ABSTRACT Cities have grown throughout the Andes and we know little about the ecology of those species that tolerate them, limiting our options to do conservation. We applied optimal foraging theory ...to examine the behavior of the Andean White-eared Opossum (Didelphispernigra), in a suburban area in Bogotá, Colombia. We used the giving-up density technique, which uses the amount of food left in a feeding patch, to evaluate whether the opossum's foraging costs were affected by the height of food from the ground, and the quality and quantity of food. We also evaluated whether the spatial heterogeneity of the study site affected the opossum's foraging. We used an artificial feeding patch to test these ideas. When food was either concentrated and, in less amount (concentrated food) or diluted and more amount (diluted food), the opossums preferred to forage at 2 m than at 0.5 m, and they showed a preference for concentrated food at 0.5 m, but not at 2 m. The opossums' habitat use was affected by the spatial heterogeneity at the study site and animals preferred foraging along metal fences than on live fences made of trees. When a cable allowed connection between the metallic and live fences, the value of food patches at the live fence appeared to increase. Thus, although the opossums need resources associated with natural environments, our results suggest that there are human modifications that can benefit them, such as those that reduce the risk of predation and favor their mobility in suburban environments.
The mental health and medical follow-up of people living with HIV (PLWH) have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The objectives of this study were to assess anxiety, depression and substance ...use in Mexican PLWH during the pandemic; to explore the association of these symptoms with adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART), and to compare patients with and without vulnerability factors (low socioeconomic level, previous psychological and/or psychiatric treatment).
We studied 1259 participants in a cross-sectional study, PLWH receiving care at the HIV clinic in Mexico City were contacted by telephone and invited to participate in the study. We included PLWH were receiving ART; answered a structured interview on sociodemographic data and adherence to ART; and completed the psychological instruments to assess depressive and anxiety symptoms and substance use risk. Data collection was performed from June 2020 to October 2021.
84.7% were men, 8% had inadequate ART adherence, 11% had moderate-severe symptoms of depression, and 13% had moderate-severe symptoms of anxiety. Adherence was related to psychological symptoms (p < 0.001). Vulnerable patients were more likely to be women, with low educational level and unemployed (p < 0.001).
It is important to address mental health of PLWH during the COVID-19 pandemic, with special attention to the most vulnerable individuals. Future studies are needed to understand the relationship between mental health and ART adherence.
Since 2020, the world has been suffering from a pandemic that has affected thousands of people regardless of socio-economic conditions, forcing the population to adopt different strategies to prevent ...and control the advance of the disease, one of which is social distancing. Even though social distancing is a safe strategy to reduce the spread of COVID-19, it is also the cause of a rising sedentary behavior. This behavior develops an excess of fat tissue that leads to metabolic and inflammatory disruption related to chronic diseases and mental health disorders, such as anxiety, depression, and sleep issues. Furthermore, the adoption of dietary patterns involving the consumption of ultra-processed foods, higher in fats and sugars, and the reduction of fresh and healthy foods may play a role in the progress of the disease. In this perspective, we will discuss how an unhealthy diet can affect brain function and, consequently, be a risk factor for mental health diseases.
•Survey on recent computer vision based approach for food grain classification.•Classification pipeline to be used as a framework for comparisons.•Review on recent approaches according to the type of ...food grain.•Conclusions and trends for further research.
This manuscript presents a comprehensive survey on recent computer vision based food grain classification techniques. It includes state-of-the-art approaches intended for different grain varieties. The approaches proposed in the literature are analyzed according to the processing stages considered in the classification pipeline, making it easier to identify common techniques and comparisons. Additionally, the type of images considered by each approach (i.e., images from the: visible, infrared, multispectral, hyperspectral bands) together with the strategy used to generate ground truth data (i.e., real and synthetic images) are reviewed. Finally, conclusions highlighting future needs and challenges are presented.
