Litsea glaucescens Kuth possesses bactericidal activity against Listeria monocytogenes

LAURA PATRICIA ALVAREZ BERBER SILVIA MARQUINA BAHENA (2023, [Artículo])

Litsea glaucencens Kuth is an aromatic plant used for food seasoning food and in Mexican traditional medicine. Among, L. glaucencens leaves properties, it has proven antibacterial activity which can be used against opportunistic pathogens like Listeria monocytogenes, a foodborne bacteria that is the causal agent of listeriosis, a disease that can be fatal in susceptible individuals. The aim of this work was to investigate the antibacterial activity of L. glaucescens Kuth leaf extracts against L. monocytogenes and to identify its bioactive components.

BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA QUÍMICA Litsea glaucescens, Listeria monocytogenes, Pinocembrin, Bactericidal activity

The Chemical Evolution of Narrow Emission Line Galaxies: the Key to their Formation Processes

JUAN PABLO TORRES PAPAQUI ROGER COZIOL RENE ALBERTO ORTEGA MINAKATA (2011, [Artículo])

Using the largest sample of narrow emission line galaxies available so far, we show that their spectral characteristics are correlated with different physical parameters, like the chemical abundances, the morphologies, the masses of the bulge and the mean stellar age of the stellar populations of the host galaxies. It suggests that the spectral variations observed in standard spectroscopic diagnostic diagrams are not due solely to variations of ionization parameters or structures but reflect also the chemical evolution of the galaxies, which in turn can be explained by different galaxy formation processes.

Utilizando la mayor muestra de galaxias con líneas de emisión angostas disponible hasta el momento, se muestra que sus características espectrales están correlacionadas con diferentes parámetros físicos, como las abundancias químicas, las morfologías, las masas del bulbo, y la edad estelar promedio de las poblaciones estelares de la galaxia anfitrio-na. Por lo tanto, se sugiere que las variaciones espectrales observadas en diagramas de diagnóstico estándares no se deben únicamente a las variaciones de los parámetros o las estructuras de ionización, sino que reflejan también la evolución química de las galaxias, relacionada con diferentes procesos de formación

CIENCIAS FÍSICO MATEMÁTICAS Y CIENCIAS DE LA TIERRA Galaxy Chemical Activity Formation Chemical evolution Galaxias Actividad química Formación Evolución química

Chemically modified nanoparticles for enhanced antioxidant and antimicrobial properties with cinnamon essential oil

Aaron Azael Lopez Cano VERONICA MARTINEZ AGUILAR Mariana Peña-Juárez Ricardo López Esparza Enrique Delgado Alvarado Emmanuel Gutierrez MAYRA DEL ANGEL MONROY Elias Perez Agustin L. Herrera-May JOSE AMIR GONZALEZ CALDERON (2023, [Artículo])

We explored the potential of different nanoparticles (TiO2, CaCO3, and Al2O3), considering their pure form and modified with cinnamon essential oil (CEO). These materials were characterized using various techniques, including FTIR spectroscopy, XRD analysis, TGA, and SEM. The interaction between CEO and nanoparticles changed depending on the nanoparticle type. Al2O3 nanoparticles exhibited the strongest interaction with CEO, increasing their antioxidant capacity by around 40% and their transfer of antimicrobial properties, particularly against Gram-negative bacteria. In contrast, TiO2 and CaCO3 nanoparticles showed limited interaction with CEO, resulting in lower antioxidant capacity and antimicrobial activity. Incorporating pure and CEO-modified nanoparticles into polylactic acid (PLA) films improved their mechanical and thermal properties, which are suitable for applications requiring greater strength. This research highlights the potential of metal oxide nanoparticles to enhance the antimicrobial and antioxidant capabilities of polymers. In addition, incorporating cinnamon essential oil can increase the antioxidant and antimicrobial effectiveness of the metal oxide nanoparticles and improve the mechanical and thermal properties of PLA films. Thus, these PLA films exhibit favorable characteristics for active packaging applications.

Author contributions: conceptualization, V.M.-A. and J.A.G.-C.; formal analysis, A.A.L.-C., V.M.-A., M.G.P.-J. and M.D.A.-M.; funding acquisition, A.L.H.-M.; methodology, A.A.L.-C. and V.M.-A.; investigation, E.P.; supervision, R.L.-E., E.D.-A., and E.J.G.-C.; validation, A.L.H.-M. and J.A.G.-C.; writing—original draft, V.M.-A.; writing—review and editing, M.G.P.-J. and J.A.G.-C. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding: J.A. Gonzalez-Calderon thanks CONAHCYT for supporting the Catedras-CONAHCYT Program, and Verónica Martinez thanks CONAHCYT for the Doctoral Fellowship. The authors also want to thank CONAHCYT for funding the project CF2019 265239 “Ciencia de Frontera”, which made this work possible.

