Prevalence of abdominal obesity and its association with cardio metabolic risk factors among older adults in Ecuador.

Aims: To describe the prevalence of abdominal obesity and its association with cardio metabolic risk factors among older adults in Ecuador.

Materials And Methods: The present study used data from the National Survey of Health, Wellbeing, and Aging survey to examine the prevalence of abdominal obesity according to certain demographic, behavioral, and health characteristics of the participants. Logistic regression models adjusted for potential confounders were used to evaluate the association of abdominal obesity with cardio metabolic risk factors.

Self-Reported Prevalence of Gluten-Related Disorders and Adherence to Gluten-Free Diet in Colombian Adult Population.

Background. Celiac disease seems to be rare in Colombians, but there are currently no data about the prevalence rates of symptomatic adverse reactions to gluten or adherence to gluten-free diet (GFD) in this population. Aim.

The Neotropical species of Atractodes (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Cryptinae), II: the A. pleuripunctatus species-group.

We describe three new species of parasitoid wasps of the genus Atractodes (Ichneumonidae: Cryptinae) from South America: A. colchaguensis sp. nov.

Attractiveness of food and avoidance from contamination as conflicting stimuli to habitat selection by fish.

Habitat selection by fish is the outcome of a choice between different stimuli. Typically, the presence of food tends to attract organisms, while contamination triggers an avoidance response to prevent toxic effects. Given that both food and contaminants are not homogeneously distributed in the environment and that food can be available in contaminated zones, a key question has been put forward in the present study: does a higher availability of food in contaminated areas interfere in the avoidance response to contaminants regardless of the contamination level? Tilapia fry (Oreochromis sp.

The Neotropical species of Atractodes (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Cryptinae), I: the A. propodeator and A. altoandinus species-groups.

The Neotropical species of the cryptine genus Atractodes are studied, and four species-groups are proposed. In this paper, A. altoandinus and A.

Pollen limitation may be a common Allee effect in marine hydrophilous plants: implications for decline and recovery in seagrasses.

Pollen limitation may be an important factor in accelerated decline of sparse or fragmented populations. Little is known whether hydrophilous plants (pollen transport by water) suffer from an Allee effect due to pollen limitation or not. Hydrophilous pollination is a typical trait of marine angiosperms or seagrasses.

Evaluation of antioxidant capacity in coffees marketed in Colombia: Relationship with the extent of non-enzymatic browning.

Fifty-eight samples of commercial Colombian coffee with different characteristics (soluble, ground, decaffeinated, etc) were evaluated for antioxidant capacity (AC) (ABTS and FRAP), total soluble phenolics (TP), browning index (BI), color parameters (L(∗), a(∗), b(∗), c(∗) and h(∗)), HMF and furfural. The AC in Colombian coffees was very varied (164-1000, 100.8-885.

Active and passive spatial avoidance by aquatic organisms from environmental stressors: A complementary perspective and a critical review.

Spatial avoidance is a mechanism by which many organisms prevent their exposure to environmental stressors, namely chemical contaminants. Numerous studies on active avoidance and drift by aquatic organisms, as well as the main approaches used to measure both responses, were reviewed. We put forward a particular recommendation regarding methodological approaches: active avoidance should preferably be evaluated under a dilution gradient in a multi-compartmented system instead of in a bi-compartmented system.

Reproductive parameters of the Pacific angel shark Squatina californica (Selachii: Squatinidae).

Reproductive characteristics of the Pacific angel shark, Squatina californica, were evaluated from 420 specimens obtained from the artisanal fishery in La Paz Bay, Gulf of California, Mexico. Females (99 cm, 6000 g) were larger than males (95 cm, 5000 g) in terms of both total length (L(T)) and body mass (M(T)). The overall sex ratio was significantly different from the expected 1:1, suggesting sexual segregation of mature individuals in La Paz Bay.

Tetracycline adsorption onto activated carbons produced by KOH activation of tyre pyrolysis char.

Tyre pyrolysis char (TPC), produced when manufacturing pyrolysis oil from waste tyre, was used as raw material to prepare activated carbons (ACs) by KOH activation. KOH to TPC weight ratios (W) between 0.5 and 6, and activation temperatures from 600 to 800 °C, were used.

Trophic ecology of sea urchins in coral-rocky reef systems, Ecuador.

Sea urchins are important grazers and influence reef development in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP). Diadema mexicanum and Eucidaris thouarsii are the most important sea urchins on the Ecuadorian coastal reefs. This study provided a trophic scenario for these two species of echinoids in the coral-rocky reef bottoms of the Ecuadorian coast, using stable isotopes.

Reproduction of the whitesnout guitarfish Rhinobatos leucorhynchus in the Ecuadorian Pacific Ocean.

Biological sampling of whitesnout guitarfish Rhinobatos leucorhynchus, caught as by-catch in the commercial fisheries on the Pacific coast of Ecuador, was conducted from specimens caught between April 2013 and January 2015, in order to provide further information on the reproductive biology of this species, for which data are limited. Samples comprised 1024 specimens (458 males and 566 females), with the sex ratio (1:1·23) significantly in favour of females. The total length (LT) ranged from 20·5 to 106·0 cm and showed sexual dimorphism, with females attaining a larger size.

Patchy sediment contamination scenario and the habitat selection by an estuarine mudsnail.

