Cardio-Obstetrics Practice in Latin America: A Regional Survey of General Cardiologists.

Background: Cardiovascular (CV) disease is a leading cause of death in pregnant women globally, especially in low- and middle-income countries including Latin America (LATAM), where there is lack of data on how cardiologists are trained in cardio-obstetrics (CO) and the practice patterns in the care of pregnant patients.

Objectives: The authors aimed to identify CO competency and practice patterns among LATAM general cardiologists.

Methods: An anonymous cross-sectional Google-based electronic survey was sent via email to clinical cardiologists through local American College of Cardiology chapters and CV societies.

Analyzing digital societal interactions and sentiment classification in Twitter (X) during critical events in Chile.

This study explores the influence of social media content on societal attitudes and actions during critical events, with a special focus on occurrences in Chile, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2019 protests, and the wildfires in 2017 and 2023. By leveraging a novel tweet dataset, this study introduces new metrics for assessing sentiment, inclusivity, engagement, and impact, thereby providing a comprehensive framework for analyzing social media dynamics. The methodology employed enhances sentiment classification through the use of a Deep Random Vector Functional Link (D-RVFL) neural network, which demonstrates superior performance over traditional models such as Support Vector Machines (SVM), naive Bayes, and back propagation (BP) neural networks, achieving an overall average accuracy of 78.

Assessing the impact of small firm dynamics on public mental health amid the pandemic in Latin America.

Objective: The aim of our study is to examine the relationship between the economic activity of small firms and the mental well-being of the population in five Latin American countries in the early stages of the pandemic.

Methods: We utilize the search volume of certain keywords on Google Trends (GT), such as "boredom," "frustration," "loneliness," "sleep", "anxiety", and "depression", as an indicator of the well-being of the population. By examining the data from Facebook Business Activity Trends, we investigate how social attention reacts to the activity levels of different economic sectors.

The chronology of the human colonization of the Canary Islands.

The human colonization of the Canary Islands represents the sole known expansion of Berber communities into the Atlantic Ocean and is an example of marine dispersal carried out by an African population. While this island colonization shows similarities to the populating of other islands across the world, several questions still need to be answered before this case can be included in wider debates regarding patterns of initial colonization and human settlement, human-environment interactions, and the emergence of island identities. Specifically, the chronology of the first human settlement of the Canary Islands remains disputed due to differing estimates of the timing of its first colonization.

Spiritual growth, sense of coherence and self-efficacy of family caregivers of people with disabilities.

Objective: Analyze the spiritual growth of family caregivers of people with severe disabilities who reside in the Metropolitan District of Quito and identify the cognitive-affective factors, bio-sociocultural characteristics and care characteristics that model it.

Method: Cross-sectional study, carried out during the second semester of 2021, probabilistic sample of 223 caregivers residing in Quito-Ecuador. Descriptive statistics, correlation coefficients and regression were applied.

Ultrasound-assisted enzymatic synthesis of galacto-oligosaccharides using native whey with two commercial β-galactosidases: Aspergillus oryzae and Kluyveromyces var lactis.

Native whey obtained during casein micelle microfiltration was used as a novel source to produce galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS). Since the presence of macromolecules and other interferers reduces biocatalyst performance, this work evaluated the effect of different ultrasound processing conditions on GOS synthesis using concentrated native whey. Ultrasonic intensities (UI) below 11 W/cm tended to increase the activity in the enzyme from Aspergillus oryzae for several minutes but accelerated the inactivation in that from Kluyveromyces lactis.

Population well-being and the COVID-19 vaccination program in Chile: evidence from Google Trends.

Objective: We analyze the dynamics of the mental well-being of the Chilean population in response to the progress of the vaccination strategy implemented by the government.

Study Design: This study aims at investigating the possibility of using Google Trends as an instrument for tracking mental well-being of the Chilean population.

Methods: We use the volume of searches for keywords in Google Trends (GT) related to Anguish, Anxiety, Depression, and Stress as a proxy for population well-being.

Facial biotype classification for orthodontic treatment planning using an alternative learning algorithm for tree augmented Naive Bayes.

Background: When designing a treatment in orthodontics, especially for children and teenagers, it is crucial to be aware of the changes that occur throughout facial growth because the rate and direction of growth can greatly affect the necessity of using different treatment mechanics. This paper presents a Bayesian network approach for facial biotype classification to classify patients' biotypes into Dolichofacial (long and narrow face), Brachyfacial (short and wide face), and an intermediate kind called Mesofacial, we develop a novel learning technique for tree augmented Naive Bayes (TAN) for this purpose.

