Soil organic carbon sequestration potential explained by mineralogical and microbiological activity using spectral transfer functions.

The ability of soil to sequester carbon and reduce atmospheric CO2 concentrations is limited and depends on the soil minerals and their interaction with the microbiota. Microbial activities are closely associated with the types and amounts of soil organic matter (SOM) and clay minerals that have functional groups that interact with energy in Vis NIR-SWIR and Mid-IR wavelengths. The main objective of this research was to determine, based on these spectral ranges, the relation between mineralogical and organic compounds, as their sequestration and specialization in soils from Brazil. It was possible to map microbiological activity by spectral transfer functions and digital soil mapping reaching R2 from 0.77 to 0.85. Multiple regression equations were constructed to quantify enzymatic activity, microbial biomass carbon (MBC), particulate organic matter (POM), and resistant forms of carbon, and SOM associated with the mineral fraction (MAOM). All these properties were detected by specific bands obtained with the recursive feature elimination (RFE) algorithm, reaching correlations from 0.64 to 0.98 in specific ranges. The prediction model of the carbon sequestration potential was adjusted with microbiological and mineralogical variables from Vis-NIR-SWIR and the Mid-IR spectral range. A SARAR double autoregressive model was adjusted with r 0.61 and to a spatial error model (SEM) with r 0.7. The explanatory variables were associated with kaolinite, hematite, goethite, gibbsite, and the abundance of fungi, actinomycetes, vesico-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, enzymatic activity of beta-glucosidase, urease and phosphatase, and POM. Among the microbiological variables, the general abundance of fungi was the most important, in contrast to enzymatic activity that was the least important. The interaction between the different maps constructed and historical land use allowed the identification of areas that contribute to sequestering new carbon and could be the key to climate change mitigation strategies.

Remote sensing imagery detects hydromorphic soils hidden under agriculture system.

The pressure for food production has expanded agriculture frontiers worldwide, posing a threat to water resources. For instance, placing crop systems over hydromorphic soils (HS), have a direct impact on groundwater and influence the recharge of riverine ecosystems. Environmental regulations improved over the past decades, but it is difficult to detect and protect these soils. To overcome this issue, we applied a temporal remote sensing strategy to generate a synthetic soil image (SYSI) associated with random forest (RF) to map HS in an 735,953.8 km2 area in Brazil. HS presented different spectral patterns from other soils, allowing the detection by satellite sensors. Slope and SYSI contributed the most for the prediction model using RF with cross validation (accuracy of 0.92). The assessments showed that 14.5% of the study area represented HS, mostly located inside agricultural areas. Soybean and pasture areas had up to 14.9% while sugar cane had just 3%. Here we present an advanced remote sensing technique that may improve the identification of HS under agriculture and assist public policies for their conservation.

Ghrelin level as a biomarker for knee osteoarthritis severity and appearance in HIV + patients.

BACKGROUND: Knee Osteoarthritis (KOA) is a multifactorial disease with several mechanisms to promote articular cartilage damage. New molecules, such as ghrelin, have been recently reported to participate in the pathogenesis and progression of KOA. In HIV + patients, arthralgias are the most frequent musculoskeletal manifestations, mainly affecting joints such as the knee. Also, it has been reported that HIV + patients have a reduction of ghrelin even with treatment compared to HIV- patients. However, there is no report in the literature evaluating ghrelin and KOA in the HIV + population. We aimed to evaluate whether serum ghrelin levels can function as a biomarker for OA in HIV + patients. METHODS: We recruited 40 patients, 20 HIV+, and 20 HIV- controls, and grouped as follows: HIV+/KOA+; HIV+/KOA-; HIV-/KOA+; HIV-/KOA-. Clinical features were obtained during clinical visits. Peripheral blood samples were acquired to measure serum ghrelin levels. RESULTS: The HIV+/KOA + group significantly reduced serum ghrelin levels when compared with the other groups. Comparing the ghrelin levels with the patients' nadir of CD4+ T-cells count, we identified a statistically significant negative correlation in the KOA- group (r = -0.80, P < 0.007). An ROC curve analysis, for the accuracy of ghrelin levels to identified HIV+/KOA + from HIV+/KOA- patients, found an area under the curve of 0.83 (95 % CI 0.65-0.10; P = 0.017), with a cut-off < 4026 pg/mL serum ghrelin levels, with a sensitivity of 0.62 (95 % CI 0.32-0.86), and a specificity of 0.10 (95 % CI 0.59-0.10). CONCLUSION: This study shows the potential use of ghrelin levels as a biomarker for KOA in the high-risk HIV population that should be further analyzed.

