Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

The moisture content influences the physical-mechanical and viscoelastic properties of wheat grains. A higher moisture content markedly reduced the hardness and elasticity of grains while increasing axial dimensions and plastic work. This research aimed to analyze the physical-mechanical and viscoelastic properties of wheat grains from four improved Mexican varieties. To achieve this, the small-strain uniaxial compression method was employed, considering 12%, 16%, and 20% moisture content levels. Additionally, the study sought to identify potential correlations between these properties. For the viscoelastic properties, statistically significant differences were observed among the varieties in terms of total (Wt), elastic (We), and plastic work (Wp), as well as the degree of elasticity (DE). These parameters showed a gradual decrease with increasing moisture content. The study also revealed significant correlations between specific biophysical and viscoelastic properties. Notably, negative correlations (P<0.05) were found between DE and thickness and length dimensions. Furthermore, the bulk density exhibited highly significant negative correlations (P<0.01) with Wp and highly significant positive correlations (P<0.01) with DE. Regarding viscoelastic properties, the Z1 and X5 varieties exhibited superior performance, showing favorable outcomes in Wt and We and their physical-mechanical characteristics.

Acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) is the most critical shrimp disease due to the economic losses registered worldwide. Herbal remedy is one of the most important eco-friendly strategies due to its content of natural bioactive compounds than can act against bacterial diseases. In the present study, organisms of P. vannamei were challenged with a strain of V. parahaemolyticus-AHPND. A simple experimental design was performed to compare the survival rate among five different commercial herbal extracts concentrations of Tetrayou® and Feed Ad® against a control treatment. Gross observation and histopathology were carried out on moribund organisms. Significant differences were observed (p<0.05) where organisms fed with T5 (400 mg Tetrayou®/Kg of commercial feed + 1g Feed Ad®/Kg of commercial feed), showed the highest survival value (73 ± 5.8%) in comparison to the rest of experimental treatments. Gross observation showed the characteristic signs of AHPND which were supported by histopathological analysis. It was concluded that Tetrayou® and Feed Ad® are suitable products to enhance the survival rate of P. vannamei when exposed to AHPND.

This study aimed to formulate gels using 1% (w/v) lowmethoxyl pectin, 0.5% (w/v) glycerol, and 0.5 mM calcium chloride to develop films, alone or in combination with M. guilliermondii, through the casting method, to obtain an antifungal edible coating. The gels obtained were characterized rheologically by frequency sweep and gelation kinetics. The effect of yeast addition on thickness, morphology, differential ΔE*, tensile strength, percent elongation at break, elastic modulus of films, and its antifungal activity against Colletotrichum gloeosporioides from papaya fruit were evaluated. The film-forming dispersions proved to be true gels, showing viscoelastic behavior and narrow molecular structure typical of cross-linked polymers. These gels presented structural stability, and their texture could allow immersion or atomization applications. Films alone and those added with M. guilliermondii showed thickness values of 0.034 and 0.02 mm, respectively. ESEM revealed changes in the film’s morphology with yeasts, demonstrating the entrapment of the biocontrol agent. The yeast’s addition to the films improved all the mechanical parameter values and achieved a complete inhibition of C. gloeosporioides. This research provides new pectin-based systems which are viable candidates to produce antifungal edible-coating with entrapped M. guilliermondii that could protect fruits and vegetables against postharvest diseases.

In recent years, tortillas made with pigmented maize have garnered interest due to their contribution of polyphenols, considered natural antioxidant compounds with antihypertensive, antidiabetic, and anti-carcinogenic properties. In maize, the greatest contribution of polyphenols is in insoluble form. These secondary metabolites are released by the colonic microbiota making them more bioaccessible to the organism. In the present work, bioaccessibility, release of phenolic compounds, and antioxidant activity by colonic microbiota in tortillas, made with nixtamalized (NMT) and extruded (EMT) blue maize, were evaluated and compared. EMT had higher protein, lipid, and ash content than NMT. However, NMT had higher anthocyanin content than its counterpart EMT (4.01 and 2.28 mg CGE/100 g, dw). The bound phenolic fraction in both tortillas represents > 80 %. At 5 h of in vitro fermentation by colonic microbiota, NMT showed the highest average in phenolic release, bioaccessibility, and antioxidant activity [11.78 mg GAE/ g, dw, 88.23 %, and 569.82 (ORAC) and 26.76 (ABTS) µmol TE/g] than EMT. The use of traditional nixtamalization to produce maize tortillas will continue to be the main process that brings health benefits to consumers.

Sports professionals prioritize athlete body composition (BC) due to its relationship to performance. Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) estimates BC using predictive equations, and validating these equations is essential to determine their utility. The aim of this study was to externally validate four bioelectrical impedance equations for predicting body composition in Mexican recreational runners using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) as a reference method. This external validation pilot study followed a comparative, cross-sectional design and included 30 Mexican male recreational runners (aged 38.0 ± 10.7 years). BC was measured using DXA and four BIA equations. A paired t-test was performed to evaluate differences between methods. Equivalent testing, Simple linear regression, and Bland-Altman analysis were carried out to evaluate agreement between methods. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Non-significant differences were found between DXA and predicted values with Macias et al. (2007) and Lukaski and Bolonchuk (1987) equations (p < 0.05). These equations provided equivalence at 5% regions and non-significant bias. In conclusion, Lukaski and Bolonchuk (1987) demonstrate the most accurate equations for the current sample. These equations showed promising results for measuring BC in a cohort of runners; however, caution is advised when applying them to individual tracking.

