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Amblyomma cf. parvum (Ixodida: Ixodidae) is an ectoparasite of domestic animals and wildlife on the American continent. There is little information on the efficacy of acaricides for the control of this tick species in domestic animals. Here, we determined the toxicological response of A. cf. parvum to amitraz, coumaphos, and cypermethrin. Engorged females of A. cf. parvum were collected (in two periods, eight months apart) from dogs in Yucatan, Mexico. The larval immersion test was used on the progeny of adult female ticks to test for amitraz susceptibility, and the larval package test was used to test for coumaphos and cypermethrin susceptibility. Dose-mortality regressions, lethal concentrations (LC), 95 % confidence intervals (CI95 %), and slopes were estimated by probit analysis. The lethal concentrations to kill 50 % of the tick population for amitraz, coumaphos, and cypermethrin in the first period were 1 ppm (CI95 %: 1-3 ppm), 10 ppm (CI95 %: 9-11 ppm), and 10 ppm (CI95 %: 9-10 ppm), respectively; meanwhile in the second period were 2 ppm (CI95 %: 1-3 ppm), 8 ppm (CI95 %: 6-10 ppm), and 9 ppm (CI95 %: 8-10 ppm), respectively. In conclusion, amitraz, coumaphos, and cypermethrin demonstrated high larvicidal efficacy in in vitro bioassays against A. cf. parvum populations infesting dogs., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

It has been established that near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy has the potential of estimating sensory traits given the direct spectral responses that these properties have in the NIR region. In sweetpotato, sensory and texture traits are key for improving acceptability of the crop for food security and nutrition. Studies have statistically modelled the levels of NIR spectroscopy sensory characteristics using partial least squares (PLS) regression methods. To improve prediction accuracy, there are many advanced techniques, which could enhance modelling of fresh (wet and un-processed) samples or nonlinear dependence relationships. Performance of different quantitative prediction models for sensory traits developed using different machine learning methods were compared. Overall, results show that linear methods; linear support vector machine (L-SVM), principal component regression (PCR) and PLS exhibited higher mean R 2 values than other statistical methods. For all the 27 sensory traits, calibration models using L-SVM and PCR has slightly higher overall R 2 (x¯ = 0.33) compared to PLS (x¯ = 0.32) and radial-based SVM (NL-SVM; x¯= 0.30). The levels of orange color intensity were the best predicted by all the calibration models (R 2  = 0.87 - 0.89). The elastic net linear regression (ENR) and tree-based methods; extreme gradient boost (XGBoost) and random forest (RF) performed worse than would be expected but could possibly be improved with increased sample size. Lower average R 2 values were observed for calibration models of ENR (x¯ = 0.26), XGBoost (x¯ = 0.26) and RF (x¯ = 0.22). The overall RMSE in calibration models was lower in PCR models (X = 0.82) compared to L-SVM (x¯ = 0.86) and PLS (x¯ = 0.90). ENR, XGBoost and RF also had higher RMSE (x¯ = 0.90 - 0.92). Effective wavelengths selection using the interval partial least-squares regression (iPLS), improved the performance of the models but did not perform as good as the PLS. SNV pre-treatment was useful in improving model performance., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

The monthly fluctuation of adult Ixodes keiransi in dogs from two cattle farms in southeastern Mexico was determined. In ranch 1 (R1), 6-7 mixed breed dogs from six months to five years of age; while in ranch 2 (R2), 7-8 mixed breed dogs from one to four years of age, were followed. All dogs were monthly inspected for tick infestation through one year. The abundance of dogs infested with ticks was estimated for each month. Tick specimens were taxonomically identified as I. keiransi using morphological features. In R1 the dogs were inspected 60 times and in R2 90 times. The overall proportion of dogs infested by ticks through the year was 75% (60/80) in R1 and 67% (67/90) in R2. The higher abundance of adult I. keiransi parasitizing dogs was from July to December with maximum peaks from September to November. In April, May and June, no ticks were observed on dogs from both ranches. Tick abundance fluctuation showed a concordant pattern with rainfall but with a delay because de maximum peak of I. keiransi abundance was almost two months after the greatest rainfall peak. It is concluded that, in some conditions, the adult I. keiransi in southeastern Mexico presents high-infested rates on dogs and a maximum abundance from September to November. The I. keiransi abundance fluctuation showed a concordant pattern with rainfall., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Zinc-biofortified