Potential Anti-Infectious Activity of Essential Oil Chemotypes of Lippia origanoides Kunth on Antibiotic-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Strains.

Staphylococcus aureus infections are prevalent in healthcare and community environments. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus is catalogued as a superbug of high priority among the pathogens. This Gram-positive coccus can form biofilms and produce toxins, leading to persistent infection and antibiotic resistance. Limited effective antibiotics have encouraged the development of innovative strategies, with a particular emphasis on resistance mechanisms and/or virulence factors. Medicinal aromatic plants have emerged as promising alternative sources. This study investigated the antimicrobial, antibiofilm, and antihemolysis properties of three different chemotypes of Lippia origanoides essential oil (EO) against susceptible and drug-resistant S. aureus strains. The chemical composition of the EO was analyzed using GC-MS, revealing high monoterpene concentrations, with carvacrol and thymol as the major components in two of the chemotypes. The third chemotype consisted mainly of the sesquiterpene ß-caryophyllene. The MIC values for the two monoterpene chemotypes ranged from 62.5 to 500 µg/mL for all strains, whereas the sesquiterpene chemotype showed activity against seven strains at concentrations of 125-500 µg/mL, which is the first report of its anti-S. aureus activity. The phenolic chemotypes inhibited biofilm formation in seven S. aureus strains, whereas the sesquiterpene chemotype only inhibited biofilm formation in four strains. In addition, phenolic chemotypes displayed antihemolysis activity, with IC50 values ranging from 58.9 ± 3.8 to 128.3 ± 9.2 µg/mL. Our study highlights the importance of L. origanoides EO from the Yucatan Peninsula, which has the potential for the development of anti-S. aureus agents.

Cost-benefit analysis of implementing a pediatric early warning system at a pediatric oncology hospital in a low-middle income country.

BACKGROUND: Hospitalized pediatric oncology patients are at high risk of clinical decline and mortality, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Pediatric early warning systems (PEWS) assist with the early identification of deterioration. To the authors' knowledge, no studies to date have evaluated the cost-benefit of PEWS in LMICs. METHODS: A PEWS was implemented at the National Pediatric Oncology Unit (Unidad Nacional de Oncologia Pediatrica [UNOP]), a pediatric oncology hospital in Guatemala, resulting in a reduction in unplanned pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) transfers. Variable costs of maintaining the PICU and hospital floor were calculated for the year prior to and after the implementation of PEWS using administrative data. PEWS implementation costs were tabulated. The number of PICU inpatient days averted due to reduced unplanned PICU transfers after implementation was calculated, adjusting for changes in hospital inpatient days. Savings per inpatient day from unplanned PICU transfers were calculated. All costs were adjusted for inflation. RESULTS: There were 457 fewer PICU inpatient days due to unplanned transfers noted the year after implementation of PEWS, adjusting for changes in hospital volume. The variable costs of an unplanned PICU transfer versus a bed on the hospital floor was $806 per day. The total cost of implementing PEWS at UNOP was $13,644 ($7 per admission). Through reductions in variable PICU costs, UNOP saved a net $173 per admission ($354,514 annual net savings) after implementation of PEWS. The cost savings were sustained in a series of more conservative 1-way sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of PEWS at UNOP resulted in an incremental savings due to a reduction in the number of unplanned PICU transfers. The results of the current study demonstrate that hospital investment in PEWS can improve the quality of pediatric cancer care, optimize PICU use, and reduce costs.

The cell wall proteome from two strains of Pseudocercospora fijiensis with differences in virulence.

