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Con el fin de obtener información de la capacidad fotosintética de café robusta (Coffea canephora), se evaluó la tasa de fotosíntesis (A), Transpiración (E), conductancia estomática (gs), concentración intercelular de CO2 (Ci) y eficiencia de uso de agua (EUA= A/E) de 15 diferentes clones de café. Se cuantificó la respuesta de la fotosíntesis (A) a la densidad de flujo fotónico (DFF; A vs DFF) y a la Ci (A vs Ci) de 6 clones: SICA 1, 2, 3, 4, CONILON 1 y ECU ROBUSTA 01 cultivados en un umbráculo, en un diseño estadístico completamente aleatorizado en el jardín Botánico de la Estación Experimental Mutile. Las plántulas de café se regaron cada tres días y fertilizaron durante el experimento para mantener las plantas con vigor, garantizando el buen desempeño fisiológico. Se encontraron diferencias significativas entre los clones estudiados en el intercambio gaseoso: la A varió entre 9,5 y 15 mmol m-2 s-1, la gs entre 198 y 375 mmol m-2 s-1 y la EUA vario entre 2,6 y 5,8 mmol CO2 mol H2O-1. Los clones (ECU ROBUSTA 01, CONILON 1 y CONILON 2) mostraron las mayores A y EUA. Se observaron diferencias significativas en la curvas A/DFF y A/Ci entre los clones ECU ROBUSTA 01, CONILON 1 y los SICA. En conclusión, se encontraron diferencias significativas entre clones de café robusta estudiados, siendo los clones ECU ROBUSTA 01, CONILON 1 y SICA 1 por su mayor capacidad fotosintética, los que podrían tener una mayor productividad en Esmeraldas.

BTBR T+ Itpr3tf /J (BTBR) mice have been used as a model of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) due to their low levels of sociability and high levels of repetitive grooming. These experiments explored social behavior in the BTBR and C57BL/6J mice using variations of the three-chambered social approach test. In the first test, the subject mice had a choice between a stranger mouse of the same strain or from a strain with a different level of sociability. The BTBR male mice demonstrated a strong preference for the more social C57BL/6J stranger mouse, as did the C57BL/6J male mice, although more moderately with sniff time only. The C57BL/6J female mice showed a moderate preference, sniff time only, for the BTBR stranger mouse, whereas the BTBR female mice did not show a preference. The second experiment examined whether the subject mouse preferred a stranger mouse or bedding from the stranger mouse home cage. Male BTBR mice always preferred bedding, whereas the C57BL/6J male mice did not show a preference. Both BTBR and C57BL/6J female mice preferred bedding when the stranger mouse was a different strain but not when the stranger mouse was the same strain. Therefore, the stranger mouse strain seems to influence the preference of the female mice more than the male mice. The mice preferred spending time in the chamber with the social smell but not the actual stranger mouse although not always significantly. This suggests that contact with a stranger mouse is more stressful or anxiety provoking than the smell. Autism Res 2019, 12: 1184-1191. © 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: BTBR T+ Itpr3tf /J (BTBR) mice have been used as a model of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) due to their low levels of sociability and high levels of repetitive grooming. These experiments explored social behavior in the BTBR and C57BL/6J mice using variations of the three-chambered social approach test. These experiments examined how the sociability level of the stranger mouse affected the subject mouse's preference and if social odor was preferable to a social situation in the BTBR mice. The BTBR male mice demonstrated a strong preference for the more social C57BL/6J stranger mouse, as did the C57BL/6J male mice. The C57BL/6J female mice showed a moderate preference for the BTBR stranger mouse, whereas the BTBR female mice did not show a preference for either stranger mouse. The second modification let the subject mouse have a choice between a stranger mouse or bedding. Male BTBR mice preferred bedding, regardless of the strain of the stranger mouse, whereas the C57BL/6J male mice did not show a preference. Both BTBR and C57BL/6J female mice preferred bedding when the stranger mouse was a different strain but showed no preference when the stranger mouse was from the same strain. The stranger mouse strain seems to influence the female mice more. Male BTBR mice preferred spending time in the chamber with the social smell but not the actual mouse, suggesting that actual contact with a stranger mouse is more stressful or anxiety provoking.

