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Abstract Background The aim of this research was to analyse the current literature on displaced dental implants in the mandibular body, including local and systemic variables related to their cause, and to identify the most frequent location. Methods The study conducted a search of three databases (Pubmed, Scopus, and Web of Science) using specific index terms such as ‘dental implant’, ‘displacement’, ‘dislocation’, ‘displaced’, and ‘mandible’. The analysis focused on the direction of displacement and the characteristics of the bone tissue (bone quality, density, and quantity) in cases where dental implants were displaced. Results A total of 371 articles were obtained. Thirteen of these articles were selected and read in full. To define bone quality, the Lekholm and Zarb classification, modified by Rosas et al., was used. The type II-B bone, which is characterized by thick cortical bone surrounding cancellous bone with extremely wide medullary spaces, presented the largest number of complications. Twenty-two cases were found in which the displacement direction was horizontal. Of these, four were displaced vestibularly, fourteen lingually, and four remained in the center. Additionally, 24 cases presented vertical displacement, with 12 displaced towards the inferior border of the mandible, 9 towards the middle or adjacent to the inferior dental nerve canal, and 3 above the inferior dental nerve canal. Conclusion The accidental displacement of implants within the mandibular body is associated with various risk factors, including the characteristics of the bony trabeculum and the size of the medullary spaces. It is reasonable to suggest that only an adequate pre-surgical diagnostic evaluation, with the help of high-resolution tomographic images that allow a previous evaluation of these structures, will help to have better control over the other factors, thus minimizing the risk of displacement.

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has proved deadly all over the globe; however, one of the most lethal outbreaks occurred in Ecuador.AimsThis study aims to highlight the pandemic’s impact on the most affected countries worldwide in terms of excess deaths per capita and per day.MethodsAn ecological study of all-cause mortality recorded in Ecuador was performed. To calculate the excess deaths relative to the historical average for the same dates in 2017, 2018, and 2019, we developed a bootstrap method based on the central tendency measure of mean. A Poisson fitting analysis was used to identify trends on officially recorded all-cause deaths and COVID-19 deaths. A bootstrapping technique was used to emulate the sampling distribution of our expected deaths estimator μ⌢deaths by simulating the data generation and model fitting processes daily since the first confirmed case.ResultsIn Ecuador, during 2020, 115,070 deaths were reported and 42,453 were cataloged as excess mortality when compared to 2017–2019 period. Ecuador is the country with the highest recorded excess mortality in the world within the shortest timespan. In one single day, Ecuador recorded 1,120 deaths (6/100,000), which represents an additional 408% of the expected fatalities.ConclusionAdjusting for population size and time, the hardest-hit country due to the COVID-19 pandemic was Ecuador. The mortality excess rate shows that the SARS-CoV-2 virus spread rapidly in Ecuador, especially in the coastal region. Our results and the proposed new methodology could help to address the real situation of the number of deaths during the initial phase of pandemics.

Background: The negative effects of COVID-19 infections during pregnancy have been amply described, however, the persistent sequels of this infection have not been explored so far. Objective: The aim of this study was to describe persisting symptoms after COVID-19 infection in pregnant and non-pregnant women in Ecuador. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis based on an online, self-reporting questionnaire was conducted in Ecuador from April to July 2022. Participants were invited by social media, radio, and TV to voluntarily participate in our study. A total of 457 surveys were included in this study. We compared risk factor variables and long-term persisting symptoms of pregnant and non-pregnant women in Ecuador. Results: Overall, 247 (54.1 %) responders claimed to have long-term symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Most of these symptoms were reported by non-pregnant women (94.0 %). The most common Long-COVID symptoms in pregnant women were fatigue (10.6 %), hair loss (9.6 %), and difficulty concentrating (6.2 %). We found that pregnant women who smoked had a higher risk of suffering fatigue. Conclusions: The most frequent Long-COVID symptoms in pregnant women were fatigue, hair loss, and difficulty concentrating. Apparently, the patterns of presentation of long-term sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnant women do not differ significantly from reports available from studies in the general population.

