Biology subjects

Vasquez, G.

Publications and source records attributed to Vasquez, G..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2018

Antimicrobial, Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Proteins of Phaseoulus lunatus (Fabaceae) Baby Lima Beans Produced in Ecuador

Phaseoulus lunatus L., a variety of baby lima bean, which is produced in the coastal region of Ecuador, is a profitable crop of that country. Various cultivars of this common bean are considered a sources for nutraceutical compounds, such as bioactive peptides. To assess the potential biologic activities of protein isolates and hydrolysates of P. lunatus baby lima beans, this study evaluates the proteins antimicrobial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Antioxidant activity was measured by the TBARS method. In-vitro anti-inflammatory activity was measured by the inhibition of denatured protein as well as a diffusion method, according with CLSI guidelines by antimicrobial activity. Both fractions (isolate and hydrolysates) showed anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity. However, protein hydrolysates (pH 5) had a better performance than protein isolates. The same effect was observed in antimicrobial activity, when protein hydrolysates had a broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. These preliminary studies suggest that P. lunatus baby lima beans could have a considerable biological activity for nutraceutical applications.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2017

Efficacy of Aedes aegypti control by indoor Ultra Low Volume (ULV) insecticide spraying in Iquitos, Peru

BackgroundAedes aegypti is a primary vector of dengue, chikungunya, Zika, and urban yellow fever viruses. Indoor, ultra low volume (ULV) space spraying with pyrethroid insecticides is the main approach used for Ae. aegypti emergency control in many countries. Given the widespread use of this method, the lack of large-scale experiments or detailed evaluations of municipal spray programs is problematic.\n\nMethodology/Principal FindingsTwo experimental evaluations of non-residual, indoor ULV pyrethroid spraying were conducted in Iquitos, Peru. In each, a central sprayed sector was surrounded by an unsprayed buffer sector. In 2013, spray and buffer sectors included 398 and 765 houses, respectively. Spraying reduced the mean number of adults captured per house by ~83 percent relative to the pre-spray baseline survey. In the 2014 experiment, sprayed and buffer sectors included 1,117 and 1,049 houses, respectively. Here, the sprayed sectors number of adults per house was reduced ~64 percent relative to baseline. Parity surveys in the sprayed sector during the 2014 spray period indicated an increase in the proportion of very young females. We also evaluated impacts of a 2014 citywide spray program by the local Ministry of Health, which reduced adult populations by ~60 percent. In all cases, adult densities returned to near-baseline levels within one month.\n\nConclusions/SignificanceOur results demonstrate that densities of adult Ae. aegypti can be reduced by experimental and municipal spraying programs. The finding that adult densities return to approximately pre-spray densities in less than a month is similar to results from previous, smaller scale experiments. Our results demonstrate that ULV spraying is best viewed as having a short-term entomological effect. The epidemiological impact of ULV spraying will need evaluation in future trials that measure capacity of insecticide spraying to reduce disease transmission.

epidemiology↗

bioRxiv2017

Deep profiling of mouse splenic architecture with CODEX multiplexed imaging.

A highly multiplexed cytometric imaging approach, termed CO-Detection by indEXing (CODEX), is used here to create multiplexed datasets of normal and lupus (MRL/lpr) murine spleens. CODEX iteratively visualizes antibody binding events using DNA barcodes, fluorescent dNTP analogs, and an insitu polymerization-based indexing procedure. An algorithmic pipeline for single-cell antigen quantification in tightly packed tissues was developed and used to overlay well-known morphological features with de novo characterization of lymphoid tissue architecture at a single-cell and cellular neighborhood levels. We observed an unexpected, profound impact of the cellular neighborhood on the expression of protein receptors on immune cells. By comparing normal murine spleen to spleens from animals with systemic autoimmune disease (MRL/lpr), extensive and previously uncharacterized splenic cell interaction dynamics in the healthy versus diseased state was observed. The fidelity of multiplexed spatial cytometry demonstrated here allows for quantitative systemic characterization of tissue architecture in normal and clinically aberrant samples.

systems biology↗