Short term effects of cocoa consumption on blood pressure.

Hypertension, defined as diastolic pressure ≥ 90 mmHg and systolic pressure ≥ 140 mmHg, is a major cause of morbidity and mortality among black populations globally. Several studies have shown that prolonged consumption of cocoa or cocoa containing products leads to decreased blood pressure (BP) in hypertensives. In this study, we investigated the flavonoid content of the top selling cocoa/cocoa based products in Trinidad and Tobago and attempted to determine if consumption of cocoa had any immediate impact on blood pressure levels. The flavonoid content of three 100% cocoa powder products and four cocoa based formulas was measured using a modified Folin-Ciocalteu procedure. The brand with the highest flavonoid content, 372 gallic acid equivalents, was selected to evaluate the short-term impact of cocoa consumption on blood pressure. Thirty-six participants comprising nineteen hypertensives and seventeen persons with normal blood pressure had their blood pressure recorded on three separate days using ambulatory blood pressure monitors; the blood pressure was recorded every half hour for eight hours. On the first day, the participants received no intervention but on the second and third days, they received either the intervention (5 g cocoa in 125 ml water) or a placebo, in any order. Statistical analysis conducted using t-test statistic and a 95% confidence interval revealed that whether participants regularly took antihypertensive medication or not, a single intervention of cocoa induced decreases in both the diastolic and systolic BPs that were significant (p = 0.0001). Mean decreases of between 8 mmHg and 18 mmHg were observed.

First Report of Orange Rust Disease of Sugarcane in the Dominican Republic.

In June 2011, uredinial leaf lesions typical of rust disease were observed on the two main commercial sugarcane (a complex Saccharum spp. L. hybrid) cultivars CR87339 (30% of acreage), CR83323 (17% of acreage) as well as cultivars BR9806, BR9816, and BT88133 at La Romana in the Dominican Republic. Morphological analysis of the lesions using both light and scanning electron microscopy identified obovoid spores (36 × 24 µm) with apical wall thickenings which are distinctive features of Puccinia kuehnii (W. Krüger) E.J. Butler, the causal agent of orange rust disease of sugarcane (4). DNA from dried leaf samples containing urediniospores was extracted and PCR-amplified using the P. kuehnii specific primers (Pk1-F/Pk1-R) (1). A 527-bp fragment representing the ITS rDNA region was obtained and sequenced. A GenBank BLAST search of the database of the consensus sequence showed 100% sequence identity to the GenBank accession GU564421 along the entire sequence length. Based on field observations, urediniospore morphology, PCR amplification, and DNA sequence analysis, the causal agent of the observed rust disease was therefore confirmed to be P. kuehnii. Since its initial discovery, orange rust disease has been observed in 15 additional sugarcane cultivars at the Central Romana Sugarcane Corp. Ltd. at La Romana and has persisted during the years 2012 and 2013. Central Romana Sugarcane Corp. Ltd. is the largest sugarcane grower (70,000 ha) and sugar producer (430,000 t annually) in the Caribbean. Although an economic impact assessment of the disease has not been performed at La Romana, orange rust disease has the potential to cause significant yield loss (1). Orange rust has been reported previously in several parts of Central America and in the neighboring islands of Cuba and Jamaica in 2010 (2,3). To our knowledge, this is the first confirmed report of orange rust disease of sugarcane in the Dominican Republic. References: (1) J. C. Comstock et al., J. ASSCT. 29:82, 2009. (2) N. C. Glynn et al. Plant Pathol. 59:703, 2010. (3) L. Pérez-Vicente et al. Plant Pathol. 59:804, 2010. (4) E. V. Virtudazo et al., Mycoscience 42:167, 2001.

Phenotypic and Genotypic Characterization of Uromyces appendiculatus from Phaseolus vulgaris in the Americas.

Populations of 90 Uromyces appendiculatus isolates were collected from throughout the Americas and evaluated for virulence on 19 standard bean rust differentials, and also on 12 landraces of Phaseolus vulgaris from South and Central America. The landrace differentials represented geographical centers of bean domestication. Three groups were observed. Two groups were isolates from centers of bean domestication and a third heterogeneous group comprised isolates from countries in South and Central America. Molecular analysis using random amplified polymorphic DNA-polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR) was also conducted on these isolates. Cluster analysis of the molecular profiles showed three groups that corresponded to those obtained by virulence tests. These results show a clear differentiation of the pathogen population along similar lines as its host and suggest parallel evolution in the bean rust pathosystem.

Choosing the components of an occupational therapy work assessment program for a psychiatric hospital.

Guiding adult psychiatric patients back to competitive employment is a challenge to any occupational therapist. This paper describes how a work assessment program was developed for an adult population in a long-term psychiatric care center despite the lack of applicable models for doing so. The resulting "common sense" approach, a "how to" for those searching for programming guidelines, is presented with recommendations for the development of similar programs in Occupational Therapy Departments.

Finger painting: a projective technique.

Finger painting was used in a diversified program with two different groups of patients, primarily as a medium for expression of feeling that facilitated the collection of diagnostic data and the detection of change in mental status. It was found to be an economical method of eliciting data and monitoring change during therapy. In this technique the patient produces his own material and verbally associates to it thus giving a more objective profile of personality and psychopathology. Perusal of the literature revealed no recent studies of the technique and prompted a documentation of this project at the Reddy Memorial Hospital. The technique proved itself a worthwhile method of eliciting data but needs to be scientifically evaluated. Attempts should also be made to assess its ability to discriminate between different diagnostic categories in psychiatry.