Medicina

The production of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) in Colombia has a significant environmental and socioeconomic importance to the region, in particular, those related to the presence or control of certain fungal pathogens. For that reason, the current study determined the incidence of diseases caused by phytopathogenic fungi in different biological materials planted in the department of Norte de Santander (Colombia) and identified the most frequently associated pathogen types. The study was conducted in four municipalities of the department, by sampling fruits infected with Frosty Pod Rot (FPR) and Black Pod Rot (BPR), that presented in situ incidence ranged from 0.37 % to 21.58% and from 1.75 to 35.59 %, respectively. The studied hybrid materials, together with clone TSH 65, were found to be the most susceptible ones to fungi, while the remaining clones resulted more tolerant, especially CCN 51, IMC 67 and ICS95. In vitro assays allowed isolating fifteen strains that were morphologically characterized both in solid media and microscopy. Nine of them were found to correspond to the pathogen Moniliophthora roreri, and 6 to Phytophthora palmivora. The isolated fungi showed in vitro morphological variability, as well as the ability to adapt to different environments when growing in situ.

The production of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) in Colombia has a significant environmental and socioeconomic importance to the region, in particular, those related to the presence or control of certain fungal pathogens. For that reason, the current study determined the incidence of diseases caused by phytopathogenic fungi in different biological materials planted in the department of Norte de Santander (Colombia) and identified the most frequently associated pathogen types. The study was conducted in four municipalities of the department, by sampling fruits infected with Frosty Pod Rot (FPR) and Black Pod Rot (BPR), that presented in situ incidence ranged from 0.37 % to 21.58% and from 1.75 to 35.59 %, respectively. The studied hybrid materials, together with clone TSH 65, were found to be the most susceptible ones to fungi, while the remaining clones resulted more tolerant, especially CCN 51, IMC 67 and ICS95. In vitro assays allowed isolating fifteen strains that were morphologically characterized both in solid media and microscopy. Nine of them were found to correspond to the pathogen Moniliophthora roreri, and 6 to Phytophthora palmivora. The isolated fungi showed in vitro morphological variability, as well as the ability to adapt to different environments when growing in situ.

a contaminación de los cuerpos naturales de agua es una problemática latente, principalmente en los países con bajo desarrollo tecnológico, donde la inversión económica es limitada y la cultura de disposición de residuos, así como su reciclaje o reutilización por parte de la población, es muy escasa. Esto hace, que se produzcan grandes volúmenes de desechos domésticos y agro-industriales, que en su mayoría son vertidos directamente a los ecosistemas acuáticos sin ningún tratamiento previo; convirtiendo al agua en un vehículo transmisor de contaminantes de todo tipo. Adicionalmente, la escasez del recurso hídrico a consecuencia del cambio climático se ha incrementado, y las pocas fuentes hídricas que quedan deben ser preservadas y su calidad controlada. Basados en reportes de UNICEF-Colombia , tras un análisis realizado a 1008 planes de desarrollo nacional, en el país existen 502 municipios que no poseen plantas de tratamiento de agua potable (PTAP). Como es de esperarse, es la zona rural la que se ve más afectada comparada con la zona urbana (80% y 20 %, respectivamente). En aquellos municipios en los que, si se dispone de una PTAP, no siempre los procesos de potabilización son eficientes, lo que va en contravía del sexto objetivo de la Agenda 2030 de Desarrollo Sostenible de la Organización de Naciones Unidas, que invita a “garantizar la disponibilidad de agua y su gestión sostenible y el saneamiento para todos”. La Constitución Política de Colombia “establece como uno de los fines principales de la actividad del Estado, la solución de las necesidades básicas insatisfechas, entre las que está el acceso al servicio de agua potable, que es fundamental para la vida humana con el finde disminuir el número de enfermedades trasmitidas por el agua”. Hoy más que nunca, existe una necesidad imperante de que nuestros patrones de producción y consumo cambien; máxime bajo circunstancias tan difíciles como las que afrontamos en la actualidad, debido a la pandemia por el Sars-COV-2, la cual ha dejado en evidencia que ningún gobierno, incluso en los países más desarrollados e industrializados, existía la preparación, por parte dirigentes y población en general para hacerle frente. Si bien es cierto, esta situación coyuntural nos ha dejado grandes enseñanzas, la afectación al medio ambiente, y en especial, a los ecosistemas acuáticos ha sido dramática, y será un gran desafío afrontarla en los años venideros. En la actualidad, especialmente en países en vía de desarrollo, estamos abocados a un ciclo abierto, en el cual el diagnóstico precede al tratamiento y luego a la remediación. Es decir, esperamos a tener toda la información para empezar a tratar el problema. Esto trae como consecuencia estrategias de aplicación tardía, en ocasiones obsoletas; que puntualmente contribuyen a la solución efectiva de las situaciones a las que nos vemos avocados. Es imperioso, por tanto, encontrar mecanismos efectivos de diagnóstico temprano de contaminantes de diversa naturaleza en aguas, a través de técnicas rentables, costo-efectivas y de fácil aplicación, que permitan generar alternativas de solución en el corto plazo. Por tal razón, a través de este libro, los autores aportan un recurso bibliográfico sobre la calidad del recurso hídrico en algunas zonas del departamento Norte de Santander (N de S), que se espera pueda contribuir a la apropiación de una “cultura de prevención, más que de remediación”. En él, se plasma los resultados experimentales sobre la presencia de algunos contaminantes químicos, biológicos y virológicos, en aguas crudas y potables, durante el bienio 2015-2017. Para tal fin, se adoptaron metodologías avaladas internacionalmente por el Standard Methods y a nivel nacional, las sugeridas por las normativas legales vigentes. El análisis de virus entéricos, se hizo empleando una nueva técnica basada en el uso de “micropartículas fluoro-inmunomagnéticas” desarrollada por uno de los autores, con resultados validados por el Instituto Nacional de Salud (INS). Siendo conscientes de los efectos ambientales que genera cualquier bien o servicio, se introdujo la técnica del análisis del ciclo de vida (ACV), para determinar los impactos ambientales ocasionados por el proceso de potabilización del agua, siguiendo normas internacionales como la ISO 14040. Esto, permitió formular propuestas direccionadas a la reducción y/o mitigación de la huella de carbono de este proceso. Todos los hallazgos, así como los aportes aquí contenidos, fueron socializados previamente con el personal operativo y administrativo de las diferentes plantas potabilizadoras objeto de estudio. El libro cuenta, además, con soportes gráficos y con discusiones valiosas, que pueden servir como material de consulta para estudiantes del área o personas interesadas en la temática.