potatoes have considerable potential to reduce zinc deficiency because of their low levels of phytate, an inhibitor of zinc absorption, and their high consumption, especially in the Andean region of Peru., Objectives: The purpose of this study was to measure fractional and total zinc absorption from a test meal of biofortified compared with regular potatoes., Methods: We undertook a single-blinded randomized crossover study (using 67 Zn and 70 Zn stable isotopes) in which 37 women consumed 500-g biofortified or regular potatoes twice a day. Urine samples were collected to determine fractional and total zinc absorption., Results: The zinc content of the biofortified potato and regular potato was 0.48 (standard deviation [SD]: 0.02) and 0.32 (SD: 0.03) mg/100 g fresh weight, respectively. Mean fractional zinc absorption (FZA) from the biofortified potatoes was lower than from the regular potatoes, 20.8% (SD: 5.4%) and 25.5% (SD: 7.0%), respectively (P < 0.01). However, total zinc absorbed was significantly higher (0.49; SD: 0.13 and 0.40; SD: 0.11 mg/500 g, P < 0.01, respectively)., Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrate that biofortified potatoes provide more absorbable zinc than regular potatoes. Zinc-biofortified potatoes could contribute toward reducing zinc deficiency in populations where potatoes are a staple food. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT05154500., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) are a major impediment to breeding and exploitation of horses. Traditional control of GIN has generated resistance to main anthelmintics, including ivermectin. An analysis of five ranches with a history of IVM use was done to determine the efficacy and resistance of GIN to IVM treatment in horses from the Mexican southeast. Predesigned questionnaires were applied to collect information on previous treatment protocols. The fecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) was applied to determine resistance. Before IVM application, a McMaster test was used to diagnose GIN infection in horses, and feces cultures were done to identify L 3 larvae for Strongylida eggs. Pre-treatment samples showed that 72.7% (80/110) of horses were GIN positive, with cyathostomins being the most frequent (91.8%), followed by Oxyuris equi (7.0%), Parascaris equorum (1.0%), and Strongylus vulgaris (0.2%). Based on the results, the horses at each ranch were divided in control (CG) and experimental (EG) groups with similar eggs per gram of feces (EPG). The EG (40/80) was dewormed with IVM (0.2 mg/kg orally) and the CG (40/80) remained untreated. After 14 days, EPG were measured, and feces cultures were done again to identify L 3 larvae. After treatment of EG, 40% (16/40) of horses were positive, the most frequently identified GIN were cyathostomins (98.6%), followed by P. equorum (1.0%) and S. vulgaris (0.2%). Three of the five ranches were classified as resistant, according to the FECRT, with a percentage of reduction from 53 to 68%, all of which used IVM ≥4 times annually. This is the first evidence of resistance in cyathostomins to IVM treatment in horses from the Mexican southeast, adding to the current problem of anthelmintic resistance in equine GIN., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Malnutrition is one of the global issues of public health concern, and iron and zinc deficiencies are at the top of the list. Iron deficiency affects more than 2 billion people in the world and is a major cause of anemia. Potato has the potential to be an important source of iron and zinc. This study assessed the nature and magnitude of genetic variability in Fe and Zn concentrations, tuber yield, and quality traits among biofortified tetraploid potato clones and their relationships through correlation and path analysis. A total of 45 potato genotypes, including the variety Gudanie, were grown in field trials in a 9 × 5 alpha lattice design with three replications. Significant differences in mineral, tuber quality, and yield traits were observed among the genotypes, and high broad-sense heritability was obtained for most traits, suggesting that progress through breeding can be achieved. However, negative correlations and direct effects on most of the traits with Fe and Zn contents are found both at genotypic and phenotypic levels. Therefore, attaining simultaneous genetic gain for yield and enhanced Fe and Zn concentrations will be challenging. Cluster analysis assembled them into five groups. Cluster II contained the most prominent genotypes, having better mean values compared to all other genotypes for micronutrient traits, viz., Fe (23.80 mg kg -1 ) and Zn (17.07 mg kg -1 ). The results of this study confirm the presence of sufficient genetic variation for iron and zinc mineral concentration and the possibility to make significant progress through breeding.

