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PubMed2005

The ecological and economic potential of carbon sequestration in forests: examples from South America.

Costs of reforestation projects determine their competitiveness with alternative measures to mitigate rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations. We quantify carbon sequestration in above-ground biomass and soils of plantation forests and secondary forests in two countries in South America-Ecuador and Argentina-and calculate costs of temporary carbon sequestration. Costs per temporary certified emission reduction unit vary between 0.1 and 2.7 USD Mg(-1) CO2 and mainly depend on opportunity costs, site suitability, discount rates, and certification costs. In Ecuador, secondary forests are a feasible and cost-efficient alternative, whereas in Argentina reforestation on highly suitable land is relatively cheap. Our results can be used to design cost-effective sink projects and to negotiate fair carbon prices for landowners.

Argentina↗
PubMed1993

Antibody responses to Onchocerca volvulus in Ecuadorian Indians and blacks.

In Ecuador, previous epidemiological studies of onchocerciasis affecting a population consisting of Blacks of African origin and Amerindians of the Chachi tribe, have demonstrated different frequencies of clinical disease manifestations in each racial group. To explore the possibility of differential antibody responses to O. volvulus antigens in this population, a subset of sera from these two groups of Ecuadorians with onchocerciasis was analyzed for antibody to O. volvulus antigens using ELISA and Western blot techniques. Significantly higher levels of immunoglobulin against O. volvulus were demonstrated in Chachi Indians compared to native Blacks of African origin: total Ig (p = 0.049), IgG (P = 0.002) IgG4 (p = 0.019) and IgA (p = 0.035). Western blot analysis of sera from 41 persons demonstrated more intense and more frequent recognition of low molecular weight parasite antigens in the Chachi compared to a similar group of male and female Ecuadorian Blacks. These data suggest that the intensity of antibody responses to O. volvulus antigens may reflect the influence of racial factors in the pathogenesis of onchocerciasis in Ecuador.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Vitamin A status of children in five Ecuadorian provinces.

In mid-1993 Ecuador's Health Research Institute conducted a survey to evaluate the general nutrition and vitamin A status of children in five provinces (three in the mountains and two on the coast) containing pockets of extreme poverty. The survey enrolled 1555 children 12-59 months old who constituted a multi-phased stratified cluster sample obtained by random selection methods. Among its other aims, the survey sought to assess all or part of the study subjects' serum retinol levels, dietary vitamin A intake and ocular signs of vitamin A deficiency, and to weigh the influence on vitamin A status of age, sex, parental (maternal) education, residence in a rural or urban area, and the ethnic background of the residence area. Questionnaire interviews were conducted to gather information about each survey child's identify, diet, pathologic history, and breast-feeding history; a blood sample was obtained; and the child was weighed, measured, and given a complete physical examination (including an eye examination). Of the 1232 survey children whose serum retinol levels were measured, 18% and 2% were found to have levels below 0.7 and 0.35 mumol/L, respectively. Low serum retinol levels were more common among children of mothers who had relatively little education and resided in rural areas. The presence of Bitot's spots was confirmed in two of the study children. Interviews conducted with 39% of the study children's families to assess the children's diets showed the risk of insufficient vitamin A intake to be greater in the mountain provinces and among Indian populations, children born to mothers with no formal education, children living in rural areas, and underweight and stunted children. Forty-eight percent of the study population had serum retinol levels between 0.70 and 1.05 mumol/L, indicating marginal vitamin A deficiency. It would therefore appear that dietary supplementation would cause a substantial part of the Ecuadorian population to improve its vitamin A status. Overall, the results of the survey were consistent with a previous national survey and confirmed the existence of a pronounced subclinical vitamin A deficiency that clearly constitutes a public health problem, especially in Ecuador's rural Andean areas.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1993

Trends in uterine cancer mortality in the Americas, 1955-1988.