Color is an important heritage asset property, giving value and life to historical objects. Colonial paintings require management and control since their constitutive pigments are susceptible to physical and chemical changes due to weather and pollutant conditions. In this regard, simulation and experimental techniques such as X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy were used to determine the aging and composition of a selected mural painting from the colonial period of Cusco, Peru. As a result, hematite is suggested as the pigment used in the mural painting. Meanwhile, Cusco's low humidity environmental conditions in certain seasons favor the transformation of hematite to goethite, modifying the original color of paintings. This research aims to understand the material deterioration of pigments from heritage objects as input for future studies pursuing conservation strategies.

After many years of declining union membership, there is growing effort to unionize workers. While many library workers have long been covered by public sector unions, significant wins in higher education have included our own unionization as faculty. Basic labor concepts and processes including certification campaigns, collective bargaining, and unfair labor practices.

Ascariasis is an endemic condition in poor countries with a tropical and subtropical climate, with a high prevalence in children. The gastrointestinal form is the most typical presentation. When there is massive infestation, complications can occur that cause intestinal obstruction and perforation, requiring emergency surgical intervention. We present the case of a 13-year-old male patient of rural origin, treated at the National Hospital of San Miguel de Uspantan del Quiche, Guatemala, due to abdominal cramp and fever. He reported the occurrence of two vomiting episodes the day before. Physical examination revealed malnutrition by default, pale skin, increased hydro-aerial sounds in the abdomen, with marked distension, pain, involuntary muscle contracture, and the presence of tympanism. Body temperature was regulated. The patient was transfused with red blood cells and treated with intravenous solutions. Anesthetic induction and endotracheal intubation were performed. A nasogastric tube was placed and intravenous metronidazole was administered as the only available antimicrobial prophylaxis. An exploratory laparotomy was performed through a median, supra and infraumbilical incision. A perforated small bowel volvulus was observed, with marked necrosis. Devolvulation, digital stimulation and packing of the devitalized intestinal loops were performed with warm compresses of saline solution, without recovering the blood supply. Intestinal resection and colostomy were performed due to generalized peritonitis. In the postoperative period, the expulsion of Ascaris lumbricoides through the colostomy stoma was visualized. Treatment with albendazole was established. The patient was discharged after ten days and with a favorable progress.

Exposure to high-temperature stress (HTS) during early regeneration in plants can profoundly shape seed germination, seedling growth, and development, thereby providing stress resilience. In this study, we assessed how the timing of HTS, which was implemented as 8 h in 40°C, could affect the early regeneration stages and phytohormone concentration of four hemiepiphytic (Hs) and four non-hemiepiphytic (NHs) Ficus species. Their seed germination, seedling emergence, and seedling survival probabilities and the concentrations of three endogenous phytohormones, abscisic acid (ABA), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), and salicylic acid (SA) were assessed after HTS imposed during imbibition, germination, and emergence. In both groups, seeds were more sensitive to HTS in the early regeneration process; stress experienced during imbibition affected emergence and survival, and stress experienced during germination affected subsequent emergence. There was no effect from HTS when received after emergence. Survival was highest in hemiepiphytes regardless of the HTS treatment. The phytohormones showed growth form- and regeneration stage-specific responses to HTS. Due to the HTS treatment, both SA and ABA levels decreased in non-hemiepiphytes during imbibition and germination; during germination, IAA increased in hemiepiphytes but was reduced in non-hemiepiphytes. Due to the HTS treatment experienced during emergence ABA and IAA concentrations were greater for hemiepiphytes but an opposite effect was seen in the two growth forms for the SA concentration. Our study showed that the two growth forms have different strategies for regulating their growth and development in the early regeneration stages in order to respond to HTS. The ability to respond to HTS is an ecologically important functional trait that allows plant species to appropriately time their seed germination and seedling development. Flexibility in modulating species regeneration in response to HTS in these subtropical and tropical Ficus species could provide greater community resilience under climate change.