Assessment of Vegetative Growth and Genetic Integrity of Vanilla planifolia Regenerants after Cryopreservation.

Vanilla planifolia Jacks. ex Andrews is the vanilla species with the most commercial and greatest economic importance. It has been used as a case study in different cryopreservation studies that involve three vitrification-based approaches: droplet-vitrification (D-V), V-cryoplate (V-Cp) and D-cryoplate (D-Cp). The aim of this study was to compare the impact of these cryogenic techniques on vegetative growth (survival, stem length and leaf number) between cryo-derived plants and in vitro-derived controls during 12 months of greenhouse growth. Genetic stability was also assessed using the inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. There were no significant differences found in the survival and stem lengths of the in vitro-derived regenerants and cryo-derived plants. A significant increase in the number of leaves was only detected in cryo-derived plants when using the V-Cp method. The electrophoretic profiles, based on seven ISSR primers, detected low variability: 81 total bands and 27% polymorphism. This is the first report on the assessment of vegetative growth and genetic integrity in cryo-derived V. planifolia plants recovered under greenhouse conditions. Of the three cryogenic approaches, D-Cp appears to yield V. planifolia regenerants plants with more vigorous vegetative growth and a lower level of polymorphism. Future research should focus on the reproductive growth of vanilla regenerants.

Discrimination and mental health in the minority sexual population: Cross-sectional analysis of the first peruvian virtual survey.

OBJECTIVE: This study sought to evaluate the association between discrimination and having mental health problems in the past 12 months in the sexual minority population in Peru. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of a secondary database corresponding to the first LGBTI survey in Peru in 2017. We included adults who self-identified their sexual orientation as gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, or asexual/others. Both the exposure and dependent variables were self-reported by the participants. Multivariable Poisson regression was used to determine the association by calculating adjusted prevalence ratios (APR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). RESULTS: Out of 9760 respondents, more than two-thirds of the participants reported having been discriminated against or having experienced violence at some time in their lives (70.3%) and one-fourth reported having mental health problems (23.8%). In the multivariable regression model, the prevalence of mental health problems in the last 12 months was 72% higher for the group of individuals who experienced discrimination when compared with the group that did not experience discrimination (APR = 1.72, 95% CI 1.57-1.88). The association was stronger among who self-identified lesbians (APR = 2.08, 95% CI 1.65-2.64). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of mental health problems and discrimination was high in this population. In addition, we found a statistically significant association between discrimination and the occurrence of mental health problems in the last 12 months.

Rhino-Orbital-Cerebral Mucormycosis in a Post-COVID-19 Patient from Peru.

Mucormycosis has been reported increasingly in patients affected by COVID-19, especially in India where the first cases were described. In Latin America, there is limited information about this association, mainly coming from Brazil, Mexico, and Peru. Herein, we report the case of a 66-year-old female that presented with rhino-orbital-cerebral mucormycosis, diabetic ketoacidosis, and COVID-19. The patient had the compromise of all the sinuses, orbital invasion, and intracranial extension. Isavuconazole was promptly initiated because amphotericin B was not available. She had a single open surgical debridement of necrotic tissues at the beginning of the diagnosis then multiple manual sessions to clear the residual or recurrent disease during approximately 5 months. Isavuconazole was effective and well-tolerated for 10 months without side effects. We highlight the importance of considering mucormycosis in post-COVID-19 patients with uncontrolled diabetes. The report emphasizes the favorable outcome of isavuconazole as an alternative therapy.

