bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prevalencia de sensibilización a alergenos en niños escolares con asma que viven en la zona metropolitana de Guadalajara
Authors: Alcalá-Padilla Guadalupe , Bedolla-Barajas Martín , Kestler-Gramajo Amanda , Valdez-López Francisco
Published: January 2018

ANTECEDENTES: la sensibilización a alergenos es dependiente de las circunstancias geográficas y climáticas de cada región; en consecuencia, identificar los agentes que más comúnmente sensibilizan a los niños con asma permite planificar medidas de prevención.OBJETIVO: determinar la prevalencia de sensibilización a alergenos en niños escolares con asma.MATERIAL Y MÉTODO: estudio transversal y prolectivo al que se incluyeron niños de 6 a 14 años de edad que padecían asma, atendidos por primera vez en un servicio de Alergología. Los pacientes se incluyeron consecutivamente entre el 1 de enero de 2014 y el 31 de diciembre de 2014. Se estimó la frecuencia de sensibilización a alergenos.RESULTADOS: se incluyeron 186 niños, la edad media del grupo fue 9.1 ± 2.5 años; 104 (55.9%) de sexo masculino y 82 (44.1%) del femenino. La mediana de pruebas positivas fue de 5 y 4/186 (2.2%) estuvieron monosensibilizados. La categoría predominante de alergenos fue la de interiores (90.3%), luego los árboles (71.0%), al final los hongos (9.7%). De manera individual, los ácaros del polvo casero fueron los más predominantes entre los alergenos de interiores, seguidos por los epitelios; en los pólenes de árboles fueron los encinos (31.7%) y los fresnos (28.0%), en las malezas destacó el estafiate (21.5%), en las gramíneas Zea mays (18.3%) y en los hongos fue Cladosporium spp (6.5%).CONCLUSIONES: la alta prevalencia de sensibilización a ácaros y epitelios en niños con asma estimula a implementar medidas de control ambiental tendientes a contribuir al mejor control de la enfermedad.
Uso de inmunoglobulina intravenosa en el embarazo. Reporte de una paciente con inmunodeficiencia común variable
Authors: Cambray-Gutiérrez Julio César , García-Ramírez Ulises Noel , Del Rivero-Hernández Leonel Gerardo , López-Pérez Patricia , Chávez-García Aurora Alejandra
Published: January 2018

Antecedentes: La inmunodeficiencia común variable es la inmunodeficiencia primaria más diagnosticada en los adultos; se caracteriza por infecciones sinopulmonares y gastrointestinales de repetición y mayor incidencia de procesos autoinmunes y malignidad. Numerosos pacientes inician con las manifestaciones clínicas durante la edad reproductiva.Caso clínico: Mujer de 34 años de edad con 12 semanas de gestación, en quien se diagnosticó inmunodeficiencia común variable después de cuadros recurrentes de rinosinusitis, faringoadmidalitis y neumonías. Durante el segundo trimestre se prescribió 0.6 g/kg de inmunoglobulina intravenosa cada 21 días; la paciente solo presentó un episodio de faringoamigdalitis, con adecuada respuesta al tratamiento con antibióticos. Durante el tercer trimestre se ajustó la dosis a cada 14 días. La paciente concluyó el embarazo a término sin complicaciones, con producto sin malformaciones y con peso y talla adecuados.Conclusiones: La administración de inmunoglobulina es el principal tratamiento para controlar la inmunodeficiencia común variable. Si bien la dosis inicial recomendada es de 400-800 mg/kg en forma intravenosa cada 3 a 4 semanas, no existe un consenso sobre la dosis que debe emplearse en la mujer que cursa con embarazo. La recomendación es realizar controles de niveles séricos antes de la infusión para determinarla y ajustarla.
Influencia de los niveles séricos de vitamina D sobre la respuesta IgE en niños escolares con asma en comunidades pobres
Authors: Egea Eduardo , Garavito Gloria , Fang-Mercado Luis Carlos , Mendoza Dary Luz , Escamilla José Miguel , De los Rios Elsie , Dennis Rodolfo , Sanchez-Borges Mario
Published: January 2018

Antecedentes: El asma es una enfermedad frecuente en el mundo y la vitamina D (Vit-D) se ha asociado con la presencia y severidad de esta enfermedad.Objetivo: Establecer la asociación entre los niveles de Vit-D y la respuesta IgE en escolares con asma residentes de cuatro ciudades colombiananas.Métodos: Estudio de casos y controles en 1340 escolares (687 asmáticos y 653 controles) de comunidades en extrema pobreza de Barranquilla, Cartagena, Santa Marta y Montería. Se midieron las concentraciones séricas de Vit-D, IgE total e IgE específica anti Dermatofagoides farinae, Periplaneta americana y Ascaris lumbricoides (AL).Resultados: Los controles reportaron concentraciones mayores de Vit-D [61.9 ± 28.4 ng/mL] que los casos [53 ± 23.3 ng/mL] (p<0.05). La IgE total fue mayor en los casos (p<0.05). Solo IgE anti-AL mostró una diferencia clara: controles, densidad óptica 0.27 ± 0.25; casos 0.22 ± 0.24 (p<0.05). La Vit-D presentó diferencias entre casos y controles en cada población.Conclusiones: No se pudo demostrar la asociación entre deficiencia de Vit-D y asma, dado que la IgE total estuvo elevada en los pacientes y en los controles. Los resultados sugieren que la Vit-D influye en la respuesta IgE específica en niños asmáticos pobres en zonas endémicas para helmintiasis.
Clínica de inmunodeficiencias primarias en adultos. Experiencia en un hospital de tercer nivel
Authors: Cambray-Gutiérrez Julio César , Herrera-Sánchez Diana Andrea , Blancas-Galicia Lizbeth , O’Farrill-Romanillos Patricia María
Published: January 2018

