Precisión diagnóstica de la circunferencia de cuello para la predicción de sobrepeso y obesidad en estudiantes universitarios mexicanos / Diagnostic accuracy of neck circumference for the prediction of overweight and obesity in Mexican university students

Introducción. La circunferencia de cuello es una medida de fácil acceso y bajo costo, que podría ayudar a la identificación del sobrepeso u obesidad. Objetivo. Determinar la precisión diagnóstica de la circunferencia de cuello para la predicción de sobrepeso y obesidad en estudiantes universitarios mexicanos y analizar la correlación entre la circunferencia de cuello con otros indicadores antropométricos y la presión arterial como factor de riesgo cardiovascular. Materiales y métodos. Estudio transversal, analítico en 236 universitarios. Se realizaron mediciones antropométricas y presión arterial. Se realizaron análisis de las curvas ROC para obtener la sensibilidad y especificidad de los puntos de corte para la predicción de sobrepeso u obesidad y correlaciones de Pearson de circunferencia de cuello vs variables antropométricas. Resultados. Se observó, en hombres y mujeres, una correlación fuerte entre circunferencia de cuello y peso [r= 0,74 y r= 0,82 (p<0,01), respectivamente], seguida por IMC [r= 0,77 y r= 0,75 (p<0,01), respectivamente], circunferencia de cintura [r= 0,73 y r= 0,77 (p<0,01), respectivamente] e ICT [r= 0,71 y r= 0,73 (p<0,01), respectivamente]; se encontraron correlaciones moderadas para porcentaje de masa grasa y tensión arterial. La circunferencia de cuello vs circunferencia de cintura fue la mejor prueba de predicción para asociar el sobrepeso u obesidad tanto en hombres (AUC= 0,93; 89,3% sensibilidad y 82,3% especificidad) como mujeres (AUC= 0,95: 94,3% sensibilidad y 82,3% especificidad). Conclusiones. Los puntos de corte de la circunferencia de cuello presentan una adecuada capacidad para predecir el sobrepeso y obesidad en jóvenes adultos mexicanos(AU)

Introduction. Neck circumference is an easily accessible and low-cost measure, which could help in the identification of overweight or obesity. Objective. To determine the diagnostic accuracy of neck circumference for the prediction of overweight and obesity in Mexican university students and to analyze the correlation between neck circumference and other anthropometric indicators and blood pressure as a cardiovascular risk factor. Materials and methods. Cross-sectional, analytical study in 236 university students. Anthropometric and blood pressure measurements were taken. ROC curve analysis was performed to obtain the sensitivity and specificity of the cut-off points for the prediction of overweight or obesity and Pearson correlations of neck circumference vs anthropometric variables. Results. A strong correlation was observed, in men and women, between neck circumference and weight [r= 0.74 and r= 0.82 (p<0.01), respectively], followed by BMI [r= 0.77 and r= 0.75 (p<0.01), respectively], waist circumference [r= 0.73 and r= 0.77 (p<0.01), respectively] and ICT [r= 0.71 and r= 0.73 (p<0.01), respectively]; moderate correlations were found for percent fat mass and blood pressure. Neck circumference vs waist circumference was the best predictive test for associating overweight or obesity in both men (AUC= 0.93; 89.3% sensitivity and 82.3% specificity) and women (AUC= 0.95: 94.3% sensitivity and 82.3% specificity). Conclusions. Neck circumference cut-off points present adequate ability to predict overweight and obesity in Mexican young adults(AU)

Antibacterial and Antioxidant Properties of Extracts of Yucca Baccata, a Plant of Northwestern Mexico, against Pathogenic Bacteria.

Introduction: Bacterial agents and oxidative reactions are involved in health and food preservation issues, and Yucca baccata (Y. baccata) can be a source of compounds with practical applications in both areas, but its investigation remains limited. Materials and Methods: Butanolic (YBE) and aqueous (YAE) extracts were obtained from the stem of Y. baccata. The total saponin, phenolic, and flavonoid contents were analyzed in the YBE and YAE. The antioxidant capacity of the extracts was determined by the DPPH, TEAC, FRAP, and ORAC assays. Seven Gram-positive and five Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria strains were used to determine the MIC and MBC. Results: Saponin contents were 30% and 1.81% (w/w) in the YBE and YAE, respectively. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents in the extracts were 29.5 µg GAEmg-1 (2.95%) and 5.58 µg GAEmg-1 (0.56%) in the YBE and 69.92 µg QEmg-1 (7.0%) and 1.65 µg QEmg-1 (0.165%) in the YAE. The antioxidant capacity values of YBE were 29.18 µg TEmg-1, 121.8 µg TEmg-1, 33.41 µg TEmg-1, and 156.84 µg TEmg-1 by the DPPH, TEAC, FRAP, and ORAC assays, respectively. YAE had lower antioxidant values than YBE (P < 0.05). Values of 80 mgmL-1 and 100 mgmL-1 were estimated for MIC and MBC of YBE against the Gram-positive bacteria. Values of 100 mgmL-1 and 120 mgmL-1 for MIC and MBC of YBE were estimated against the Gram-negative bacteria. No MIC and MBC were obtained for YAE. Conclusion: YBE exhibited higher antioxidant activity than YAE. Apparently, antibacterial properties of the YBE tended to be higher than those of the YAE.