Introducción: la enfermedad poliquística renal autosómica (ADPKD), es considerada huérfana hereditaria. Con una prevalencia mundial de 2.7/100,000 hab. Presenta graves complicaciones con desenlaces fatales. Hasta hace poco, el tratamiento se limitó al control de las manifestaciones clínicas; con la aparición del tolvaptan, se empezó a manejar la enfermedad. La introducción terapéutica del inhibidor de glucosilceramida sintetasa (venglustat) y el acetato de lanreotida hacen necesario revisar el estado de estas opciones terapéuticas para estos pacientes. Métodos: Se realizó una revisión narrativa de la literatura en PubMed, Cochrane Library, OVID, EBSCO y Google Scholar. Resultados: Se obtuvieron 92 artículos, de los cuales 5 fueron incluidos en el análisis cualitativo. El Ensayo CLINICO TEMPO 3:4, demostró que el tolvaptan redujo la tasa de crecimiento anual en el volumen total de riñón (TKV) del 5.5% al 2.8% y la tasa anual de filtración glomerular estimada (eGFR) disminuyó de −3.70 a −2.72 mL/min/1.73-m2. El estudio THE DIPAK-1 evidenció que el acetato de lanreotida reduce el volumen renal total (4.2% frente al control: 5.6%; diferencia: -1.4% por año; sin diferencias significativas para la incidencia de empeoramiento de la función renal. Los ensayos clínicos con venglustat evidenciaron mejoría preliminar en la TKV y la eGFR, acorde a los resultados de los estudios preclínicos, sin embargo, aún se encuentran en estudio. Conclusiones: La ADPKD, es una patología con pocas opciones terapéuticas y con recientes tratamientos incorporados, actualmente en investigación. Este artículo establece las bases para un futuro diseño de estudio cuantitativo.

The soil seed bank (SSB) plays an important role in determining future community composition and health of forests. The extent to which abiotic conditions alter the abundance and diversity of the future forest composition via modulating the regenerative capacity of the SSB and their relationship with each other is not fully understood. We studied how elevation and abiotic conditions (canopy openness, slope, aspect, soil pH, and a natural gradient of these soil nutrients: total nitrogen [N], total carbon [C], C:N ratio, available phosphorus [P], available potassium [K], calcium [Ca], iron [Fe], magnesium [Mg], manganese [Mn], and sulfur [S]) affect community characteristics, calculated as: (1) seedling abundance, (2) species richness, (3) Shannon-Weiner diversity index, (4) Simpson index, (5) Chao 2 richness estimator, (6) number of species represented by only one individual, and (7) number of species that occur only in one plot. We used soils sampled in 13 1-ha plots along an altitudinal gradient from 400 to 1850 m above sea level. We determined both direct and indirect causal relationships between abiotic factors and SSB community characteristics using linear mixed models and structural equation modeling. Increased elevation and canopy openness resulted in lower species richness and diversity as well as fewer rare species. However, greater canopy openness resulted in higher abundance. Abundance and richness of the SSB were lower in steeper slopes, but this negative effect appeared to be along an indirect pathway through soil pH and nutrients such as soil Mn and S. Soil P had a significant negative relationship with SSB characteristics for all indices evaluated here, except for SSB abundance, which was positively affected by increased soil pH. Our results highlight the role of abiotic factors in forest regeneration and resilience through their influence on the soil seed bank community. This study is one of the very first to provide data on the SSB along a wide elevational range in subtropical forests, and can be the basis to assess the regeneration potential and health of the study region.