Currently, different countries’ policies prohibit the use of synthetic antibiotics in animal production. As a consequence, researchers have been looking for sources of these molecules in plants, vegetables, and agro-industrial waste in order to inhibit pathogenic microorganisms, such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella and Listeria and control livestock health. Hydro-alcoholic extracts of the leaves of three different plants- Avocado (Persea americana Mill) Hass variety, guava (Psidium guajava L.) Calvillo variety, and cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera Ehrh) Pissardii variety, at three different ethanol:water ratios (20:80, 50:50, and 80:20 volume/volume) were analyzed. Total phenols in the extracts were quantified by the Folin-Ciocalteu Method and the inhibitory spectrum test against Gram+: Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 19115, Bacillus subtilis ATCC 662, Enterococcus sp., Staphylococcus sp. and Gram−: Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Salmonella enterica serotipo Enteriditis ATCC 13076, Klebsiella sp. and Pseudomonas sp. using the agar well-diffusion method. The highest phenol content and antioxidant capacity were found in the guava leaf extract at 50:50 (111.7 ± 8.8 EAG mg/mL dry matter, 450 ± 3 μM TE/g dry matter), and this was the only extract that showed total inhibitory spectrum activity for all the microorganisms evaluated among the extracts tested, with a range of 0.62–1.25 mg/mL minimal inhibitory capacity (MIC). A hydroalcoholic extract of guava leaves had strong antimicrobial activity against different pathogenic microorganisms and could be considered as a potential alternative to synthetic antibiotics for use in animal production.

Objetivo: Estudiar la especie Chrysobalanus Icaco como alternativa de reforestación para manejo de erosión, teniendo en cuenta el potencial de la especie para la conservación y protección de suelos. Metodología: La metodología que manejó el estudio contempló métodos y técnicas inscritas en investigaciones de campo, descriptiva y correlacional. Resultados y conclusiones: El análisis indicó que la especie puede ser utilizada en el departamento para disminuir procesos erosivos. Sin embargo, las condiciones ambientales deben adecuarse con fertilizantes ricos en oligoelementos para la reforestación con Icaco con fines de aprovechamiento agroindustrial, manejo de erosión y conservación de la especie.

The feeding ecology and consumption rate of the broadbill swordfish (SWO, Xiphias gladius) from Ecuadorian waters were assessed by stomach content analysis of 256 individuals ranging between 91 and 291 cm in straight fork length (FL). Based on the alimentary index (%AI), the jumbo squid (Dosidicus gigas) was the most important prey species (58.93%AI), followed by bullet and frigate tunas (Auxis spp.) (17.94%AI). Permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) detected one size-related shift in feeding habits to occur at FL ~ 190 cm, whereas no spatial variations in diet composition were observed. Similarity percentages (SIMPER) analysis revealed that the diet of small SWO (≤ 140 cm FL) and medium SWO (140–190 cm FL) was mainly characterized by Dosidicus gigas (contributing to 50.77 and 66.82% of the similarities, respectively) and Auxis spp. (18.14 and 17.23%, respectively); Auxis spp. and Thysanoteuthis rhombus, however, were the greatest contributors to the similarity in large SWO (≥ 190 cm FL) (47.87 and 22.06%, respectively). The daily meal was estimated to be 468.03–676.78 g day−1, which corresponded to a daily ration of 1.63–8.24% body mass (BM, in g) day−1. The results of this study indicate that the SWO is a mesopelagic predator that plays an important role in structuring the pelagic ecosystem of the Ecuadorian Pacific Ocean.

The aim of this work was to examine the biodiversity of bacteriocin-producing lactic acid bacteria from homemade cheeses produced in Veracruz (México) and assess their contribution as adjunct cultures in dairy products. Ninety-three presumptive bacteriocinogenic strains were detected by direct antagonism assays and 29 of them were active against Enterococcus faecalis NRRL-B537, Listeria innocua 062 AST, or Listeria monocytogenes ATCC19115 by the well diffusion test using cell-free supernatants, adjusted to pH 6.0 to exclude inhibition by organic acids. Positive isolates were identified by partial sequencing of the 16s rDNA as Pediococcus acidilactici (four isolates), Enterococcus faecium (17 isolates), Lactobacillus plantarum (six isolates) and Lactobacillus fermentum (two isolates). RAPD-PCR discriminated seven groups with a 50% similarity and revealed the presence of the same isolates. The coding genes for the synthesis of plantaricin EF, plantaricin JK, plantaricin N, plantaricin NC8 and the inducing peptide plantaricin A were detected by PCR in L. plantarum. Similarly, enterocin P and pediocin PA-1 genes were amplified from Enterococcus and Pediococcus genomic DNA, respectively. Overall, co-culturing of bacteriocin producing Lactobacillus and Pediococcus strains with the dairy starter Lactococcus lactis IPLA947 did not interfere with milk acidification. Lactose consumption, acidification rate and production of lactic acid were unchanged. Nonetheless, higher levels of acetic acid, ethanol and succinic acid were detected depending on the strain. Our results demonstrate the diversity of bacteriocinogenic species in homemade Mexican cheeses which may be used as adjunct cultures to enhancing safety of this well-appreciated cheese while providing a richer range of metabolites., This work was supported by Tecnológico Nacional de México (5486.14.15-P), the Mexican National Council for Science and Technology (Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología -CONACYT) and partially by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of Spain (MINECO) through grant BIO2013-46266-R. Funding by GRUPIN14-139 Plan de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación 2013-2017 (Principado de Asturias, Spain), supported by FEDER EU funds, is also acknowledged. S. Portilla-Vázquez held a CONACYT fellowship as well as an i-COOP mobility grant COOPA20015 funded by Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Spain.