Institutional review board statement: Not applicable.

Informed consent statement: Not applicable.

Data availability statement: Data is contained within the article.

Acknowledgments: The authors acknowledge Claudia Hernández and Rosa Lina Tovar for their support during the XRD and SEM analyses.

Conflicts of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Cinnamon essential oil Antioxidant activity Antimicrobial properties Nanoparticles Polylactic acid films INGENIERÍA Y TECNOLOGÍA CIENCIAS TECNOLÓGICAS OTRAS ESPECIALIDADES TECNOLÓGICAS OTRAS OTRAS

Diseño y activismo artístico

Olivia Fragoso-Susunaga (2023, [Capítulo de libro])

En el 2015, las Naciones Unidas proponen una serie de objetivos dirigidos a convocar a los habitantes del mundo a realizar acciones orientadas a acabar con la pobreza, mejorar las condiciones del planeta y lograr que, para el 2030, todas las personas puedan gozar de paz y bienestar. A estos objetivos se les conoce como los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS). La educación superior juega un papel fundamental en el logro de los ODS. La UAM y, en el caso que nos compete, el CyAD están llamados a colaborar en esta tarea que nos involucra a todos y todas quienes formamos la comunidad universitaria. Este trabajo es una reflexión sobre la importancia que tiene la formación en activismo artístico en la educación del diseño para el logro de los ODS. Se propone que enfatizar el vínculo entre el diseño y el activismo artístico es parte de un escenario futuro indiscutiblemente necesario en el currículo de licenciatura en el CyAD.

In 2015, the United Nations proposed a series of goals aimed at calling on the world’s inhabitants to take action to end poverty, improve the conditions of the planet and ensure that by 2030 all people can enjoy peace and well-being. These goals are known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Higher education plays a fundamental role in the achievement of the SDGs, the UAM and, in the case that concerns us, the CyAD are called to collaborate in this task that involves all of us who form the university community. This work is a reflection on the importance of training in artistic activism in design education for the achievement of the SDGs. It is proposed that emphasizing the link between design and art activism is part of an indisputably necessary future scenario in the undergraduate curriculum at CyAD.

Activismo artístico, educación del diseño, cultura. Artistic activism, design education, culture. Sustainable Development Goals. Art and social action. Education, Higher--Social aspects. Educational change. Artists--Political activity. Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana. Unidad Azcapotzalco. División de Ciencias y Artes para el Diseño. Desarrollo sustentable. Participación social. Cambio educativo. NX180.P64 HUMANIDADES Y CIENCIAS DE LA CONDUCTA CIENCIAS DE LAS ARTES Y LAS LETRAS

Dual function of EDTA with silver nanoparticles for root canal treatment–A novel modification

JUAN MANUEL MARTINEZ ANDRADE (2018, [Artículo])

The chelating and antimicrobial capacity of a novel modification of 17% EDTA with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) (EDTA-AgNPs) was evaluated in-vitro for root canal treatment (RCT). The EDTA-AgNPs solution was characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, ?-potential and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Antimicrobial capacity was evaluated against Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus in planktonic and biofilm cells by broth macrodilution (24 h) and XTT assays, (1, 10 and 30 min) respectively. The chelating capacity of EDTA-AgNPs was assessed indirectly (smear layer removal) and directly (demineralizing effect) in bovine dentin at two silver concentrations, 16 and 512 ?g/ ml at 1 and 10 minutes of exposure time. Smear layer removal was evaluated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The demineralizing effect was determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), microhardness test (MH) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD). Synthesized AgNPs were quasi-spherical in shape with an average size of 13.09 ± 8.05 nm. 17% EDTA-AgNPs was effective to inhibit C. albicans and S. aureus in planktonic and biofilm cultures. The smear layer removal and demineralizing effect were similar between 17% EDTA-AgNPs and 17% EDTA treatments. The 17% EDTA-AgNPs solution proved to be an effective antimicrobial agent, and has a similar chelating capacity to 17% EDTA alone. These in-vitro studies strongly suggest that EDTA-AgNPs could be used for effective smear layer removal, having an antimicrobial effect at the same time during RCT. © 2018 Martinez-Andrade et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

edetic acid, silver nanoparticle, edetic acid, metal nanoparticle, silver, antibacterial activity, antibiotic sensitivity, antifungal activity, antimicrobial activity, Article, atomic absorption spectrometry, atomic force microscopy, biofilm, bovine, BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA MICROBIOLOGÍA MICROBIOLOGÍA

Evaluación de indicadores de calidad y funcionalidad en islas de recursos, de mezquite (Prosopis articulata) y cardón (Pachycereus pringlei) en una zona restaurada de Baja California Sur