A remote sensing framework to map potential toxic elements in agricultural soils in the humid tropics.

Soil contamination by potentially toxic elements (PTEs) is one of the greatest threats to environmental degradation. Knowing where PTEs accumulated in soil can mitigate their adverse effects on plants, animals, and human health. We evaluated the potential of using long-term remote sensing images that reveal the bare soils, to detect and map PTEs in agricultural fields. In this study, 360 soil samples were collected at the superficial layer (0-20 cm) in a 2574 km2 agricultural area located in São Paulo State, Brazil. We tested the Soil Synthetic Image (SYSI) using Landsat TM/ETM/ETM+, Landsat OLI, and Sentinel 2 images. The three products have different spectral, temporal, and spatial resolutions. The time series multispectral images were used to reveal areas with bare soil and their spectra were used as predictors of soil chromium, iron, nickel, and zinc contents. We observed a strong linear relationship (-0.26 > r > -0.62) between the selected PTEs and the near infrared (NIR) and shortwave infrared (SWIR) bands of Sentinel (ensemble of 4 years of data), Landsat TM (35 years data), and Landsat OLI (4 years data). The clearest discrimination of soil PTEs was obtained from SYSI using a long term Landsat 5 collection over 35 years. Satellite data could efficiently detect the contents of PTEs in soils due to their relation with soil attributes and parent materials. Therefore, distinct satellite sensors could map the PTEs on tropics and assist in understanding their spatial dynamics and environmental effects.

Machine Learning for Seed Quality Classification: An Advanced Approach Using Merger Data from FT-NIR Spectroscopy and X-ray Imaging.

Optical sensors combined with machine learning algorithms have led to significant advances in seed science. These advances have facilitated the development of robust approaches, providing decision-making support in the seed industry related to the marketing of seed lots. In this study, a novel approach for seed quality classification is presented. We developed classifier models using Fourier transform near-infrared (FT-NIR) spectroscopy and X-ray imaging techniques to predict seed germination and vigor. A forage grass (Urochloa brizantha) was used as a model species. FT-NIR spectroscopy data and radiographic images were obtained from individual seeds, and the models were created based on the following algorithms: linear discriminant analysis (LDA), partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), random forest (RF), naive Bayes (NB), and support vector machine with radial basis (SVM-r) kernel. In the germination prediction, the models individually reached an accuracy of 82% using FT-NIR data, and 90% using X-ray data. For seed vigor, the models achieved 61% and 68% accuracy using FT-NIR and X-ray data, respectively. Combining the FT-NIR and X-ray data, the performance of the classification model reached an accuracy of 85% to predict germination, and 62% for seed vigor. Overall, the models developed using both NIR spectra and X-ray imaging data in machine learning algorithms are efficient in quickly, non-destructively, and accurately identifying the capacity of seed to germinate. The use of X-ray data and the LDA algorithm showed great potential to be used as a viable alternative to assist in the quality classification of U. brizantha seeds.

Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis / Microlitiasis alveolar pulmonar

Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis is an uncommon disease of unknown etiology, and is characterized by the presence of multiple sub-pleural and intra-alveolar microcalcifications. We present the case of a patient with rheumatoid arthritis and chronic renal disease, but with no respiratory symptoms.

La microlitiasis pulmonar alveolar es una enfermedad infrecuente, de etiología desconocida, caracterizada por la presencia de múltiples microcalcificaciones intraalveolares y subpleurales. Presentamos el caso de un paciente asintomático respiratorio, con historia clínica de artritis reumatoide y enfermedad renal crónica.

Femoroplasty: a new option for femur metastasis.

