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

Introducción: el neumomediastino es la presencia de aire en el espacio mediastinal procedente de bronquios, alvéolos o de una ruptura esofágica, que viaja a través de las vainas vasculares y los planos tisulares hacia el espacio mediastinal; puede ser categorizado como espontáneo, traumático o secundario.Objetivo: describir un paciente con neumomediastino secundario al efecto Macklin.Caso clínico: se trata de un paciente masculino de 32 años sin antecedentes médicos, que acude a urgencias refiriendo tos seca, dolor de garganta, dolor al ingerir alimentos, malestar general, dolores articulares a predominio de rodillas y espalda baja y fiebre de 39°C acompañada de escalofríos. El día posterior a su ingreso, tras un acceso de tos, presenta de forma súbita aumento de volumen del cuello y porción superior del tórax, acompañado de dolor en dicha zona, dificultad para respirar y hablar. Al examen en este momento se constata aumento de volumen y crepitación en cuello, fosa supraclavicular, y porción anterosuperior y posterosuperior del tórax (enfisema subcutáneo) así como estertores roncos y sibilantes diseminados en ambos campos pulmonares. Se realiza radiografía de tórax de urgencia que muestra signos sugestivos de enfisema subcutáneo y neumomediastino. Se solicita valoración por servicio de cirugía General y otorrino, los cuales sugieren tratamiento conservador.Conlusiones: el neumomediastino es una enfermedad poco frecuente y benigna, sus características clínicas son dolor torácico y enfisema subcutáneo luego de un acceso de tos y evoluciona de forma satisfactoria entre dos y 15 días. 

Introduction: Ant gardens are ant nests located at different heights on trees on which vascular epiphytic plants that have been transported and sown by ants have germinated. Although this mutualistic relationship has been studied in humid tropical ecosystems, information on other tropical and Colombian ecosystems is scarce. Objective: To characterize the spatial distribution, formation process, diversity, demography, and phenology of Ant gardens in a secondary dry premontane transitional forest in Colombia. Methods: We estimated the spatial distribution and formation process of ant gardens.  Phenological and demographic monitoring of epiphytes plants of ant gardens was performed. The monitoring of the ant gardens was done in transects, every 15 days. Results: The ant gardens showed an aggregated distribution pattern relative to water bodies. The garden-forming ant species was identified as Azteca ulei. Ten species of epiphytes plants and 13 species of phorophytes trees related to ant gardens were identified. The behavior of A. ulei favored the formation and maintenance of the ant gardens. A positive relationship was found between epiphyte richness and ant garden size. Some epiphytes presented a bimodal phenological pattern. The demographic pattern of epiphytes suggests that in the dry season, the number of established seedlings is reduced, which reduces the number of adults that remain in ant gardens. Conclusions: Ant gardens are the microhabitat that allows the germination, establishment, and reproduction of diverse epiphytes in the studied dry-premontane transitional forest.

Introduction: The natural ecosystems of northern Mato Grosso, Brazil, are in process of fragmentation, mainly due to population growth and the expansion of agriculture. This endangers the palm Euterpe precatoria (locally known as açaí), used for construction, palm hearts, juices and ice cream. Objective: To evaluate the local diversity and genetic structure in native populations of E. precatoria. Methods: We collected leaves from 106 fruiting palms from five populations in Mato Grosso State, for analysis of microsatellite markers with Polymerase Chain Reaction. Results: The five SSR loci revealed a total of 30 alleles, ranging from 5 (EE23 and EE43) to 7 (EE2 and EE15), with an average of 6 alleles per locus. The mean PIC was 0.74 and confirmed low heterozygosity and inbreeding. The UPGMA dendrogram produced two groups and molecular variance revealed greater genetic differentiation within populations. The high levels of homozygous microsatellite loci indicate low genetic diversity. Conclusions: These populations have low gene diversity, high average number of alleles per locus, and rare and exclusive alleles. We recommend the establishment of permanent conservation units with corridors among them.