Background: Yellow-fleshed potatoes biofortified with iron have been developed through conventional breeding, but the bioavailability of iron is unknown., Objectives: Our objective was to measure iron absorption from an iron-biofortified yellow-fleshed potato clone in comparison with a nonbiofortified yellow-fleshed potato variety., Methods: We conducted a single-blinded, randomized, crossover, multiple-meal intervention study. Women (n = 28; mean ± SD plasma ferritin 21.3 ± 3.3 μg/L) consumed 10 meals (460 g) of both potatoes, each meal extrinsically labeled with either 58 Fe sulfate (biofortified) or 57 Fe sulfate (nonfortified), on consecutive days. Iron absorption was estimated from iron isotopic composition in erythrocytes 14 d after administration of the final meal., Results: Mean ± SD iron, phytic acid, and ascorbic acid concentrations in iron-biofortified and the nonfortified potato meals (mg/per 100 mg) were 0.63 ± 0.01 and 0.31 ± 0.01, 39.34 ± 3.04 and 3.10 ± 1.72, and 7.65 ± 0.34 and 3.74 ± 0.39, respectively (P < 0.01), whereas chlorogenic acid concentrations were 15.14 ± 1.72 and 22.52 ± 3.98, respectively (P < 0.05). Geometric mean (95% CI) fractional iron absorption from the iron-biofortified clone and the nonbiofortified variety were 12.1% (10.3%-14.2%) and 16.6% (14.0%-19.6%), respectively (P < 0.001). Total iron absorption from the iron-biofortified clone and the nonbiofortified variety were 0.35 mg (0.30-0.41 mg) and 0.24 mg (0.20-0.28 mg) per 460 g meal, respectively (P < 0.001)., Conclusions: TIA from iron-biofortified potato meals was 45.8% higher than that from nonbiofortified potato meals, suggesting that iron biofortification of potatoes through conventional breeding is a promising approach to improve iron intake in iron-deficient women. The study was registered at www., Clinicaltrials: gov as Identifier number NCT05154500., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Early detection of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an important goal for improving survival. Individuals who meet published guidelines for surveillance may be underidentified, and family communication about risk represents a pathway to increasing participation in surveillance. We investigated the uptake of and barriers to surveillance in at-risk relatives of clinic patients., Methods: We conducted a retrospective record review of patients with personal or family history of PDAC evaluated over 12 months. The first relative presenting to clinic (proband) reported surveillance status and reasons for nonparticipation for at-risk relatives. Descriptive analyses and Fisher's exact tests were conducted to evaluate differences in surveillance participation., Results: Among 193 at-risk relatives, 21% were in surveillance. The primary reasons for nonparticipation were lack of awareness (36%) and lack of interest (24%). Neither the sex nor the cancer status of probands impacted surveillance. At-risk relatives with familial pancreatic cancer (FPC) who also carried relevant pathogenic germline variants (PGVs) were more likely to undergo surveillance than those with FPC or PGVs alone (P = .003). Among families with PGVs, 59% of relatives potentially eligible for surveillance had not completed genetic testing., Conclusion: PDAC surveillance is underutilized in high-risk families. Communication interventions to address informational needs and decisional support could improve outcomes., (© 2021 American Cancer Society.)