Antecedentes: Las inmunodeficiencias primarias (IDP) son trastornos de los componentes del sistema inmune. Las deficiencias humorales representan el 50%. Las más comunes son el déficit selectivo de IgA, agammaglobulinemia de Bruton y la inmunodeficiencia común variable (IDCV).Objetivo: Describir las características epidemiológicas y clínicas de adultos con IDP humorales, atendidos en una Clínica de Inmunodeficiencias Primarias Humorales.Métodos: Estudio descriptivo trasversal que abarcó un año de análisis, en el que se incluyeron 35 pacientes con IDP humoral. Los datos se analizaron con estadística descriptiva.Resultados: De 35 pacientes estudiados, 31 tuvieron IDCV (88.5%) y 4 (11.5%) agammaglobulinemia de Bruton; 21 fueron hombres y 14 mujeres. La edad al inicio de los síntomas fue de 22.7 años y el tiempo de retraso en el diagnóstico fue de 7.2 años; 11.4% de los pacientes con IDCV fallecieron durante el estudio; 4 padecieron neoplasias, 22.8% enfermedades autoinmunes y 48.5% alteraciones gastrointestinales. Los pacientes con agammaglobulinemia de Bruton no presentaron comorbilidades.Conclusiones: A diferencia de lo informado en la literatura, la IDCV fue la causa más común de IDP humoral en el grupo estudiado, con predominio en hombres; la alteración gastrointestinal más común fue el trastorno funcional intestinal.
Prevalencia de asma y sus síntomas en población escolar de Cuernavaca, Morelos, México
Authors: Mancilla-Hernández Eleazar , González-Solórzano Evaristo Víctor Manuel , Medina-Ávalos Miguel Alejandro , Barnica-Alvarado Raúl Humberto
Published: January 2018

Antecedentes: El asma es una enfermedad crónica que se ha incrementado en las 2 últimas décadas.Objetivo: Determinar la prevalencia de asma y sus síntomas en la ciudad de Cuernavaca, Morelos, México.Métodos: Estudio descriptivo de prevalencia en escuelas oficiales de la ciudad de Cuernavaca, Morelos, de nivel preescolar, primaria y secundaria, mediante el “Cuestionario diagnóstico de asma para estudios epidemiológicos”.Resultados: Se obtuvieron 7947 encuestas en escolares de 3 a 15 años, encontrándose una prevalencia de asma de 11.9%, 49% en niños y 51 % en niñas. En cuanto a los síntomas de asma, la mayor prevalencia la obtuvo la tos que aumenta con el frío (63%), sin embargo, en los pacientes con asma este síntoma solo se presentó en 17%; la opresión torácica tuvo la prevalencia más baja entre los síntomas (10%), sin embargo, en pacientes con asma fue de 49%.Conclusiones: Con el cuestionario diagnóstico de asma para estudios epidemiológicos se encontró una prevalencia promedio de asma de 11.9% en preescolares, escolares y alumnos de secundaria, discretamente inferior a la diagnosticada en otras ciudades del centro de México. La prevalencia de los síntomas de asma resultó más elevada que la del diagnóstico de asma.
Determinación y análisis del perfil proteico de diferentes factores de transferencia
Authors: Guidos-Fogelbach Guillermo Arturo , Paredes-Aguilar Jorge Antonio , Colín-Martínez Nayeli Montserrat , Rojo-Gutiérrez María Isabel , López-Hidalgo Marisol , Reyes-López César Augusto Sandino
Published: January 2018

Introducción: El factor de transferencia (FT) es el extracto dializable de leucocitos con propiedades de transferencia de inmunidad celular. Su uso se ha extendido en el tratamiento de una amplia gama de padecimientos inmunológicos, infecciosos y como coadyuvante de padecimientos oncológicos. A pesar de ello, no se conocen completamente aspectos importantes de su perfil proteico, concentraciones de componentes y mecanismos de acción.Objetivos: Analizar los perfiles proteicos de diferentes factores de transferencia comercializados en México.Métodos: Se obtuvieron y analizaron 6 FT comercializados en México. Se realizó la cuantificación de proteínas por el método de Bradford, cromatografía líquida de alta resolución (HPLC) y electroforesis en geles de poliacrilamida (SDS-PAGE). Todas las muestras fueron analizadas por duplicado.Resultados: Las concentraciones de proteínas totales de todos los FT analizados fueron menores de 0.2 mg/mL. Los perfiles cromatográficos mostraron diferencias en algunos FT. La concentración de proteínas resultó de 6 hasta casi mil veces más baja en comparación con lo informado por algunos fabricantes.Conclusión: Casi la totalidad de los factores de transferencia comercializados en México carecen de un etiquetado y registro sanitario que cumpla con las normas oficiales vigentes.
Conocimiento de asma: intervención educativa con la guía GINA 2014 en médicos de primer contacto
Authors: Pozo-Beltrán César Fireth , Navarrete-Rodríguez Elsy Maureen , Fernández-Soto Roberto , Navarro-Munguía Jazmín , Hall-Mondragón Margareth Sharon , Sienra-Monge Juan José Luis , Del Río-Navarro Blanca Estela
Published: January 2018