Pseudocercospora fijiensis causes black Sigatoka disease, the most important threat to banana. The cell wall is crucial for fungal biological processes, including pathogenesis. Here, we performed cell wall proteomics analyses of two P. fijiensis strains, the highly virulent Oz2b, and the less virulent C1233 strains. Strains were starved from nitrogen to mimic the host environment. Interestingly, in vitro cultures of the C1233 strain grew faster than Oz2b in PDB medium, suggesting that C1233 survives outside the host better than the highly virulent Oz2b strain. Both strains were submitted to nitrogen starvation and the cell wall proteins were isolated and subjected to nano-HPLC-MS/MS. A total of 2686 proteins were obtained from which only 240 had a known function and thus, bioinformatics analyses were performed on this group. We found that 90 cell wall proteins were shared by both strains, 21 were unique for Oz2b and 39 for C1233. Shared proteins comprised 24 pathogenicity factors, including Avr4 and Ecp6, two effectors from P. fijiensis, while the unique proteins comprised 16 virulence factors in C1233 and 11 in Oz2b. The P. fijiensis cell wall proteome comprised canonical proteins, but thirty percent were atypical, a feature which in other phytopathogens has been interpreted as contamination. However, a comparison with the identities of atypical proteins in other reports suggests that the P. fijiensis proteins we detected were not contaminants. This is the first proteomics analysis of the P. fijiensis cell wall and our results expands the understanding of the fundamental biology of fungal phytopathogens and will help to decipher the molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis and virulence in P. fijiensis.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in partial sequences of the gene encoding the large sub-units of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase within a representative collection of 10 Musa genotypes

Background ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase) is a rate-limiting enzyme catalyzing the first step in the starch biosynthesis pathway in higher plants. To date, there are no reported variants or isoforms of the AGPase enzyme in bananas (Musa spp. family Musaceae) as is the case of other plants. In this study, genomic DNA sequences homologous to the gene encoding one of the large subunits of the enzyme were amplified from 10 accessions of the genus Musa, including representatives of wild ancestors (AA and BB genomes), dessert bananas (AA, AAA, AB and AAB genomes), plantains (AAB genome) and cooking bananas (ABB and AAA genomes), and studied in order to find single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) base variations in Musa accessions. Results In the 810-base pair amplicons of the AGPase large sub-unit (LSU) gene analyzed in ten Musa accessions, a total of 36 SNPs and insertions/deletions (indels) were found. The phylogenetic analysis revealed fifteen distinct haplotypes, which were grouped into four variants. Deep examination of SNPs in the 2nd exon in the LSU of AGPase showed that at seven locations, five SNPs altered their amino acid sequence. Conclusions This work reveals the possible number of AGPase enzyme isoforms and their molecular levels in banana. Molecular markers could be designed from SNPs present in these banana accessions. This information could be useful for the development of SNP-based molecular markers for Musa germplasm, and alteration of the allosteric properties of AGPase to increase the starch content and manipulate the starch quality of banana fruits.

Genome-wide in silico identification of GPI proteins in Mycosphaerella fijiensis and transcriptional analysis of two GPI-anchored ß-1,3-glucanosyltransferases.

The hemibiotrophic fungus Mycosphaerella fijiensis is the causal agent of black Sigatoka (BS), the most devastating foliar disease in banana (Musa spp.) worldwide. Little is known about genes that are important during M. fijiensis-Musa sp. interaction. The fungal cell wall is an attractive area of study because it is essential for maintenance of cellular homeostasis and it is the most external structure in the fungal cell and therefore mediates the interaction of the pathogen with the host. In this manuscript we describe the in silico identification of glycosyl phosphatidylinositol-protein (GPI) family in M. fijiensis, and the analysis of two ß-1,3-glucanosyltrans-ferases (Gas), selected by homology with fungal pathogenicity factors. Potential roles in pathogenesis were evaluated through analyzing expression during different stages of black Sigatoka disease, comparing expression data with BS symptoms and fungal biomass inside leaves. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR showed nearly constant expression of MfGAS1 with slightly increases (about threefold) in conidia and at speck-necrotrophic stage during banana-pathogen interaction. Conversely, MfGAS2 expression was increased during biotrophy (about seven times) and reached a maximum at speck (about 23 times) followed by a progressive decrease in next stages, suggesting an active role in M. fijiensis pathogenesis.

