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

Introduction: Seed dispersal and seed predation have important impacts on plant diversity and community structure. Rodents participate in both of these types of interactions. Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the removal of the seeds of Crescentia alata, Randia capitata, and Zea mays by the squirrel Notocitellus adocetus to determine how it affects these plant species, dispersing or preying on their seeds. Methods: We observed foraging and used camera traps to determine the part of the fruit (seed and/or pulp) consumed by the squirrels and the amount of fruit or seed consumed. We also placed fine sand traps (FST) to measure the percentage of seed removal. We quantified the fruits produced by the plant species studied and the percentage of damage caused by N. adocetus throughout the plots. Results: Notocitellus adocetus feeds on the seeds and pulp of C. alata and Z. mays. The species with the highest removal rate and the highest percentage of damage was C. alata. Zea mays was the plant species that had the highest percentage of removal from FST, the largest number of fruits, and the lowest percentage of damage. On FST, R. capitata had the lowest seed remotion. Conclusions: Notocitellus adocetus is considered a seed predator; however, due to its behavior and the characteristics of the fruits of C. alata and R. capitata, this rodent could make the seeds available to secondary seed dispersers.

Introduction: Habitat alterations result in biodiversity loss, particularly in regions with high levels of diversity and endemism. Raptors are an essential part of the functionality and stability of ecosystems and indicators of habitat quality. In the paramo grassland ecosystems in the high Andes of Northern South America, raptors contain a high concentration of threatened species. Objective: To describe the raptor community structure and determine the species associations. Methods: We made monthly raptor counts in eight transects from October 2021 to September 2022 and used a principal component analysis to determine species associations. Results: We identified 149 individuals (seven species, three families) in two communities: abundant (Carunculated Caracara, Variable Hawk, Andean Condor and Turkey Vulture; PCI = 47 %), and scarce (Cinereous Harrier, Peregrine Falcon and Aplomado Falco; PCII = 27 %). Conclusion: We provide a valid description and understanding of raptor community structure, identifying two communities and the dynamics between them. The first is characterized by an increased abundance of generalist and regionally common species, when the abundance of these species decreases, the second community is defined, characterized by an increase in the abundance of specialist and rare species at the local scale. 

Introducción: la rehabilitación protésica no es solo el mero reposicionamiento de los dientes, sino también la integración de la familia y la sociedad, capacitando al anciano para crear alimentos ideales, evitando la pérdida de los dientes.Objetivo: caracterizar a los pacientes portadores de prótesis parcial fija (PPF) en edad avanzada y el estado de sus prótesis dentales, período enero-diciembre de 2021, universidad UNIANDES.Métodos: se diseñó un estudio de tipo observacional, descriptivo y de corte transversal que abordó las características de pacientes portadores de prótesis parcial fija (PPF) y el estado de sus prótesis dentales, en el período enero-diciembre de 2021, atendidos en la universidad UNIANDES. El universo estuvo conformado por 250 pacientes, la muestra por 196 pacientes, estructurada a partir de los criterios de inclusión, exclusión y un muestreo. Los datos se obtuvieron de las historias clínicas de los pacientes. Para el análisis descriptivo univariado y bivariado fueron utilizadas las pruebas estadísticas: t de Student, Chi cuadrado de Pearson y prueba exacta de Fisher.Resultados: el análisis descriptivo univariado mostró que, del total de pilares de prótesis fijas, el 63,2 % fueron coronas individuales y 36,8 % pilares de puentes. Según su ubicación: 26 % de PPF estuvieron en la zona anterosuperior, 45,2 % en posterosuperior, 28 % posteroinferior y 0,8 % anteroinferior. Según el estado gingival se encontró: gingivitis leve en el 45,1%, moderada en el 51,6 % y severa en el 3,2 %. Respecto a retención de placa, se encontró: presencia de placa 49,6 % y ausencia de placa 50,4 %. Se encontró ausencia de movilidad en el 90,3 % de los casos y presencia de movilidad en sólo el 9,7 %.Conclusiones: el tejido dentario perdido debe ser sustituido con un material biocompatible con los tejidos gingivales, que no permita la formación de placa y que no contribuya a la inflamación gingival.

