Influence of the culture conditions on the production of NGPs by Aspergillus tubingensis.

The filamentous fungus Aspergillus tubingensis that belongs to the black Aspergillus section has the capacity to produce high-value metabolites, for instance, Naphtho-Gamma-Pyrones (NGPs). For these fungal secondary metabolites, numerous biological properties of industrial interest have been demonstrated, such as antimicrobial, antioxidant and anti-cancer capacities. It has been observed that these secondary metabolites production is linked with the fungal sporulation. The aim of this research was to apply environmental stresses to trigger the production of NGPs in liquid cultures with CYB (Czapek Dox Broth): osmotic and oxidative stresses. In addition, numerous parameters were tested during the experiments, such as pH value, incubation time, container geometry, and static and agitation conditions. Results demonstrate that the produced amount of NGPs can be enhanced by decreasing the water activity (aw) or by adding an oxidative stress factor. In conclusion, this study can contribute to our knowledge regarding A. tubingensis to present an effective method to increase NGPs's production, which may support the development of current industrial processes.

Basic Color Terms (BCTs) and Categories (BCCs) in Three Dialects of the Spanish Language: Interaction Between Cultural and Universal Factors.

Two experiments were performed to identify and compare the Basic Color Terms (BCTs) and the Basic Color Categories (BCCs) included in three dialects (Castilian, Mexican, and Uruguayan) of the Spanish language. Monolexemic Elicited lists were used in the first experiment to identify the BCTs of each dialect. Eleven BCTs appeared for the Spanish and the Mexican, and twelve did so for the Uruguayan. The six primary BCTs (rojo "red," verde "green," amarillo "yellow," azul "blue," negro "black," and blanco "white") appeared in the three dialects. This occurred for only three derived BCTs (gris "gray," naranja "orange," and rosa "pink") but not for the other five derived BCTs (celeste "sky blue," marrón "brown," café "brown," morado "purple," and violeta "purple"). Color transitions were used in the second experiment for two different tasks. Extremes naming task was used to determine the relation between two different dialects' BCTs: equality, equivalence or difference. The results provided the first evidence for marrón "brown" and café "brown" being equivalent terms for the same BCC (brown in English) as is the case of morado "purple" and violeta "purple." Uruguayan celeste "sky blue" had no equivalent BCT in the other two dialects. Boundary delimitation task required the selection of the color in the boundary between two categories. The task was used to reasonably estimate the volume occupied by each BCC in the color space considering its chromatic area and lightness range. Excluding sky blue (celeste "sky blue") and blue (azul "blue"), the other BCCs color volumes were similar across the three dialects. Uruguayan sky blue and blue volumes conjointly occupied the portion of the color space corresponding to the Castilian and Mexican blue BCC. The fact that the BCT celeste "sky blue" only appeared in Uruguayan very probably derived from specific cultural factors (the use of the color in the flags and the arrival of an important number of Italian immigrants). Nevertheless, these cultural factors seem to nurture from a perceptive structuring of the color space, which nature is universal, as the boundaries of this category can be delimited from the responses of Spanish and Mexican participants.

Music-color associations are mediated by emotion.

Experimental evidence demonstrates robust cross-modal matches between music and colors that are mediated by emotional associations. US and Mexican participants chose colors that were most/least consistent with 18 selections of classical orchestral music by Bach, Mozart, and Brahms. In both cultures, faster music in the major mode produced color choices that were more saturated, lighter, and yellower whereas slower, minor music produced the opposite pattern (choices that were desaturated, darker, and bluer). There were strong correlations (0.89 < r < 0.99) between the emotional associations of the music and those of the colors chosen to go with the music, supporting an emotional mediation hypothesis in both cultures. Additional experiments showed similarly robust cross-modal matches from emotionally expressive faces to colors and from music to emotionally expressive faces. These results provide further support that music-to-color associations are mediated by common emotional associations.

Human factors identification and classification related to accidents'causality on hand injuries in the manufacturing industry.

