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Patricia Muñoz-Villegas,1,2 Gisela García-Sánchez,1 Ricardo O Jauregui-Franco,1 Sebastian Quirarte-Justo,1 Alejandra Sánchez-Ríos,1 Oscar Olvera-Montaño1 1Regional Medical Affairs Department, Laboratorios Sophia, S.A. de C.V., Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico; 2Centro de Investigación en Matemáticas, A.C., Unidad Aguascalientes (CIMAT), Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes, MexicoCorrespondence: Patricia Muñoz-Villegas, Laboratorios Sophia, S.A. de C.V., Paseo del Norte 5255, Technology Park, Zapopan, Jalisco, 45010, México, Tel +52 33 3001 4200, Email patricia.munoz@sophia.com.mxBackground: This research aims to investigate the influence of environmental factors on the treatment efficacy of ocular lubricants in patients from urban areas with dry eye disease (DED).Methods: A phase IV clinical trial, which included 173 patients from major cities in Mexico, was randomly assigned to use ocular lubricants four times a day for 30 days. Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI), noninvasive tear film break-up time (NIBUT), ocular staining, and conjunctival hyperemia (CH) among other factors like weather, and air pollution as covariates were analysed.Results: After 30 days, OSDI score decreased by 14.8 points (p< 0.001), and NIBUT increased by 2.9 seconds (p< 0.001), with longer values observed in patients recruited in autumn and winter (additional 1.8 seconds, p< 0.05) compared to those recruited in spring. Patients living in cities with cooler weather and high humidity, but low air quality had higher OSDI and conjunctival stain scores of up to 4.4 and 0.3 points, respectively, as compared to those living in cities with similar pollution and humidity levels but with higher temperatures (p-values= 0.019 and 0.050). Patients with moderate CH had an increase of up to 0.8 points in their corneal stain score (p< 0.010). We also found that ozone levels were related to the predicted changes in OSDI and NIBUT.Conclusion: This study demonstrated the impact of environmental factors on the signs and symptoms of DED and suggests that patients residing in cities with inadequately controlled air pollution can benefit from using ocular lubricants to alleviate their symptoms.Trial Registration: Trial is registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04702776).Keywords: Dry eye disease, dry eye symptoms, dry eye signs, environmental factors, ocular lubricants

Alfredo Salcedo-Ledesma,1,2 Andrea Córdoba,1 Naomi C Zatarain-Barrón,1 Enrique O Graue-Hernández,1 Yonathan Garfias,3,4 Norma Morales Flores,1 Gustavo A García-Sánchez,5 Diego García-Santisteban,5 Mónica A Linares-Alba,5 Rodrigo García-Santisteban,6 Alejandro Navas1 1Department of Cornea and Refractive Surgery, Institute of Ophthalmology “Conde de Valenciana”, Mexico City, Mexico; 2PECEM MD/PhD Program, Faculty of Medicine, UNAM, Mexico City, Mexico; 3Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, UNAM, Mexico City, Mexico; 4Research Unit, Institute of Ophthalmology “Conde de Valenciana”, Mexico City, Mexico; 5Research and Development, Santgar Laboratories, Mexico City, Mexico; 6Faculty of Medicine, Panamerican University, Mexico City, MexicoCorrespondence: Alejandro Navas, Department of Cornea and Refractive Surgery, Institute of Ophthalmology “Conde de Valenciana”, Chimalpopoca 14, Mexico City, 06800, Mexico, Tel +5255 54421700, Fax +5255 55789748, Email alejandro.navas@institutodeoftalmologia.orgPurpose: To determine the effectiveness of subconjunctival application of a novel sirolimus liposomal formulation for the treatment of dry eye.Methods: A randomized, triple-blind, Phase II clinical trial. Thirty-eight eyes of 19 patients were included. Nine patients (18 eyes) assigned to the sham group (Sham) and 10 patients (20 eyes) to sirolimus-loaded liposomes group (Sirolimus). The treatment group received three doses of subconjunctival liposome-encapsulated sirolimus and the sham group received three doses of liposomal suspension without sirolimus. Subjective (Ocular Surface Disease Index, OSDI) and measured (corrected distance visual acuity, conjunctival hyperemia, tear osmolarity, Schirmer’s test, corneal/conjunctival staining and matrix metalloproteinase-9) variables were measured.Results: Sirolimus-entrapped liposomes-treated group OSDI scores changed from 62.19 (± 6.07) to 37.8 (± 17.81) (p=0.0024), and conjunctival hyperemia from 2.0 (± 0.68) to 0.83 (± 0.61) (p< 0.0001); Sham group with OSDI scores from 60.02 (± 14.2) to 36.02 (± 20.70) (p=0.01), and conjunctival hyperemia from 1.33 (± 0.68) to 0.94 (± 0.87) (p=0.048). All the other evaluated outcomes only showed significant differences in the sirolimus group: corneal/conjunctival staining score (p=0.0015), lipid layer interferometry (p=0.006), and inferior meibomian gland dropout (p=0.038). No local or systemic adverse effects regarding the medication itself were reported, and the administration route was well accepted.Conclusion: Our findings suggest that sub-conjunctival sirolimus-loaded liposomes are effective in reducing both signs and symptoms of dry eye in patients with poorly controlled moderate-to-severe DED, while avoiding other topical administration adverse effects. Further investigation with a larger sample size is required to determine long-term effects.Keywords: sirolimus, rapamycin, liposomes, sirolimus liposomal formulation, dry eye disease