Bone metastases are very frequent in patients with cancer and usually are located in the patient's long bones and spine. Various approaches to pain relief and stability to the affected bone have been used. The aim of the study is to report our experience with a new minimally invasive percutaneous technique in patients with bone metastases located in the head, neck, and proximal femur. The technique is performed under fluoroscopic guidance through the application of polymethylmethacrylate bone cement. Our descriptive, retrospective, longitudinal case series included 15 patients who underwent femoroplasty. All patients reported pain reduction and improved mobility, with no complications observed. The femoroplasty procedure caused pain relief by stabilizing the bone through the consolidation of the microfractures because of bone metastases.

Management of chronic upper abdominal pain in cancer: transdiscal blockade of the splanchnic nerves.

BACKGROUND: The use of celiac plexus block to relieve the intractable pain caused by upper abdominal malignancies is well established. However, its effects are inconsistent for many reasons, mainly because of structural anatomic distortion as a consequence for the malignancy. The splanchnic nerve blockade (SNB) seems to be a useful alternative to the celiac plexus block in upper abdominal pain relief. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The pain of 109 patients with unresectable upper abdominal or lower esophageal neoplasms was managed by posterior transdiscal SNBs guided by computed tomography at the Instituto Nacional de Cancerología in Mexico City from January 2004 to June 2007. The study evaluated SNB efficacy with regard to pain relief, its adverse effects/complications, and patient satisfaction. RESULTS: Splanchnic nerve blockade efficacy with regard to pain relief was exhibited by a marked decrease in the visual analog score and in opioid consumption, with preprocedural mean values dropping from 6.1 ± 2.4 and 102.4 mg/d of morphine to 2.7 ± 2.4 and 53.3 mg/d at the first postprocedural visit, respectively. These results persisted during the 1-year follow-up period or until death. Minor adverse effects (moderate diarrhea and mild hypotension) were frequent (n = 64 and n = 47, respectively), and severe complications occurred in 1 patient with a transient paraparesis (n = 1). No procedure-related mortality was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Splanchnic nerve blockade via a transdiscal approach is a technique that provides analgesia and the alleviation of the secondary undesirable effects of analgesic drugs resulting from the decrease of morphine consumption in patients with upper abdominal malignancies. In experienced teams, the reliability of its analgesic effect is high, with a low rate of severe complications.

Un nuevo virus A/H1N1, una nueva pandemia: Influenza un riesgo permanente para una humanidad globalizada / A new virus A/H1N1, a new pandemic: Influenza a continuing risk to a globalized humanity

La influenza es una enfermedad altamente infectocontagiosa de la cual se tienen registros históricos descriptivos desde la época griega y de certeza etiológica tan solo hace casi ocho décadas atras. Su agente causal es el virus del influenza de los que se conoce existen tres grandes tipos: A B y C. El tipo A tiene la propiedad de circular por diversos reservorios biológicos, tales como el hombre, los cerdos y las aves, entre otros. Representa ademas una elevada variabilidad genética lo que le permite continuos cambios o derivas antigenicas menores responsables de la influenza humanas epidemicas y a veces reordenamientos amplios con cambios antigenicos mayores los que originan la temida influenza pandémica. En un mundo cada vez mas globalizado, con una poblacion superior a los seis mil millones de personas, marcado por grandes inequidades sociales y con cambios climaticos evidentes los virus de la influenza serán un riesgo permanente para la seguridad de la humanidad. La clínica de los diverso subtipos virales puede balancearce desde las formas inaparentes hasta las formas graves de gripe o influenza, dependiendo de la virulencia del subtipo viral infectante y del huésped. Aunque la tecnología diagnóstica y de inmunización ha avanzado sorprendentemente la preparación y disposición de los nuevos kits diagnósticos suelen tardar al principio y en el caso de las vacunas estas no estan disponibles para un nuevo subtipo viral pandemico en el momento que se las necesita. El desarrollo de antivirales contra la gripe no es notorio, contándose aprobados para uso humano los amadantanes como la amantadina y la rimantadina y los inhibidores de la neuraminidasa conocidos como oseltamivir y sanamivir principalmente. Claramente los más vulnerables en este contexto son los países en vías de desarrollo y en especial aquellos mas pobres, hecho que nos debería llevar a una profunda reflexión.