Abstract Background Suicide affects people from different backgrounds, ethnical groups, socio-economic status and geographical locations. In Latin America, suicide reports arescarce, specially in Andean countries. In Ecuador, very few reports have partially described this phenomenon, nonetheless, estimation of the burden of disease (BoD) hasnever been reported in the country. Methods A country-wide comparison was performed using the Ministry of Public Health’s national databases of overall mortality, Hospital Discharges Database, and the Population Census of the National Institute of Census and Statistics (INEC). The study variables analyzed were age, geographical distribution to provincial level, sex, means of suicide, educational attainment, marital status and mortality. Linear Regression and relative Risk analysis were used to predict outcome and the likelihood that suicide occur among study variables. Results In the last 15 years, 13,024 suicides were officially reported. Men were 3 times more likely than women to die by suicide. The overall age-adjusted suicide ratio in Ecuador corresponds to 7.1 per 100,000 per year. The sex-specific rates were 5.3 in women and 13.2 in men. The primary mean of suicide was hanging X70 (51.1%), followed by self-poisoning X68-X69 (35.2%) and firearms X72-X74 (7.6%). Provinces located at higher altitude reported higher rates than those located at sea level (9 per 100,000 vs 4.5 per 100.000). The total economic loss due to suicide was estimated to be $852.6 million during the 15 years’ analysis. Conclusions This is the first geodemographic study exploring the complete burden of suicide in Ecuador and one of the very few in Latin-America. In the last 15 years of available data, Ecuador ranks above the regional average with an adjusted suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 inhabitants. An important finding is that Suicide affects rather younger populations, adding more than 10,000 years of premature years of life lost (YYL) between 2001 and 2015, becoming the first and fourth leading cause of death among adolescent women and men respectively. Suicide affects people from different backgrounds, socioeconomic status and educational attainment. The mean of suicide changed over time showing that gun and pesticides related deaths decreased significantly since 2001, while hanging and suffocation increased in more than 50%.

Teóricos e investigadores han coincidido en señalar que el contrato psicológico es un proceso que hace referencia a obligaciones recíprocas e implícitas entre el empleado y el empleador, y que va más allá de los contratos explícitos y/o formales. Esta situación que antes de la década de 1990 se mantenía estable, adquiere importancia en los tiempos actuales, debido a cambios bruscos en la modalidad de los empleos en las organizaciones actuales. De manera que, el objeto del presente estudio es conocer el estado actual del contrato psicológico y su relación con el desempeño y la satisfacción en 303 empleados del sector público y privado de Lima. Los resultados nos indican que existe una correlación significativa y positiva entre el contrato psicológico, el desempeño y la satisfacción. Entre tanto, existen diferencias entre las obligaciones de la organización según sea pública o privada, impactando más en las organizaciones privadas; ocurriendo de la misma manera con la satisfacción laboral. Similares diferencias, se encontró entre las variables de estudio según el género, estado civil, estatus ocupacional, remuneraciones y lugar de procedencia; no así con la edad, años de servicio en el puesto y antigüedad en la organización.

Aim: To assess serum type III or lambda (λ) interferons (IFN) levels and its clinical and laboratory associations in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: A cross-sectional study including 43 patients with RA (86% females; age 45.3 ± 10.3 years) and 43 healthy individuals was performed. Clinical data including disease activity, acute-phase reactants, rheumatoid factor and anticyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibodies were collected. Serum IFNλ1, IFNλ2, IFNλ3, CXCL8 and anti-mutated citrullinated vimentin (anti-MCV) antibody levels were measured. Results: Patients with RA had higher IFNλ1 (113.5 ± 118.6 pg/mL versus 55.9 ± 122.3 pg/mL; p

We present a list of vascular plants found in Legado das Águas, Reserva Votorantim, a private reserve having an area of approximately 35,000 ha that spans the municipalities of Tapiraí, Miracatú, and Juquiá, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The reserve is part of a complex of state-protected areas including Alto Ribeira Touristic State Park, Intervales State Park , Carlos Botelho State Park, Jurupará State Park, and Serra do Mar State Park. Together, these form an important and large area of continuous and well-preserved forest. Our study, which involved two main floristic surveys in March/April 2013 and April 2014, recorded 768 species, representing 131 families and 432 genera. The majority of species were angiosperms (619) representing 106 families and 370 genera. There were also two species of gymnosperms belonging to two genera in separate families; 147 species of ferns and lycophytes belonging to 23 families and 60 genera. In demonstrating the presence of almost 800 species of plants, of which 16 are threatened, our study highlights the importance of floristic surveys and the critical role of private protected areas in managing and preserving native flora.