 Introducción: la recesión periodontal es una afección frecuente del periodonto. Es la exposición de la superficie radicular por el desplazamiento apical de la encía. Su incidencia varía desde 8 % en niños hasta 100 % tras los 50 años de edad. Afecta la estética y función de los tejidos; en la actualidad es un motivo de visita de pacientes y profesionales. Como solución plausible se elige la cirugía plástica periodontal. Se atendió este caso en la Clínica Estomatológica Antonio Briones Montoto de Pinar del Río en 2018, con el objetivo de relatar el tratamiento y la evolución a largo plazo de una paciente con recesión periodontal localizada tipo 1 de Cairo y clase II de Miller.Presentación de caso: paciente femenina, piel blanca, de 25 años de edad con antecedentes de buena salud que refirió denudación radicular del incisivo central inferior izquierdo, lo que afecta su estética y cepillado dental. Se detectó cepillado horizontal vigoroso con cepillo dental duro y pasta dental abrasiva, así como hábito deletéreo de lengua protráctil, migración de la encía hacia apical en el 31, que exponía la raíz dental 3 mm y papilas interproximales puntiagudas sin afectación. A los Rayos X no existía destrucción periodontal en la zona interdental. Se realizó corrección y control del cepillado dental y hábito deletéreo; se optó por cirugía plástica periodontal mediante injerto pediculado lateral.Conclusiones: se logró eliminar la recesión periodontal, devolver la estética a la paciente y encía adherida funcional, resultado que ha permanecido a largo plazo.

Introduction: periodontal disease and diabetes mellitus are conditions of multifactorial origin that are associated in a bidirectional way. Their study makes it possible to expand knowledge, achieve better oral health care and improve the quality of life of a large number of diabetic patients who currently suffer from chronic immunoinflammatory periodontal disease.Objective: to describe the clinical-epidemiological characteristics of diabetic patients with chronic immunoinflammatory periodontal disease treated at the "Antonio Briones Montoto" Teaching Stomatology Clinic in Pinar del Río province.Methods: an observational, descriptive, cross-sectional, descriptive study was carried out during the period November/2021 - April/2022. The universe was constituted by 62 diabetic patients attended in periodontics consultation of the Clinic. The sample was intentional, non-probabilistic and consisted of 59 patients who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The results were represented in statistical tables using absolute frequencies and percentages as summary measures, as well as Chi Square for a significance level of p<0,05, degrees of freedom and calculation of probabilities.Results: female sex (61 %) and patients in the 60 and older age group (42,4 %) predominated. Poor oral hygiene (88,1 %) was the risk factor that most affected the sample studied. Advanced forms of chronic immunoinflammatory periodontal disease predominated, with advanced periodontitis (49,2 %) being the most prevalent.Conclusions: Chronic immunoinflammatory periodontal disease in the diabetic patients studied was characterized by female predominance and advanced age, with the presence of advanced periodontitis and poor oral hygiene.

Introducción: el dacriocele congénito es una entidad poco frecuente por obstrucción del conducto nasolagrimal.Presentación del caso: neonato, del sexo femenino, de 17 días de nacida, producto de un parto eutócico, atérmino, sin antecedentes prenatales de importancia. Acude a los servicios por presentar inflamación en ojo derecho desde el nacimiento, secreciones conjuntivales abundantes e hiperemia conjuntival. A examen físico se constata presencia de un tumor de 8 mm de diámetro en zona del saco lagrimal derecho, no doloroso a la palpación, de coloración azulada. Se indica como complementario imágenes como ecografía. Se determina el diagnóstico de dacriocele congénito. Se decidió tratamiento no quirúrgico. Se indicó compresas tibias en la zona del saco lagrimal afectado por cinco minutos, tres veces al día. Se decide colocar antibioticoterapia con tobramicina + dexametasona en colirio, indicada una gota cada cuatro horas por 10 días. Al cabo del tratamiento se mostró mejoría, sin necesidad de otras intervenciones. Se indicó seguimiento por consulta de oftalmología.Conclusiones: el dacriocele congénito constituye una entidad congénita de las vías lagrimales de baja incidencia. Su diagnóstico es clínico, sin embargo, para descartar otras entidades resultan necesarias pruebas de imagen. El tratamiento médico conservador puede llevar a la resolución de la entidad, resultando útil el masaje sumado a terapia antimicrobiana; sin embargo, puede requerirse una intervención quirúrgica.