Introduction: Bibliometric analyses of research in Sri Lanka, a lower-middle income island nation in South Asia, has focused mainly on medical research, concluding that there is a need for increased research productivity and impact, and for local solutions to health concerns. There has been no general bibliometric analysis across scientific disciplines in the nation, or any study that covers a long period of time to identify general time trends. Objective: To measure and analyse Sri Lankan research by focusing on subjects, authors, institutions, journals and citation for half a century. Methods: We used an advanced search method to extract publications with the word “Sri Lanka” in the SCI-EXPANDED, and calculated indicators such as total citations from Web of Science Core Collection since publication year to the end of 2019, citations in 2019, and mean citations per publication. Journal data were taken from 2019 Journal Citation Report. Affiliation re-classification was done to ensure consistency regarding the origin of all publications. Publications were further analysed based on collaboration, and first and corresponding authorship. Results: We retrieved 16 069 publications in 19 document types (77 % articles). Corrections had the highest number of authors per publication (616) followed by articles (116). Four articles had more than 5 000 authors and 593 articles had more than 1 000 authors. The highest citations in this database were for international megaprojects where Sri Lankan authors played minor roles. The UK had the most collaborative articles with Sri Lanka (19 %). The articles were published in 3 051 journals across 177 Web of Science categories. The category of Public, environmental and occupational health, with 193 journals, had 6.7 % of all articles, followed by environmental sciences (6.6 %). Conclusion: Sri Lanka has an unusually strong pattern of participating as small role players in international megaprojects about health and physics. Sri Lankan authors should be encouraged to expand their horizons by researching non-applied fields that are the basis of all innovation; to strengthen their own journals so that they have better visibility and impact, and to improve their positions in international projects that are published in larger journals.

Introduction: Video techniques are used worldwide to study marine communities. As elsewhere, the use of remote underwater videos has recently increased in Brazil and there is a need for information about their advantages, disadvantages, and reliability in tropical habitats. Objective: To evaluate the use of baited remote underwater video stations (BRUVS) in fish diversity research in a tropical habitat. Methods: We used baited video stations to record the fishes and their relationship with habitat type, underwater visibility and depth, in 79 random sites in the Metropolitan Region of Recife, Northeastern Brazil (11 days in November 2017). Results: We recorded 3 286 individuals (65 taxa, 29 families) along a 25 km section of the shoreline, 10.2 to 28.6 m depth. The Clupeidae dominated numerically, followed by Haemulidae, Carangidae, and Lutjanidae; by species, Haemulon aurolineatum, Ophistonema oglinum, Haemulon steindachneri, Lutjanus synagris and Caranx crysos. The highest mean number of species was detected over sediment close to shipwrecks, but we found no differences among the mean number of individuals between habitat types. More species and individuals were observed at a depth of 20-25 m depth. The highest mean number of species was in 2-3 m of visibility, and the highest number of individuals within 4-5 m. Conclusions: Video recording seemed to be a valid method, and indicated that —besides being relatively diverse— the local fish community is dominated by a few species of small and medium-sized mesopredators, and a few top predators.

Introduction: Wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems, but currently are being degraded or eliminated at accelerated rates by multiple anthropic activities. In the central coast of Peru, wetlands suffer recurring fires, and the little-studied effects include the level of emissions and carbon sequestration by burning. Objective: To estimate carbon in aerial biomass affected by fire, and carbon recovered by the vegetation after one year. Methods: We worked in Los Pantanos de Villa (Lima, Peru) coastal wetland and compared burnt (32 quadrants, 1 m2) and unaffected areas (33 quadrants). Results: The vegetation affected was predominantly herbaceous and dominated by Phragmites australis, Schoenoplectus americanus, Typha dominguensis and Cladium jamaicense. Fire affected 1 147.0 t of plant biomass that stored 381.8 t of carbon, generating the emission of 1 397.1 t of CO2 into the atmosphere. After one year, 79 % of the vegetation cover had recovered, but only 26 % of the plant biomass and 12.8 % of vegetation carbon. Conclusions: Appropriate indicators of wetland fire resilience should consider that fire-impacted wetland rapidly recovers plant cover, but not carbon storage and plant biomass.

