In 1967, the founding of the Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica (Conicyt) constituted a milestone by creating a national and public body, different from the university, which ...coordinated and financed scientific-technological activity, linked to the productive development in Chile, and the history of Latin American research councils. Conicyt led a demanding process by debating the contents of a scientific policy in a period in which Chile experienced opposing political-economic development models that conditioned its formulation and objectives. This article characterizes the origins and development of this commission from 1967 to 1981 when the Fondo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología was created and a new institutional stage began.
The orchid Prosthechea karwinskii is a medicinal orchid in Oaxaca, Mexico, used to treat diabetes, cough, wounds, and burns, prevent miscarriage and assist in labor. Each part of the plant (leaves, ...pseudobulbs, or flowers) is used by healers for certain treatment conditions, indicating that each part has different biocompounds with specific pharmacological activity.
To characterize the biocompounds in extracts from leaves, pseudobulbs, and flowers of P. karwinskii and evaluate their ROS inhibition capacity to associate it with medicinal uses.
The compounds present in extracts from leaves, pseudobulbs, and flowers of P. karwinskii were identified by UPLC-ESI-qTOF-MS/MS. The chemical differentiation of each extract was tested by principal component analysis (PCA) using compound intensity values. For each extract, total phenol and flavonoid contents were quantified. Their antioxidant capacity was evaluated ex vivo by inhibition of ROS with DCFH-DA and in vitro with DPPH radical.
Based on the PCA, it was observed that some compounds were completely separated from others according to the correlation that they presented. The compounds common to all three plant parts were quinic, malic, succinic, azelaic, and pinellic acids. Among the compounds identified, two were exclusive to leaves, four to pseudobulbs, and ten to flowers. Some of the identified compounds have well-known antioxidant activity. The leaves had the highest content of total phenols and flavonoids, and the highest in vitro and ex vivo antioxidant capacity. A strong correlation was observed between phenol and flavonoid contents, and antioxidant capacity ex vivo and in vitro.
It was found that the bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity of each part of the plant were associated with its traditional medicinal use. A pharmacological potential was also found in P. karwinskii for further biological studies because of the type of compounds it contained.
•Compounds common and specific to each plant part were identified by UPLC-ESI-qTOF-MS/MS.•The biological activities reported for the identified compounds validate the traditional medicinal use of P. karwinskii.•Embelin (inflammation) is exclusive to leaves, phloridzin (diabetes) to pseudobulbs, and abscisic acid (in labor) to flowers.•In the literature, the antioxidant compounds are rutin, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, embelin, guanosine, and azelaic acid.•Pearson's correlation coefficients indicate that a higher content of phenols and flavonoids has a higher antioxidant capacity.
Phenols; Flavonoids; DCFH-DA; Antioxidant; Orchid; Traditional medicine.
Captioning and Subtitling for d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing Audiences is a comprehensive guide to the theory and practice of captioning and subtitling, a discipline that has evolved quickly in recent ...years. This guide is of a practical nature and contains examples and exercises at the end of each chapter. Some of the tasks stimulate reflection on the practice and reception, while others focus on particular captioning and SDH areas, such as paralinguistic features, music and sound effects.The requirements of d/Deaf and hard of hearing audiences are analysed in detail and are accompanied by linguistic and technical considerations. These considerations, though shared with generic subtitling parameters, are discussed specifically with d/Deaf and hard of hearing audiences in mind. The reader will become familiar with the characteristics and needs of d/Deaf and hard of hearing audiences, and the diversity – including cultural and linguistic differences – within this group of people. Based on first-hand experience in the field, the book also provides a step-by-step guide to making live performances accessible to d/Deaf and hard of hearing audiences. As well as exploring all linguistic and technical matters related to the creation of captions, aspects related to the overall set up of the captioned performance are discussed. The guide will be valuable reading to students of audiovisual translation at undergraduate and postgraduate level, to professional subtitlers and captioners, and to any organisation or venue that engages with d/Deaf and hard of hearing people. ; Captioning and Subtitling for d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing Audiences is a comprehensive guide to the theory and practice of captioning and subtitling.
The orchid Prosthechea karwinskii is a species endemic to Mexico, which is used in traditional medicine to lower glucose levels in patients with diabetes, and to treat inflammation-related problems. ...Recent studies have shown that this orchids can reduce glucose, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels in Wistar rats, which were previously induced to have metabolic syndrome (MS).
