Search

BACKGROUND: Polyphenols are a group of compounds distributed in foods of plant origin and have been considered as effective protective agents against chronic diseases. To date, there are limited data on polyphenol intakes worldwide. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to describe the intake of polyphenols and their subclasses in Chile based on data extracted from the National Food Consumption Survey 2010 –2012 (ENCA). METHODS: A total of 3658 participants were selected from whom information on food consumption frequency, anthropometric, clinical, socioeconomic and lifestyle variables were available. RESULTS: The mean intake value of total polyphenols was 979.5 + 695.5 mg/day. A higher intake was observed in men than in women. In addition, among adults, there is a higher consumption in the South macrozone. An increase in the intake of total polyphenols was evidenced when the population belonged to the high socioeconomic stratum, and the most consumed types were flavonoids and phenolic acids. CONCLUSION: Due to the growing evidence that shows a protective effect of polyphenol consumption, it is necessary to carry out more research related to the consumption of these compounds, promoting the consumption of foods that provide them and thus contributing to improve the current epidemiological.

Because of the significant impacts on both human interests and bird conservation, it is imperative to identify patterns and anticipate drivers of human-bird conflicts (HBCs) worldwide. Through a global systematic review, following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, we analyzed the socioeconomic factors and bird ecological traits driving the degree of knowledge and extent of HBCs. We included 166 articles published from 1971 to 2020 in our analyses through which we built a profile of the socioeconomic conditions of 52 countries with reported conflicts and the ecological traits of the 161 bird species involved in HBCs. Although HBC expanded worldwide, it had the greatest impact in less-developed countries (estimate 0. 66 [SE 0.13], p0.05), where agriculture is critical for rural livelihoods. Species with a relatively greater conflict extent had a relatively broader diet (estimate 0.80 [SE 0.22], p0.05) and an increasing population trend (estimate 0.58 [SE 0.15], p0.05) and affected human interests, such as agriculture and livestock raising. In countries with greater biodiversity, HBCs caused greater socioeconomic impacts than in more developed countries. Our results highlight the importance of understanding and addressing HBCs from multiple perspectives (ecological, sociocultural, and political) to effectively protect both biodiversity and local livelihoods.El desarrollo socioeconómico y las características ecológicas como pronosticadores de los conflictos entre aves y humanos Resumen Debido a los impactos significativos sobre los intereses humanos y la conservación de las aves, es imperativo identificar patrones y anticiparse a las causas de los conflictos humano-aves (CHA) a nivel mundial. Por medio de una revisión sistemática, siguiendo los lineamientos de PRISMA 2020, analizamos los factores socioeconómicos y las características ecológicas de las aves que impulsan el grado de conocimiento y la extensión de los CHA. Incluimos 166 artículos publicados desde 1971 hasta 2020 en nuestros análisis, con los cuales construimos un perfil de las condiciones socioeconómicas de 52 países con reportes de conflictos y de las características ecológicas de 161 especies de aves involucradas en los CHA. Aunque los CHA se expandieron mundialmente, tuvieron un mayor impacto en los países menos desarrollados (estimado 0. 66 [ES 0.13], p0.05), en donde la agricultura es crítica para el sustento rural. Las especies con una extensión de conflicto relativamente más larga también contaban con una dieta más amplia (estimado 0.80 [ES 0.22], p0.05) y una tendencia poblacional en aumento (estimado 0.58 [ES 0.15], p0.05), lo que afectó los intereses humanos, como la agricultura y la cría de ganado. En los países con mayor biodiversidad, los CHA ocasionaron impactos socioeconómicos mayores que en los países más desarrollados. Nuestros resultados resaltan la importancia de abordar y entender los CHA desde múltiples perspectivas (ecológica, sociocultural, política) para proteger de manera efectiva tanto a la biodiversidad como a los sustentos locales.

El propósito de la investigación fue establecer la eficacia del tratamiento nutricional aplicado en los pacientes con obesidad de 20 a 64 años de edad que fueron atendidos en consulta externa de Nutrición y Dietética del Hospital Vicente Corral Moscoso durante el periodo 2014 –2016. La metodología utilizada fue de tipo descriptivo, longitudinal y retrospectivo, analizándose, de un total de 2129 consultas, 40 historias clínicas que revelaron un índice de masa corporal mayor o igual a 30. Los resultados indicaron que el 87,5% de los casos de obesidad son mujeres y el 12,5% son hombres. Como conclusión se llegó que el tratamiento aplicado es eficaz ya que tiene un nivel de éxito del 52,5% de los pacientes al poder cumplir la meta de reducir el 10% o más de su peso corporal en 12 controles continuos.