Introduction: An important ecosystem service tropical forests provide is disease control. However, few studies have focused on analyzing how species more suitable to be zoonotic vectors are affected by deforestation. Objective: We evaluated how deforestation affects the abundance and species richness of rodents and their associated ectoparasites in Marques de Comillas, Chiapas, Southern Mexico. Methods: We captured rodents in 6 landscape units (LU), 1 km² each, with different percentages of tree cover (0.7, 5, 40, 46, 78, and 95 %). In each LU we set 90 Sherman traps that remained active 24 hours for 7 days during two sampling seasons in October 2019, and September 2020. All the captured rodents were checked for ectoparasites in their fur, which were collected to be identified at the lab. Results: We captured 70 rodents of five species: Sigmodon toltecus, Heteromys desmarestianus, Ototylomys phyllotis, Peromyscus mexicanus, and Oryzomys couesi. Rodent abundance increased with forest loss (R² = 0.706, P = 0.022). The greatest richness of rodent species occurred in sites with intermediate forest cover (40 % and 78 %). The most abundant species were S. toltecus (N = 45) followed by O. couesi (N = 9), these species dominated in sites with less forest cover. We recorded a total of 23 different ectoparasites, from these we identified 15 at the species level and eight at the genus level. We detected three species of ectoparasites (Amblyomma sp., Ornithonyssus bacoti, and Androlaelaps fahrenholzi) known to be vectors of zoonotic diseases. Conclusions: We found that the ongoing loss of forests promotes the proliferation of zoonotic disease vectors, which can potentially increase the frequency of affectation among the local population.

Introduction: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has spread among the population of Costa Rica and has had a great world impact. However, there are important geographic differences in mortality from COVID-19 between the different regions in the world and within Costa Rica. Objective: The main objective of this article was to explore the effect of some sociodemographic factors on COVID-19 mortality in the cantons of Costa Rica, from a geographical perspective. Methods: Data on mortality from COVID-19 and sociodemographic information were obtained for the cantons of Costa Rica. The classical epidemiological Poisson regression model of the family of generalized linear models (GLM) is compared with the geographically weighted regression model (GWR). Results: Compared to the GLM regression model, a significantly lower Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) was obtained in the GWR model (927.1 in GLM versus 358.4 in GWR). The cantons with a higher population density, higher material well-being, lower number of population by health service units and that are located near the Pacific coasts of Costa Rica had a higher risk of mortality from COVID-19. Conclusions: There are potential effects of sociodemographic factors on COVID-19 mortality, however the findings and methodology of this study could guide other countries to help a better understanding of the local transmission of COVID-19 and design a focused and specific intervention strategy. for those countries.

Introduction: The frequent use of pesticides is currently considered a cause of environmental pollution due to the high rate of entry of these substances into agroecosystems. This constitutes a risk for the species that inhabit these ecosystems, in particular anurans whose characteristics make them prone to exposure to and interaction with environmental pollutants. Objective: To report the occurrence of abnormalities in larvae of the common toad Rhinella arenarum inhabiting ponds surrounded by agroecosystems. Methods: In two consecutive springs (2015 and 2016), reproductive events of common toads were monitored in temporary pond systems in agricultural and non-agricultural areas, located near the city of La Plata (Buenos Aires, Argentina). The physicochemical parameters of the ponds were measured, and the stage of each reproductive event was recorded, such as the numbers of adult toads, amplexus and clutches. In the laboratory, the larvae were measured and photographed, their stage of development was recorded, and their morphology was examined under a stereomicroscope. Representative samples (normal and abnormal) from each pond studied were processed for histopathological analysis. Results: In the field studies carried out on a population of R. arenarum collected in an agroecosystem, a lower number of reproductive adults and clutches were observed in relation to the population of a non-agricultural pond. A total of 1 910 larvae were collected: 529 and 1 381 larvae from ponds located in non-agricultural and agricultural areas, respectively. Larvae from the agroecosystem showed two types of abnormalities: severe tail flexure and abdominal bloating. In addition, five degrees of severity could be determined in relation to abdominal bloating. Conclusions: This work reports the high frequency and severity of abnormalities observed in the early stages of R. arenarum larvae living within an agroecosystem, providing evidence of the negative impact that agricultural activities cause on aquatic ecosystems surrounded by farming areas.

Introduction: Rita rita is a freshwater catfish under threat of extinction, mainly from loss of breeding and nursing grounds. A reliable method for age and growth estimation is needed by fishery managers. Objective: To identify the best body structure for age and growth estimation. Methods: We assessed estimates precision based on Average Percent Error (APE), Coefficient Variation (CV), and Percent Agreement (PA) between readers separately analyzed each calcified structure. We used 390 fish samples from three rivers, Ganga, Yamuna and Ramganga, from September 2018 to August 2019. Results: The three indicators favored the use of vertebrae for age estimation; the growth band seems to be annual and formed from May to September. The growth equations were Lt = 90.19(1-e-0.145(t+0.51)) for Ganga; Lt = 91.19 (1-e-0.14(t+0.59)) for Yamuna and Lt = 89.63 (1-e-0.15(t+0.68)) for Ramganga. Conclusion: This species reaches moderate growth in these rivers, where vertebrae are the recommended age estimation structure, followed, in case of need, by sectioned otoliths, whole otoliths and opercular bones. Pectoral spines should be avoided, especially in older fish.