Trends in uterine cancer mortality over the period 1955-1988 were analyzed for 14 selected Latin American countries and for the United States and Canada on the basis of the official death certification data from the World Health Organization database. In the late 1960s uterine cancer mortality in Latin America ranged from 7.8/100,000 in the Dominican Republic to 26.4/100,000 in Venezuela and was around 10/100,000 in the United States and Canada. Over the last two decades most Latin American countries (with the exception of the Dominican Republic and Ecuador) showed declines in mortality rates ranging from about 10% in Argentina and Mexico to 25-35% in Cuba, Chile, Uruguay, and Venezuela. These declines were however appreciably smaller than those in the United States and Canada, where falls in uterine cancer mortality approached 50%. In comparison with recent rates in the United States and Canada (around 5/100,000), mortality from uterine cancer was still high in all Central and South American countries (between 11 and 20/100,000), with the sole exception of Puerto Rico (6.3/100,000). The highest rates were in Paraguay and Ecuador (over 20/100,000). The overall variation in all age-standardized uterine cancer mortality in Latin America remained around threefold during the period 1965-1988 (i.e., between 22/100,000 in Paraguay and 6.3/100,000 in Puerto Rico). However, if the United States and Canada were also considered, the ratio between the highest and lowest mortality rate at all ages increased from about threefold during the period 1965-1969 to over fourfold in the late 1980s. This diverging pattern between North and Latin America was even clearer in young women (20-44 years), when most uterine cancer originates from the cervix, and less evident in the elderly. In the young, recent upward trends were observed in Argentina, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic. These mortality patterns are discussed with reference to risk factor exposure, cytologic screening programs, changes in hysterectomy rates, treatment, and case ascertainment and certification.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Trends in neonatal and infant mortality in five continents.

Trends in the mortality rates for the periods 0-6, 7-27, 28-365 and 0-365 days after birth have been analysed in 48 European, American, African, Asian and Australian countries included in the World Health Organization (WHO) mortality database. From the late 1960s to the early 1990s infant mortality rates declined steadily and markedly in most countries worldwide. Only three countries (Bulgaria, Dominican Republic and Ecuador) showed some increase in rates in the late 1980s after, however, appreciable decreasing trends in earlier calendar periods. In the late 1980s or early 1990s three Latin American countries (Ecuador, Colombia and Dominican Republic) showed the highest rates in all the indicators considered, with the exception of 0-6 days of life mortality, where Sri Lanka ranked second in mortality rates. Intermediate rates (around 10-25/1000 live births for 0-365 days of life mortality) were reported by a number of Latin American, Asian and Central European countries. Rates lower than 10/1000 live births for the 0-365 days of life mortality were reported from the USA. Canada, most western European countries and four Asian countries (Israel, HongKong, Singapore and Japan, which registered the lowest rate). The major decreases were observed in the 0-6 days mortality rates. The proportional reductions were comparable for the period 7-27 and 28-365 days of life in several countries, and generally did not show a consistent pattern, some countries showing greater reduction for 7-27 days of life mortality rates and others vice versa. Thus, in the late 1960s in most countries the large majority of infant deaths occurred in the first month of life, but in the early 1990s this proportion had declined, and the 0-6/7-365 days of life rates ratios were below unity in most countries. In most South American countries, however, the ratio was generally close to unity in both calendar periods.

Birth Rate↗
PubMed2004

Genetic diversity and geographic pattern in early South American cotton domestication.

