RESUMO

Epidemiological studies to better understand wheat blast (WB) spatial and temporal patterns were conducted in three field environments in Bolivia between 2019 and 2020. The temporal dynamics of wheat leaf blast (WLB) and spike blast (WSB) were best described by the logistic model compared with the Gompertz and exponential models. The nonlinear logistic infection rates were higher under defined inoculation in experiments two and three than under undefined inoculation in experiment one, and they were also higher for WSB than for WLB. The onset of WLB began with a spatial clustering pattern according to autocorrelation analysis and Moran's index values, with higher severity and earlier onset for defined than for undefined inoculation until the last sampling time. The WSB onset did not start with a spatial clustering pattern; instead, it was detected later until the last sampling date across experiments, with higher severity and earlier onset for defined than for undefined inoculation. Maximum severity (Kmax) was 1.0 for WSB and less than 1.0 for WLB. Aggregation of WLB and WSB was higher for defined than for undefined inoculation. The directionality of hotspot development was similar for both WLB and WSB, mainly occurring concentrically for defined inoculation. Our results show no evidence of synchronized development but suggest a temporal and spatial progression of disease symptoms on wheat leaves and spikes. Thus, we recommend that monitoring and management of WB should be considered during early growth stages of wheat planted in areas of high risk.

RESUMO

Through the concept of the "vital minimum"-the notion of basic life rights and living standards for all Salvadorans articulated by the early twentieth-century Salvadoran essayist Alberto Masferrer-this essay demonstrates the importance of older adult sociality and old age return as a prism through which to understand contemporary El Salvador. Examining retiree objectives and everyday practices among older Salvadorans in a transnational frame, the article links Masferrer's vitalist thinking to mounting concerns of older adult dignity and the coming general crisis of care as the Salvadoran population uptrends toward older age. The article suggests the need to take stock, politically and analytically, of the social worlds shaped and bolstered by older adults, underscoring their roles as economic supports, community mediators, and caregivers, which make possible the social reproduction of community itself.

Partiendo del concepto de "mínimo vital", la noción de los derechos humanos básicos y los estándares de vida para todos los salvadoreños según articulada por el ensayista salvadoreño de principios del siglo veinte Alberto Masferrer, este ensayo demuestra la importancia de la sociabilidad para los adultos mayores y del regreso al país en la vejez como prisma a través del cual entender a El Salvador contemporáneo. Al examinar los objetivos de jubilación y las prácticas cotidianas entre los salvadoreños mayores dentro de un marco transnacional, el artículo vincula el pensamiento vitalista de Masferrer con las inquietudes cada vez mayores sobre la dignidad en la vejez y la crisis general de atención médica que se avecina con la tendencia en alza en la edad de la población salvadoreña. El artículo sugiere la necesidad de evaluar, política y analíticamente, los mundos sociales formados y sostenidos por los adultos mayores, enfatizando sus funciones de sostén económico, mediadores comunitarios y cuidadores, las cuales posibilitan la reproducción social de la comunidad misma.

RESUMO

STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. OBJECTIVE: To compare the prevalence of lumbar spondylolysis and spina bifida occulta (SBO) in pediatric and adult populations. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The prevalence of spondylolysis reported from radiograph-based studies in children had been questioned in computed tomography (CT)-based studies in adults; however, a recent CT-based study in pediatric patients has confirmed the previously reported data in pediatric populations. SBO, which has been associated with spondylolysis, has demonstrated a decreasing prevalence with increasing age during childhood and adolescence. No studies have compared the prevalence of spondylolysis and SBO in pediatric and adult patients using CT as a screening method. METHODS: We studied 228 pediatric patients (4-15 y old) and 235 adults (30-45 y old) who underwent abdominal and pelvic CT scans for reasons not related to the spine. The entire lumbosacral spine was evaluated to detect the presence of spondylolysis and SBO. We compared the prevalence of spondylolysis and SBO in pediatric patients and adults. RESULTS: The prevalence of spondylolysis in pediatric patients was 3.5% (1.1%-5.9%), and in adults, it was 3.8% (1.7%-6.8%), P=1. The prevalence of SBO in pediatric subjects was 41.2% (34.8%-59.2%) and dropped to 7.7% (4.3%-11.5%) in adults, P<0.01. The male prevalence of SBO in pediatric patients was 51.4%, whereas it was 32.2% in females (P<0.01); this sex difference was not significant in the adult population (P=0.8). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of lumbar spondylolysis remained constant from pediatric age through adulthood. The prevalence of SBO decreased from 41.2% in children to 7.7% in adults; this finding suggests that closure of the vertebral arch may not be completed in early childhood in a large percentage of subjects.

