BioMINT: A Temporary Immersion System for Agave Micropropagation.

Agaves are cultivated in Mexico as a source of industrial products such as fibers, nutritional supplements, and alcoholic beverages. Due to the demand for plant material, its long-life cycle, and the need to avoid predation on its natural populations, in vitro micropropagation represents a good option for agaves. Plant tissue culture has been successfully used to micropropagate selected elite individuals from plants of various Agave species of economic interest. However, it is necessary to implement systems that lower production costs without losing the quality of the plantlets obtained. This chapter describes the BioMINT™ bioreactor as an alternative for the micropropagation of agaves in the different stages of the micropropagation process.

Flaxseed Oil (Linum usitatissimum) Prevents Cognitive and Motor Damage in Rats with Hyperammonemia.

Hyperammonemia is characterized by the excessive accumulation of ammonia in the body as a result of the loss of liver detoxification, leading to the development of hepatic encephalopathy (HE). These metabolic alterations carry cognitive and motor deficits and cause neuronal damage, with no effective treatment at present. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of two subacute oral administrations of flaxseed oil (0.26 and 0.52 mL/kg) on short- and long-term memory, visuospatial memory, locomotor activity, motor coordination, and the neuronal morphology of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) via tests on Wistar rats with hyperammonemia. The goal was to identify its role in the regulation of cerebral edema, without liver damage causing cerebral failure. In contrast with an ammonium-rich diet, flaxseed oil and normal foods did not cause cognitive impairment or motor alterations, as evidenced in the short-term and visuospatial memory tests. Furthermore, the flaxseed oil treatment maintained a regular neuronal morphology of the prefrontal cortex, which represents a neuroprotective effect. We conclude that the oral administration of flaxseed oil prevents cognitive and motor impairments as well as neuronal alterations in rats with hyperammonemia, which supports the potential use of this oil to ameliorate the changes that occur in hepatic encephalopathy.

KNOX1 is expressed and epigenetically regulated during in vitro conditions in Agave spp.

BACKGROUND: The micropropagation is a powerful tool to scale up plants of economical and agronomical importance, enhancing crop productivity. However, a small but growing body of evidence suggests that epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation and histone modifications, can be affected under the in vitro conditions characteristic of micropropagation. Here, we tested whether the adaptation to different in vitro systems (Magenta boxes and Bioreactors) modified epigenetically different clones of Agave fourcroydes and A. angustifolia. Furthermore, we assessed whether these epigenetic changes affect the regulatory expression of KNOTTED1-like HOMEOBOX (KNOX) transcription factors. RESULTS: To gain a better understanding of epigenetic changes during in vitro and ex vitro conditions in Agave fourcroydes and A. angustifolia, we analyzed global DNA methylation, as well as different histone modification marks, in two different systems: semisolid in Magenta boxes (M) and temporary immersion in modular Bioreactors (B). No significant difference was found in DNA methylation in A. fourcroydes grown in either M or B. However, when A. fourcroydes was compared with A. angustifolia, there was a two-fold difference in DNA methylation between the species, independent of the in vitro system used. Furthermore, we detected an absence or a low amount of the repressive mark H3K9me2 in ex vitro conditions in plants that were cultured earlier either in M or B. Moreover, the expression of AtqKNOX1 and AtqKNOX2, on A. fourcroydes and A. angustifolia clones, is affected during in vitro conditions. Therefore, we used Chromatin ImmunoPrecipitation (ChIP) to know whether these genes were epigenetically regulated. In the case of AtqKNOX1, the H3K4me3 and H3K9me2 were affected during in vitro conditions in comparison with AtqKNOX2. CONCLUSIONS: Agave clones plants with higher DNA methylation during in vitro conditions were better adapted to ex vitro conditions. In addition, A. fourcroydes and A. angustifolia clones displayed differential expression of the KNOX1 gene during in vitro conditions, which is epigenetically regulated by the H3K4me3 and H3K9me2 marks. The finding of an epigenetic regulation in key developmental genes will make it important in future studies to identify factors that help to find climate-resistant micropropagated plants.

Nutrition in Colombian pregnant women.

OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to evaluate the nutritional status of pregnant women in Colombia and the associations between gestational BMI and sociodemographic and gestational characteristics. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. A secondary analysis was made of data from the 2005 Demographic and Health Survey of Colombia. SETTING: Bogotá, Colombia. SUBJECTS: Pregnant adolescents aged 13-19 years (n 430) and pregnant women aged 20-49 years (n 1272). RESULTS: The gestational BMI and sociodemographic characteristics of the adolescents differed from those of the pregnant adult women. Thirty-one per cent of the adolescents were underweight for gestational age, compared with 14·5 % of the adult women. Eighteen per cent of adolescents were overweight for gestational age, in contrast to 37·3 % of adult women. The overall prevalence of anaemia was 44·7 % and the prevalence of low serum ferritin was 38·8 %. Women within the high quintiles of the wealth index (prevalence odds ratio (POR) = 0·56; 95 % CI 0·34, 0·91, P < 0·02) had lower odds of being underweight. Women who received prenatal care (POR = 2·17; 95 % CI 1·48, 3·09, P < 0·001) and were multiparous (POR = 2·10; 95 % CI 1·43, 3·15, P < 0·0 0 1) had higher odds of being overweight. Women in extended families (POR = 0·63; 95 % CI 0·50, 0·95, P < 0·025) had lower odds of being overweight. CONCLUSIONS: Underweight in pregnant adolescents and overweight in adult women coexist as a double burden in Colombia. Factors associated with malnutrition among pregnant women and adolescents should be considered for future interventions in countries experiencing nutritional transition.

An efficient method for the micropropagation of Agave species.

Despite their economic importance, the Agave spp. have not been genetically improved. This is probably owing to the fact that they have very long life cycles and many of them have an inefficient sexual reproduction mechanism. Micropropagation offers an alternative to this problem through the efficient cloning of selected high-yielding "elite" plants. We report here an efficient method to micropropagate agaves and a strategy for the management of large scale production that has been successfully applied to several Agave spp.

Valor pronóstico de la troponina T en pacientes con cardiopatía isquémica aguda

Objetivo: En nuestro estudio, no se ha realizado un estudio sobre la frecuencia de ñas complicaciones de la cardiopatía isquémica aguda; las cuales son frecuentes. Mediante este estudio se valoró la troponina T, como factor pronóstico de las complicaciones de la cardiopatía isquémica aguda. Métodos: Se estudiaron 60 pacientes con diagnóstico de cardiopatía isquémica aguda, cuya edad promedio fue de 60+-12 años. Al ingreso de cada pacientes se tomó simultáneamente, una muestra de sangre para determinar troponina T y un electrocardiograma. Durante el período de hospitalización, el cual de 1 a semanas; se realizó un seguimiento a cada paciente, para observar la aparición de complicaciones. Resultados: De 60 pacientes estudiados con cardiopatía isquémica aguda, 19 pacientes se diagnosticaron de angina inestable...

Situación de salud en la localidad 13, Teusaquillo, 1998 / Health situation in locality 13, Teusaquillo, 1998

Estudio cuyo objetivo fue establecer el estado de salud y sus condicionantes en los habitantes de la localidad de Teusaquillo. Se realizó una encuesta de salud de Teusaquillo a través de una encuesta de hogares por muestreo para medir la morbilidad sentida, los conocimientos, actitudes y prácticas en enfermedades degenerativas, enfermedades de la infancia, accidentes, violencia y variables asociadas, demanda y utilización de servicios y afiliación a la seguridad social. Se describe cada uno de los tópicos contemplados en esta encuesta, los cuales fueron de gran importancia para la comprensión de los problemas de la localidad en materia de salud, la complementación del diagnóstico local y la orientación de las políticas propias para esta comunidad.

The objective of this study was to establish the state of health and its determinants in the inhabitants of Teusaquillo. A health survey of Teusaquillo was conducted through a sample household survey to measure felt morbidity, knowledge, attitudes and practices in degenerative diseases, childhood diseases, accidents, violence and associated variables, demand and use of services and affiliation to social security. Each of the topics contemplated in this survey is described, which were of great importance for the understanding of the local health problems, the complementation of the local diagnosis and the orientation of the policies for this community.

Colombia: población y planificación familiar / Colombia: population and family planning

Una de las principales variables que mide el grado de desarrollo de una nación es la disponibilidad de estadísticas reales y actualizadas; sin ellas, no se pueden tener un verdadero conocimiento de la situación actual del país y de sus diferentes comunidades, ni tampoco de los aspectos económicos, físicos y sociales que las enmarcan. Por esta razón llegan a tener el carácter de indispensables en el escrutinio social y económico de los pueblos. En Colombia uno de los cambios más profundos que se ha presentado en los últimos años es el del patrón o conducta reproductiva de la población. El objetivo principal de este artículo es presentar algunos datos estadísticos demográficos de Colombia.