Background: Sweetpotato and potato are fast-maturing staple crops and widely consumed in low- and middle-income countries. Conventional breeding to biofortify these crops with iron could improve iron intakes. To our knowledge, iron absorption from sweetpotato and potato has not been assessed., Objective: The aim was to assess iron absorption from regular and iron-biofortified orange-fleshed sweetpotato in Malawi and yellow-fleshed potato and iron-biofortified purple-fleshed potato in Peru., Methods: We conducted 2 randomized, multiple-meal studies in generally healthy, iron-depleted women of reproductive age. Malawian women (n = 24) received 400 g regular or biofortified sweetpotato test meals and Peruvian women (n = 35) received 500 g regular or biofortified potato test meals. Women consumed the meals at breakfast for 2 wk and were then crossed over to the other variety. We labeled the test meals with 57Fe or 58Fe and measured cumulative erythrocyte incorporation of the labels 14 d after completion of each test-meal sequence to calculate iron absorption. Iron absorption was compared by paired-sample t tests., Results: The regular and biofortified orange-fleshed sweetpotato test meals contained 0.55 and 0.97 mg Fe/100 g. Geometric mean (95% CI) fractional iron absorption (FIA) was 5.82% (3.79%, 8.95%) and 6.02% (4.51%, 8.05%), respectively (P = 0.81), resulting in 1.9-fold higher total iron absorption (TIA) from biofortified sweetpotato (P < 0.001). The regular and biofortified potato test meals contained 0.33 and 0.69 mg Fe/100 g. FIA was 28.4% (23.5%, 34.2%) from the regular yellow-fleshed and 13.3% (10.6%, 16.6%) from the biofortified purple-fleshed potato meals, respectively (P < 0.001), resulting in no significant difference in TIA (P = 0.88)., Conclusions: FIA from regular yellow-fleshed potato was remarkably high, at 28%. Iron absorbed from both potato test meals covered 33% of the daily absorbed iron requirement for women of reproductive age, while the biofortified orange-fleshed sweetpotato test meal covered 18% of this requirement. High polyphenol concentrations were likely the major inhibitors of iron absorption. These trials were registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03840031 (Malawi) and NCT04216030 (Peru)., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society for Nutrition.)

The present study aimed to evaluate the anthelmintic activity of leaf and bark extracts of Diospyros anisandra collected during different seasons and their major constituents on eggs of Ancylostoma caninum, Haemonchus placei , and cyathostomins. Specifically, the eclosion inhibition of the methanolic extracts of the leaves and bark of D. anisandra collected during the dry and rainy seasons (600-37.5 μg/ml) were evaluated in addition to the fractions, sub-fractions (300-37.5 μg/ml) and active major constituents (150-2.3 μg/ml). The rainy season bark extract had the highest percentage of eclosion inhibition (PEI) against the evaluated nematodes (≥ 90% at 75 μg/ml) along with high ovicidal activity (90.0 to 93.4% at 75 μg/ml). The purification of the rainy season bark extract showed that its biological activity came from the non-polar n -hexane fraction (≥ 93% at 75 μg/ml). The bioguided fractionation pointed to sub-fraction 5 as having the highest anthelmintic activity against the three evaluated genera of nematodes (PEI ≥ 93% at 37.5 μg/ml). Gas chromatography and mass spectrometry revealed that the major constituent in sub-fraction 5 was plumbagin. Upon evaluation, plumbagin was confirmed to be responsible for the anthelmintic activity of D. anisandra , with a PEI ≥ 90% at 2.3 μg/ml on the three evaluated nematodes. Additionally, the compounds betulin and lupeol in the bark of D. anisandra were evaluated but presented low anthelmintic activity (PEI ≤ 5.3% at 2.3 μg/ml). In conclusion, the rainy season bark extract of D. anisandra exerts a high ovicidal activity against the eggs of the three studied nematodes. Plumbagin is the active compound responsible for this activity and represents a potential alternative for the control of different genera of gastrointestinal nematodes given the current scenario of anthelmintic resistance., (Copyright © 2020 Flota-Burgos, Rosado-Aguilar, Rodríguez-Vivas, Borges-Argáez, Martínez-Ortiz-de-Montellano and Gamboa-Angulo.)