Introducción: El asma en un problema de salud pública en el mundo, por ello, la actualización de las guías para el diagnóstico y tratamiento de asma se realiza en función principalmente de la práctica de los médicos de primer contacto. Las intervenciones educativas son útiles para el incremento del conocimiento.Objetivo: Comparar el nivel de conocimiento acerca de asma antes y después de una intervención educativa.Métodos: Se realizó un estudio prospectivo cuasiexperimental, en médicos generales, familiares y pediatras que asistieron a un curso-taller relativo a aspectos generales del asma y las guías actuales para su diagnóstico y tratamiento (GINA 2014). Mediante un cuestionario constituido por 11 preguntas de opción múltiple que abordaban aspectos fundamentales de la enfermedad como diagnóstico, clasificación, tratamiento y manejo de exacerbaciones, se realizaron dos evaluaciones, una basal y otra posintervención.Resultados: Un total de 178 paciente participaron en el estudio, con un conocimiento preintervención de 25.5 puntos y posintervención de 97.5 puntos de una escala de 100, con una p<0.05.Conclusión: Las intervenciones educativas son maniobras de bajo costo y efectivas que incrementan el conocimiento de los profesionales de la salud y tienen impacto en la mejoría de la atención al paciente.
Manifestaciones clínicas de la deficiencia de IgA
Authors: De Oliveira-Serra Flavio Augusto , Mosca Tainá , Santos de Menezes Maria Conceição , Carvalho-Neves Forte Wilma
Published: January 2018

Antecedentes: La deficiencia de inmunoglobulina A (IgA) es la inmunodeficiencia primaria más frecuente. El diagnóstico oportuno y el seguimiento clínico pueden mejorar la calidad de vida de los portadores. Para ello, deben estudiarse y entenderse las manifestaciones clínicas de este trastorno.Objetivo: Determinar las manifestaciones clínicas de la deficiencia de IgA.Métodos: Estudio transversal, retrospectivo, exploratorio, realizado mediante análisis de expedientes de 39 pacientes con deficiencia de IgA.Resultados: De los pacientes analizados, 10 fueron diagnosticados con deficiencia total de IgA y 29 con deficiencia parcial. Las principales manifestaciones clínicas fueron rinoconjuntivitis y asma alérgicas. En los pacientes con deficiencia total de IgA, además de las enfermedades alérgicas se observó un mayor número de cuadros infecciosos de rinosinusitis, amigdalitis y conjuntivitis (p < 0.05).Conclusión: En el presente estudio, las principales manifestaciones clínicas de la deficiencia de IgA fueron los cuadros alérgicos de rinoconjuntivitis y el asma; además, los pacientes portadores de deficiencia total de IgA presentaron aumento significativo de cuadros infecciosos de rinosinusitis, amigdalitis y conjuntivitis, comparados con los pacientes con deficiencia parcial de IgA.
Urticaria solar. Reporte de un caso y revisión de la literatura
Authors: Raigoza María , Toro Yuliana , Sánchez Jorge
Published: January 2018

Antecedentes: La urticaria solar es un tipo infrecuente de urticaria inducible que se manifiesta con erupciones y eritema poco después de la exposición a la luz del sol o de una fuente de luz artificial; su fisiopatología aún no se comprende del todo. El tratamiento de elección, además de evitar la exposición, consiste en la administración de antihistamínicos.Caso clínico: Mujer de 27 años, sin antecedente personal de enfermedades alérgicas, con cuadro clínico de 2 años de evolución consistente en eritema y erupciones en áreas fotoexpuestas asociados con exposición a la luz del sol durante más de 10 minutos. Se realizó prueba de reto. Se decidió continuar con una dosis de fexofenadina 4 veces mayor a la convencional (720 mg/día). Seis semanas después se efectuó nuevo reto sin suspender el antihistamínico; la reacción fue menos severa, pero la paciente continuó con eritema durante los primeros 60 minutos posteriores a la exposición. Después de 3 meses con dosis altas de antihistamínicos, la paciente refirió notable mejoría en su calidad de vida y tolerancia a exposiciones cortas a luz solar (menos de 15 minutos).Conclusiones: Dado el conocimiento acerca del mecanismo fisiopatológico de esta patología, los individuos con urticaria solar tal vez podrían beneficiarse del tratamiento basado en monoclonales anti-IgE.
Determinación de la capacidad alergénica de una nueva fórmula infantil a base de leche de vaca en 7 lactantes
Authors: López Marín Beatriz Estella , Rojano Benjamín , Carvajal de Pabón Luz Marina
Published: January 2018

Antecedentes: La alergia a las proteínas de la leche de vaca es el principal problema alérgico durante el primer año de vida, debido a la poca maduración de los sistemas inmunológico y gastrointestinal. Para evitar reacciones alérgicas, el contenido y tipo de proteínas de las fórmulas infantiles se asemejan a los de la leche materna. Conforme un principio de alergología, probablemente las reacciones se deben a la cantidad de proteínas más que al tipo.Objetivo: Diseñar una nueva fórmula con leche de vaca que aporte al lactante los principales nutrientes, a un bajo costo y con menor riesgo de padecer alergias.Métodos: Proyecto realizado en 3 fases: diseño del producto, producción industrial y ensayo ex vivo para evaluar mediante la expresión del CD63 en basófilos la presencia de anemia y reacción alérgica tipo I en lactantes.Resultados: Por cada 100 calorías, el contenido de proteínas fue de 2 g, de carbohidratos de 7.2 g y de grasa de 0.5 g, mayor al valor máximo indicado (4.5 g). Microbiológicamente, la fórmula láctea propuesta se trató de un alimento inocuo. La expresión del CD63 fue baja en 57.1 % de los lactantes y alta en 42.9 %.Conclusión: La nueva fórmula no desencadenó respuesta alergénica, por lo tanto, puede suministrarse a lactantes no atópicos
Alteración laboratorial que precede a las manifestaciones clínicas de infección estafilocócica postrasplante intestinal
Authors: Carvalho-Neves Forte Wilma , Carvalho-Galvan Alliny Oliveira , Salem-Molino Pedro , Roque Thais , Mosca Tainá , Soler Wangles
Published: January 2018