En este libro, producto de varios años de investigación del
grupo de investigación en Nanotecnología y Gestión Sostenible “NANOSOST”, categorizado A de la Universidad de Pamplona, con aportes
del Centro de Ciencia y Tecnología Nanoescalar “NanocyTec” presenta los resultados que se han venido obteniendo sobre el análisis de las enfermedades con mayor incidencia en algunas zonas cacaoteras del Departamento Norte de Santander, así como los agentes etiológicos
implicados en su producción. Haciendo uso del enfoque biotecnológico,
se muestran detalles experimentales de un trabajo realizado con Trichoderma viride, Botryosphaeria quercum y varios aceites esenciales,
como estrategias para el control biológico de estas enfermedades.
Desde una óptica más disruptiva se relacionan diferentes tipos de
nanomateriales y/o nanoconfiguraciones, que pueden ser empleados en
la detección y remoción de metales pesados como el cadmio y el
plomo, así como en la inhibición de hongos fitopatógenos que afectan
este sistema agroforestal en la actualidad.
En este sentido, se pretende generar un material bibliográfico que
pueda ser empleado por estudiantes, docentes, investigadores, técnicos
e interesados en el sector cacaotero; que de alguna manera promueva
iniciativas conducentes al incremento de la productividad y competitividad del cultivo en el Departamento Norte de Santander y por qué no, en el país.

Significance and Impact of the Study: The continuous rise of antibiotic resistance in bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a serious threat to human health, hence it is mandatory to identify novel ways to combat its infections. In this work, silver nanoparticles were synthesized in a green way using leaves and fugal extracts and its antibacterial effects were tested against clinical strains. The nanoparticles killed the strains due severe cellular damage affecting the membranes, the DNA and generating reactive oxygen species, in addition they were nontoxic and displayed synergy with some antibiotics; therefore, being a promising alternative to treat MDR P. aeruginosa infections.

Introduction: Enteric viruses have been associated with the production of a variety of diseases transmitted by the fecal-oral route and carried through contaminated food and water. Given their structure and composition, they are highly resistant to environmental conditions and most of the chemical agents used in the purification processes. Therefore, the systematic monitoring of raw water is necessary to ensure its quality especially when it is used for producing drinking water for human consumption. Objective: We identified the presence of rotavirus and hepatitis A virus by means of the fluoro-immuno-magnetic separation technique (FIMS) in raw water taken from four purification plants and their water supplies in the department of Norte de Santander. Materials and methods: The viruses were captured and separated from the water samples using magnetic microparticles functionalized with monoclonal anti-Hepatitis A and anti-Rotavirus antibodies. Confocal microscopy was used to monitor the viral concentration process and transmission electron microscopy for the morphological visualization of the separated viruses. The reverse transcriptase-coupled polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was applied to confirm the presence of pathogens. Results: The two enteric viruses were identified in the majority of the analyzed water samples including water supply sources. Conclusion: We determined that the FIMS technique together with RT-PCR is highly effective for the detection of viral pathogens in complex matrices such as raw water.