Introducción: la hipertensión arterial afecta la salud de las poblaciones en todas las partes del mundo. Representa por sí misma una enfermedad y también un factor de riesgo para otras afecciones cardiovasculares. Su impacto es en el área de la epidemiología, la salud pública, y en el aspecto económico. Objetivo: determinar el costo institucional de la atención al paciente con crisis hipertensiva en el servicio urgencia del policlínico "Antonio Maceo" de La Habana en el primer semestre del año 2008. Métodos: se realizó un estudio del tipo de descripción de costos. El enfoque metodológico utilizado fue el costo de la enfermedad, siguiendo los pasos recomendados en la Guía Metodológica para las Evaluaciones Económicas en Salud en Cuba. Los costos fueron expresados en pesos cubanos no convertibles del año 2008. La perspectiva de análisis adoptada fue la institucional. El universo de estudio estuvo constituido por 216 pacientes. En el cálculo del costo total institucional se consideraron las variables: costo por medicamentos, por medios diagnósticos, por salarios, entre otras. Resultados: se estudiaron 209 pacientes con urgencia hipertensiva (96,8 %) y 7 con emergencia hipertensiva (3,2 %). El costo total de la atención del paciente con crisis hipertensiva ascendió a 5 451,68 pesos en moneda nacional y el costo promedio por paciente fue de 25,23. Conclusiones: el costo mayor en la atención al paciente con crisis hipertensiva estuvo relacionado con el salario directo. La adecuada dispensarización y tratamiento de los pacientes hipertensos pudiera disminuir el costo de la atención médica.Introduction: high blood pressure affects the health of populations at world scale. By itself represent a disease and a risk factor for other cardiovascular affections. Its impact is on the epidemiology, public health areas and in the economic feature. Objective: to determine the institutional cost of the patient care with hypertensive crisis in the emergency service of the "Antonio Maceo" polyclinic of La Habana during the first semester of 2008. Methods: a cost description study was conducted. The methodological approach used was that of disease cost, following the rules recommended in Methodological Guide for Health Economic Assessments of Cuba. Costs were expressed in non-convertible Cuban pesos of 2008. Analysis perspective adopted was the institutional one. Study universe included 216 patients. In the estimation of institutional total cost the following variable were considered: drug, diagnostic means, wages costs among others. Results: authors studied 209 patients diagnosed with hypertensive urgency (96,8 %) and 7 with hypertensive emergency (3,2 %). Total cost of patient care with hypertensive crisis rose to 5 451 68 pesos in national money and the mean cost by patient was of 25,23. Conclusions: the higher cost in patient care with hypertensive crisis was related to the net wage. The appropriate dispensarization and treatment of hypertensive patients could to decrease the medical care cost.

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and variability of five non-metric dental crown traits (Carabelli cusp, protostylid, groove pattern, and cusps 6 and 7) in the deciduous (Um2 and Lm2) and permanent (UM1 and LM1) teeth in children in the mixed-dentition, and to compare these frequencies with the literature. A descriptive study was conducted to characterize the dental morphology of young subjects in mixed dentition stages. The Arizona State University Dental Anthropology System (ASUDAS) and Grine, Sciulli, and Hanihara methods were used as reference to compare the prevalence of dental traits in dental casts from 100 subjects from a Colombian racially mixed population. The high prevalence of furrows and pits of the Carabelli cusp, minor expressions of the protostylid (foramen cecum), and the low frequencies of cusps 5 and 6, plus the behavior of the expression of groove pattern collectively suggest that this group reflects influences by both the Mongoloid and Caucasoid dental complexes. Correspondence of trait expression in both the primary and permanent dentition was also demonstrated (P < 0.05). Some of the non-metric trait frequencies also exhibited sexual dimorphism.

The finding of Panstrongylus geniculatus nymphs inside a house in northeastern Antioquia, Colombia, and the reports related to their increasing presence in homes suggest the need for surveillance methods for monitoring the invasion processes. We analyzed the morphological differences between a wild population and its laboratory descendants, using the techniques of geometric morphometry, with the idea that such differences might parallel those between sylvatic and synanthropic populations. The analyses over five generations showed differences in size but not in shape. Head size and wing size were both reduced from sylvatic to laboratory populations, but the decrease in head size occurred only up to the second generation while the decrease in wing size proceeded up to the fifth generation. In contrast, although a decrease in sexual size dimorphism has been proposed as a marker of colonization in human dwellings, we did not detect any significant loss of dimorphism between sexes of P. geniculatus over the five generations studied. We conclude that size changes may have a physiological origin in response to a change of ecotopes, but more than five generations may be required for the expression of permanent morphological markers of human dwellings colonization.