Geovanna Zárate Camargo (2024, [Tesis de maestría])

"Las temperaturas extremas, radiación solar intensa, vientos fuertes, humedad limitada y la baja fertilidad de los suelos desérticos dificultan la recuperación de zonas degradadas en zonas áridas. Uno de los fenómenos naturales más importantes de revegetación en zonas áridas son las islas de recursos, conformadas por algunos tipos de plantas que actúan como nodrizas, las cuales, bajo su dosel, desarrollan un microhábitat favorable para el establecimiento de otras especies que trabajan en conjunto con una larga comunidad de microorganismos que se encuentran en el suelo. Entre las plantas nodriza que se observan con más frecuencia en el Desierto de Sonora, se encuentran las especies del género Prosopis. Las islas de recursos conformadas por mezquites han demostrado tener un efecto positivo como planta nodriza en zonas áridas. Las contribuciones del mezquite son el aumento del contenido de N en el suelo, temperaturas moderadas en el suelo y la superficie, altos niveles de humedad, mayor actividad microbiana, entre otros aspectos que hacen posible los efectos de las islas de recursos. En este estudio se evaluaron diferentes indicadores de calidad de suelo en islas de recursos establecidas hace 19 años, como parte de un proyecto de revegetación de suelos degradados, distintivo del Desierto Sonorense. El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar si existe un gradiente con respecto a la distancia y profundidad, en la actividad microbiana y enzimática presente en suelos de islas de recursos, resultado de la interacción de mezquite amargo (Prosopis articulata), como planta nodriza y cardón (Pachycereus pringlei), como planta objetivo. Los resultados demostraron que existe un aumento la actividad enzimática y carbono asociado a biomasa microbiana del suelo perteneciente a estas islas, con mayores resultados en zonas próximas a la planta nodriza que en zonas sin su influencia, también se encontró un aumento en la capa superficial del suelo mostrando mayores valores en los indicadores de calidad y funcionalidad bajo el dosel de las islas de recursos. Lo anterior sugiere que el uso de estas islas de recursos es una potencial alternativa en la restauración de suelos degradados, favoreciendo el ciclaje de nutrientes en suelos degradados."

"At desert, the high temperatures, intense solar radiation, strong winds, limited water, and low fertility, determine how challenging will be the recovery of degraded soils in arid lands. One of the most important natural phenomena of revegetation in arid lands are the “resource islands”, that consist of some trees or bushes acting as nurse plants, which under their canopy, develop a beneficial microhabitat for the establishment of other plant species the work with an extensive community of microorganisms found in the soil. Among the most common nurse plants observed in the Sonoran Desert, is the genus Prosopis. The resource islands formed with mesquite have shown positive effects as nurse plant in arid lands. The principal contributions of mesquite are the increase of N in the soil, moderate temperatures on soil and topsoil, high moisture levels, increased microbial activity, among other aspects that make possible the effect of resource islands. In this study, different quality indicators were evaluated in resource islands established 19 years ago, as part of a project for revegetation in degraded soils, distinctive from the Sonoran Desert. The aim of this research was to explore whether there is a correlation between distance, depth, microbial activity, and enzymatic activity in the soil surrounding resource islands formed by the interaction between mesquite amargo (Prosopis articulata) as the nurse plant and cardon (Pachycereus pringlei) as the objective plant. The results demonstrated that there is an increase in the enzymatic activity and microbial biomass carbon from the soil under the canopy of the resource islands, with higher results in zones near the nurse plant than zones without its influence, furthermore, there was found an increase in the topsoil showing higher values in the soil quality and functionality indicators under the canopy of the resource islands. The above indicates that the use of these resource islands is a potential alternative in the degraded soil restoration, supporting the nutrient cycling in degraded soils."

suelo, ecología, revegetación, actividad enzimática, ciclaje de nutrientes soil, ecology, revegetation, enzymatic activity, nutrient cycling CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA CIENCIAS AGRARIAS AGRONOMÍA FERTILIDAD DEL SUELO FERTILIDAD DEL SUELO

Procesamiento emocional ante estímulos música-color y su respuesta electrofisiológica en personas con depresión

PABLO VALDÉS ALEMÁN (2024, [Tesis de maestría])

Dado el fenómeno del vínculo emocional que existe entre música y color, este

proyecto exploró los posibles efectos terapéuticos en personas con depresión, al

presentarles estímulos combinados de música con color que, en conjunto, evocan

emociones positivas y placenteras. El proyecto se dividió en tres partes, con el fin

de subsanar los vacíos en la literatura. Primero se evaluaron los 37 colores del

Berkeley Color Project como estímulos capaces de evocar emociones y placer,

distinguibles mediante los modelos de asimetría frontal de alfa (FAA) y de theta con

electroencefalografía (EEG). El segundo estudio exploró los posibles efectos

sinérgicos al combinar música y color de emoción congruente –i.e., misma

emoción–, mediante respuestas subjetivas y EEG. Por último, se probó el impacto

de estímulos música-color positivos y placenteros sobre el estado de ánimo de

personas con depresión, a partir de sus respuestas subjetivas y EEG. Se encontró

que los colores brillantes, alegres y placenteros se asocian con una mayor

activación –supresión de alfa– frontal izquierda, de acuerdo con el modelo de FAA.