Potential ecological risk by arsenic in the available fractions of the sediment in the river, lagoon, mixing zone and beaches bordering the mouth of the Loa River, north of Chile, was determined based on low and medium range effects. The distribution constant, geoaccumulation index and As enrichment factor were deduced. To estimate reactive As, three simple extraction procedures were compared. In order to obtain the risk assessment code, the first two stages of sequential Tessier extraction and bioavailability were applied according to the modified BCR schema. The salty and alkaline continental waters showed a reducing character, low OD, N/P and Cu, but high As (1.13-1.80 mg/l), diluted in the sea at 0.012 mg/L. The neutral continental sediments presented low organic matter (2-6%), acceptable levels of N/P, CaCO 3 (5.3-31%) and Cu, but elevated As (516-856 mg/kg). As reached levels of 20 mg/kg in marine sediments. According to the geoaccumulation index values, there was terrestrial but not marine pollution, although the enrichment factors confirm the presence of high potential risk at the river mouth. Simple extractions and the risk assessment code point to As as mobile and bioavailable. The level of As in the fluvial sediment associated with interchangeable, reducible and oxidizable fractions confirm potential risk for the ecosystem under alkaline and reducing conditions. On the other hand, in the coastal border As was found associated mainly with residual and interchangeable fractions, which reduces this potential risk.

The population of Tarapacá, northern Chile, is supplied with drinking water of underground origin. The objective of this study was to evaluate the chemical quality of water for human consumption in nine urban and rural locations and its compliance with current norms (temperature, salinity, alkalinity, dissolved majority ions, As and B). Geochemical classifications were deduced to consider the origin and relationships between waters. Moreover, five water stability indicators were evaluated to estimate potential corrositivity (B/Cl− ratio, Cl−/SO42− ratio and Larson ratio) and calcareous inlays formation (Langelier Saturation Index and Ryzman Stability Index). The samples analyzed were determined had mild temperatures, slightly alkaline, with a wide range of values of salinity (74.7 − 1287 mg L−1). The hydrogeochemical results confirmed four water types: Na+/HCO3−-Cl−-SO42−, N+/SO42−, Na+-Ca2+/SO42−, and Na+-Ca2+/Cl−-SO42−. The 168 samples reached 100% of the degree of compliance of NCh409, except in the wells of Colonia Pintados, where As concentration exceeded 13 to 30 times the norm. Sulphate and B exceeded international standards. The water taste deterioration can be attributed to high concentrations of SO42−, Cl−, Ca2+, and B. Finally, water stability indexes determined the capacity for severe corrosively potential and formation of light calcareous deposits. The internal regulations of the country must harmonize and admit substances suggested by the WHO.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi affect ecosystem processes improving plant tolerance in (hyper)arid/saline environments. However, there are no previous studies on the presence of AM fungi in the Atacama Desert (Northern Chile), the driest desert in the world. Here, we studied the root and rhizosphere in 111 samples of representative plants from three elevation gradients: (i) hyperarid desert (700–2000 m a.s.l.), (ii) pre-Puna (2000–3100 m a.s.l.) and (iii) Puna (3100–4500 m a.s.l.) elevation belts. Soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC), organic matter, cations and the AM colonization and fungal structures were determined. All plants showed colonization and fungal structures. Root colonization ranged from 3.5 to 87%, hyphae showed densities from 0.13 to 204 m g−1, and spore densities between 20 and 45,500 per 100 g of soil. The highest fungal structure abundances were found in Prosopis tamarugo, Baccharis scandens, Werneria pinnatifida, Deyeuxia curvula and Festuca deserticola rhizospheres. In general, EC and cations showed strong relationship with fungal structure abundance. Here, we reported for the first time the widespread presence of AM symbiosis in all the elevation belts of the Atacama Desert, constituting a first step to understand the ecological role that AM fungi play under extreme aridity and salinity conditions.

Understanding diversity patterns along environmental gradients lies at the heart of community ecology and conservation. Previous studies have found variation in bird diversity and density along "natural" elevational gradients in the Tropical Andes Hotspot. However, there is still a lack of knowledge about how bird communities respond to traditional land-use patterns, in association with other multiple drivers, along elevations. In the present study, we investigated biotic, abiotic and anthropogenic sources of variation associated with bird species diversity, density and turnover along a 3000-m elevational gradient, in southern limit of the Tropical Andes Hotspot, northern Chile. Over four seasons, we conducted 472 bird point count surveys and established 118 plots distributed across the Desert, Pre-Puna, Puna and High-Andean belts, where biotic, abiotic and anthropogenic factors were measured. We used mixed-effects models to estimate alpha diversity and multinomial Poisson mixture models to estimate species density, accounting for detectability. Species diversity and density increased until 3300 masl and then declined. This type of elevational pattern is characteristic of dry-based mountains, where environmental conditions are suitable at mid-elevations. Habitats shaped by traditional Aymara indigenous agriculture, associated with relatively high vegetation heterogeneity, hosted the highest values of bird diversity and density. Species turnover was structured by habitat type, while elevational ranges of most species were restricted to three relatively discrete assemblages that replaced each other along the gradient. Our study revealed a hump-shaped relationship between elevation and bird diversity and density in the Dry Tropical Andes Biodiversity Hotspot, supporting a diversity pattern characteristic of dry-based mountains of the world. Traditional Aymara agriculture may have constructed ecological niches for biodiversity at mid-elevations, enhancing vegetation heterogeneity, thus providing resources for resident and rare species. Increasing loss of traditional land-use may present a threat to the bird community in the Tropical Andes Hotspot.