The present paper presents evidence of the domiciliation of Panstrongylus rufotuberculatus in La Gardenia, Colombia through the collection of 2 unhatched eggs, 81 nymphs and 10 adults (4 males and 6 females), from 2 rural houses. The transmission risk indicators of Trypanosoma cruzi by P. rufotuberculatus in La Gardenia, were: domiciliary infestation 7.5%, density 2.35, colonization 66.6%, overcrowding 31.33, natural infection 4.6%, and relative infection 2.5%. These results and findings in Peru and Argentina, show that P. rufotuberculatus has a potential success in domiciliation and could some day become an alternate vector of American trypanosomiasis.

The effects of two entomopathogenic fungal endophytes, Beauveria bassiana and Purpureocillium lilacinum (formerly Paecilomyces lilacinus), were assessed on the reproduction of cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover (Homoptera:Aphididae), through in planta feeding trials. In replicate greenhouse and field trials, cotton plants (Gossypium hirsutum) were inoculated as seed treatments with two concentrations of B. bassiana or P. lilacinum conidia. Positive colonization of cotton by the endophytes was confirmed through potato dextrose agar (PDA) media plating and PCR analysis. Inoculation and colonization of cotton by either B. bassiana or P. lilacinum negatively affected aphid reproduction over periods of seven and 14 days in a series of greenhouse trials. Field trials were conducted in the summers of 2012 and 2013 in which cotton plants inoculated as seed treatments with B. bassiana and P. lilacinum were exposed to cotton aphids for 14 days. There was a significant overall effect of endophyte treatment on the number of cotton aphids per plant. Plants inoculated with B. bassiana had significantly lower numbers of aphids across both years. The number of aphids on plants inoculated with P. lilacinum exhibited a similar, but non-significant, reduction in numbers relative to control plants. We also tested the pathogenicity of both P. lilacinum and B. bassiana strains used in the experiments against cotton aphids in a survival experiment where 60% and 57% of treated aphids, respectively, died from infection over seven days versus 10% mortality among control insects. Our results demonstrate (i) the successful establishment of P. lilacinum and B. bassiana as endophytes in cotton via seed inoculation, (ii) subsequent negative effects of the presence of both target endophytes on cotton aphid reproduction using whole plant assays, and (iii) that the P. lilacinum strain used is both endophytic and pathogenic to cotton aphids. Our results illustrate the potential of using these endophytes for the biological control of aphids and other herbivores under greenhouse and field conditions.

Se presenta por primera vez en antioquia un estudio sobre la enfermedad de Chagas, en el cual se evaluaron simultáneamente los tres componentes fundamentales de esta parasitosis: vector, parásito y reservorio. Se evaluaron 640 domicilios en 9 veredas del municipio de Amalfi, se capturaron 196 triatominos, pertenecientes a las especies Panstrongylus geniculatus (49%), P. rufotuberculatus (47%), Triatoma dispar (3%) y Rhodnius pallescens (0.5%). En total se capturaron 33 animales silvestres, pertenecientes a las especies Didelphis marsupialis (8), Marmosa robinsoni (1), Hoplomys gimnurus (3), Dasypus novemcinctus (2), Proechymis sp (13), Oryzomis sp (3), Philander opossum (3), así como 63 perros (Canis lupus). Los indicadores de riesgo de transmisión de Tripanosoma cruzi por triatominos, fueron: dispersión (100%), infestación domiciliaria (14,5%), densidad (30,5%), hacinamiento (204,2%) e infección relativa (12,5%). Se obtuvo una alta prevalencia de anticuerpos en los perros de las veredas Montebello (61.1%) y La Gardenia (70.0%) y serología positiva en un humano adulto. In this paper we report the first Chagas disease study in Antioquia-Colombia, in which the main components of this disease were simultaneously evaluated: vector, parasite and host. Field studies were carried out evaluating 640 houses in nine localities from the municipality of Amalfi; 196 triatomine bugs were captured: Panstrongylus geniculatus (49%), Panstrongylus rufotuberculatus (47%), Triatoma dispar (3%) and Rhodnius pallescens (0.5%). Thirty three wild animals were captured: Didelphis marsupialis (8), Marmosa robinsoni (1), Hoplomys gimnurus (3), Dasypus novemcinctus (2), Proechymis sp (13), Oryzomis sp (3), Philander opossum (3) as well as 63 dogs (Canis lupus). Transmission risk indicators for Trypanosoma cruzi were: Dispersion (100%), Domiciliary infestation (14,5%), Insect density (30,5%), crowding (204,2%) and Relative infection (12,5%). Of the nine localities studied, Montebello (61.1%) and La Gardenia (70.0%) presented the highest prevalence of antibodies in dogs. In addition to this, the first human positive serology for T. cruzi in Antioquia was found in La Gardenia.

