Publications by authors named "Francisco Valdez"
Humans have a long history of transporting and trading plants, contributing to the evolution of domesticated plants. Theobroma cacao originated in the Neotropics from South America. However, little is known about its domestication and use in these regions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) is an economically significant crop, with its domestication history and early uses still not fully understood.
- Studies show that while Mesoamerica is traditionally seen as the birthplace of cacao, genetic evidence indicates that the upper Amazon in northwest South America has the highest diversity of cacao, suggesting it may be the origin.
- Recent archaeological findings from a site in southeast Ecuador reveal the earliest known use of cacao, dating back about 5,300 years, indicating this region as the first known centre of cacao domestication in the Americas.
Background: The six-minute walk test (6MWT) has been used to assess functional capacity, clinical status and prognosis. There are a very few descriptions in the literature on the safety and metabolic impact of the test, especially in patients with severe heart failure, awaiting cardiac transplantation.
Objective: The aim of the present study was to assess the cardiovascular responses and correlate the performance on the 6MWT with clinical status.