Impact of In Vitro Digestion on the Digestibility, Amino Acid Release, and Antioxidant Activity of Amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus L.) and Cañihua (Chenopodium pallidicaule Aellen) Proteins in Caco-2 and HepG2 Cells.

This study evaluated the impact of in vitro gastrointestinal digestion on the digestibility, amino acid release, and antioxidant activity of proteins from amaranth (Amarantus cruentus L.) and cañihua (Chenopodium pallidicaule Aellen). Antioxidant activity was assessed using ORAC, ABTS, DPPH, and cellular antioxidant activity (CAA) assays in human intestinal Caco-2 and hepatic Hep-G2 cell lines. The results showed that amaranth had higher protein digestibility (79.19%) than cañihua (71.22%). In addition, intestinal digestion promoted the release of essential amino acids, such as leucine, lysine, and phenylalanine, in both protein concentrates. Concentrations of amaranth and cañihua proteins, ranging from 0.125 to 1.0 mg mL-1, were non-cytotoxic in both cell lines. At a concentration of 0.750 mg mL-1, simulated gastrointestinal digestion enhanced cellular antioxidant activity. Intestinal digest fractions containing peptides >5 kDa were the principal contributors to CAA in both cell lines. Notably, cañihua proteins exhibited high CAA, reaching values of 85.55% and 82.57% in Caco-2 and HepG2 cells, respectively, compared to amaranth proteins, which reached 84.68% in Caco-2 and 81.06% in HepG2 cells. In conclusion, both amaranth and cañihua proteins, after simulated gastrointestinal digestion, showcased high digestibility and released peptides and amino acids with potent antioxidant properties, underscoring their potential health benefits.

Behavioral Responses to Body Position in Bees: The Interaction of Apis mellifera and Lithurgus littoralis in Prickly Pear Flowers.

The behavior of bees is modulated by the presence of other bees and potentially by the visual information transmitted by the different body positions of bees while visiting flowers. We tested whether bee body position promoted the attraction and/or antagonistic behavior of con- and hetero-specific bees that interacted on prickly pear flowers of Opuntia huajuapensis. To test this, we placed dummy model bees of Apis mellifera and the native Lithurgus littoralis in flowers in three common body positions: alert, feeding, and horizontal. The results showed that dummy model bees in feeding and horizontal body positions attracted A. mellifera bees, while the alert position attracted native male L. littoralis. Male L. littoralis bees spent more time attacking model bees in horizontal and alert positions. The position of dummy bees also influenced response times. Bees of A. mellifera responded fastest to L. littoralis in the alert and horizontal position, male L. littoralis responded fastest to con-specific bees in the alert and feeding position, and female L. littoralis responded fastest to A. mellifera bees in the feeding position. A. mellifera reacted fastest to their con-specific bees in the alert and horizontal body positions. Our results demonstrate, for the first time in bees, that the position of individuals on a floral resource provides important visual information that modulates bee behavior, and illuminates aspects that likely have implications for bees in access to floral resources.

Behavioral Effect of Sterculia apetala Seed Oil Consumption in Male Zucker Rats.

Sterculia apetala (order: Malvales, family: Sterculiaceae) seed oil contains two cyclopropene fatty acids: sterculic and malvalic acid. Both positive and negative effects have been associated with the consumption of sterculic oil. In Mexico, S. apetala seeds are consumed after being boiled or roasted, used as chocolate flavoring, and utilized as animal fodder. Therefore, it is important to evaluate whether the consumption of this seed has a negative impact on the organism. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of administration of sterculic oil, during an 8-week period, on anxiety-like behavior and spontaneous locomotor activity in Zucker rats, analyzed through light/dark and open-field tests. The results showed that the consumption of sterculic oil decreased exploration latency in light/dark tests, which suggests an anxiolytic-like effect. Alterations in time spent on rearing and grooming were present in open-field tests, but this was not statistically significant, discarding nonspecific motor alterations. The alterations found in this study are possibly related to intrinsic obesity and metabolic complications present in the Zucker rat model, where leptin plays an important role in animal mood, more so than sterculic oil consumption.

[Out-of-pocket expenditure by elderly adults enrolled in a public health insurance programme in Mexico]. / Gasto de bolsillo en adultos mayores afiliados a un seguro público de salud en México.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the association between various sociodemographic variables and out-of-pocket expenditure on health by elderly people enrolled in Seguro Popular (SP). METHOD: Analytical cross-sectional study. An in-person survey was administered to users of three outpatient clinics in the state of Veracruz: a health centre (first level), regional hospital (second level) and highly specialised hospital. The out-of-pocket expenditure on health was analysed using a generalised linear model. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 1,049 beneficiaries of SP over age 60 with a response rate of 97.7%. The monthly out-of-pocket expenditure on health was $64.80 (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 59.90-69.80). The highest expense category was drugs that are included in the SP ($28.80; 95% CI: 25.80-31.70) and drugs that are not covered by the SP ($8.00; 95% CI: 6.70-9.20). CONCLUSIONS: People over age 60 enrolled in SP pay out of their pocket to meet their health needs, despite having public health insurance. This represents an inequity in access, especially for the most vulnerable such as the rural population.