Use of pesticides is usually related to overproduction of crops in order to overcome worldwide demand of food and alimentary safety. Nevertheless, pesticides are environmental persistent molecules, ...such as the organochlorine pesticides, which are often found in undesired places. In this work, we show that a hybrid nanomaterial (laccase–MSU-F) readily oxidizes the pesticide dichlorophen, reducing its acute genotoxicity and apoptotic effects. In order to predict chronic alterations related to endocrine disruption, we compared the calculated affinity of dichlorophen oxidized subproducts to steroid hormone nuclear receptors (NRs), using molecular simulation methods. We found a reduction in theoretical affinity of subproducts of oxidized dichlorophen for the ligand-binding pocket of NRs (∼5 kcal/mol), likewise of changes in binding modes, that suggests a reduction in binding events (RMSD values < 10 Å).
Waterborne diseases pose a significant risk in hydroponic crops, especially those caused by some species such as Fusarium, Pythium and Phytophthora. However, there is evidence of an increase in ...suppressiveness when using aquaculture effluents, as is the case with aquaponic systems. In this work, the incidence of diseases in hydroponic and aquaponic systems inside a greenhouse located in Seville (Spain) has been compared for two pathosystems: strawberry - Phytophthora cactorum - and tomato - Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (Fol). The results obtained show greater suppressiveness in early stages against P. cactorum in aquaponic systems. On the contrary, the suppressivity against Fol was higher in the hydroponic systems, although in this case a significant influence of the nutritional status of the plants was observed. This negatively affected the aquaponic systems. These findings open an interesting line for the use of biological control agents (BCA) from aquaponic systems for the control of plant diseases in hydroponic systems, avoiding the use of pesticides. This can have a negative effect on the health of consumers and the environment.
•Severity of P. cactorum resulted lower in aquaponics systems.•Fusarium wilt was affected by plant location, and associated to nutritive status of plants.•Use of aquaculture effluents could reduce the use of soil fumigants, improving sustainability of systems.
The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a protein mainly synthetized in the neurons. Early evidence showed that BDNF participates in cognitive processes as measured at the hippocampus. This ...neurotrophin is as a reliable marker of brain function; moreover, recent studies have demonstrated that BDNF participates in physiological processes such as glucose homeostasis and lipid metabolism. The BDNF has been also studied using the exercise paradigm to determine its response to different exercise modalities; therefore, BDNF is considered a new member of the exercise-related molecules. The high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is an exercise protocol characterized by low work volume performed at a high intensity i.e., ≥80% of maximal heart rate (HRmax). Recent evidence supports the contention that HIIT elicits higher fat oxidation in skeletal muscle than other forms of exercise. Similarly, HIIT is a good stimulus to increase maximal oxygen uptake (VO
max). Few studies have investigated the impact of HIIT on the BDNF response. The present work summarizes the effects of acute and long-term HIIT on BDNF.
Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is characterized by hypogammaglobulinemia and/or a defective antibody response to T-dependent and T-independent antigens. CVID response to immunization depends ...on the antigen type, the vaccine mechanism, and the specific patient immune defect. In CVID patients, humoral and cellular responses to the currently used COVID-19 vaccines remain unexplored. Eighteen CVID subjects receiving 2-dose anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccines were prospectively studied. S1-antibodies and S1-specific IFN-γ T cell response were determined by ELISA and FluoroSpot, respectively. The immune response was measured before the administration and after each dose of the vaccine, and it was compared to the response of 50 healthy controls (HC). The development of humoral and cellular responses was slower in CVID patients compared with HC. After completing vaccination, 83% of CVID patients had S1-specific antibodies and 83% had S1-specific T cells compared with 100% and 98% of HC (
p
= 0.014 and
p
= 0.062, respectively), but neutralizing antibodies were detected only in 50% of the patients. The strength of both humoral and cellular responses was significantly lower in CVID compared with HC, after the first and second doses of the vaccine. Absent or discordant humoral and cellular responses were associated with previous history of autoimmunity and/or lymphoproliferation. Among the three patients lacking humoral response, two had received recent therapy with anti-B cell antibodies. Further studies are needed to understand if the response to COVID-19 vaccination in CVID patients is protective enough. The 2-dose vaccine schedule and possibly a third dose might be especially necessary to achieve full immune response in these patients.
PDF