The causes of occupational accidents from the perspective of human factors have been a subject which has received little attention into the field of scientific research. The aim of this research was to identify and classify the human factors that influence human errors and failures that cause accidents and injuries specifically on hands. Available studies related to the topic have been developed mainly for aerospace applications and are found insufficient to explain accidents causalities in the manufacturing industry. This research was developed in the assembly industry of automotive harnesses and was conducted following a mixed Cognitive Anthropological approach. This study was developed in two phases. During the first qualitative phase, participants freely listed their knowledge to identify elements of the cultural domain, then and in the second phase they performed the successive pile sort technique for the collection data to classify elements in the cultural domain. Statistical models like Cluster Analysis and Multidimensional Scaling were applied for results' validation purposes. As results, 70 different human factors were identified and in the second phase they were classified into 4 main categories which were: human error, unsafe conditions, individual factors, and organizational factors. Statistical methods validated these results.

Low back pain and depression: a study in a population of Mexican workers.

The objective of this study was to analyze whether lumbar spondyloarthrosis is associated with depression. A cross-sectional comparative survey was conducted, in which 99 workers insured by the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS, according to its designation in Spanish), ranging from 23-55 years of age, participated. Conditional logistic regression analysis showed that chronic lumbar spondyloarthrosis illness, when adjusted for participation in sports activity, was found to be associated with depression (OR = 3.4; CI 95% 1.2-9.4). This suggests that among those suffering said physical condition there is greater association with depressive symptoms. The study's results indicate the necessity of evaluating all workers with lumbar spondyloarthrosis for the presence of depression, and the suggestion is made that psychological support treatment be implemented in conjunction with physical treatment as a means of preventing depression.

Occupational driving as a risk factor in low back pain: a case-control study in a Mexican population.

The objective of this study was to assess and quantify the degree to which interaction between occupational driving and lifting tasks is a risk factor in lumbar spondyloarthrosis etiology. A case-control study was performed with 231 workers, 18-55 years old, insured by the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS, according to its designation in Spanish). A multivariate analysis using conditional logistical regression showed that driving tasks, when combined with lifting tasks, are associated with this illness (OR = 7.3; 95% CI 1.7-31.4). Occupational driving as it interacted with daily lifting frequency resulted in a greater risk (OR = 10.4; 95% CI 2.0-52.5). No exposure-response relationship was found with daily hours spent working as a driver. The attributable risk for driving tasks was 0.86, suggesting that 86% of lumbar spondyloarthrosis could be decreased if risk factors were reduced through ergonomic redesign of the workplace and Manual Materials Handling (MMH) tasks, along with development of educational programs.

Challenges in the control of gonorrhea in South America and the Caribbean: monitoring the development of resistance to antibiotics.

OBJECTIVE: : The objective of this study was to ascertain the antimicrobial susceptibility of Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates from 6 South American and 13 Caribbean countries participating in the Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Program (GASP) from 1990 to 1999. STUDY: : A GASP network of laboratories was launched in the Americas and the Caribbean during the 1990s. Standardized methods and interpretative criteria were established for the isolation of N. gonorrhoeae, strain identification, and determination, and quality control of antimicrobial susceptibility. RESULTS: : Two countries (Argentina and Uruguay) maintained continuous surveillance during the study period. Some countries gathered data periodically and several others were unable to initiate antimicrobial surveillance as a result of lack of resources. The percentage of penicillin-resistant N. gonorrhoeae isolated in the region over the decade varied considerably (1.0-11.9% carried chromosomal resistance and 17.9-38.8% produced beta-lactamase) with an overall trend to declining numbers of penicillin-resistant isolates. For tetracycline, 7.4% to 36.3% carried chromosomal resistance, whereas 12.0% to 27.4% carried plasmid-mediated resistance. There were no reports of ciprofloxacin-resistant isolates, although N. gonorrhoeae with decreased susceptibility to ciprofloxacin and azithromycin as well as spectinomycin-resistant isolates were identified in some countries.

Occupational lifting tasks as a risk factor in low back pain: a case-control study in a Mexican population.

The objective of this study was to quantify and assess whether lifting tasks in the workplace are a risk factor in lumbar spondyloarthrosis etiology. A case-control study was performed with 231 workers, 18-55 years old, insured by the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS, according to its designation in Spanish). A multivariate analysis using conditional logistical regression showed that lifting tasks, combined with driving tasks, are associated with this illness (OR = 7.3; 95% CI 1.7-31.4). The daily frequency of lifting as it interacts with work as a driver resulted in a greater risk (OR = 10.4; 95% CI 2.0-52.5). The load weight, daily task-hours and cumulative time showed a dose-response relationship. The attributable risk for lifting tasks was 0.83, suggesting that 83% of lumbar spondyloarthrosis development could be prevented if risk factors were eliminated by ergonomic redesign of the task.