The earth could experience a warming of 4 °C in the next one hundred years. This would put at risk the plants that can´t adapt. Fragaria mexicana is an endemic plant of temperate forest of Mexico. The response of this wild strawberry to temperature increasing has not been studied and could play an important role for event of global warming. This study determinate the morphological and physiological responses of F. mexicana and changes in the N2-fixing bacteria (BFN) population on its roots, due to two environmental conditions with differences of temperature 5.1 °C: greenhouse (high temperature, TA) and open land (low temperature, TB); and with four free-living nitrogen-fixing bacteria (BFN) treatments: non-inoculated (T), inoculated with strain eight (CP8), strain four (CP4), and strains eight and four mixed (CP8 + 4). BFN were isolated from the rhizosphere of F. mexicana and were genetically transformed with reporters to quantify the population at the end of the experiment. NO3, NH4 and P and organic matter (MO) in the substrate were determined at beginning and finish of the experiment. Shoot and root dry weight, photosynthetic rate, flowering and fructification starting, flowers and fruits number, were measured. Shoot dry weight and photosynthetic rate were lower in TB than TA, decreasing 3.1 g and 0.94 µmol m-2 s-1, respectively. Root dry weight was 3.0 g less in TA compared with TB. Number flowers decrease in 40.89 % and number fruits in 38.11 % on TA than TB. F. mexicana plants start flowering 14 days previously in TB than TA. MO in the substrate decrease in TA, while the concentration of NO3, NH4 and P, increased. Population of BFN was lower in TA. Results obtained indicated that higher temperature promotes the growth of F. mexicana and reduce its reproduction and BNF population associated with its roots.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of urine concentrations of 12 proteins as a risk parameter for developing preeclampsia (PE). A nested case–control study was designed to determine protein concentrations in urine from women predicted to develop PE (WPD-PE) and normotensive pregnancies (controls). Protein profiles were determined at 12, 16 and 20 gestational weeks (GW) using the Bio-Plex Pro human kidney toxicity Panel 1 and Panel 2 (Bio-Rad). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed. Correlations between proteins and clinical parameters at the time of PE diagnosis were also assessed. Significant differences were observed in urine cystatin C (Cys C) levels at 16 and 20 GW and clusterin at 20 GW between WPD-PE and controls (P

The Mexican Barcode of Life (MEXBOL) project started as an initiative by researchers who wanted Mexico to join the international DNA barcoding (iBOL) collaboration to establish a genetic system of species identification and discovery. MEXBOL has three main nodes associated with different research institutions in the northern, central, and southern parts of the country. At the beginning of 2009, the laboratories of the three nodes began to operate with support from the University of Guelph in Canada where DNA barcoding began in 2003. By the end of 2011, the laboratories in Mexico will be completely equipped and fully operational. The project is funded by the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONACyT). In addition, the steering committee of MEXBOL supports the Comision Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad (CONABIO) initiative to offer grants to any university and research center for barcoding collections of Mexican specimens. We present preliminary results of projects dealing with barcoding Mexican mammals. The aims of these analyses are to evaluate the importance of the DNA barcoding (using cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene; COI) for the identification of species, study of genetic diversity, and taxonomic review. Our preliminary data suggest that DNA barcodes can be used for the discovery of cryptic species and have important implications to the understanding of the mega-diversity of mammals in Mexico.