Introduction: Protists of the genus Labyrinthula cause the so-called “Wasting Disease” in seagrass, Thalassia testudinum. Monitoring in the Colombian Caribbean since 2008 has shown spatial and temporal variation in the disease’s incidence, but without the high mortality observed in other regions of the world. Objective: To analyze some epidemiological parameters in T. testudinum and to compare metabolites between healthy and infected plants. Methods: We recorded severity, incidence and prevalence of this disease in Tayrona National Natural Park and Providencia Island, and we analyze water and sediment samples. Additionally, we applied gas and liquid chromatography, coupled with mass spectrometry, to methanolic extracts from leaf and rhizome samples of healthy and infected shoots. Results: The meadows were in good condition, despite the scarce seagrass shoots in Tayrona and a high incidence (15 %) and severity (35.5 %) of the disease in Providencia. Infected plants had lower levels of phenols, flavonoids and sugars. Sulphated flavones with aglycone luteolin and diosmetin, sterols (sitosterol and stigmasterol) and volatile oxylipins are accumulated in leaves (3-hydroxy-2-isopentanone) and isopentaenoic and octadecatrienoic acids in rhizomes. Conclusions: These Colombian seagrasses have differential production of metabolites. Probably as a successful defense, even at low levels of severity (0.1 %) and incidence (1 %) of the disease.

Introducción: Las competencias informacionales han sido reconocidas como de gran importancia en la educación doctoral. No se conocen las percepciones de doctorandos del sector de la salud en la provincia Holguín en relación con las competencias informacionales.Objetivo: Valorar las percepciones de doctorandos del sector de la salud en la provincia Holguín relacionadas con las competencias informacionales.Materiales y Métodos: Se realizó un estudio exploratorio que partió de un universo de 32 y que incluyó a 24 doctorandos del sector de la salud en la provincia Holguín que completaron el cuestionario ALFINVES sobre competencias informacionales en una versión en español.Resultados: Se obtuvo que las respuestas dadas a las preguntas en cuanto al conocimiento, alcanzaron puntuaciones entre 7,59 y 8,66 puntos. En el ámbito de las habilidades, los ítems que menor puntuación obtuvieron fueron los correspondientes al uso de índices para localizar la información y el empleo de sistemas de gestión de bibliografía. Mientras tanto, los ítems de menor puntuación en lo concerniente con las actitudes, correspondieron a la aprobación del tema de investigación de conjunto con el tutor y al conocimiento de los fundamentos del derecho de autor y la propiedad intelectual.Conclusiones: Se comprobó que los estudiantes de doctorado del sector de la salud en la provincia Holguín tienen autopercepciones altas de las competencias informacionales, desde las perspectivas del conocimiento, habilidades y actitudes, aunque se identificaron aspectos susceptibles a mejoramiento.

En la trayectoria profesional del Dr. Rolando Aníbal Hernández Fernández destacan notablemente la elaboración e implementación de planes de estudio en las carreras de Ciencias de la Salud y en las especialidades de Bioquímica Clínica y Genética Médica, así como la publicación de decenas de libros de texto, materiales docentes, y trabajos de revisión y actualización. De célebre prestigio por sus profundos y actualizados conocimientos, dominaba a la perfección las reglas y principios de la maestría pedagógica, que se erigían sobre sólidas posiciones ideológicas y políticas. Si bien logró cosechar no pocos lauros en su quehacer científico-docente, entre los logros que más le gratificaron siempre estuvieron el reconocimiento y cariño de sus alumnos. El ferviente amor por su Patria, y su compromiso con el proceso revolucionario, matizaron toda su obra de vida. La partida física lo sorprendió cuando aún se encontraba en ejercicio pleno de sus obligaciones administrativas y sus labores como educador, en virtud del infatigable y trabajador espíritu que le caracterizó a lo largo de toda su fecunda existencia. Quienes tuvimos el privilegio de conocerle, siempre conservaremos el recuerdo de su espigado ser, paradigma de docente y científico en la Educación Médica Superior Cubana.

Introduction: The method for expert consultation is commonly applied to scientific research conducted in the Social Sciences to validate scales, approaches, planning, politics, and other matters in decision making; however, its incorrect, indiscriminate, and partial use is confirmed.Objective: To validate the need to apply the method for expert consultation at three levels in order to determine: the competence of experts; the reliability of the instrument used; and the consensus among experts on the topic approached.Material and Methods: Systematization of documents related to the use of the method for expert consultation in scientific research, master´s and doctoral theses, articles, monographs, and other publications. Non-parametric statistical tests were applied.Results: It is confirmed that the application of the method for expert consultation following the appropriate procedures allows for an increase in the methodological rigor and a contribution to scientific research.Conclusions: The method for expert consultation is an effective tool in scientific research provided that it is rigorously applied.