Root biomechanics in Rhizophora mangle: anatomy, morphology and ecology of mangrove's flying buttresses.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Rhizophora species of mangroves have a conspicuous system of stilt-like roots (rhizophores) that grow from the main stem and resemble flying buttresses. As such, the development of rhizophores can be predicted to be important for the effective transmission of dynamic loads from the top of the tree to the ground, especially where the substrate is unstable, as is often the case in the habitats where Rhizophora species typically grow. This study tests the hypothesis that rhizophore architecture in R. mangle co-varies with their proximity to the main stem, and with stem size and crown position. METHODS: The allometry and wood mechanical properties of R. mangle (red mangrove) trees growing in a mangrove basin forest within a coastal lagoon in Mexico were compared with those of coexisting, non-buttressed mangrove trees of Avicennia germinans. The anatomy of rhizophores was related to mechanical stress due to crown orientation (static load) and to prevailing winds (dynamic load) at the study site. KEY RESULTS: Rhizophores buttressed between 10 and 33 % of tree height. There were significant and direct scaling relationships between the number, height and length of rhizophores vs. basal area, tree height and crown area. Wood mechanical resistance was significantly higher in the buttressed R. mangle (modulus of elasticity, MOE = 18·1 ± 2 GPa) than in A. germinans (MOE = 12·1 ± 0·5 GPa). Slenderness ratios (total height/stem diameter) were higher in R. mangle, but there were no interspecies differences in critical buckling height. When in proximity to the main stem, rhizophores had a lower length/height ratio, higher eccentricity and higher xylem/bark and pith proportions. However, there were no directional trends with regard to prevailing winds or tree leaning. CONCLUSIONS: In comparison with A. germinans, a tree species with wide girth and flare at the base, R. mangle supports a thinner stem of higher mechanical resistance that is stabilized by rhizophores resembling flying buttresses. This provides a unique strategy to increase tree slenderness and height in the typically unstable substrate on which the trees grow, at a site that is subject to frequent storms.

Burnout en estudiantes de pregrado de medicina y su relación con variables de personalidad / Burnout in undergraduate medical students and its relationship with personality variables

El objetivo de esta investigación fue analizar la asociación entre autoeficacia percibida, personalidad resistente, locus de control, percepción de estrés y síndrome de Burnout en 40 estudiantes de medicina de pregrado. El análisis de los datos se efectuó considerando estadística descriptiva y técnicas exploratorias multivariadas. Los resultados muestran la pertinencia que puede tener la personalidad resistente en la atenuación del estrés crónico al asociarse negativamente con el síndrome de Burnout y agruparse dentro de los componentes que explicaban mayor variación en la combinación lineal de variables en comparación con la autoeficacia y el locus de control. Se confirma la necesidad de reforzar la formación de los estudiantes de medicina a través del establecimiento de recursos de afrontamiento ante el estrés y formación de una personalidad resistente, ya que los datos muestran niveles altos en percepción de estrés y síndrome de Burnout a seis meses de estar realizando el internado.

The objective of this research was to analyze the association between perceived self-efficacy, hardiness, locus of control, perceived stress and Burnout syndrome in 40 undergraduate medical students. The data analysis was performed considering descriptive statistics and multivariate exploratory techniques. The results show the relevance that may have the hardiness in the attenuation of chronic stress negatively associated with Burnout and grouped within components that explained more variation in the linear combination of variables compared to self-efficacy and locus of control. The need to strengthen the training of medical students through the establishment of resources Coping Stress and formation of a strong personality is confirmed as the data show high levels of perceived stress and Burnout six months of doing the internship.

Reproductive ecology of distylous Palicourea padifolia (Rubiaceae) in a tropical montane cloud forest. II. Attracting and rewarding mutualistic and antagonistic visitors.

By definition, the floral morphs of distylous plants differ in floral architecture. Yet, because cross-pollination is necessary for reproductive success in both morphs, they should not differ in attributes that contribute to attracting and rewarding floral visitors. Floral and vegetative attributes that function in distylous polymorphism in hummingbird-pollinated Palicourea padifolia (Rubiaceae) and the responses of pollinators and insect herbivores to the resources offered by both morphs were investigated. The performance of each morph along multiple stages of the reproductive cycle, from inflorescence and nectar production to fruit production, was surveyed, and pollinator behavior and nectar standing crops were then observed. Costs associated with such attractiveness were also evaluated in terms of herbivore attack and of plant reproductive fitness (female function) as a function of leaf herbivory. The number of inflorescences, floral buds, open flowers, and ripe fruits offered by either floral morph were similar, but short-styled plants almost doubled the number of developing fruits of long-styled plants. Long-styled flowers produced higher nectar volumes and accumulated more nectar over time than short-styled flowers. Measures of nectar standing crop and data on pollinator behavior suggest that hummingbirds respond to this morph-specific scheduling of nectar production. Lastly, long-styled plants suffered a higher herbivore attack and lost more leaf area over time than those with short-styled flowers. Herbivory was negatively correlated with fruit number and fruit mass, and long-styled plants set significantly less fruit mass than short-styled plants. The results suggest that pollinators and herbivores may exert selective pressures on floral and vegetative traits that could also influence gender function.