Key Message: β-Carotene content in sweetpotato is associated with the Orange and phytoene synthase genes; due to physical linkage of phytoene synthase with sucrose synthase, β-carotene and starch content are negatively correlated. In populations depending on sweetpotato for food security, starch is an important source of calories, while β-carotene is an important source of provitamin A. The negative association between the two traits contributes to the low nutritional quality of sweetpotato consumed, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Using a biparental mapping population of 315 F 1 progeny generated from a cross between an orange-fleshed and a non-orange-fleshed sweetpotato variety, we identified two major quantitative trait loci (QTL) on linkage group (LG) three (LG3) and twelve (LG12) affecting starch, β-carotene, and their correlated traits, dry matter and flesh color. Analysis of parental haplotypes indicated that these two regions acted pleiotropically to reduce starch content and increase β-carotene in genotypes carrying the orange-fleshed parental haplotype at the LG3 locus. Phytoene synthase and sucrose synthase, the rate-limiting and linked genes located within the QTL on LG3 involved in the carotenoid and starch biosynthesis, respectively, were differentially expressed in Beauregard versus Tanzania storage roots. The Orange gene, the molecular switch for chromoplast biogenesis, located within the QTL on LG12 while not differentially expressed was expressed in developing roots of the parental genotypes. We conclude that these two QTL regions act together in a cis and trans manner to inhibit starch biosynthesis in amyloplasts and enhance chromoplast biogenesis, carotenoid biosynthesis, and accumulation in orange-fleshed sweetpotato. Understanding the genetic basis of this negative association between starch and β-carotene will inform future sweetpotato breeding strategies targeting sweetpotato for food and nutritional security.

A dynamic human gastrointestinal (GI) model was used to digest cooked tubers from purple-fleshed Amachi and Leona potato cultivars to study anthocyanin biotransformation in the stomach, small intestine and colonic vessels. Colonic Caco-2 cancer cells and non-tumorigenic colonic CCD-112CoN cells were tested for cytotoxicity and cell viability after 24 h exposure to colonic fecal water (FW) digests (0%, 10%, 25%, 75% and 100% FW in culture media). After 24 h digestion, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry identified 36 and 15 anthocyanin species throughout the GI vessels for Amachi and Leona, respectively. The total anthocyanin concentration was over thirty-fold higher in Amachi compared to Leona digests but seven-fold higher anthocyanin concentrations were noted for Leona versus Amachi in descending colon digests. Leona FW showed greater potency to induce cytotoxicity and decrease viability of Caco-2 cells than observed with FW from Amachi. Amachi FW at 100% caused cytotoxicity in non-tumorigenic cells while FW from Leona showed no effect. The present findings indicate major variations in the pattern of anthocyanin breakdown and release during digestion of purple-fleshed cultivars. The differing microbial anthocyanin metabolite profiles in colonic vessels between cultivars could play a significant role in the impact of FW toxicity on tumor and non-tumorigenic cells., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Cooked, milled purple-fleshed sweet potato (PFSP) accessions, PM09.812 and PM09.960, underwent digestion in a dynamic human gastrointestinal (GI) model that simulates gut digestive conditions to study the bioaccessibility and biotransformation of anthocyanins. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry showed accession-dependent variations in anthocyanin release and degradation. After 24h, more anthocyanin species were detected in the small intestinal vessel relative to other vessels for accession PM09.960 whereas more species appeared in the ascending colonic vessel for accession PM09.812. The ferric reducing antioxidant power was increased in the small intestinal vessel for PM09.960 and in the ascending colonic vessel for accession PM09.812, corresponding to the appearance of a majority of anthocyanins for each accession. These results show that intestinal and colonic microbial digestion of PFSP leads to an accession-dependent pattern for anthocyanin bioaccessibility and