A new rapid, sensitive and selective method for rotavirus detection in water samples is described in this paper. Amino pink magnetic microparticles were functionalized with monoclonal antibodies and used to capture, concentrate, separate and detect infectious rotavirus particles in distilled and drinking water samples. The fluorescence of the microparticles was used to determine the presumptive presence of rotaviruses by using confocal microscopy. Atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were used to confirm the presence of the anti-rotavirus antibodies attached to the surface of the magnetic microparticles as well as that of viruses attached through the antibody. In addition, RNA extraction, quantification and amplification were carried out to validate the microscopic observations. The selectivity of the microparticles was tested in a sample containing a mix of enteric viruses. It was concluded that functionalizing fluoromagnetic microparticles with anti-rotavirus monoclonal antibodies constituted a fast, simple and reliable technique for detecting as low as 10 Rotavirus particles in 1 L of artificial or real water in just 2 hours.

The present research aims to evaluate the usefulness of the application of Life Cycle Management in the agricultural sector focusing on the environmental and socio-economic aspects of decision making in the Colombian cocoa production. Such appraisal is based on the application of two methodological tools: Life Cycle Assessment, which considers environmental impacts throughout the life cycle of the cocoa production system, and Taguchi Loss Function, which measures the economic impact of a process’ deviation from production targets. Results show that appropriate improvements in farming practices and supply consumption can enhance decision-making in the agricultural cocoa sector towards sustainability. In terms of agri-business purposes, such qualitative shift allows not only meeting consumer demands for environmentally friendly products, but also increasing the productivity and competitiveness of cocoa production, all of which has helped Life Cycle Management gain global acceptance. Since farmers have an important role in improving social and economic indicators at the national level, more attention should be paid to the upgrading of their cropping practices. Finally, one fundamental aspect of national cocoa production is the institutional and governmental support available for farmers in face of socio-economic or technological needs.

The objective of this work was to evaluate the microbicidal effect of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on potentially toxigenic fungi affecting cocoa (Theobroma cacao) crops. These fungi, isolated from diseased cocoa pods, were characterized phenotypically and genotypically. The microbicidal effect was assessed by measuring radial mycelial growth, in synthetic culture media, and at different AgNP concentrations in plant tissues. The inhibition effect was monitored in Petri dishes, and changes in fungal structures were observed through scanning electron microscopy. Two potentially toxigenic fungi were highly prevalent: Aspergillus flavus and Fusarium solani. The inhibition assays, performed in liquid and solid synthetic culture media, showed that AgNPs did not significantly affect the growth of these fungi, even at the highest concentration (100 ppm). By contrast, they showed a positive inhibitory effect in plant tissues, especially in the cortex, when infected with A. flavus, in which an 80 ppm dose completely inhibited fungal growth. However, once fungi have managed to penetrate inside the pods, their growth is unavoidable, and AgNP effect is reduced. On F. solani, the studied nanomaterial only induced some texture and pigmentation changes. The microbicidal effect of chemically synthesized silver nanoparticles is greater in plant tissues than in culture media.

There is currently great concern about the processes that directly or indirectly contribute to the potential for global warming, such as stratospheric ozone depletion or acidification. In this context, and provided that treated water is a basic public utility in urban centers around the world as well as in some rural areas, its impact on the environment is of great interest. Therefore, this study applied the environmental methodology of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to evaluate the environmental loads of four potable water treatment plants (PWTPs) located in northeastern Colombia following the international guidelines delineated in ISO 14040. The different stages of the drinking water process were thoroughly assessed, from the catchment point through pumping to the distribution network. The functional unit was defined as 1 m3 of drinking water produced at the plant. The data were analyzed through the database Ecoinvent v.3.01, and modeled and processed in the software LCA-Data Manager...

The production of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) in Colombia has a significant environmental and socioeconomic importance as a promissory crop in the post-conflict process. The department of Norte de Santander has cocoa crops that are dramatically affected by fungal pathogens causing important losses during harvest and post-harvest. Therefore, the current study focused on the determination of the incidence of diseases caused by phytopathogenic fungi in cocoa crops, and the identification of primary phytopathogenic fungi found in biological material from different farms of the region. The study was conducted in four municipalities of the department, by sampling fruits infected with frosty pod rot (FPR) and black pod rot (BPR) that presented in situ incidence ranging from 0.37 to 21.58% and from 1.75 to 35.59%, respectively. The studied hybrid materials, together with clone TSH 65, were found to be the most susceptible, while the remaining clones were more tolerant, especially CCN 51, IMC...