Copyright of CyTA: Journal of Food is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A protein concentrate from bristly sardine (Opisthonema libertate) was produced under acidic conditions and its gel-forming ability evaluated by texture profile analysis and folding test index. Process protein recovery and lipid removal were greater than 60% and 85%, respectively. A protein-protein aggregate, insoluble in 0.56 M NaCl, was detected during sol preparation. The protein concentrate showed a good-to-excellent gel-forming ability with an averaged folding test of 4.5. Storage of whole fish for five days at 0°C affected the gel-forming ability of the concentrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The state of Puebla is the main producer of cabbage ( Brassica oleracea var. capitata ) in Mexico, with an area of approximately 1,858 ha (SIAP 2023). In April 2023, a field sampling was conducted in the San Luis Ajajalpan, Tecali de Herrera (18°55.57'N, 97°55.607'W), Puebla, Mexico. The average temperature was 24°C and the relative humidity was 95% for five consecutive days. Cabbage plants cv. 'American Taki San Juan' close to harvest, with head rot symptoms were found in a commercial area of approximately 3 ha, at an estimated incidence of 35 to 45%. More than 70% of the leaves were symptomatic on severely affected plants. Typical symptoms included chlorosis of older foliage, soft rot with abundant white to gray mycelium, and abundant production of large and irregularly-shaped sclerotia. The fungus was isolated from 30 symptomatic plants. Sclerotia were collected from symptomatic heads, surface sterilized in 3% NaOCl, rinsed twice with sterile distilled water, and plated on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) with sterile forceps. Subsequently, a dissecting needle was used to place fragments of mycelium directly on PDA. Plates were placed in an incubator at 25°C in the dark. A total of 30 representative isolates were obtained by the hyphal-tip method, one from each diseased plant (15 isolates from sclerotia and 15 from mycelial fragments). After 8 days, colonies had fast-growing, dense, cottony-white aerial mycelium forming irregular sclerotia of 3.75 ± 0.8 mm (mean ± standard deviation, n=100). Each Petri dish produced 14-25 sclerotia (mean = 18, n = 50), after 10 days. The sclerotia were initially white and gradually turned black. The isolates were identified as Sclerotinia sclerotiorum based on morphological characteristics (Saharan and Mehta 2008). Two representative isolates were chosen for molecular identification, and genomic DNA was extracted by a CTAB protocol. The ITS region and the glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G3PDH) gene were sequenced for two isolates (White et al. 1990; Staats et al. 2005). The ITS and G3PDH sequences of a representative isolate (SsC.1) were deposited in the GenBank (ITS- OR286628; G3PDH- OR333495). BLAST analysis of the partial sequences ITS (509 bp) and G3PDH (915 bp) showed 100% similarity to S. sclerotiorum isolates (GenBank: MT436756.1 and OQ790148). Pathogenicity was confirmed by inoculating 10 detached cabbage heads of 'American Taki San Juan', using the SsC.1 isolate, according to Sanogo et al. (2015). Heads were placed on the rim of a plastic container and inserted in a moisture box with 2 cm of water on its bottom. The box was covered with a plastic sheet to maintain humidity. The control plants were inoculated with a plug of noncolonized PDA. The inoculated cabbages were covered with white to gray mycelia and abundant sclerotia within 10 days, whereas no symptoms were observed on non-inoculated controls. The fungus was re-isolated from the inoculated cabbages as described above, fulfilling Koch's postulates. The pathogenicity tests were repeated three times. White mold caused by S. sclerotiorum on Brussels sprouts was recently reported in Mexico (Ayvar-Serna et al. 2023). In 2015, S . sclerotiorum was reported on cabbage in New Mexico, causing head rot (Sanogo et al. 2015). To our knowledge, this is the first report of S . sclerotiorum causing white mold on cabbage in Mexico. This research is essential for designing management strategies and preventing spread to other production areas.