Influenza is a highly contagious disease. There are some historical descriptions of this condition by ancient Greek physicians, and the etiological agents have been known only for the last eight decades. The causative agent is the influenza virus, which has three main types: A, B, and C. Type A is capable of circulating within many different biological reservoirs, including humans, swine, and birds. It also has high genetic variability, which allows it to have minor antigenic drifts or mutations which are responsible of epidemics in humans. Sometimes changes are quite marked, leading to pandemics. In a globalized world, with more than 6 billion inhabitants, with many social inequities and evident climate changes, influenza viruses are a permanent risk for mankind. Clinical features for the different viral subtypes may vary from subtle infections to full blown and severe, life-threatening forms. Event with the great advances in diagnostics and immunization, the manufacture and distribution of new diagnostic kits may take some time, and new vaccines are not always readily available. Specific therapies against influenza are not well developed. There are two groups of drugs, the so called adamantane derivatives, such as amantadine and rimantadine, and the neuraminidase inhibitors, such as oseltamivir and zanamivir. Most vulnerable areas for the new flu pandemics include developing countries, particularly the poorest ones, so that the greatest effort must be made for helping these areas.

Uso de IECA o ARA II más espironolactona y su relación con hiperkalemia en pacientes ambulatorios / Use of ace inhibitors or ARA II plus spironolactone and their relationship with hyperkalemia in day care patients

Objetivo: establecer la relación existente entre la combinación farmacológica de un inhibidor de la enzima convertidora de angiotensina (IECA) o un bloqueante del receptor de angiotensina tipo II (ARA II) más espironolactona y los niveles de potasio sérico en los pacientes adultos con insuficiencia cardiaca y tasa de filtración glomerular (TFG) mayor o igual a 60 mL/min, que acuden a la consulta de cardiología de dos centros hospitalarios de la ciudad de Manizales.Diseño: estudio de tipo prospectivo, observacional, de casos incidentes.Material y métodos: se incluyeron 30 pacientes con diagnóstico de insuficiencia cardiaca, que recibían la combinación farmacológica IECA o ARA II más espironolactona, cuya depuración de creatinina fuera mayor o igual a 60 mL/min. Se hizo seguimiento durante seis meses, evaluando cada mes electrolitos y pruebas de función renal. El análisis estadístico, para las variables cualitativas, se realizó con la prueba de Chi cuadrado; para las variables cuantitativas se utilizó la prueba de t de Student. Se utilizó el programa EpiInfo Versión 6.04 d y Epidata 3.1...

Objective: to establish the relationship between the pharmacologic combination of an angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or an angiotensin receptor blocking agent Type II(ARA II) plus spironolactone and the serum potassium levels in adult patients with heart failure, and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) higher or equal to 60 mL/min, who go for consultation in the cardiology unit of hospital centers in the city of Manizales. Design: prospective, observational study of incident cases. Material and methods: 30 patients with diagnosis of heart failure were included. They weregiven the pharmacologic combination of ACE inhibitors or ARA II plus spironolactone, with a creatinine clearance of more or equal to 60 mL/min. They were followed for 6 months, monthly assessments of the electrolytes as well as renal function. The statistical analysis for the quantitative variables was carried out with the Chi square test; for the quantitative variables the Student t wasused. The EpiInfo program Version 6.04 and Epidate 3.1 were used.Results: 368 patients with diagnosis of heart failure were found, 126 of them lived in Manizalez, of which 54 had creatinine clearance...