Predicción del bienestar fetal mediante el perfil flujométrico Doppler en embarazadas con hipertensión / Prediction of fetal wellbeing with Doppler ultrasonography profile in hypertensive pregnancies

Con el objeto de determinar la utilidad del perfil flujométrico Doppler en la predicción del bienestar fetal en pacientes con hipertensión, estudiamos a 171 mujeres que cursaban la semana 36-42 que acudieron a control prenatal y para la atención de su evento obstétrico. Se les realizó un estudio de ultrasonido Doppler color y se correlacionaron los resultados del perfil flujométrico Doppler con la evolución perinatal tomando como variable de desenlace la calificación de Apgar al minuto o ingreso a la unidad de cuidados intensivos neonatales, las variables que incluyen el perfil flujométrico Doppler son: flujometría Doppler del cordón umbilical, grado de maduración placentaria, cantidad de líquido amniótico, movimientos fetales y patrón de crecimiento fetal. De las 171 pacientes, 145 de ellas (84.7 por ciento) tuvieron hipertensión gestacional sin proteinuria, 22 (12.9 por ciento) fueron hipertensas crónicas y solamente 4 (2.4 por ciento) tuvieron preeclampsia. Del total de las pacientes a 101 de ellas (59 por ciento) se les realizó cesárea, 66 tuvieron parto eutócico (38.6 por ciento) y 4 tuvieron parto distócico (2.4 por ciento). En relación con los valores diagnósticos, se obtuvo una sensibilidad de 44 por ciento, especificidad de 99 por ciento, valor predictivo positivo de 80 por ciento y valor predictivo negativo de 97 por ciento, se obtuvo una exactitud de la prueba de 71.5 por ciento. El análisis de regresión logística con las cinco variables del perfil flujométrico Doppler tuvo un coeficiente de determinación (R2 = 0.15125) con P < 0.01 y la variable correspondiente a la flujometría Doppler del cordón umbilical tuvo un coeficiente de regresión de -31.3959 con una P < 0.05. Se concluye que el perfil flujométrico Doppler es una prueba con buen nivel de los valores predictivos para la valoración del bienestar fetal en pacientes con hipertensión y que la flujometría Doppler del cordón umbilical es una variable significativa en el análisis de regresión logística que mejor predice el bienestar fetal.

Identificación de cepas de neisseria meningitidis con sensibilidad disminuida a penicilina, aisladas a partir de líquido cefalorraquídeo de pacientes con meningitis en Venezuela / Identication of strains of neisseria meningitidis with moderately sensitive isolate penicilin to cerebroespinal fluid of patients with meningitis in Venezuela

Entre enero y abril de 1994 se recibieron en el Departamento de Bacteriología del Instituto Nacional de Higiene "Rafael Rangel" 12 cepas de Neisseria meningitidis. Las cepas fueron remitidas de diferentes centros de salud del área metropolitana de Caracas, Venezuela, aislada a partir del líquido cefalorraquídeo del paciente con enfermedad meningocócica. Las cepas fueron identificadas como N. meningitidis por métodos bacteriológico estándares, agrupadas serológicamente y estudiada su sensibilidad a antibióticos. De las 12 cepas estudiadas, 11 corresponden al grupo C y una al grupo B. Ninguna mostró actividad de betalactamasas. Las 11 cepas serogrupo C mostraron una concentración inhibitoria mínima de 0,12 a 0,25 µg/ml. Este estudio confirma por primera vez la presencia en Venezuela de cepas de N.meningitis con sensibilidad disminuida a penicilina

Progresos y problemas en el trasplante de médula ósea / Problems and advacements in bone marrow transplantation

El TMO es la terapéutica de elección para reemplazar células hematopoyéticas (malignas, defectuosas o ausentes) del receptor y solucionar así enfermedades fatales, pero existen aún diversos obstáculos que limitan su uso (AU)