Amplified fragment length polymorphism fingerprinting was applied to survey the genetic diversity of primitive South American Gossypium barbadense cotton for establishing a possible link to its pre-Columbian expansion. New germplasm was collected along coastal Peru and over an Andean transect in areas where most of the archaeological evidence relating to cotton domestication has been recorded. Gene bank material of three diploid (G. raimondii, G. arboreum, and G. herbaceum) and four allotetraploid cotton species (G. hirsutum, G. mustelinum, G. tomentosum and additional G. barbadense) was added for inter- and intra-specific comparison. Eight primer combinations yielded 340 polymorphic bands among the 131 accessions. The obtained neighbor joining and unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic means are in full agreement with the known cytogenetics of the tetraploid cottons and their diploid genome donors. The four tetraploid species are clearly distinct based on taxonomic classification. The genetic diversity within G. barbadense reveals geographic patterns. The locally maintained cottons from coastal Peru display a distinct genetic diversity that mirrors their primitive agro-morphological traits. Accessions from the northernmost coast of Peru and from southwestern (SW) Ecuador cluster basal to the east-of-Andes accessions. The remaining accessions from Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia, Venezuela, and the Caribbean and Pacific islands cluster with the east-of-Andes accessions. Northwestern Peru/SW Ecuador (the area flanking the Guayaquil gulf) appears to be the center of the primitive domesticated G. barbadense cotton from where it spread over the Andes and expanded into its pre-Columbian range.

DNA, Plant↗
PubMed2002

The El Niño southern oscillation and malaria epidemics in South America.

A better understanding of the relationship between the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the climatic anomalies it engenders, and malaria epidemics could help mitigate the world-wide increase in incidence of this mosquito-transmitted disease. The purpose of this paper is to assess the possibility of using ENSO forecasts for improving malaria control. This paper analyses the relationship between ENSO events and malaria epidemics in a number of South American countries (Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela). A statistically significant relationship was found between El Niño and malaria epidemics in Colombia, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela. We demonstrate that flooding engenders malaria epidemics in the dry coastal region of northern Peru, while droughts favor the development of epidemics in Colombia and Guyana, and epidemics lag a drought by 1 year in Venezuela. In Brazil, French Guiana, and Ecuador, where we did not detect an ENSO/malaria signal, non-climatic factors such as insecticide sprayings, variation in availability of anti-malaria drugs, and population migration are likely to play a stronger role in malaria epidemics than ENSO-generated climatic anomalies. In some South American countries, El Niño forecasts show strong potential for informing public health efforts to control malaria.

Climate↗
PubMed2006

Seasonality of weather and tree phenology in a tropical evergreen mountain rain forest.

Flowering and fruiting as phenological events of 12 tree species in an evergreen tropical mountain rain forest in southern Ecuador were examined over a period of 3-4 years. Leaf shedding of two species was observed for 12 months. Parallel to the phenological recordings, meteorological parameters were monitored in detail and related to the flowering and fruiting activity of the trees. In spite of the perhumid climate of that area, a high degree of intra- and inter-specific synchronisation of phenological traits was apparent. With the exception of one species that flowered more or less continuously, two groups of trees could be observed, one of which flowered during the less humid months (September to October) while the second group started to initiate flowers towards the end of that phase and flowered during the heavy rains (April to July). As reflected by correlation coefficients, the all-time series of meteorological parameters showed a distinct seasonality of 8-12 months, apparently following the quasi-periodic oscillation of precipitation and related cloudiness. As revealed by power spectrum analysis and Markov persistence, rainfall and minimum temperature appear to be the only parameters with a periodicity free of long-term variations. The phenological events of most of the plant species showed a similar periodicity of 8-12 months, which followed the annual oscillation of relatively less and more humid periods and thus was in phase or in counter-phase with the oscillations of the meteorological parameters. Periods of unusual cold or dryness, presumably resulting from underlying longer-term trends or oscillations (such as ENSO), affected the homogeneity of quasi-12-month flowering events, fruit maturation and also the production of germinable seeds. Some species show underlying quasi-2-year-oscillations, for example that synchronise with the development of air temperature; others reveal an underlying decrease or increase in flowering activity over the observation period, influenced for instance by solar irradiance. As Ecuador suffers the highest rate of deforestation in South America, there is an urgent need for indigenous plant material for reforestation. A detailed knowledge of the biology of reproduction in relation to governing external factors (mainly climate) is thus required.