Antecedentes: La infección hospitalaria, frecuentemente por Staphylococcus aureus, es una complicación importante en los pacientes con trasplante intestinal.Caso clínico: Niña de 2 años de edad sometida a trasplante de intestino delgado debido a vólvulo yeyunal. En el primer día del posoperatorio, en la sangre periférica fueron evaluados fenotipo de linfocitos, inmunoglobulinas séricas, actividad quimiotáctica y fagocitaria de neutrófilos. Se identificó disminución de la etapa de ingestión de fagocitosis neutrofílica, en comparación con los resultados de 20 niños saludables. En el segundo día, la paciente presentó fiebre baja y en el tercero, dolor abdominal. Debido a lo anterior fue sometida a laparotomía que reveló ascitis purulenta por Staphylococcus aureus. El tratamiento específico derivó en regresión rápida del cuadro infeccioso y buena evolución.Conclusiones: La disminución de la etapa de ingestión de la fagocitosis neutrofílica precedió a las manifestaciones clínicas de ascitis purulenta estafilocócica; la evaluación inmunológica contribuyó al diagnóstico y tratamiento precoces de la infección. Creemos que es importante la evaluación de la actividad neutrofílica en pacientes sometidos a trasplante intestinal, con la finalidad de diagnosticar tempranamente posibles infecciones hospitalarias.
Influencia del estilo de vida, la dieta y la vitamina D en la atopia en niños colombianos afrodescendientes
Authors: Fang-Mercado Luis Carlos , Urrego-Álvarez Juan Ricardo , Merlano-Barón Andrés Ernesto , Meza-Torres Catherine , Hernández-Bonfante Luz , López-Kleine Liliana , Marrugo-Cano Javier
Published: January 2018

Antecedentes: La prevalencia de las enfermedades alérgicas se ha incrementado en las últimas décadas. Se ha responsabilizado de este incremento a cambios en el estilo de vida, la dieta y vitamina D.Objetivo: Determinar el papel del ambiente, dieta y vitamina D en las enfermedades atópicas en una población de niños afrodescendientes colombianos.Métodos: Estudio observacional transversal y descriptivo en 200 niños afrodescendientes de áreas rural y urbana del norte de Colombia. El estilo de vida y la dieta se establecieron por cuestionarios, la atopia por pruebas cutáneas y los niveles de IgE total, específicas y vitamina D por ELISA.Resultados: La atopia fue más prevalente en la población urbana (24 % versus 7 %, p < 0.001). La Blomia tropicalis fue el alérgeno más común (80.6 %). El ACP indicó 2 patrones dietarios. En los niños del área rural fueron más altos el consumo de productos lácteos y de frutas/vegetales, lo cual se relacionó con un efecto protector en la atopia (RM, 0.21 [p < 0.037] y RM, 0.11 (p < 0.04), respectivamente). Un patrón similar se observó respecto a los niveles de IgE total y vitamina D (2450.73 versus 777.56 kU/mL [p < 0.01] y 59.32 ng/mL y 31.14 ng/mL [p < 0.001], respectivamente).Conclusión: las enfermedades alérgicas fueron menos prevalentes en los niños residentes del área rural posiblemente por el mayor consumo de productos lácteos no pasteurizados y frutas y vegetales, así como por mayores niveles de vitamina D.
Vitamina D y asma en la práctica clínica: el impacto en el control del asma
Authors: Ciprandi Giorgio , Gallo Fabio
Published: January 2018

Bedolla-Barajas et al. examinaron la insuficiencia y deficiencia de vitamina D en 135 pacientes mexicanos con asma alérgica. En ese grupo fue común la insuficiencia de vitamina D (25.2 %), así como la deficiencia (71.1 %). Vale la pena mencionar que no hubo diferencias entre los sexos.Existe creciente evidencia de que la vitamina D ejerce un efecto inmunomodulador relevante en las células inmunes, que puede explicar el estrecho vínculo entre la vitamina D y los trastornos respiratorios.
Teachers’ Strategies in Teaching Speaking Lessons on Introvert Students in Madrasah Aliyah (MA) Ja-alHaq Bengkulu.
Authors: Hakim M. Arif Rahman
Published: January 2018

Strategi Guru Bahasa Inggris dalam Mengajar Materi Speaking terhadap Siswa yang Berkarakteristik Introvert di Madrasah Aliyah (MA) Ja-alHaq Bengkulu. Kemampuan sesorang dalam berkomunikasi sering dipengaruhi oleh karakteristik kepribadiannya. Berdasarkan penelitian para ahli, terdapat dua karakter utama dalam diri seseorang, yaitu ekstrovert dan introvert. Siswa yang berkarakter introvert memiliki kemampuan yang tidak sama dengan siswa ektrovert dalam berkomunikasi bahasa asing. Untuk mengatasi problem tersebut, guru Madrasah Aliyah (MA) Ja-alHaq—sebagai objek penelitian ini—beberapa strategi agar kemampuan speaking siswa-siswinya meningkat. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk memberikan deskripsi dari guru bahasa Inggris di Indonesia yang berpengalaman dalam pengajaran speaking terkait dengan tantangan dan strategi dalam proses belajar mengajar bagi siswa yang berkarakteristik introvert. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian, dapat disimpulkan bahwa para guru disarankan untuk menerapkan diskusi, main peran, story telling, dan wawancara. Di samping itu, guru juga harus mengetahui karakter dari peserta didiknya karena dengan mengetahui kepribadian peserta didik, para guru dapat memilih strategi pembelajaran yang tepat untuk diterapkan di kelas.
Konsep al-Ashîl dan al-Dakhîl dalam Tafsir Alquran
Authors: Ulinuha Muhammad
Published: January 2018