Microencapsulation of Carvacrol Using Pectin/Aloe-gel as a Novel Wound Dressing Films.

Recently, Pectin (PEC) and Aloe-Gel (AG) have received great attention for their use in the encapsulation of hydrophobic bioactive compounds such as Carvacrol (CAR). The aim of this study is to assess the physical, chemical and biological properties of a novel PEC/AG film and evaluate its capability to entrap CAR into microencapsulates. For this purpose, the casting method was used to prepare the PEC/AG membranes (70:30 % w/w). The CAR-loaded PEC/AG film was prepared adding different proportions of CAR (0.25%, 0.50% and 1.00% v/v) to the mixture of PEC/AG, previously emulsified with tween 80 (1.0%). The optical properties, Water Vapor Permeability (WVP), ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, microstructure, antibacterial activity and size of microcapsules were evaluated. The PEC/AG membranes loaded with CAR showed yellowish appearance and they were transparent to the UV electromagnetic radiation (190, 200 and 280 nm). The film prepared with the lowest amount of CAR (PC/AG-CAR-0.25%) showed the highest values of WVP (66.2%) and, according to SEM micrograph, the largest microcapsules (≈1005± 39 µm3). The FTIR analysis showed the characteristic absorption peaks located at 1015 cm-1 to 1030 cm-1 and a small shoulder to 990 cm-1 of benzene ring 1:2:4 substituted that suggested the presence of CAR-loaded in the PC/AG film. On the other hand, E. coli O157:H7 showed the highest sensitivity to the PEC/AG-CAR-1.00% film, while S. aureus was not sensitive.

Prevalence and associated risk factors for Giardia and Cryptosporidium infections among children of northwest Mexico: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: G. intestinalis and Cryptosporidium spp. are responsible for gastrointestinal infections worldwide. Contaminated food, feces, drinking water and predictors such as poverty, cultural and behavioral aspects have been involved in their transmission. Published studies about these infections are limited in Mexico. Cananea, Sonora is located in northwest Mexico and is one of the regions with the lowest marginalization index in the Sonora state. However, its rate of gastrointestinal infections increased from 48.7/1000 in 2003 to 77.9/1000 in 2010 in the general population. It was estimated that the prevalence of giardiasis can range from 20 to 30% in the Sonoran childhood population. However, the prevalence of giardiasis and cryptosporidiosis are unknown in Cananea, Sonora and they are likely contributing to its gastrointestinal infections rates. METHODS: A total of 173 children (average age 8.8 ± 2.8 years) participated in this cross-sectional study. Anthropometric measurements and stool analysis were performed. Socioeconomic, cultural and symptomatology information were collected. The association between the risk factors and intestinal parasitic infections was analyzed by multivariate analysis using the STATA/SE package at a significance level of p ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: More than half of the children (n = 103, 60%) had intestinal parasitic infections. Cryptosporidium spp. showed the highest prevalence (n = 47, 27%), which was followed by G. intestinalis (n = 40, 23%). Children with giardiasis and cryptosporidiosis had lower H/A and BMI/A Z scores than children who were free of these infections. Children with giardiasis were at higher risk (OR = 4.0; 95%CI = 1.11-13.02; p = 0.030) of reporting abdominal pain, and children who drank tap water were at higher risk (OR = 5.0; 95% CI = 1.41-17.20; p = 0.012) of cryptosporidiosis. CONCLUSIONS: This was the first epidemiological study conducted in children in the region of Cananea, Sonora in northwest Mexico. The findings revealed a high prevalence of cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis, and their interactions with multiple risk factors were investigated. This study suggested that giardiasis and cryptosporidiosis may play an important role as causative factors of gastrointestinal diseases in the study region. Regional authorities must analyze water for human consumption to search for Cryptosporidium spp. and G. intestinalis.

Total Phenolic, Flavonoid, Tomatine, and Tomatidine Contents and Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of Extracts of Tomato Plant.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of extracts of different fractions of two tomato plant cultivars. The stems, roots, leaves, and whole-plant fractions were evaluated. Tomatine and tomatidine were identified by HPLC-DAD. The leaf extracts from the two varieties showed the highest flavonoids, chlorophyll, carotenoids, and total phenolics contents and the highest antioxidant activity determined by DPPH, ABTS, and ORAC. A positive correlation was observed between the antioxidant capacities of the extracts and the total phenolic, flavonoid, and chlorophyll contents. The Pitenza variety extracts inhibited the growth of pathogens such as E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella Typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria ivanovii, yielding inhibition halos of 8.0 to 12.9 mm in diameter and MIC values of 12.5 to 3.125 mg/mL. These results suggest that tomato plant shows well potential as sources of various bioactive compounds, antioxidants, and antimicrobials.