This research paper presents an analysis of the propagation of the SARS-CoV-2, or other similar pathogens, in a hospital isolation room using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and Lagrangian Coherent Structures (LCS). The study investigates the airflow dispersion and droplets in the room under air conditioning vent and sanitizer conditions. The CFD simulation results show that both the air conditioner and sanitizer systems significantly influence the dispersion of the virus in the room. The use of LCS enables acquiring a deep understanding of the dispersion of suspended particles, providing insights into the mechanisms of virus transmission. The findings of this study could help in developing strategies for improving the design and operation of isolation rooms to minimize the likelihood of virus dissemination within hospitals., Competing Interests: The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: AMM reports financial support was provided by Ministry of Science and Innovation. MA reports financial support was provided by Ministry of Science and Innovation. NA reports financial support was provided by ENDESA., (© 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The meat greening is an abnormal pigmentation related to microbiological contamination and lipid oxidation during storage. This color change results from sulfmyoglobin (SulfMb) production promoted by the reaction between metmyoglobin (MetMb), H 2 O 2, and thiol compounds. Spectral studies on cooked meat suggested the production of SulfMb, probably due to the increment of free radicals during thermal treatment. Thus, we evaluated the involvement of free radicals and heme iron in the SulfMb production from horse MetMb and free cysteine (Cys) during thermal treatment. The results confirm that the reaction of SulfMb production at meat muscle pH (5.7-7.2) during heat treatment is a product of free radicals formed from Cys oxidation (SH) and reactive oxygen species (O 2 - , H 2 O 2 ). This is catalyzed by the release of heme iron, thus promoting a consecutive reaction having MbFe(IV)O as a reaction intermediate., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Juan Carlos Ramirez-Suarez reports financial support and equipment, drugs, or supplies were provided by Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACyT) through the project A1-S-44107., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The chaotic nature of ocean motion is a major challenge that hinders the discovery of spatio-temporal current routes that govern the transport of material. Certain material, such as oil spills, pose significant environmental threats and these are enhanced by the fact that they evolve in a chaotic sea, in a way which still nowadays is far from being systematically anticipated. Recently such an oil spill event has affected the Mediterranean coast of several Middle Eastern countries. No accidents were reported for these spills previous to their arrival at the coast, and therefore there was no hint of their origin. Modelling such an event, in which uncertainties are increased due to the lack of information on where and when the spills was produced, stretches available technologies to their limits, and requires the use of novel ideas that help to understand the essential features of oil and tar transport by ocean currents. In this regard Lagrangian Coherent Structures enable us to find order within ocean chaos and provide powerful insights into chaotic events and their relationships over different locations and times like the one addressed. Using the observed locations of the oil impacting the coast at specific times, we seek to determine its original location and the time it was released in the open ocean. We have determined both using a combination of earlier satellite observations and computational modelling of the time evolution. The observed agreement between modeled cases and satellite observations highlights the power of these ideas., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Freezing conditions affect fish muscle protein functionality due to its denaturation/aggregation. However, jumbo squid ( Dosidicus gigas ) muscle protein functionality remains stable even after freezing, probably due to the presence of low-molecular-mass compounds (LMMC) as cryoprotectants. Thus, water-soluble LMMC (<1 kDa) fraction obtained from jumbo squid muscle was evaluated by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry. From its spectra, total carbohydrates, free monosaccharides, free amino acids and ammonium chloride were determined. Cryoprotectant capacity and protein cryostability conferred by LMMC were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry. Fraction partial characterization showed that the main components are free amino acids (18.84 mg/g), carbohydrates (67.1 µg/mg) such as monosaccharides (51.1 µg/mg of glucose, fucose and arabinose in total) and ammonium chloride (220.4 µg/mg). Arginine, sarcosine and taurine were the main amino acids in the fraction. LMMC, at the mass fraction present in jumbo squid muscle, lowered the water freezing point to -1.2 °C, inhibiting recrystallization at 0.66 °C. Significant myofibrillar protein stabilization by LMMC was observed after a freeze-thaw cycle compared to control (muscle after extraction of LMMC), proving the effectiveness on jumbo squid protein muscle cryo- stability. Osmolytes in LMMC fraction inhibited protein denaturation/aggregation and ice recrystallization, maintaining the muscle structure stable under freezing conditions. LMMC conferred protein cryostability even at the very low mass fraction in the muscle.