The Concept of al-Ashîl and al-Dakhîl in the Quranic Exegesis. This study examined the concept of al-ashîl and al-dakhîl in the Quranic exegesis. These two issues were important to discuss because in the books of exegesis there were many data and information that were irrelevant to the content of verses and sublime messages of the Quran. Even authoritative exegesis books were also not sterile from the infiltration of interpretation, either in the form of historical data, ra’y (the result of ijtihad) or inner cues. Based on this, this study aimed to explain the concept of ashâlat al-mashdar (source authenticity) so that al-dakhîl fî al-tafsîr (infiltration of interpretation) could be known, criticized and evaluated. Criticism of the infiltration of quranic interpretation was necessary so that the exegesis books—as a work in direct contact with the main source of Islam—were completely cleansed from the reality of al-dakhîl.
Pemahaman Konsep Abstrak Ajaran Agama Islam pada Anak Melalui Pendekatan Sinektik dan Isyarat Analogi dalam Alquran
Authors: Amin Alfauzan
Published: January 2018

The Understanding of Abstract Concept of Islamic Teachings on Children Through a Synectic Approach and Analogic Cues in the Quran. The weakness of learning outcomes in understanding the concept of abstract has resulted in the spread of negative daily behavior. As an example of cheating behavior, disruptive behavior of other friends, dishonest behavior in the school cafeteria, truancy behavior, unsanitary and religious behavior, behaviors that can harm themselves and their environment. This paper seeks to analyze the message of the Quran that suggests that education applies the analogy method, which in reality has been realized as a synectic approach. The analysis of the discussion in this paper uses the perspective of various related theories of science; psychology, paedagogy, philosophy, and implications for related theories. As a result of the analysis, it can be concluded that the synectic approach as a form of implication step of the Quran cues about the use of analogies, is relevant to be used in learning the abstract aspect of religious teaching for children, especially for teenagers (junior high school).
Biomass Carbon Content in Schima- Castanopsis Forest of Midhills of Nepal: A Case Study from Jaisikuna Community Forest, Kaski
Authors: Tripathi Sushma , Thapa Chandra Bahadur , Sharma Amrit , Paudel Ganesh
Published: January 2018

Community forests of Nepal’s midhills have high potentiality to sequester carbon. This paper tries to analyze the biomass carbon stock in Schima-Castanopsis forest of Jaisikuna community forests of Kaski district, Nepal. Forest area was divided into two blocks and 18 sample plots (9 in each block) which were laid randomly. Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) and height of trees (DBH≥5cm) were measured using the DBH tape and clinometer. Leaf litter, herbs, grasses and seedlings were collected from 1*1m2 plot and fresh weight was taken. For calculating carbon biomass is multiplied by default value 0.47. The AGTB carbon content of Chilaune, Katus and other species were found 19.56 t/ha, 18.66 t/ha and 3.59 t/ha respectively. The AGTB of Chilaune dominated, Katus dominated and whole forest was found 43.78 t/ha, 39.83 t/ha and 41.81 t/ha respectively. Carbon content at leaf litter, herbs, grasses and seedlings was found 2.73 t/ha. Below ground biomass carbon at whole forest was found 6.27 t/ha. Total biomass and carbon of the forest was found 108.09 t/ha and 50.80 t/ha respectively. Difference in biomass and carbon content at Chilaune dominated block and Katus dominated block was found insignificant. This study record very low biomass carbon content than average of Nepal's forest but this variation in carbon stock is not necessarily due to dominant species present in the forest. Carbon estimation at forest of different elevation, aspect and location are recommended for further research. International Journal of EnvironmentVolume-6, Issue-4, Sep-Nov 2017, page: 72-84
In the era of predatory publishing: rethink before you submit
Authors: Pradhan Arun Kumar
Published: January 2018

Not available. Journal of Biomedical Sciences, Vol. 3, No. 2, 2016, Page: 16-17
Public participation and the co-production of open scientific knowledge: What is at stake?
Authors: Ferpozzi Hugo
Published: January 2018

Open access is vindicated across diverse areas of scholarly practice, where it is often expected to overcome the material and symbolic barriers that stand in the way of knowledge circulation. However, whether openness is ultimately a good thing or not also seems to depend on which kind of knowledge is being opened and for whom. In this paper I draw on different areas of science, technology and society studies (STS) to suggest that the mainstream views on open access validate practices that may also constrain the possibilities of addressing social needs via scientific knowledge. Building on the case of open access for drug development initiatives in the field of neglected tropical diseases, I elaborate on the different forms of engagement and exclusions that persist in spite of supporting open access to the research data. Two ideas derived from STS are central to this critique: cognitive exploitation (processes through which third-parties turn non for-profit knowledge outputs into profits) and the relations between central actors and peripheries of scientific production. My claim is that the lack of capacities and the interposition of international, biologically-centered research agendas – not access restrictions per se – can hinder the utilization of locally applicable knowledge, deterring public participation in disadvantaged contexts.
Open scientific journals: Emerging practices and approaches
Authors: Appel Andre Luiz , Albagli Sarita , Maciel Maria Lucia
Published: January 2018

This study aims to show how the concept of openness has been manifested and amplified in the universe of open access scholarly journals, pointing out emerging characteristics and practices linked to processes of submission, evaluation, revision, editing, publishing, editing, distribution, access and use of texts for publication. We proceeded to an overview and discussion of the pertinent literature and the identification and analysis of open access journals which have addressed the issue, and to the identification and analysis of cases of open access journals which have been adopting innovative practices, based on information on editorial policies available on their websites. Among the results, we have pointed out aspects of the publications examined, such as the types of licenses used, policies regarding access to research data, publishing formats, charges and alternative metrics of evaluation.
RETRACTED: The Effect of MCM3AP-AS1/miR-211/KLF5/AGGF1 Axis Regulating Glioblastoma Angiogenesis
Authors: Yang Chunqing , Zheng Jian , Xue Yixue , Yu Hai , Liu Xiaobai , Ma Jun , Liu Libo , Wang Ping , Li Zhen , Cai Heng , Liu Yunhui
Published: January 2018