Niños con IgE elevada en sangre del Cordon Umbilical. Seguimiento de 1 a 6 años / Children with elevated IgE in umbilical cord blood. Follow-up from 1 to 6

Los valores elevados de IgE en suero del cordon umbilical se senalan como predictivos de desarrollo de alergias en etapas tempranas de la vida. La lactancia materna, dietas hipoalergicas y el control de los aeroalergenos son preventivos de la aparicion de estas afecciones. Como parte del Programa de Prevencion de Enfermedades Alergicas de Cuba y con el objetivo de conocer el valor predictivo de la IgE y el efecto de las medidas preventivas sobre los ninos en riesgo se siguieron 752 ninos durante 1 a 6 anos con IgE elevada al nacer y se les indico dichas medidas. La IgE al nacer y hasta los 3 anos fue mayor en los enfermos en forma significativa (p 0,0241). Enfermaron menos aquellos que lactaron y cumplieron las medidas orientadas (p 0,0028 y 0,0140) respectivamente. Se evidencio el valor predictivo de la IgE y los beneficios de las medidas profilacticas

Niños con IgE elevada en sangre del Cordón Umbilical. Seguimiento de 1 a 6 años / Children with elevated IgE in umbilical cord blood. Follow-up from 1 to 6

Los valores elevados de IgE en suero del cordón umbilical se señalan como predictivos de desarrollo de alergias en etapas tempranas de la vida. La lactancia materna, dietas hipoalérgicas y el control de los aeroalergenos son preventivos de la aparición de estas afecciones. Como parte del Programa de Prevención de Enfermedades Alérgicas de Cuba y con el objetivo de conocer el valor predictivo de la IgE y el efecto de las medidas preventivas sobre los niños en riesgo se siguieron 752 niños durante 1 a 6 años con IgE elevada al nacer y se les indicó dichas medidas. La IgE al nacer y hasta los 3 años fue mayor en los enfermos en forma significativa (p 0,0241). Enfermaron menos aquéllos que lactaron y cumplieron las medidas orientadas (p 0,0028 y 0,0140) respectivamente. Se evidenció el valor predictivo de la IgE y los beneficios de las medidas profilácticas(AU)

Factores de riesgo que inciden en la presentación de enfermedades respiratorias en los obreros de la fábrica Hertob. C.A / Factors of risk that affect the presentation of respiratory diseases in the workers of the Hertob factory. C.A

Resumiendo diremos que, las características de la economía ecuatoriana son las de un país en vías de desarrollo, basado hasta hace poco en actividades agropecuarias y de ganadería en menor escala. Con la explotación del petróleo, la participación sectorial en el proceso de producción, experimentó un cambio importante, la aportación agrícola-ganadera descendió y el sector industrial se abrió paso desplazando a las principales actividades productivas de nuestro país. El imigrante rural, que alcanzó cierto grado de escolaridad y que tiene conocimientos básicos sobre el manejo de maquinaria pesada, puede incorporarse con previa capacitación a fábricas textiles, de metal-mecánica, industrialización de productos alimenticios, etc., no así el campesino analfabeto, cuyas actividades laborales se limitan a trabajos pesados como cargadores en bodegas, almacenes y mercados o en trabajos de albañilería. El proceso de producción y la participación en el trabajo conlleva una serie riesgos que varía de acuerdo al tipo de actividad desarrollada, en el caso de la Sociedad Industrial HERTOB C.A., los riesgos que se dan en las diferentes secciones de producción son: cambios bruscos de temperatura, exposición prolongada al frío y humedad, niveles altos de ruído, partículas de polvo de leche esparcidas en el ambiente de la fábrica. Esta fábrica ha afiliado a sus obreros al Seguro Social, por lo tanto cuenta con el Programa de Seguridd e Higiene Induastrial que está a cargo de la División de Riesgos de Trabajo del IESS. El programa con el que cuenta la División de Riesgos de Trabajo, no ha podido ejecutarse en forma correcta, centrando su labor únicamente en el equipo de protección personal, violando así las mismas premisas éticas de la profesión, que sólo permita acudir a la protección personal como último recurso. Esto nos indica que la seguridad Industrial en el país se halla en un desarrollo incipiente y se está comenzando por donde se debería terminar. De todo lo mencionado sobre las características físicas y ambientales y con la revisión de las Fichas Médicas del personal, se observó que las patologías del tracto respiratorio tienen una alta frecuencia y afecta en su mayoría al personal...