Since mudsnails are able to avoid contaminated sediment and that the contaminants in sediment are not uniformly distributed, the mudsnail Peringia ulvae was exposed to cadmium (Cd) spiked sediment and assessed for avoidance response in a heterogeneous contamination scenario. Four Cd concentrations were prepared and disposed in patches on dishes, which were divided in 25 fields (six fields for each sediment concentration); 24 organisms were deployed in the central field, with no sediment. Observations were made at 2, 4 and 6 h (corresponding to immediate response), 8, 10 and 12 h (very short term), and 24 h (short term).

Distribution and Potential Indicators of Hospitalized Cases of Neurocysticercosis and Epilepsy in Ecuador from 1996 to 2008.

Background: Epilepsy is one of the most common signs of Neurocysticercosis (NCC). In this study, spatial and temporal variations in the incidence of hospitalized cases (IHC) of epilepsy and NCC in Ecuadorian municipalities were analyzed. Additionally, potential socio-economic and landscape indicators were evaluated in order to understand in part the macro-epidemiology of the Taenia solium taeniasis/cysticercosis complex.

Phenolic composition and antioxidant capacity of yellow and purple-red Ecuadorian cultivars of tree tomato (Solanum betaceum Cav.).

Tree tomato fruits from the yellow giant, giant purple and New Zealand purple cultivars, cultivated in Ecuador were analysed for their phenolic composition and antioxidant capacity. Twelve hydroxycinnamoyl derivatives and four anthocyanins (in the purple cultivars) were detected and identified. The hydroxycinnamoyl derivatives mostly derived from caffeic acid, being 3-O-caffeoylquinic acid and rosmarinic acid the majority compounds.

First Chemical Analysis and Characterization of the Male Species-Specific Cephalic Labial-Gland Secretions of South American Bumblebees.

The evolution of signals and reproductive traits involved in the pre-mating recognition has been in focus of abundant research in several model species, such as bumblebees (genus Bombus). However, the most-studied bumblebee reproductive trait, the male cephalic labial gland secretions (CLGS), remains unknown among bumblebee species from South America. In this study, the CLGS of five South American bumblebees of the subgenera Thoracobombus (Bombus excellens and B.

A new species of Ergasilus Nordmann, 1832 (Copepoda: Cyclopoida: Ergasilidae) from Bryconops giacopinii Fernández-Yépez (Characidae) in the Vichada River Basin, Colombia.

A new copepod species, Ergasilus curticrus n. sp. is described based on 14 female specimens collected from the gills of the characid teleost Bryconops giacopinii Fernández-Yépez, captured in the Vichada River Basin in Colombia.

Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders in Ecuador: A Pilot Study in Quito.

This research presents the results of the first phase of the study on the prevalence of pupils with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in regular education in Quito, Ecuador. One-hundred-and-sixty-one regular schools in Quito were selected with a total of 51,453 pupils. Prevalence of ASD was assessed by an interview with the rector of the school or its delegate.

Taenia solium Human Cysticercosis: A Systematic Review of Sero-epidemiological Data from Endemic Zones around the World.

Background: Taenia solium cysticercosis is a zoonotic neglected disease responsible for severe health disorders such as seizures and death. Understanding the epidemiology of human cysticercosis (HCC) in endemic regions will help to expose critical information about the transmission of the disease, which could be used to design efficient control programs. This review gathered serological data on apparent prevalence of T.

Hyperdominance in Amazonian forest carbon cycling.

While Amazonian forests are extraordinarily diverse, the abundance of trees is skewed strongly towards relatively few 'hyperdominant' species. In addition to their diversity, Amazonian trees are a key component of the global carbon cycle, assimilating and storing more carbon than any other ecosystem on Earth. Here we ask, using a unique data set of 530 forest plots, if the functions of storing and producing woody carbon are concentrated in a small number of tree species, whether the most abundant species also dominate carbon cycling, and whether dominant species are characterized by specific functional traits.

Immediate and mid-term effects of pyrimethanil toxicity on microalgae by simulating an episodic contamination.

Since pesticides can represent a threat for non-target aquatic communities, including microalgae, we looked at the effects of the fungicide pyrimethanil on the growth of the freshwater green microalgae Selenastrum capricornutum. Additionally, attenuation of the toxicity of pyrimethanil due to its dissipation in the water was assessed. Pyrimethanil-contaminated samples were taken from outdoor mesocosms one (1.

Contaminants as habitat disturbers: PAH-driven drift by Andean paramo stream insects.

Contaminants can behave as toxicants, when toxic effects are observed in organisms, as well as habitat disturbers and fragmentors, by triggering avoidance responses and generating less- or uninhabited zones. Drift by stream insects has long been considered a mechanism to avoid contamination by moving to most favorable habitats. Given that exploration and transportation of crude oil represent a threat for surrounding ecosystems, the key goal of the present study was to assess the ability of autochthonous groups of aquatic insects from the Ecuadorian paramo streams to avoid by drift different concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) contained in the soluble fraction of locally transported crude oil.

Incidence of human Taenia solium larval Infections in an Ecuadorian endemic area: implications for disease burden assessment and control.

Background: Human cysticercosis is a zoonotic disease causing severe health disorders and even death. While prevalence data become available worldwide, incidence rate and cumulative incidence figures are lacking, which limits the understanding of the Taenia solium epidemiology.

Methodology/principal Findings: A seroepidemiological cohort study was conducted in a south-Ecuadorian community to estimate the incidence rate of infection with and the incidence rate of exposure to T.