Se presenta una revisión actualizada sobre los triatominos, vectores de la enfermedad de Chagas, en aspectos como la ubicación taxonómica de las especies actualmente reconocidas, asi como de las especies encontradas en los domicilios en Colombia y del ciclo de vida del grupo en general, todo lo cual involucra el tamaño de las poblaciones, su dispersión y situaciones antrópicas que las están llevando a procesos de domiciliación. Igualmente, se hace un llamado de atención sobre las consecuencias epidemiológicas que pueden derivarse de dichas alteraciones. En Colombia, el Trypanosoma cruziafecta el 3,3% de la población y, aproximadamente, el 10% se encuentra en riesgo de adquirir la infección. En esta parasitosis intervienen tres componentes biológicos: el protozoo T.cruzi, el vector triatomino Reduviidae y el reservorio vertebrado. Debido a la alteración de los ecótopos naturales a la acción devastadora de la tala de bosques, a la construcción de viviendas con hojas de palmas y a la cacería indiscriminada de animales silvestres, entre otros, la conducta de los triatominos, insectos originalmente silvestres, ha sufrido cambios con el resultado de invasiones esporádicas o permanentes a las viviendas, lo cual está originando un cambio sustancial del comportamiento de la triada vector-huésped-parásito y, consecuentemente. de la enfermedad.

El departamento de Antioquia no ha sido considerado endémico para la enfermedad de Chagas, sin embargo en el nordeste antioqueño, probablemente ocasionado por la tala y quema excesivas y la creciente deforestación para establecer medios de producción agrícola y ganadera, en las áreas naturales, se ha observado la aparición de insectos triatominos al interior de viviendas rurales, alimentándose de sus habitantes. Esta situación motivó la realización de un estudio ecoepidemiológico de Tripanosomiasis americana en nueve veredas del municipio de Amalfi con el propósito de identificar las especies de triatominos presentes en la zona, el grado de domiciliación, el índice de infección natural por Trypanosoma cruzi, los porcentajes de infección de animales domésticos (caninos) y de mamíferos silvestres, la determinación de la seroprevalencia humana y finalmente la identificación de las acciones del hombre que están llevando a los triatominos a las viviendas para refugio y alimentación. En las veredas estudiadas se capturaron 196 triatominos, consideradas especies silvestres: Panstrongylus geniculatus (49%), P. rufotuberculatus (47%) y Triatoma dispar (3%). El índice de infestación domiciliaria fue 14.53 % y las veredas con mayor infestación fueron Montebello (32.73 %) y La Gardenia (27.5 %). Igualmente teniendo en cuenta el total de insectos infectados naturalmente por T. cruzi, fueron estas dos veredas las que obtuvieron el mayor porcentaje de infección 43.75 % y 25.0 % respectivamente. En viviendas de la vereda La Gardenia se hallaron huevos y ninfas de P. geniculatus y P. rufotuberculatus, los cuales fueron corroborados por morfología en ninfas y adultos y por microscopía electrónica de barrido en huevos, teniendo como base de comparación huevos de colonias preestablecidas de ambas especies. Se capturaron 33 animales silvestres pertenecientes a géneros como: Didelphis, Marteja, Marmosa, Hoplomys), Dasypus, Proechymis, Poechinus, Oryzomis, Philander y Rodentia. Un 20.0% de ellos resultaron positivos para T. cruzi, mediante ELISA. En cuanto a los reservorios domésticos, el 47.6 % de las muestras de caninos fueron positivas por ELISA, el 10 % por ELISA e IFI. Al determinar la seroprevalencia humana se encontró en la vereda La Gardenia una mujer de 22 años, que presentó positividad por T. cruzi para las pruebas de ELISA e IFI con títulos de 1:160, éste sería el primer caso de seropositividad confirmada para T. cruzi en Antioquia. Debido a la presencia T. cruzi en vectores, reservorios y en un humano y a las evidencias de reproducción intradomiciliaria, éste es el primer caso para Colombia donde se demuestra el alto riesgo y la importante tendencia a la domiciliación, de dos especies del género Panstrongylus, no consideradas vectoras de la enfermedad de Chagas.