Results: The proposed method, on average, outperformed all the other models based on accuracy, precision, recall, [Formula: see text], and kappa, for the particular dataset analyzed.

Individual competence predominates over host nutritional status in Arabidopsis root exudate-mediated bacterial enrichment in a combination of four Burkholderiaceae species.

Background: Rhizosphere microorganisms play a crucial role in plant health and development. Plant root exudates (PRE) are a complex mixture of organic molecules and provide nutritional and signaling information to rhizosphere microorganisms. Burkholderiaceae species are non-abundant in the rhizosphere but exhibit a wide range of plant-growth-promoting and plant-health-protection effects.

Heterogeneous responses in Google Trends measures of well-being to the COVID-19 dynamic quarantines in Chile.

We study how the Chilean population's well-being responded to the strategy implemented by their health authorities, known as Dynamic Quarantine, to contain the spread of coronavirus in which municipalities periodically entered and exited lockdowns. This unique scheme, together with the population's socioeconomic heterogeneity, facilitates the estimation of changes in this well-being as differentiated by socioeconomic status. Using Google Trends to compute measures of well-being, we find strong evidence that socioeconomic status induces heterogeneity in these changes; thus, neglecting this heterogeneity may lead to misleading prescriptions for the public policy that addresses the psychological effects of lockdowns.

Color Dependence Analysis in a CNN-Based Computer-Aided Diagnosis System for Middle and External Ear Diseases.

Artificial intelligence-assisted otologic diagnosis has been of growing interest in the scientific community, where middle and external ear disorders are the most frequent diseases in daily ENT practice. There are some efforts focused on reducing medical errors and enhancing physician capabilities using conventional artificial vision systems. However, approaches with multispectral analysis have not yet been addressed.

Stock market volatility and the COVID-19 reproductive number.

The media has prominently featured the totemic reproductive number in its COVID-19 coverage despite being an imperfect measure of the degree of infectivity of the virus. As such, it conveys information to the public regarding the state of the pandemic that affects market sentiment. We analyze how news about affects the volatility in stock markets worldwide and find that when is greater than one, which means the spread of the disease should soar, it has a positive and significant effect on volatility.

Social sentiment segregation: Evidence from Twitter and Google Trends in Chile during the COVID-19 dynamic quarantine strategy.

The Chilean health authorities have implemented a sanitary strategy known as dynamic quarantine or strategic quarantine to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. Under this system, lockdowns were established, lifted, or prolonged according to the weekly health authorities' assessment of municipalities' epidemiological situation. The public announcements about the confinement situation of municipalities country-wide are made typically on Tuesdays or Wednesdays before noon, have received extensive media coverage, and generated sharp stock market fluctuations.

Experience in a rehabilitation center for mastectomized women at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: Describe the experience lived in an interdisciplinary follow-up care center for mastectomized women at a public university in São Paulo during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Method: Experience report on the health care provided in the health center for mastectomized women.

Results: The care was provided three times a week by an interdisciplinary health team.

Contemporary trends in surgical rheumatic valve disease in a Caribbean nation.

Background: Clinical practice suggests that rheumatic heart disease (RHD) represents a significant public health challenge in the Caribbean region where advanced disease appears early often leading to surgical intervention. We aimed to determine the burden of RHD and type of procedure among patients undergoing valve surgery in the Dominican Republic (DR).

Methods: Demographic, clinical and procedural data of all subjects intervened between January 2014 and December 2018 were obtained including valve disorder, anatomic location and type of surgery.

Prediction of the Limiting Flux and Its Correlation with the Reynolds Number during the Microfiltration of Skim Milk Using an Improved Model.

Limiting flux (J) determination is a critical issue for membrane processing. This work presents a modified exponential model for J calculation, based on a previously published version. Our research focused on skim milk microfiltrations.

Prevention of doxorubicin-induced Cardiotoxicity by pharmacological non-hypoxic myocardial preconditioning based on Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) and carvedilol direct antioxidant effects: study protocol for a pilot, randomized, double-blind, controlled trial (CarDHA trial).