Altitude↗
PubMed2006

Ticks (Ixodidae) on humans in South America.

Twenty eight species of Ixodidae have been found on man in South America (21 Amblyomma, 1 Boophilus, 2 Dermacentor, 2 Haemaphysalis, 1 Ixodes and 1 Rhipicephalus species). Most of them are rarely found on man. However, three species frequently parasitize humans in restricted areas of Argentina (A. neumanni reported from 46 localities), Uruguay (A. triste from 21 sites) and Argentina-Brazil (A. parvum from 27 localities). The most widespread ticks are A. cajennense (134 localities in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Suriname and Venezuela), A. ovale (37 localities in Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Suriname and Venezuela) and A. oblongoguttatum (28 sites in Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela). Amblyomma aureolatum (18 localities in Argentina, Brazil, French Guiana and Paraguay), A. cajennense, and A. triste are vectors of rickettsioses to man in South America. A better understanding of the respective roles of these and other tick species in transmitting pathogens to humans will require further local investigations. Amblyomma ticks should be the main subjects of these studies followed by species of Boophilus, Dermacentor, Haemaphysalis and Rhipicephalus species. In contrast with North America, Europe and Asia, ticks of the genus Ixodes do not appear to be major players in transmitting diseases to human. Indeed, there is only one record of an Ixodes collected while feeding on man for all South America.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Origin of Bolivian Quechua Amerindians: their relationship with other American Indians and Asians according to HLA genes.

The Incas were Quechua-speaking people who settled down near Cuzco (Peru). They had an empire ranging from Ecuador to Chile, when Spanish conquerors seized their kingdom around 1532 AD. Nowadays, Quechua-speaking people inhabits Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru and Argentina; however, Quechua language was imposed by both Incas and Spaniards to many non-Quechua speaking communities. We have taken a sample of Quechuan Bolivian blood donors from La Paz (Titicaca Lake region) where Inca-Quechuas themselves believed that came from. This group was compared with 6892 individuals from 68 different world populations regarding HLA/DNA allele frequencies distribution. Genetic distances, dendrograms and correspondence analyses were carried out in order to establish relationships among populations. The main conclusions are: (1) DRB1 and -DQB1 haplotypes shared with Asians are found in Quechuas and are not observed in other (Mesoamerican) Amerindians. (2) Aymara-speaking people from the same Titicaca Lake (La Paz) area shows close genetic distances with Quechuas in one dimension results (genetic distances); however, their HLA gene frequency distribution differs according to Neighbor-Joining (NJ) trees and correspondence analysis (multidimensional and more reliable analyses). Also, the common high frequency Asian and Athabascan HLA-DRB1*0901 allele is found in Quechuas in a significant frequency. Quechuas are clearly included within the Amerindian group.

Alleles↗
PubMed2005

Phylogenetic analysis of Taura syndrome virus isolates collected between 1993 and 2004 and virulence comparison between two isolates representing different genetic variants.

Taura syndrome virus (TSV) is highly pathogenic to Litopenaeus vannamei (Pacific white shrimp) and has caused significant economic loss in the shrimp culture industry. It was first reported from Ecuador in 1992 and has since become widely distributed throughout the Americas and southeast Asia (SE Asia). To determine the genetic relationship among various geographic isolates, we amplified and sequenced a 1.3 kb fragment of the TSV capsid protein gene 2 (CP2) from each of 34 isolates collected from cultured penaeid shrimp stocks in Ecuador, Colombia, Honduras, USA, Mexico, Belize, Thailand, China, and Indonesia. An additional six CP2 sequences obtained from GenBank were included in the analysis. The results indicated low genetic variation (0--5.6% for nucleotide sequence and 0--7.0% for deduced amino acid sequence) among these 40 isolates. A phylogenetic analysis based on the deduced CP2 amino acid sequence revealed three distinct groups: Americas, Belize, and SE Asia. The Belize and SE Asia groups were separated from each other by a 4.7% difference in amino acid sequence. The Belize and Americas groups differed by 4.4%. The Americas and SE Asia groups were the closest, separated by a difference of only 3.3%. Comparison between Belize and Hawaii TSV (reference strain for Americas group) indicated that Belize TSV was more virulent than Hawaii TSV. In bioassays, the Belize isolate caused 50% mortality by 3 days, while the Hawaii isolate caused 50% mortality over 4--6 days. Based on the phylogenetic analysis and virulence comparison, the Belize TSV isolate should be considered as a new variant.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2003