Panstrongylus geniculatus, triatomino silvestre, vector de Tripanosoma cruzi, está ampliamente distribuido en Centro y Suramérica. En Colombia se ha registrado en Antioquia, Chocó, Santander, Norte de Santander y Valle. En viviendas de municipios del nordeste antioqueño se ha venido presentando un aumento progresivo de su presencia. Además en Amalfi, se hallaron evidencias de reproducción intradomiciliaria. A partir de este hecho surgieron preguntas como ¿Qué tan importante es el factor de riesgo que presenta P. geniculatus para los habitantes de estos municipios? ¿Cuáles son las capacidades dispersiva y adaptativa a nuevos ambientes (intradomicilio) de poblaciones de P. geniculatus del nordeste antioqueño? Para dar respuesta se pretende: Comparar entre sí, diferentes poblaciones del campo y estudiar la posible diferenciación geográfica para obtener información acerca del flujo génico y la capacidad dispersiva. Cotejar las poblaciones del campo con su descendencia en laboratorio, para estudiar las diferencias que informen acerca de procesos de selección en un medio artificial, el laboratorio, que puede equipararse a un ambiente “doméstico”. Los cambios observados en la transición silvestre / laboratorio, permitirán hacer inferencias acerca de la capacidad adaptativa de las poblaciones. Estudiar el dimorfismo sexual y las asimetrías bilaterales que den cuenta de las perturbaciones en el desarrollo. La aplicación de la morfometría ayuda a discernir entre la variación genética y ambiental de caracteres métricos. Las longitudes de caracteres de cabeza, tórax y alas se transforman a logaritmos naturales y se computan matrices de varianza-covarianza; a partir de las cuales se hacen análisis consistentes en modificaciones del Análisis de Componentes Principales para la evaluación simultánea de varias poblaciones de P. geniculatus. Estos son Análisis de Componentes Principales Comunes, Análisis Multigrupo de Componentes Principales y Análisis de Función Discriminante. En ellos se extraerán componentes de tamaño alométrico y de forma con los cuales se examinarán las posiciones relativas de las poblaciones mediante gráficas de polígonos, de círculos de confianza del 95 % alrededor de los centroides y dendrogramas derivados de análisis de agrupamiento mediante UPGMA. Con los resultados de este estudio se espera: 1. Hacer inferencias sobre la posible existencia de circulación de genes en la región y si las poblaciones estudiadas corresponden a una sola entidad genética. 2. Correlacionar la estructura morfológica, analizando los componentes de tamaño y forma en las poblaciones, con las características ambientales, ecológicas y biogeográficas para evaluar las capacidades de dispersión y adaptación de P. geniculatus a ambientes diferentes. 3. Con análisis de tamaño y forma obtener información sobre dimorfismo sexual; asimetría fluctuante, direccional y antisimetría de alas, para evaluar si ambientes más estables (laboratorio) seleccionan las poblaciones. Definir cuáles son las propiedades métricas de las poblaciones adaptadas al laboratorio y compararlas con las poblaciones del campo y extrapolar los datos obtenidos a poblaciones que podrían establecerse en ambientes estables (domicilio). 4. Contribuir al conocimiento del riesgo de contacto de la población humana con P geniculatus; en una región considerada no endémicas para la enfermedad de Chagas y proponer el establecimiento de medidas de vigilancia epidemiológica y/o de control para este vector.