Parámetros de práctica para el manejo del dolor en cáncer: Grupo de Consenso para el Manejo del Dolor en Cáncer / Practice guidelines for cancer pain management: Task Force for Cancer Pain Management

El dolor por cáncer es un problema frecuente en nuestro medio, se presenta en 80 a 90 % de los pacientes y en aproximadamente 90 % de ellos se resuelve con medidas relativamente sencillas. No obstante, aproximadamente 40 % de los pacientes se encuentra insatisfecho con el médico o la enfermera respecto al manejo de su dolor. Por tal motivo, se convocó a un grupo de consenso con la finalidad de generar parámetros de práctica clínica fundamentados en la evidencia publicada y en la opinión de los expertos. Este grupo estuvo integrado por 31 médicos líderes de opinión es este campo, quienes con base en 599 documentos emitieron esta serie de recomendaciones, identificadas cada una según su nivel de evidencia.

Cancer pain is a frequent medical problem in our society. This syndrome affects from 80 to 90% of cancer patients and can be solved with relatively simple measures in 90% of the cases. Approximately 40% of cancer patients reported to be unsatisfied with the physician or nurse about their pain management. For these reasons, we gathered a task force in order to generate practice guidelines based on medical evidence and on the opinion of experts in this area. These guidelines were generated by a task force of 31 physicians who were leaders in this field and based on 599 papers selected by a previous literature search. This group evaluated the results of this search in three work sessions, during which a level of evidence was assigned to each recommendation.

[Transdiscal percutaneous approach of splanchnic nerves]. / Abordaje transdiscal de los nervios esplácnicos.

Neurolytic celiac plexus block is an established, well-developed procedure and the most accepted and applied in visceral pain; recognized by the WHO and the IASP, it is very good in palliative management of cancer pain in visceral of superior hemiabdomen. However, conventional techniques in celiac plexus have not been successful in patients with organomegaly and/or anatomic abnormalities, except when splanchnic nerve neurolytic blockade is used. On the other hand, conventional techniques in splanchnic nerves are highly associated with complications such as paraplegia, pneumothorax and liver or renal punction. For these reasons an alternative option has ben designed, termed transdiscal percutaneous approach of splanchnic nerves under tomographic control; this technique affords the option of improving accuracy and performance with minimum risks, particularly lung puncture and its consequences. Under this technique, 64 superior hemi-abdomen cancer patients initiated such a study (four without morphine treatment quit the study), 55% females and 45% males, visceral pain syndrome 65%, and mixed, 35%. Side effects were dyspnea 5%, hypotension 26.7%, nausea 31.7%, diarrhea 83.3% in which diarrhea means increased peristalsis showing adequate sympathetic inhibition via splanchnic nerves), vomiting 28.3%, punction-site pain 46.7%, aorta punction 6.7%, anal pleural punction 5%. All these incidents were dealt with by conservative treatment. Student t test showed that pain intensity in all measurements after procedure was different in comparison to basal pain intensity prior to procedure (p<0.05), emphasizing that at the 12th, 18th and 24th months, there was noticeable reduction in participants number with eight, five and four participants, respectively. Morphine intake at week 1, and 1, 2, 3, 6 and 12 months after procedure was different from basal intake prior to procedure (p<0.05) with same noticeable reduction in participant numbers at last stages. Butylhioscine intake at week 1, 1, 2, 3 and 6 months after procedure was different from basal intake prior to procedure (p<0.05). NSAIDs consumption was likely during 2 months after procedure (p<0.05). Linear regression showed that butylhioscine and morphine explained low percentage of pain intensity variance, controlling statistically that effect over pain. There were no differences in pain pathophysiology with regard to cancer type. Transdiscal percutaneous approach of splanchnic nerves guided by CAT is an alternative with minimal risks, as with lung punction, confirming that inhibiting splanchnic nerves has advantages in pain release, reducing and/or eliminating morphine consumption.