Background: Anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity (AIC), a condition associated with multiple mechanisms of damage, including oxidative stress, has been associated with poor clinical outcomes. Carvedilol, a β-blocker with unique antioxidant properties, emerged as a strategy to prevent AIC, but recent trials question its effectiveness. Some evidence suggests that the antioxidant, not the β-blocker effect, could prevent related cardiotoxicity.

Combating Climate Injustices: An Informal Science and Popular Education Approach to Addressing Environmental Health Disparities.

As global warming worsens, addressing environmental health disparities and justice is increasingly important. This necessity is evident in southern metropolitan Tucson, Arizona, an area underserved and disproportionately experiencing the effects of climate change. Including underserved groups in problem solving can spur knowledge generation and the building of community capacity to address and mitigate environmental health challenges posed by climate justice.

Effectiveness of disinfectant treatments for inactivating Piscirickettsia salmonis.

This short communication investigated in vitro differences between commercial disinfectants types (n = 36), doses of application, and time of action in the elimination of Piscirickettsia salmonis, the most important bacterium affecting farmed salmon in Chile. Seven different treatments were examined, including active and inactive chlorine dioxides, glutaraldehyde, hypochlorite disinfectants and detergents, peracetic acid, peroxides and other miscellaneous methods A 3 replicate set of each of the sample groups was stored at 20 °C and 95% relative humidity and retested after 1, 5 and 30 min with varying doses (low, recommended and high doses). Multiple comparison tests were performed for the mean log CFU/ml among different disinfectant types, dose (ppm) and time of exposure (minutes) on the reduction of P.

The Genome Sequence of an Oxytetracycline-Resistant Isolate of the Fish Pathogen Piscirickettsia salmonis Harbors a Multidrug Resistance Plasmid.

The amount of antibiotics needed to counteract frequent piscirickettsiosis outbreaks is a major concern for the Chilean salmon industry. Resistance to antibiotics may contribute to this issue. To understand the genetics underlying Piscirickettsia salmonis-resistant phenotypes, the genome of AY3800B, an oxytetracycline-resistant isolate bearing a multidrug resistance plasmid, is presented here.

Prevalence, geographic distribution and phenotypic differences of Piscirickettsia salmonis EM-90-like isolates.

Early reports accounted for two main genotypes of Piscirickettsia salmonis, a fish pathogen and causative agent of piscirickettsiosis, placing the single isolate EM-90 apart from the prototypic LF-89 and related isolates. In this study, we provide evidence that, contrary to what has been supposed, the EM-90-like isolates are highly prevalent and disseminated across Chilean marine farms. Molecular analysis of 507 P.

Face morphology: Can it tell us something about body weight and fat?

This paper proposes a method for an automatic extraction of geometric features, related to weight parameters, from 3D facial data acquired with low-cost depth scanners. The novelty of the method relies both on the processing of the 3D facial data and on the definition of the geometric features which are conceptually simple, robust against noise and pose estimation errors, computationally efficient, invariant with respect to rotation, translation, and scale changes. Experimental results show that these measurements are highly correlated with weight, BMI, and neck circumference, and well correlated with waist and hip circumference, which are markers of central obesity.

First Complete Genome Sequence of Tenacibaculum dicentrarchi, an Emerging Bacterial Pathogen of Salmonids.

Tenacibaculum-like bacilli have recently been isolated from diseased sea-reared Atlantic salmon in outbreaks that took place in the XI region (Región de Aysén) of Chile. Molecular typing identified the bacterium as Tenacibaculum dicentrarchi. Here, we report the complete genome sequence of the AY7486TD isolate recovered during those outbreaks.

Comprehensive antibiotic susceptibility profiling of Chilean Piscirickettsia salmonis field isolates.

Antibiotics have been extensively used against infections produced by Piscirickettsia salmonis, a fish pathogen and causative agent of piscirickettsiosis and one of the major concerns for the Chilean salmon industry. Therefore, the emergence of resistant phenotypes is to be expected. With the aim of obtaining a landscape of the antimicrobial resistance of P.

Comparative Genome Analysis of Two Isolates of the Fish Pathogen Piscirickettsia salmonis from Different Hosts Reveals Major Differences in Virulence-Associated Secretion Systems.

Outbreaks caused by Piscirickettsia salmonis are one of the major threats to the sustainability of the Chilean salmon industry. We report here the annotated draft genomes of two P. salmonis isolates recovered from different salmonid species.