Multiple genotypes of Taenia solium--ramifications for diagnosis, treatment and control.

Mitochondrial DNA sequences of Taenia solium have fully been analyzed. Analysis of the full length of cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (1620 bp) and cytochrome b (1068 bp) genes of T. solium, isolated from Asia (China, Thailand, Indonesia and India), from Latin America (Mexico, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru and Brazil) and from Africa (Tanzania, Mozambique and Cameroon), has revealed that the two phylogenies obtained were similar to each other regardless of the genes examined. The isolates from Asia formed a single cluster, whereas those from Latin America combined with those from Africa to form an additional cluster. It was estimated that these two genotypes emerged approximately 4-8 x 10(5) years ago. These results together with recent study of the ancient of human taeniid cestodes emerged several MYA in Africa, historical data on swine domestication, distribution of pigs and colonization patterns suggest that T. solium was introduced recently into Latin America and Africa from different regions of Europe during the colonial age, which started 500 years ago, and that T. solium of another origin independently spread in Asian countries, perhaps from China. Why did not T. solium of European origin invade or spread into Asia during the colonial age? Analysis of T. solium distribution must include other Taenia species, especially T. saginata and T. asiatica, which can not be differentiated from each other morphologically. BESS T-base analysis for differentiation of all human Taenia species including the two genotypes of T. solium, and T. saginata and T. asiatica has also been characterized. BESS T-base analysis differentiates African isolates from Latin American isolates as well but more samples should be analyzed for obtaining conclusive evidence for the latter. Serological analysis of cyst fluid of T. solium cysticerci obtained in China and Indonesia and from Mozambique and Ecuador indicates geographical differences in their banding patterns. These differences are discussed in the light of possible differences in pathology of T. solium worldwide. As it has been speculated that the ancient T. solium emerged several million years ago in Africa, it is necessary to analyze more isolates from Africa. Such working hypothesis may be evaluated combined with symptomatology and serology when we get additional DNA data from such areas, since there are some varieties of manifestation of neurocysticercosis with or without subcutaneous cysticercosis and of antigens of cyst fluid of T. solium from Asia and from Africa and/or America. Transfer of techniques of molecular identification and sero- and immuno-diagnoses between researchers and technicians from endemic countries using their own materials should be promoted with the aim of better international cooperation for the control of cysticercosis.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Ectoparasites--the underestimated realm.

CONTEXT: Ectoparasitoses (infestations with parasites that live on or in the skin) can cause considerable morbidity. Whereas pediculosis and scabies are ubiquitous, cutaneous larva migrans and tungiasis (sand-flea disease) occur mainly in hot climates. The prevalence of ectoparasitoses in the general population is usually low, but can be high in vulnerable groups. Scientific knowledge on how to deal best with parasitic skin diseases in different settings is scanty, and evidence-based measures for control are not available. For head lice and scabies the situation is daunting, because resistance of Pediculus humanus capitis and Sarcoptes scabiei to insecticides is spreading and unpredictable. STARTING POINT: J Hunter and S Barker reported different patterns of resistance in schoolchildren in Brisbane, Australia: full resistance to malathion, permethrin, and pyrethrum in two schools, whereas head lice were susceptible to malathion and, to a lesser extent, to pyrethrums in three other schools (Parasitol Res 2003; 90: 476-78). K Yoon and colleagues found different resistance patterns in the USA and Ecuador (Arch Dermatol 2003; 139: 994-1000). Head lice from Florida were less susceptible to permethrin than those from Texas, and parasites from Ecuador were susceptible to both insecticides tested. WHERE NEXT? The occurrence of resistant pediculosis and scabies is expected to increase numerically and geographically. Clinicoepidemiological studies are urgently needed to identify the factors which govern the emergence and spread of strains of P humanus capitis and S scabiei that are resistant to insecticide or acaricide. Oral treatment with ivermectin could substitute for topically applied compounds, particularly in resource-poor communities where polyparasitism is common. A better understanding of local epidemiology is required to develop control measures. This knowledge has to be applied in combination with environmental sanitation, health education, and culturally acceptable interventions that are affordable by the underprivileged.