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive and malignant primary tumor. Angiogenesis plays a critical role in the progression of GBM. Previous studies have indicated that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are abnormally expressed in various cancers and participate in the regulation of the malignant behaviors of tumors. The present study demonstrated that lncRNA antisense 1 to Micro-chromosome maintenance protein 3-associated protein (MCM3AP-AS1) was upregulated whereas miR-211 was downregulated in glioma-associated endothelial cells (GECs). Knockdown of MCM3AP-AS1 suppressed the cell viability, migration, and tube formation of GECs and played a role in inhibiting angiogenesis of GBM in vitro. Furthermore, knockdown of MCM3AP-AS1 increased the expression of miR-211. Luciferase reporter assay implicated that miR-211 targeted KLF5 3′-UTR and consequently inhibited KLF5 expression. Besides, in this study we found that MCM3AP-AS1 knockdown decreased KLF5 and AGGF1 expression by upregulating miR-211. In addition, KLF5 was associated with the promoter region of AGGF1. Knockdown of KLF5 decreased AGGF1 expression by transcriptional repression, and also inhibited the activation of PI3K/AKT and ERK1/2 signaling pathways. Overall, this study reveals that MCM3AP-AS1/miR-211/KLF5/AGGF1 axis plays a prominent role in the regulation of GBM angiogenesis and also serves as new therapeutic target for the anti-angiogenic therapy of glioma.
RETRACTED: Icariin Reduces Dopaminergic Neuronal Loss and Microglia-Mediated Inflammation in Vivo and in Vitro
Authors: Wang Guo-Qing , Li Dai-Di , Huang Chun , Lu Di-Sheng , Zhang Chao , Zhou Shao-Yu , Liu Jie , Zhang Feng
Published: January 2018

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases characterized with a gradual loss of midbrain substantia nigra (SN) dopamine (DA) neurons. An excessive evidence demonstrated that microglia-mediated inflammation might be involved in the pathogenesis of PD. Thus, inhibition of neuroinflammation might possess a promising potential for PD treatment. Icariin (ICA), a single active component extracted from the Herba Epimedii, presents amounts of pharmacological properties, such as anti-inflammation, anti-oxidant, and anti-aging. Recent studies show ICA produced neuroprotection against brain dysfunction. However, the mechanisms underlying ICA-exerted neuroprotection are fully illuminated. In the present study, two different neurotoxins of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced rat midbrain DA neuronal damage were applied to investigate the neuroprotective effects of ICA. In addition, primary rat midbrain neuron-glia co-cultures were performed to explore the mechanisms underlying ICA-mediated DA neuroprotection. In vitro data showed that ICA protected DA neurons from LPS/6-OHDA-induced DA neuronal damage and inhibited microglia activation and pro-inflammatory factors production via the suppression of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway activation. In animal results, ICA significantly reduced microglia activation and significantly attenuated LPS/6-OHDA-induced DA neuronal loss and subsequent animal behavior changes. Together, ICA could protect DA neurons against LPS- and 6-OHDA-induced neurotoxicity both in vivo and in vitro. These actions might be closely associated with the inhibition of microglia-mediated neuroinflammation.
Impact of Drizzle-Sized Cloud Particles on Production of Precipitation in Hailstorms: A Sensitivity Study
Authors: Kovačević Nemanja , Veljovic Katarina
Published: January 2018

This sensitivity study examined the impact of drizzle on hailstorm characteristics and precipitation on the ground. A cloud-resolving mesoscale model with a two-moment bulk microphysical scheme is modified by introducing mixing ratio and number concentration of drizzle. Therefore, the cloud model integrates the mixing ratio and number concentration of the eight microphysical particles: cloud droplets, drizzle, raindrops, cloud ice, snowflakes, graupel, frozen raindrops and hailstones. We compared two microphysical schemes depending on whether drizzle particles are present or not. It can be noted that the presence of drizzle category slows the development of the rain in the hailstorm and its appearance on the ground. The increased values of radar reflectivity factor in simulations with drizzle are a result of significantly higher values of raindrop number concentration rather than their sizes and indicate the presence of hail as well. There are prominent decreases of the radar reflectivity factor in simulations with drizzle. The occurrence of heavy showers does not exist in results without drizzle. The absence of drizzle category leads to greater accumulations of rain and a wider area of downdrafts. The alternate case produces both weaker downdrafts and smaller area of downdraft cells due to a slower autoconversion of drizzle to rain and a smaller rain evaporation. A smaller amount of surface hail is expected in the non-drizzle case.
Acknowledgement to Reviewers of Atmosphere in 2017
Authors:   Atmosphere Editorial Office
Published: January 2018

Peer review is an essential part in the publication process, ensuring that Atmosphere maintains high quality standards for its published papers.[...]
Response of Fibroblasts MRC-5 to Flufenamic Acid-Grafted MCM-41 Nanoparticles
Authors: Lara Giovanna , Cipreste Marcelo , Andrade Gracielle , Silva Wellington , Sousa Edésia
Published: January 2018

