration of the optic nerve has been performed in the presence of fetal calf serum, the aim of this study was to obtain a medium in which the neuritic outgrowth from post-crush goldfish retinal explants could take place without adding fetal calf serum. After the lesion of the optic nerve (10 days), the retina of goldfish was dissected and explants were cultured for 5 and 10 days in the absence or in the presence of fetal calf serum, at which time the neuritic outgrowth was determined. Various concentrations and combinations of glucose, albumin, calcium, HEPES and taurine were used. The highest neuritic outgrowth was observed in the presence of fetal calf serum, in which condition the amino acid taurine increased length and density of neurites. Media supplemented with albumin, calcium or HEPES did not modify the outgrowth of neurites from the explants. However, glucose favored the neuritic outgrowth in a bell-shaped manner, although fibers were thinner than those observed in the presence of fetal calf serum. Taurine did not stimulate outgrowth of neurites from explants growing in a medium with optimal concentrations of glucose, indicating that elements of the fetal calf serum are determinant for the trophic effect of taurine. The present results contribute to further studies, such as those related to the effect of taurine and of trophic factors derived from the optic tectum, which would be performed in the presence of a medium free of fetal calf serum.

Taurine as a micronutrient in development and regeneration of the central nervous system.

Taurine is an amino acid known to possess trophic properties in the central nervous system. The relevance of its presence in maternal milk is related to its role as an essential nutrient. Taurine deficiency around birth produces anatomical and functional modifications in the brain and in the retina. In addition, taurine favors neuron proliferation and survival, as well as neurite extension. The mechanisms by which taurine exerts its trophic role in the regenerating retina are related to increases in calcium fluxes, to modifications of protein phosphorylation, and to influence of the target organ. Moreover, taurine-zinc interaction might be crucial in the development of structures such as the hippocampal formation. Thus, taurine can be considered as one of the determinant nutritional molecules during development and regeneration of the central nervous system.

[Clinical and hematological changes in calves infected with Anaplasma marginale]. / Cambios clínicos y hematológicos en becerros infectados con Anaplasma marginale.

Clinical and hematological changes of six Anaplasma marginale (isolated Zulia) inoculated calves (experimental group) and four healthy calves (control group) were studied during twenty and eighty days before and after infection, respectively. The behavior of the four calves used as control group was stable and no significant changes in the parameters analyzed was observed. The experimental group developed the three typical phases of illness. During the prepatent phase, which lasted a mean of 21.2 +/- 2.56 days, the animals were asymptomatic and no significant changes in the hematological values occurred, but a remarkable transitory decrease in number of lymphocytes from 6.5 x 10(6) to 3.3 x 10(6) cells/ml. The infection during the acute phase produced a highly severe effect in two animals, a severe effect in three animals and a mild effect in one. The effects observed were the following: 1) a fast decrease in haematocrite, ranging from 6 to 10%; 2) values of parasitaemia varied from 15 to 48%; 3) a greater body temperature than the control animals (40.5 vs. 38.5 degrees C); 4) a elevated heart frequency, from 60 to 110 beats/min; 5) an increase in the concentration of neotrophiles from 10 x 10(6) to 13 x 10(6) cells/ml; 6) The number of monocytes also augmented from 3 x 10(6) to 6 x 10(6) cells/ml; and 7) an important decrease of weight gain. The natural course of infection was interrupted with oxytetracycline when the haematocrite of the animal lowered to values less or equal to 10%. Then, the animals showed a rapid recovery with an undetectable parasitaemia and concomitant return to basal line of the rest of the parameters.