Jumbo squid ( Dosidicus gigas ) muscle proteins show low functionality with limited use in gel products. This work aims to assess the influence of adding the natural and commercially available fibre, amidated low-methoxyl pectin (at 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 3.0%), on the physicochemical and functional characteristics of jumbo squid ( Dosidicus gigas ) mantle muscle gels. The addition of 0.5% fibre showed an immediate effect on the gel texture profile analysis, improving hardness (p<0.05) from (3.4±0.7) N of the control (no added fibre) to (5.2±0.9) N, and increasing elasticity (p≥0.05). Shear force was significant only at 3.0% fibre addition. Water holding capacity also improved (p<0.05) with fibre addition (from 75% in the control to 90-95% after the treatments). Whiteness was affected (p<0.05) when 3.0% fibre was added. Differential scanning calorimetry showed two endothermic transition peaks in the gels. The second peak (actin) increased (p<0.05) by 1-2 °C with fibre addition. Therefore, the present study demonstrates that amidated low-methoxyl pectin (0.5-3.0%) is an excellent ingredient to improve jumbo squid mantle muscle protein functionality, increasing the gel texture and water retention characteristics.

We identify the presence of progenitor cells during retinal development in the dog, as this species represents a natural model for studying several breed-specific degenerative retinal disorders. Antibodies to detected progenitor cells (Pax6, C-kit, and nestin) and ganglion cells (BDNF, Brn3a, and Thy1) were used in combination with H3 for the purpose of identifying proliferating cells. Pax6, nestin, C-kit, and H3 were localized mainly in the neuroblastic layer of the retina during the embryonic stage. During the fetal stage, proteins were expressed in the inner neuroblastic layer (INL) as well as in the outer neuroblastic layer; BDNF, Thy1, and Brn3a were also expressed in the INL. During the neonatal stage only C-kit was not expressed. Proliferating cells were present in both undifferentiated and differentiated retina. These results suggest that, during canine retinogenesis, progenitor cells are distributed along the retina and some of these cells remain as progenitor cells of the ganglion cells during the first postnatal days.

Jumbo squid (Dosidicus gigas) mantle muscle was cooked simulating industrial procedures (95 degrees C x 25 min, 1.2:5 muscle:water ratio). The effluent produced was analyzed for chemical and biochemical oxygen demands (COD and BOD(5), respectively), proximate analysis, flavor-related compounds (free amino acids, nucleotides and carbohydrates) and SDS-PAGE. The COD and BOD(5) exhibited variation among samplings (N=3) (27.4-118.5 g O(2)/L for COD and 11.3-26.7 g O(2)/L for BOD(5)). The effluent consisted of 1% total solids, 75% of which represented crude protein. Sixty percent of the total free amino acid content, which imparts flavor in squid species, corresponded to glutamic acid, serine, glycine, arginine, alanine, leucine and lysine. The nucleotide concentration followed this order, Hx>>ADP>AMP>ATP>IMP>HxR. The variation observed in the present work was probably due to physiological maturity differences among the squid specimens (i.e., juvenile versus mature). Solids present in squid cooking effluent could be recovered and potentially used as flavor ingredients in squid-analog production by the food industry.

Objective: Early neurodevelopment disabilities (END) such as cerebral palsy (CP), deafness, blindness, epilepsy, and mental retardation (MR) are very important public health concerns. Although no strong data on END can be obtained in Mexico, the few papers concerning END epidemiology deserve systematic and critical review. Thus, this was the objective of the present paper., Method: We performed a systematic review of papers published reporting on the prevalence of END in Mexico. We performed a search in several medical data bases such as PubMed, Artemisa, ImBioMed, and LiLaCS. Each paper was downloaded, read and discussed. We only selected papers published between 1999 and 2008., Results: No data on CP and epilepsy prevalence in infants have been found. Data on deafness prevalence report hearing loss in 0.65/1,000 healthy newborns, and in 2.6/100 in high-risk very premature infants. With regard to blindness, prevalence of retinopathy of premature infants in any stage was reported at ca 10.61 and 22.2/100 in high-risk premature infants. Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) prevalence in infants was found in 4.2/10,000 live newborns after a national universal screening survey., Conclusion: No universal data regarding the prevalence of END in Mexico have been investigated, with the exception of CH. Mexico needs more research to determine epidemiologic data focused on designing actions to prevent, treat, and rehabilitate END.

A protein concentrate from giant squid (Dosidicus gigas) was produced under acidic conditions and its functional-technological capability evaluated in terms of its gel-forming ability, water holding capacity and colour attributes. Technological functionality of the concentrate was compared with that of squid muscle and a neutral concentrate. Protein-protein aggregates insoluble at high ionic strength (I=0.5M), were detected in the acidic concentrate as result of processing with no preclusion of its gel-forming ability during the sol-to-gel thermal transition. Even though washing under acidic condition promoted autolysis of the myosin heavy chain, the acidic concentrate displayed an outstanding ability to gel giving samples with a gel strength of 455 and 1160gcm at 75% and 90% compression respectively, and an AA folding test grade indicative of high gel strength, elasticity, and cohesiveness. The process proved to be a good alternative for obtaining a functional protein concentrate from giant squid muscle., (Copyright © 2008. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)