degradation., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The bioaccessibility and bioavailability of iron from 12 Andean potato clones were estimated using an in vitro gastrointestinal digestion procedure and the Caco-2 cell line as a model of human intestine, with ferritin formation as a marker of iron absorption. We first showed that 63.7% (for the genotype CIP&#95;311422.016) to 79.0% (for the genotype CIP&#95;311575.003) of the iron is released from the potato tuber matrix during in vitro gastrointestinal digestion and is therefore available at the intestinal level. On average, 32 and 24.5% of the hydrophilic bioactive components, vitamin C and chlorogenic acid, respectively, were also bioaccessible from boiled tubers. Intestinal absorption of intrinsic iron from potato tubers could not be detected using our in vitro Caco-2 cell model. When an extrinsic source of iron (20 μM FeCl3 and 1 mM ascorbic acid) was added to the digestion mixture, iron absorption varied from 1.8 to 8% for the genotypes CIP&#95;311422.016 and CIP&#95;311624.021, respectively, as compared to the reference control. Principal component analysis revealed negative relationships between bioavailable iron values and phenolic concentrations, whereas vitamin C concentrations were positively associated with the ferritin values. Further controlled intervention trials would be needed to conclusively assess the bioavailability of intrinsic iron from potato tubers.

Yellow fleshed potatoes contain significant amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin but the bioaccessibility of potato carotenoids has not yet been investigated. The purpose of this study was to estimate the in vitro bioaccessibility of carotenoids provided by potato. Lutein and zeaxanthin concentrations of boiled, freeze dried and milled samples of seven yellow fleshed potato accessions were determined by HPLC before and after different steps (gastric, duodenal and micellar phase) of in vitro digestion. The gastric and duodenal digestive stability of lutein and zeaxanthin in boiled tubers of the different accessions ranged from 70 to 95 % while the efficiency of micellarization ranged from 33 to 71 % for lutein and from 51 to 71 % for zeaxanthin. For all accessions, amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin after micellarization were significantly lower than the original amount found in the boiled samples. The accession 701862 showed the highest bioaccessible lutein concentration (280 μg/100 g, FW) and the accessions 703566 and 704218 showed the highest bioaccessible zeaxanthin concentration (above 600 μg/100 g, FW). Considering the mean potato intake in the Andes (500 g per day), the accession 701862 provides 14 % of the lutein intake suggested for health benefits and the accessions 703566 and 704218 provide 50 % more than the suggested zeaxanthin intake.

Background: Variables and interaction effects affecting the mineral concentration of Andean bitter potatoes converted into so-called white chuño are unknown. We report on the effect of three contrasting production environments (E) on the dry matter (DM), zinc, iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and sodium concentration of four potato native bitter genotypes (G) processed (P) into two different 'types' of white chuño., Results: The DM content and iron, calcium, magnesium and sodium concentration of white chuño are significantly dependent on E, G, P, and E × G × P interaction (predominantly at P < 0.01). In particular, the DM content and calcium concentration are influenced by all variables and possible interaction effects. The zinc and potassium concentration are not significantly dependent on E × G, G × P or E × G × P interaction effects, while the phosphorus concentration is not significantly affected by the G × P or E × G × P interaction effect. Zinc, phosphorus and magnesium concentrations decrease in the ranges of 48.3-81.5%, 61.2-73.0% and 62.0-89.7% respectively. The decrease in potassium is particularly severe, with 122- to 330-fold losses. Iron and calcium increase by 11.2-45.6% and 74.5-714.9% respectively., Conclusion: E, G, P, and various interaction effects influence the mineral concentration of traditionally processed tubers. We speculate that mineral losses are caused by leaching, while increases of iron and calcium are a likely result of absorption., (Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry.)