Recently, flufenamic acid (FFA) was discovered among fenamates as a free radical scavenger and gap junction blocker; however, its effects have only been studied in cancer cells. Normal cells in the surroundings of a tumor also respond to radiation, although they are not hit by it directly. This phenomenon is known as the bystander effect, where response molecules pass from tumor cells to normal ones, through communication channels called gap junctions. The use of the enhanced permeability and retention effect, through which drug-loaded nanoparticles smaller than 200 nm may accumulate around a tumor, can prevent the local side effect upon controlled release of the drug. The present work, aimed at functionalizing MCM-41 (Mobil Composition of Matter No. 41) silica nanoparticles with FFA and determining its biocompatibility with human fibroblasts MRC-5 (Medical Research Council cell strain 5). MCM-41, was synthesized and characterized structurally and chemically, with multiple techniques. The biocompatibility assay was performed by Live/Dead technique, with calcein and propidium–iodide. MRC-5 cells were treated with FFA-grafted MCM-41 for 48 h, and 98% of cells remained viable, without signs of necrosis or morphological changes. The results show the feasibility of MCM-41 functionalization with FFA, and its potential protection of normal cells, in comparison to the role of FFA in cancerous ones.
The Kiss Switch Brings Inactive R3C Ligase Ribozyme Back to Life
Authors: Tanizawa Kana , Uchida Sayuri , Kurihara Eri , Umehara Takuya , Tamura Koji
Published: January 2018

R3C ligase ribozyme catalyzes the nucleophilic attack by a 3′-hydroxyl on a 5′-α-phosphorus of triphosphates to form a 3′-5′-phosphodiester bond. In the present study, although the truncation of R3C ribozyme was accompanied by a large reduction in ligation activity (decrease by two orders of magnitude compared to that of the ligated product of full-length R3C ribozyme after 18.5 h at 23 °C), the introduction of complementary seven-membered kissing-loops served as a “switch” to reactivate the truncated R3C ribozyme with approximately one-fifth of the activity of the full-length R3C ribozyme. This reactivation occurred in a trans-manner, and the grip region and substrate-binding site of the truncated R3C ribozyme were necessary to locate the substrate in the proper position for ligation with the other molecule. Reactivation resulted from complex tertiary interactions between two ribozymes, including kissing-loop interaction-induced annealing and the formation of a stable duplex. The drastic increase of the activity of poorly active ribozymes through the kissing-loop interaction may provide an important clue into the acquisition of substantial activity during the evolution of the RNA world.
Immobilized Burkholderia cepacia Lipase on pH-Responsive Pullulan Derivatives with Improved Enantioselectivity in Chiral Resolution
Authors: Xu Li , Cui Guli , Ke Caixia , Fan Yanli , Yan Yunjun
Published: January 2018

A kind of pH-responsive particle was synthesized using modified pullulan polysaccharide. The synthesized particle possessed a series of merits, such as good dispersity, chemical stability and variability of particle size, making it a suitable carrier for enzyme immobilization. Then, Burkholderia cepacia lipase (BCL), a promising biocatalyst in transesterification reaction, was immobilized on the synthesized particle. The highest catalytic activity and immobilization efficiency were achieved at pH 6.5 because the particle size was obviously enlarged and correspondingly the adsorption surface for BCL was significantly increased. The immobilization enzyme loading was further optimized, and the derivative lipase was applied in chiral resolution. Under the optimal reaction conditions, the immobilized BCL showed a very good performance and significantly shortened the reaction equilibrium time from 30 h of the free lipase to 2 h with a conversion rate of 50.0% and ees at 99.2%. The immobilized lipase also exhibited good operational stability; after being used for 10 cycles, it still retained over 80% of its original activity. Moreover, it could keep more than 80% activity after storage for 20 days at room temperature in a dry environment. In addition, to learn the potential mechanism, the morphology of the particles and the immobilized lipase were both characterized with a scanning electron microscope and confocal laser scanning microscopy. It was found that the enlarged spherical surface of the particle in low pH values probably led to high immobilized efficiency, resulting in the improvement of enantioselectivity activity in chiral resolution.
Personal Care Products Are Only One of Many Exposure Routes of Natural Toxic Substances to Humans and the Environment
Authors: Bucheli Thomas , Strobel Bjarne , Hansen Hans
Published: January 2018

The special issue “A Critical View on Natural Substances in Personal Care Products” is dedicated to addressing the multidisciplinary special challenges of natural ingredients in personal care products (PCP) and addresses also environmental exposure. In this perspective article, we argue that environmental exposure is probably not so much dominated by PCP use, but in many cases by direct emission from natural or anthropogenically managed vegetation, including agriculture. In support of this hypothesis, we provide examples of environmental fate and behaviour studies for compound classes that are either listed in the International Nomenclature of Cosmetics Ingredients (INCI) or have been discussed in a wider context of PCP applications and have been classified as potentially harmful to humans and the environment. Specifically, these include estrogenic isoflavones, the carcinogenic ptaquiloside and pyrrolizidine alkaloids, saponins, terpenes and terpenoids, such as artemisinin, and mycotoxins. Research gaps and challenges in the domains of human and environmental exposure assessment of natural products common to our currently rather separated research communities are highlighted.
Information Entropy Production of Maximum Entropy Markov Chains from Spike Trains
Authors: Cofré Rodrigo , Maldonado Cesar
Published: January 2018

The spiking activity of neuronal networks follows laws that are not time-reversal symmetric; the notion of pre-synaptic and post-synaptic neurons, stimulus correlations and noise correlations have a clear time order. Therefore, a biologically realistic statistical model for the spiking activity should be able to capture some degree of time irreversibility. We use the thermodynamic formalism to build a framework in the context maximum entropy models to quantify the degree of time irreversibility, providing an explicit formula for the information entropy production of the inferred maximum entropy Markov chain. We provide examples to illustrate our results and discuss the importance of time irreversibility for modeling the spike train statistics.
Automated Multiclass Classification of Spontaneous EEG Activity in Alzheimer’s Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment
Authors: Ruiz-Gómez Saúl , Gómez Carlos , Poza Jesús , Gutiérrez-Tobal Gonzalo , Tola-Arribas Miguel , Cano Mónica , Hornero Roberto
Published: January 2018