Assuntos

RESUMO

PURPOSE: The prevalence of spondylolysis reported from radiograph-based studies has been questioned in recent computed tomography (CT)-based studies in adults; however, no new data are available in pediatric patients. Spina bifida occulta (SBO), which has been associated to spondylolysis, may be increasing its prevalence, according to recent studies in adults in the last decades, but without new data in pediatric patients. We aimed to determine the prevalence of spondylolysis and SBO in pediatric patients using abdomen and pelvis CT as a screening tool. METHODS: We studied 228 patients 4-15 years old (107 males), who were evaluated with abdomen and pelvis CT scans for reasons not related to the spine. The entire lumbo-sacral spine was evaluated to detect the presence of spondylolysis and SBO. We compared the prevalence of spondylolysis in patients with and without SBO. A logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the effect of age and sex as independent predictors of spondylolysis and SBO. RESULTS: The prevalence of spondylolysis was 3.5 % (1.1-5.9 %); 2/8 patients presented with olisthesis, both with grade I slip. The prevalence of SBO was 41.2 % (34.8-59.2 %) (94 patients). Spondylolysis was not more frequent in patients with SBO than in patients without SBO. Male sex and decreasing age independently predicted the presence of SBO, but not of spondylolysis. CONCLUSION: We observed a 3.5 % prevalence of spondylolysis and a 41.2 % prevalence of SBO. SBO was significantly more frequent in males and younger patients.

Assuntos

RESUMO

Spinal metastatic disease could lead to catastrophic consequences for the patient. However, the structural parameters that explain the weakening of vertebrae affected by tumours are not fully understood. In this study, we developed a specimen-specific finite element model to predict the strength of the porcine vertebra with simulated tumours and used it to find the structural parameters determining the strength. We validated our model with mechanical testing and then we analysed the compressive strength of intact vertebrae and seven defects with different size and shape. The results showed that the minimum bone mineral mass of the cross section and areal defect fraction were the best predictors of the normalized strength. We also found that areal parameters appeared to be better predictors than the volumetric ones. In conclusion, reduction in bone strength for vertebrae weakened by metastatic tumours is mostly associated with decrease in the mechanical properties of the cross section.

Assuntos

RESUMO

INTRODUCTION: Cell culture is an important method for isolating Toxoplasma gondii to make clinical diagnosis or for biotechnological purposes. OBJECTIVE: The percentage of invasion and production levels of T. gondii was determined for THP1 and Vero cell lines. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The growth conditions for T. gondii in Vero and THP1 cell lines were determined by counting in hemocytometer chamber. The percentage of invasion of T. gondii in THP1 and Vero cells was determined by flow cytometry in different cell/tachyzoite ratios: 1/5, 1/20, 1/50. The growth performance index of the T. gondii RH strain and the CIBM1 isolate was calculated for THP1 cells. RESULTS: Vero cells multiplied faster than the THP1 cells, showing an exponential and a sigmoidal growth curve respectively, within a period of 7 days. The CIBM1 isolate infected the THP1 cells in three different parasite concentrations: 1/5, 1/20 and 1/50, with invasion percentages in THP1 cells of 57.1%, 15.5% and 12.2% and for the Vero cells 25.3%, 17.8% and 8.8% respectively. The RH strain of T. gondii had the lowest invasion percentage with 32.6%, 14.8% and 8.1% in THP1 cells and 22.3%, 14.1% and 3.4% in Vero cells. CONCLUSIONS: The CIBM1 isolate had a higher yield than the RH strain of T. gondii in THP1 cells. THP1 cells were indicated to be a good model for the study of invasion and for the assays of new pharmacological candidates against T. gondii.

Assuntos

RESUMO

El desplazamiento en Colombia genera alta vulnerabilidad en la población juvenil, cuya salud sexual y reproductiva es motivo de interés público, dadas ciertas problemáticas, como el incremento del embarazo a temprana edad. Se abordó, desde un enfoque cualitativo de tipo participativo, el significado que le dan a ‗la pareja‘ dentro de sus proyectos de vida un grupo de 32 adolescentes de ambos sexos, habitantes de Soacha, zona receptora de población desplazada. Mediante el taller de reflexión–creación ‗En–Pareja–2‘, los(as) jóvenes destacaron que, en su contexto cultural, marcado por la violencia y la inequidad, la pareja surge como alternativa frente a sus carencias afectivas y sociales. Como problemáticas asociadas a la pareja enuncian el embarazo a edad temprana, la falta de un ejercicio consciente de la sexualidad, el inicio temprano de relaciones sexuales sin protección, la violencia sexual intrafamiliar y falencias en cuanto a valores éticos en el contexto. Proponen, como alternativas, el diálogo intrafamiliar y de pareja, la formación para una ética en las relaciones afectivas y para la equidad de género en la pareja y una educación sexual más dinámica y ajustada a sus necesidades.

Assuntos