To evaluate the effect of P. karwinskii leaves extract on the components of metabolic syndrome: obesity, insulin resistance, pro-inflammatory status, and cardiovascular risk in a Wistar rat model, and to identify the bioactive compounds in the extract.
UPLC-ESI-qTOF-MS/MS was used to identify the compounds present in the extract. MS was induced in Wistar rats through administration of a 40% sucrose diet for 20 weeks. The rats were divided into five groups that received different treatments for 4 weeks: one group without any treatment, one group receiving metformin (200 mg/kg p.o.), and three groups receiving different doses of P. karwinskii leaves extract (100, 200, and 300 mg/kg p.o.). The animals’ body weights were recorded weekly, and at the end of the experiment, they were sacrificed after fasting for 18 h to determine the levels of glucose, insulin, insulin resistance index, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and adiponectin in the serum, as well as levels of TNF-α and HS-CRP in the serum and liver homogenates. The abdominal and pericardial fat weights were also recorded.
The main bioactive compounds of the extract were quinic acid, neochlorogenic acid, chlorogenic acid, rutin, kaempferol-3-o-β-rutinoside, and embelin, known to exhibit MS-related bioactivity. Oral administration of P. karwinskii leaves extract at a dose of 300 mg/kg decreased weight gain, abdominal and pericardial fat deposits, and insulin resistance. At the end of the treatment, levels of triglycerides, TNF-α, HS-CRP, and adiponectin returned to levels similar to normal.
P. karwinskii extract (300 mg/kg) had an anti-obesity effect, decreased insulin resistance, pro-inflammatory status, and cardiovascular risk in rats with induced MS by increasing adiponectin levels and decreasing TNF-α and HS-CRP levels. The compounds identified in the extract could be responsible for these effects, acting alone or in synergy, as several compounds in the extract are known to have MS-related bioactivity. The foliar extract of P. karwinskii has potential as an effective alternative to a cocktail of drugs used to treat problems associated with MS.
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Prosthechea karwinskii (Mart.) J.M.H. Shaw is a Mexican orchid used in traditional medicine by some indigenous communities to treat issues related to inflammation (cough, wounds, burns, and ...diabetes). Pharmacological research of this orchid could validate its therapeutic uses and demonstrate its potential for treating other health conditions of high prevalence in Mexico, including those associated with oxidative stress such as diabetes, cancer, atherosclerosis, and hypertension as well as inflammation.
The leaf extract from P. karwinskii was examined to identify its compounds and elucidate its inhibitory effect on reactive oxygen species as well as its anti-inflammatory activity and gastroprotective effects in an animal model.
Compounds were identified via ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization with quadrupole time of flight-mass spectrometry. Inhibition of reactive oxygen species was determined ex vivo in peripheral blood mononuclear cells with 2′,7′-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate. The anti-inflammatory activity was assessed using a carrageenan-induced paw edema model in Wistar rats; nitric oxide and tumor necrosis factor alpha levels were quantified. The gastroprotective effect was evaluated in Wistar rats with indomethacin-induced gastric injury.
Nine compounds were identified in the P. karwinskii leaf extract. Most compounds, such as quinic acid, malic acid, neochlorogenic acid, chlorogenic acid, rutin, embelin, pinellic acid, and azelaic acid, were reported to exhibit antioxidant and/or anti-inflammatory activity. The extract was also found to inhibit reactive oxygen species in the ex vivo model. Unlike other anti-inflammatory drugs, the extract exerted a dual effect: anti-inflammatory activity and protection of the gastric mucosa. The results showed that the extract could significantly inhibit the release of nitric oxide without a dose-response relationship.
P. karwinskii leaf extract inhibited reactive oxygen species and exerted an anti-inflammatory effect. Moreover, this extract did not induce gastric damage in the animals. The bioactivity of the species was found to support its use in traditional medicine. This orchid could be used to treat inflammatory diseases without causing the side effects associated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. It can also be employed to treat other pathological conditions associated with oxidative stress. The findings herein form the basis for the future discovery of natural products that may serve as safe alternative therapies for inflammatory disorders.
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Gastric injury is mainly described by inflammation of the gastric epithelium. Recently, our group of work demonstrated that
leaves extract induces both an
antioxidative action and an
gastroprotective ...effect in a rat. However, the molecules involved in the gastroprotective action by
are not known. Thus, the aim of this study is to determine whether
extract modifies anti-inflammatory and antioxidative biomarkers in an
model of indomethacin-induced gastric injury. Rats were orally administered with indomethacin and
leaf extract. Our results suggest that the gastroprotective effect of
leaf extract is related to the reduction in leukocyte infiltration and antioxidative action in a model of indomethacin-induced gastric injury. Further studies are warranted to investigate the role of the compounds identified in the gastroprotective action of
leaves extract.
OBJECTIVEVentilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a serious complication of mechanical ventilation (MV). However, data on VAP in patients on prolonged MV (PMV) are scarce. We aimed to describe the ...characteristics of VAP patients on PMV and to identify factors associated with mortality. METHODSThis was a retrospective cohort study including VAP patients on PMV. We recorded baseline characteristics, as well as 30-day and 90-day mortality rates. Variables associated with mortality were determined by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox regression model. RESULTSWe identified 80 episodes of VAP in 62 subjects on PMV. The medians for age, Charlson Comorbidity Index, SOFA score, and days on MV were, respectively, 69.5 years, 5, 4, and 56 days. Episodes of VAP occurred between days 21 and 50 of MV in 28 patients (45.2%) and, by day 90 of MV, in 48 patients (77.4%). The 30-day and 90-day mortality rates were 30.0% and 63.7%, respectively. There were associations of 30-day mortality with the SOFA score (hazard ratio HR = 1.30; 95% CI: 1.12-1.52; p < 0.001) and use of vasoactive agents (HR = 4.0; 95% CI: 1.2-12.9; p = 0.02), whereas 90-day mortality was associated with age (HR = 1.03; 95% CI: 1.00-1.05; p = 0.003), SOFA score (HR = 1.20; 95% CI: 1.07-1.34; p = 0.001), use of vasoactive agents (HR = 4.07; 95% CI: 1.93-8.55; p < 0.001), and COPD (HR = 3.35; 95% CI: 1.71-6.60; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONSMortality rates in VAP patients on PMV are considerably high. The onset of VAP can occur various days after MV initiation. The SOFA score is useful for predicting fatal outcomes. The factors associated with mortality could help guide therapeutic decisions and determine prognosis.
The mec-independent oxacillin non-susceptible S. aureus (MIONSA) strains represent a great clinical challenge, as they are not easily detected and can lead to treatment failure. However, the ...responsible molecular mechanisms are still very little understood. Here, we studied four clinical ST8-MSSA-t024 isolates recovered during the course of antibiotic treatment from a patient suffering successive episodes of bacteremia. The first isolates (SAMS1, SAMS2, and SAMS3) were susceptible to cefoxitin and oxacillin. The last one (SA2) was susceptible to cefoxitin, resistant to oxacillin, lacked mec genes, and had reduced susceptibility to teicoplanin. SA2 showed higher β-lactamase activity than SAMS1. However, β-lactamase hyperproduction could not be linked to oxacillin resistance as it was not inhibited by clavulanic acid, and no genetic changes that could account for its hyperproduction were found. Importantly, we hereby report the in vivo acquisition and coexistence of different adaptive mutations in genes associated with peptidoglycan synthesis (pbp2, rodA, stp1, yjbH, and yvqF/vraT), which is possibly related with the development of oxacillin resistance and reduced susceptibility to teicoplanin in SA2. Using three-dimensional models and PBP binding assays, we demonstrated the high contribution of the SA2 PBP2 Ala450Asp mutation to the observed oxacillin resistance phenotype. Our results should be considered as a warning for physicians and microbiologists in the region, as MIONSA detection and treatment represent an important clinical challenge.
El artículo busca mostrar el aporte realizado por asistentes sociales, enfermeras y matronas a la exitosa política de salud pública de mediados del siglo XX en Chile, llevada a cabo por el Servicio ...Nacional de Salud en el marco de un modelo de desarrollo estatista y benefactor. Se han utilizado fuentes documentales de diverso tipo y testimonios de asistentes, enfermeras y matronas entrevistadas para la investigación. Las profesionales, encargadas fundamentalmente de tareas operativas y en contacto directo con la población usuaria del Servicio Nacional de Salud, fueron artífices de la instalación de una verdadera pedagogía sanitaria que cambió el patrón epidemiológico y trastocó la cultura de la población chilena, incidiendo en la valoración del autocuidado y la prevención. Como ejecutoras, sortearon las dificultades inherentes al trabajo burocratizado de los programas sociales pero, a la vez, recibieron gratificaciones diversas de tipo afectivo y altruista, que las hizo sentirse protagonistas de una construcción histórica.
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