Drug Resistance↗
PubMed2003

[Pharmacoeconomic study of antibiotic therapy for exacerbations of chronic bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Latin America].

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and chronic bronchitis are highly prevalent diseases. Studies designed to analyze the economic impact of these diseases in Latin American countries have not previously been published. In the present study we analyzed the direct health care costs of treating patients with exacerbations of chronic bronchitis and COPD in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela, applying the real cost of drugs and medical acts in those 7 countries to the pattern of treatment and outcomes obtained from a study carried out in primary care settings in Spain. The mean direct health care cost ranged from US $98 in Colombia to $329 in Argentina. Most of the cost was related to failure of therapy, which accounted for 52% of the total cost of exacerbation, with the lowest rate in Colombia at 28.6% and the highest in Ecuador at 59.3% The cost of antibiotic therapy represented 19% of the total cost; the rest was owing to other drugs or medical visits. Exacerbations generate significant costs for health care systems. There are considerable variations related mainly to differences between systems. Antibiotic therapy represents a small part of the overall cost. The use of more effective antibiotics, if they can reduce failure rates, may be a cost-effective strategy.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2004

Identity of the mtDNA haplotype(s) of Phytophthora infestans in historical specimens from the Irish potato famine.

The mtDNA haplotypes of the plant pathogen Phytophthora infestans present in dried potato and tomato leaves from herbarium specimens collected during the Irish potato famine and later in the 19th and early 20th century were identified. A 100 bp fragment of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) specific for P. infestans was amplified from 90% of the specimens (n = 186), confirming infection by P. infestans. Primers were designed that distinguish the extant mtDNA haplotypes. 86% percent of the herbarium specimens from historic epidemics were infected with the Ia mtDNA haplotype. Two mid-20th century potato leaves from Ecuador (1967) and Bolivia (1944) were infected with the Ib mtDNA haplotype of the pathogen. Both the Ia and IIb haplotypes were found in specimens collected in Nicaragua in the 1950s. The data suggest that the Ia haplotype of P. infestans was responsible for the historic epidemics during the 19th century in the UK, Europe, and the USA. The Ib mtDNA haplotype of the pathogen was dispersed later in the early 20th century from Bolivia and Ecuador. Multiple haplotypes were present outside Mexico in the 1940s-60s, indicating that pathogen diversity was greater than previously believed.

Biological Specimen Banks↗
PubMed1992

[The solitary pulmonary histoplasmoma].

A 63-year-old man who grows orchids as a hobby, fell ill with weakness and pain in his hips and legs 2 months after his latest trip to South America (Ecuador). The WBC count was 9900/microliters with unremarkable differential count while blood sedimentation rate was raised to 60/100 mm. The chest X-ray demonstrated in the right upper lobe a well-circumscribed coin lesion (3 cm diameter) of soft-tissue density, uncalcified and without cavitation. Computed tomography in addition revealed an enlarged lymph-node at the lower hilar pole, but no mediastinal lymphoma. Bronchoscopy demonstrated narrowing of a subsegmental ostium of the 6th segment on the right. An attempt at transbronchial biopsy failed. As a peripheral bronchial carcinoma was suspected, a posterolateral thoracotomy was performed (4 months after the trip to Ecuador). Rapid histological examination was negative for tumour and the lesion was therefore enucleated. Histologically (Grocott silver staining) a histoplasmoma was diagnosed. Several serum samples were positive for precipitating (M-band) and complement-binding antibodies (titre 12 days preoperatively was 1:16). The postoperative course was without complication. No anti-histoplasma antibodies were demonstrable 1 year postoperatively.