Eucalyptus camaldulensis is a plant that offers phenolic compounds with antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. This study aimed to compare conventional and emerging extraction techniques to recover a set of ellagitannins and evaluate their antioxidant and antiparasitic activities. Three extraction methods were employed under different conditions to determine the most effective method for obtaining phenolic compounds. The extraction yielding the highest number of phenolic compounds was subjected to purification, phenolic profile identification, antioxidant potential evaluation, and antiparasitic activity against Giardia lamblia. Results indicated that ultrasound-microwave assisted extraction method was the most effective, yielding seven compounds, predominantly ellagitannins. In addition, it allowed to obtain an antioxidant activity on DPPH of an IC₅₀ of 371.13 mg/L, for lipid oxidation inhibition assay (LOI) IC₅₀ 173.09 mg/L, for the FRAP assay content of about 500 mq equivalents of Trolox/L, and ABTS IC₅₀ 25.28 mg/L. In addition, ellagitannins succeeded in inhibiting Giardia lamblia, reaching a maximum activity of around 80 % at 48 h. This suggests that hybrid extraction is effective for obtaining ellagitannins with antioxidant potential and antiparasitic activity from Eucalyptus camaldulensis.

We carried out monthly samplings to determine the concentration of Naegleria fowleri in four natural water bodies of the Yaqui Valley, Sonora, Mexico. We measured the temperature, dissolved oxygen, and pH of the water. The water samples were shaken and processed to determine the concentration using the most probable number method (MPN) and seeded on non-nutritive agar plates with Escherichia coli. Each amoeba detected was isolated in a new plate to continue with the identification. MPN tables were used for the amoeba count, and the identity of the genera Naegleria and N. fowleri was used using specific primers and end-point PCR. We identified N. fowleri in all four water bodies during the summer and fall seasons, with 70 MPN L-1 as the highest concentration. We selected seven N. fowleri strains for sequencing and genotyping; all belonged to type 2. Through the results, we can affirm that due to the variations that occur in the population dynamics and the ecological diversity of the studied sites, different biotic or abiotic factors, in addition to the temperature, dissolved oxygen, and pH, influence the presence or absence of this species. This makes it difficult to predict their presence in natural aquatic environments with relatively low populations.

The objective of this work was to use agroindustrial organic waste (bagasse and cachaza) from the southern area of Tamaulipas to obtain Bocashi type fertilizer. The variables used to evaluate the quality of the fertilizer obtained were pH, electrical conductivity (EC), organic matter (MO) and the macronutrients P, K, Ca and Mg. Once the experimental evaluation work was carried out, the highest pH values were reported in the treatments with the addition of cachaza (T5, T6, T7), while the highest EC and MO were presented in the treatments with the addition of bagasse ( T2, T3, T4), for its part, the highest concentration of P was found in the treatment with 50% bagasse (T2), while for K, Ca and Mg the highest values were obtained in the treatments with the addition of bagasse ( T5, T6, T7).

Cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania mexicana is a major public health problem in America. Consequently, there is a need for new and more effective strategies to control the disease. Despite considerable efforts to prevent and treat cutaneous leishmaniasis, there is no licensed human vaccine, which encourages research on this topic. Advances in reverse vaccinology and immunoinformatics have facilitated the design of promising vaccine candidates against cutaneous leishmaniasis. The versatility of reverse vaccinology approach allows the inclusion of several epitopes into a single vaccine construction, potentially eliciting strong, protective immune responses when tested in vivo. Therefore, in silico approaches are expected to further overcome current issues regarding immunogenicity, safety, and production costs of L. mexicana vaccines, as well as questions related to parasite biology. This work covers the state of the art of conventional and new-generation vaccines for L. mexicana, as well as perspectives and challenges of immunoinformatics in cutaneous leishmaniasis vaccine research.

Having adequate eating habits represents a protective factor for the development of physiological risk factors. However, the diet of young people is characterized by the addiction to fast food and skipping meals. The aim of this study was to analyze the association between the eating habit index (EHI) and physiological risk factors in university students. A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Autonomous University of Ciudad Juárez (UACJ). 354 new students participated. An EHI was developed and its relationship between physiological characteristics was analyzed using linear regression. 73.5% of the students had a regular EHI. Women had a higher proportion of bad EHI than men (16.7% vs. 5.6%). Good eating habits were associated with a decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure β = - 3.08 and β = - 5.00 respectively (p < 0.05), while poor eating habits led to an increase in diastolic pressure, β = 2.27, p < 0.05. An eating habit index was generated in the UACJ students and a decrease in blood pressure was observed, as the eating habit index classified as good increased.