Resumen El factor de crecimiento del endotelio vascular (VEGF) es un factor importante que participa en la angiogenesis. Un incremento en su expresion se asocia a progresion tumoral y mal pronostico en diversos tipos de tumores malignos. El proposito de este estudio es evaluar la expresion de VEGF y su receptor (KDR/VEGF-2) en carcinomas papilares de tiroides (CPT) mayores y menores a 10 mm con extension extracapsular (CPT-E) y sin extension extracapsular (CPTNE) y la relacion de esta expresion con el comportamiento clinico (CPT-E y CPT-NE). Metodos La expresion de VEGF-A y KDR se estudio con tecnica de matrices tisulares (MAT), en un total de 62 casos de CPT-E y CPT-NE mayores y menores a 10mm. La positividad de VEGF-A y KDR fue predominantemente citoplasmatica y evaluada en 0-, 1+ y 2+. Resultados La expresion de VEGF-A fue equiparable en CPT-E y CPT-NE, no encontrando significacion estadistica entre tamano tumoral y entre CPT-E y CPT-NE, pero se encontro una mayor intensidad en CPT-E >10 mm, mientras que en KDR la expresion fue mas frecuente en CPT-NE ≤10 mm. La intensidad fue semejante entre ambos grupos y con respecto al tamano tumoral. Conclusiones Los resultados obtenidos concuerdan con los anteriormente publicados, sin embargo no se han realizado estudios con invasion extracapsular, relacion clinica y expresion de VEGF-A y KDR. La intensidad de VEGF-A en la expresion de las celulas tumorales fue mayor en CPT-E >10 mm, mientras que la intensidad de expresion en KDR fue semejante entre ambos grupos. Concluyendo que la sobreexpresion de VEGF-A y no de KDR se encuentra relacionada a la invasion extracapsular y por tanto a mal pronostico.

BACKGROUND:Lactobacillus reuteri NRRL B-14171 was immobilized in spherical calcium alginate beads to study reuterin production. RESULTS: In relation to free cells (82 mmol L−1), the immobilized cells showed a sharp increase in reaction rate and achieved similar conversions with a reduction in the required biomass. Tests for mass transfer limitations on the reaction rate indicated that neither intraparticle nor external constraints were present. Effectiveness factors near 1 were estimated. CONCLUSION: Immobilization induced increased production of reuterin in Lactobacillus reuteri and is a feasible option for increasing process productivity. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of micronized insoluble fiber from starfruit bagasse as an ingredient of a functional food (FF) or as micronized insoluble fiber-rich fraction (IFRF) and its effects in vivo on lipids metabolism in a murine model. Experimental animals were divided in four isoproteic (15.8%) treatments differing on the fiber and cholesterol level used. The micronized IFRF particle size ranged from 37.5 to 149 μm. Treatments with added IFRF and those including the FF lowered serum triacylglycerols, total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoproteins (HDL), and low-density lipoproteins (LDL) concentrations (IFRF: 14.2, 25.4, 55.06, and 12.18%, respectively; FF: 30.18, 39.47, 35.11, and 43.18%, respectively). IFRF produced the overall highest serum hypolipidemic effect and prevented the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver. Both the IFRF and the FF exhibited hypolipidemic effects that suggest a potential role of starfruit insoluble fiber as a component of FFs aimed against cardiovascular diseases.

Background The study of sperm-mycoplasma interaction has been focused on the effects of infection on sperm quality, but few studies have reported the direct interaction of this bacterium with spermatozoa. Methods Selected populations of viable, motile and infection-free human spermatozoa from three healthy men were incubated with 15-480 multiplicity of infection (MOI) units of DiIC18-labelled Mycoplasma hominis. Cells were analyzed by means of confocal microscopy and by the eosin-Y dye exclusion test between 10 min and 24 h post-infection. Results As early as 10 min post-infection, clusters of M. hominis were seen attached to the sperm head, midpiece or tail. Mycoplasma showed an approximately 2.5-4.5-fold higher interaction with sperm head or tail than with midpiece. Sequential sectioning of infected spermatozoa revealed the intracellular location of M. hominis within cytosolic spaces of head and midpiece regions. A minor proportion of infected spermatozoa showed bent or coiled tails, and/or midpiece thickening. Sperm viability was not altered by M. hominis infection. Conclusions These results provide specific and conclusive evidence of M. hominis attachment and invasiveness towards human sperm cells, which seems not to affect their viability, suggesting that a short-term M. hominis interaction with spermatozoa results in non-apparent or subtle damage, but might have implications for long-term male or couple's fertility.

For over half century mammalogists have studied and recorded species all over the state of Morelos, and despite the size and conspicuity of the collared peccari ( Pecari tajacu ) this species has not been officially recorded in Morelos. There are many informal reports from people in the communities whom claim to have seen it many years ago, yet young people seem not to know of it, this has made local mammalogists think hunting and habitat lost pressures have extirpated this species from Morelos. This is the first documented record of P. tajacu in this region of the south-central Mexico. KEY WORDS: Sierra de Huautla, collared peccari, Pecari tajacu , Morelos. PALABRAS CLAVE: Sierra de Huautla, pecari de collar, Pecari tajacu, Morelos.