En lugar de un efecto sinérgico, los hallazgos mostraron un predominio emocional

hacia la música, reafirmando su poder emocional por encima del color. Por último,

los resultados del tercer estudio demostraron una mejora en el estado de ánimo en

las personas con sintomatología depresiva tras la estimulación. Estos resultados

podrían informar a profesionales de la salud mental sobre nuevos métodos

terapéuticos para ayudar a pacientes con depresión, al conjuntar la musicoterapia

con la cromoterapia.

Given the phenomenon of the emotional link between music and color, this project

explored the possible therapeutic effects on people with depression by presenting

them with combined music-color stimuli that collectively evoke positive and pleasant

emotions. The project was divided into three parts to address gaps in the literature.

Firstly, the 37 colors from the Berkeley Color Project were evaluated as stimuli

capable of evoking emotions and pleasure, distinguishable through the frontal alpha

(FAA) and theta asymmetry models using electroencephalography (EEG). The

second study explored the potential synergic effects by combining music and color

of congruent emotion –i.e., the same emotion– using subjective responses and EEG.

Lastly, the impact of positive and pleasant music-color stimuli on the mood of

individuals with depression was tested based on their subjective responses and

EEG. It was found that bright, joyful, and pleasant colors are associated with

increased activation –alpha suppression– in the left frontal region of the scalp,

according to the FAA model. Instead of a synergic effect, the results showed an

emotional predominance towards music, reaffirming its emotional power over color.

Finally, the results of the third study demonstrated an improvement in the mood of

individuals with depressive symptoms following the stimulation. These findings could

inform mental health professionals about new therapeutic methods to assist patients

with depression by combining music therapy with chromotherapy.

MEDICINA Y CIENCIAS DE LA SALUD CIENCIAS MÉDICAS música, color y emoción; patrones de actividad EEG; Berkeley Color Project; musico-cromoterapia; depresión. music, color, and emotion; EEG activity patterns; Berkeley Color Project; music-chromotherapy; depression.

Enhancement of antibiotics antimicrobial activity due to the silver nanoparticles impact on the cell membrane

Roberto Vazquez-Munoz (2019, [Artículo])

The ability of microorganisms to generate resistance outcompetes with the generation of new and efficient antibiotics; therefore, it is critical to develop novel antibiotic agents and treatments to control bacterial infections. An alternative to this worldwide problem is the use of nanomaterials with antimicrobial properties. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been extensively studied due to their antimicrobial effect in different organisms. In this work, the synergistic antimicrobial effect of AgNPs and conventional antibiotics was assessed in Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. AgNPs minimal inhibitory concentration was 10–12 μg mL-1 in all bacterial strains tested, regardless of their different susceptibility against antibiotics. Interestingly, a synergistic antimicrobial effect was observed when combining AgNPs and kanamycin according to the fractional inhibitory concentration index, FICI: <0.5), an additive effect by combining AgNPs and chloramphenicol (FICI: 0.5 to 1), whereas no effect was found with AgNPs and β-lactam antibiotics combinations. Flow cytometry and TEM analysis showed that sublethal concentrations of AgNPs (6–7 μg mL-1) altered the bacterial membrane potential and caused ultrastructural damage, increasing the cell membrane permeability. No chemical interactions between AgNPs and antibiotics were detected. We propose an experimental supported mechanism of action by which combinatorial effect of antimicrobials drives synergy depending on their specific target, facilitated by membrane alterations generated by AgNPs. Our results provide a deeper understanding about the synergistic mechanism of AgNPs and antibiotics, aiming to combat antimicrobial infections efficiently, especially those by multi-drug resistant microorganisms, in order to mitigate the current crisis due to antibiotic resistance. © 2019 Vazquez-Muñoz et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

ampicillin, antibiotic agent, aztreonam, beta lactam antibiotic, biapenem, chloramphenicol, kanamycin, silver nanoparticle, silver nitrate, antiinfective agent, metal nanoparticle, silver, antibiotic sensitivity, antimicrobial activity, Article, bact BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA BIOFÍSICA BIOFÍSICA