The discrimination of early Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and its prodromal form (i.e., mild cognitive impairment, MCI) from cognitively healthy control (HC) subjects is crucial since the treatment is more effective in the first stages of the dementia. The aim of our study is to evaluate the usefulness of a methodology based on electroencephalography (EEG) to detect AD and MCI. EEG rhythms were recorded from 37 AD patients, 37 MCI subjects and 37 HC subjects. Artifact-free trials were analyzed by means of several spectral and nonlinear features: relative power in the conventional frequency bands, median frequency, individual alpha frequency, spectral entropy, Lempel–Ziv complexity, central tendency measure, sample entropy, fuzzy entropy, and auto-mutual information. Relevance and redundancy analyses were also conducted through the fast correlation-based filter (FCBF) to derive an optimal set of them. The selected features were used to train three different models aimed at classifying the trials: linear discriminant analysis (LDA), quadratic discriminant analysis (QDA) and multi-layer perceptron artificial neural network (MLP). Afterwards, each subject was automatically allocated in a particular group by applying a trial-based majority vote procedure. After feature extraction, the FCBF method selected the optimal set of features: individual alpha frequency, relative power at delta frequency band, and sample entropy. Using the aforementioned set of features, MLP showed the highest diagnostic performance in determining whether a subject is not healthy (sensitivity of 82.35% and positive predictive value of 84.85% for HC vs. all classification task) and whether a subject does not suffer from AD (specificity of 79.41% and negative predictive value of 84.38% for AD vs. all comparison). Our findings suggest that our methodology can help physicians to discriminate AD, MCI and HC.
Cyanobacteria and Microalgae: Thermoeconomic Considerations in Biofuel Production
Authors: Lucia Umberto , Grisolia Giulia
Published: January 2018

In thermodynamics, the useful work in any process can be evaluated by using the exergy quantity. The analyses of irreversibility are fundamental in the engineering design and in the productive processes’ development in order to obtain the economic growth. Recently, the use has been improved also in the thermodynamic analysis of the socio-economic context. Consequently, the exergy lost is linked to the energy cost required to maintain the productive processes themselves. The fundamental role of the fluxes and the interaction between systems and their environment is highlighted. The equivalent wasted primary resource value for the work-hour is proposed as an indicator to support the economic considerations on the biofuel production by using biomass and bacteria. The equivalent wasted primary resource value for the work-hour is proposed as an indicator to support the economic considerations of the biofuel production by using biomass and bacteria. Moreover, the technological considerations can be developed by using the exergy inefficiency. Consequently, bacteria use can be compared with other means of biofuel production, taking into account both the technologies and the economic considerations. Cyanobacteria results as the better organism for biofuel production.
Optimal Sizing of Energy Storage Systems for the Energy Procurement Problem in Multi-Period Markets under Uncertainties
Authors: Konishi Ryusuke , Takeda Akiko , Takahashi Masaki
Published: January 2018

In deregulated electricity markets, minimizing the procurement costs of electricity is a critical problem for procurement agencies (PAs). However, uncertainty is inevitable for PAs and includes multiple factors such as market prices, photovoltaic system (PV) output and demand. This study focuses on settlements in multi-period markets (a day-ahead market and a real-time market) and the installation of energy storage systems (ESSs). ESSs can be utilized for time arbitrage in the day-ahead market and to reduce the purchasing/selling of electricity in the real-time market. However, the high costs of an ESS mean the size of the system needs to be minimized. In addition, when determining the size of an ESS, it is important to identify the size appropriate for each role. Therefore, we employ the concept of a “slow” and a “fast” ESS to quantify the size of a system’s role, based on the values associated with the various uncertainties. Because the problem includes nonlinearity and non-convexity, we solve it within a realistic computational burden by reformulating the problem using reasonable assumptions. Therefore, this study identifies the optimal sizes of ESSs and procurement, taking into account the uncertainties of prices in multi-period markets, PV output and demand.
The Aging Mitochondria
Authors: Theurey Pierre , Pizzo Paola
Published: January 2018

Mitochondrial dysfunction is a central event in many pathologies and contributes as well to age-related processes. However, distinguishing between primary mitochondrial dysfunction driving aging and a secondary mitochondrial impairment resulting from other cell alterations remains challenging. Indeed, even though mitochondria undeniably play a crucial role in aging pathways at the cellular and organismal level, the original hypothesis in which mitochondrial dysfunction and production of free radicals represent the main driving force of cell degeneration has been strongly challenged. In this review, we will first describe mitochondrial dysfunctions observed in aged tissue, and how these features have been linked to mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS)–mediated cell damage and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations. We will also discuss the clues that led to consider mitochondria as the starting point in the aging process, and how recent research has showed that the mitochondria aging axis represents instead a more complex and multifactorial signaling pathway. New working hypothesis will be also presented in which mitochondria are considered at the center of a complex web of cell dysfunctions that eventually leads to cell senescence and death.
Methods for Using Small Non-Coding RNAs to Improve Recombinant Protein Expression in Mammalian Cells
Authors: Inwood Sarah , Betenbaugh Michael , Shiloach Joseph
Published: January 2018

The ability to produce recombinant proteins by utilizing different “cell factories” revolutionized the biotherapeutic and pharmaceutical industry. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are the dominant industrial producer, especially for antibodies. Human embryonic kidney cells (HEK), while not being as widely used as CHO cells, are used where CHO cells are unable to meet the needs for expression, such as growth factors. Therefore, improving recombinant protein expression from mammalian cells is a priority, and continuing effort is being devoted to this topic. Non-coding RNAs are RNA segments that are not translated into a protein and often have a regulatory role. Since their discovery, major progress has been made towards understanding their functions. Non-coding RNA has been investigated extensively in relation to disease, especially cancer, and recently they have also been used as a method for engineering cells to improve their protein expression capability. In this review, we provide information about methods used to identify non-coding RNAs with the potential of improving recombinant protein expression in mammalian cell lines.