Antibodies, Fungal↗
PubMed2004

Analysis of Rhizobium etli and of its symbiosis with wild Phaseolus vulgaris supports coevolution in centers of host diversification.

Common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) comprise three major geographic genetic pools, one in Mexico, Central America, and Colombia, another in the southern Andes, and a third in Ecuador and northern Peru. Species Rhizobium etli is the predominant rhizobia found symbiotically associated with beans in the Americas. We have found polymorphism in the common nodulation gene nodC among R. etli strains from a wide range of geographical origins, which disclosed three nodC types. The different nodC alleles in American strains show varying predominance in their regional distributions in correlation with the centers of bean genetic diversification (BD centers). By cross-inoculating wild common beans from the three BD centers with soils from Mexico, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Northwestern Argentina, the R. etli populations from nodules originated from Mexican soil again showed allele predominance that was opposite to those originated from Bolivian and Argentinean soil, whereas populations from Ecuadorian soil were intermediate. These results also indicated that the preferential nodulation of beans by geographically related R. etli lineages was independent of the nodulating environment. Coinoculation of wild common beans from each of the three BD centers with an equicellular mixture of R. etli strains representative of the Mesoamerican and southern Andean lineages revealed a host-dependent distinct competitiveness: beans from the Mesoamerican genetic pool were almost exclusively nodulated by strains from their host region, whereas nodules of beans from the southern Andes were largely occupied by the geographically cognate R. etli lineages. These results suggest coevolution in the centers of host genetic diversification.

Acyltransferases↗
PubMed2005

Trends in cancer mortality in the Americas, 1970-2000.

BACKGROUND: Data and statistics on cancer mortality over the last decades are available for most developed countries, while they are more difficult to obtain, in a standardized and comparable format, for countries of Latin America. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Age standardized (world population) mortality rates around the year 2000, derived from the WHO database, are presented for 14 selected cancers and total cancer in 10 countries of Latin America, plus, for comparative purposes, Canada and the USA. Trends in mortality are also given over the period 1970-2000. RESULTS: In 2000, the highest total cancer mortality for males was observed in Argentina and Chile, with rates comparable to those of Canada and the USA, i.e. about 155/100,000. For women, Chile and Cuba had the highest rates in Latin America (114 and 103/100,000, respectively), again comparable to those of North America (around 105/100,000). These reflect the comparatively high mortality from cancer of the stomach (for Chile), lung and intestines (for Argentina) in men, and of stomach and uterus (for Chile), intestines and lung (for Cuba) in women. Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico had the lowest total cancer mortality for men, due to low mortality from stomach, colorectal and lung cancer. For women, the lowest rates were in Brazil and Puerto Rico, reflecting their low stomach and cervical cancer rates. In Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica and Venezuela cancer mortality rates tended to decline, particularly in men. Rates were stable in Ecuador and Puerto Rico, and were increasing in Mexico and Cuba. CONCLUSIONS: Mortality from some common cancers (including colorectal and lung) is still low in Latin America compared with Canada and the USA, and decreasing trends have been observed in the last decades for some cancer sites (including stomach, uterus, lung and other tobacco-related cancers) in several countries. However, mortality from female lung and breast cancers has been increasing in most countries of Latin America, and several countries still show an extremely elevated mortality from cancer of the cervix. Selected neoplasms amenable to treatment, including testis and leukemias, also show unsatisfactory trends in Latin America.

Adult↗