Although normal aging has been related to several cognitive difficulties, other processes have been studied less, such as spatial memory. Our aim was to compare egocentric and allocentric memory in an elderly population using ecological tasks. Twenty-eight cognitively unimpaired participants performed Egocentric and Allocentric Spatial Memory Tasks, as well as Spatial Span from CANTAB, Benton's Judge of Line Orientation test (JoLO), and Montreal Cognitive Assessment test (MoCA). The results revealed that younger participants showed better performance than older participants on both the Egocentric and Allocentric Spatial Memory Tasks, although only the Egocentric test was able to discriminate between younger, middle, and older elderly participants. Learning effect was found in Allocentric Spatial Memory Task in younger and older groups, but not in the middle group. Allocentric and egocentric performance was not related to other visuospatial neuropsychological scores and gender did not influence performance in any task. Egocentric and Allocentric Spatial Memory Tasks may be useful tools in early screening for cognitive decline, as they are able to detect age differences in the cognitive unimpaired elderly population.

Resumen Introducción: La clasificación a nivel de especies de las levaduras del género Candida de origen clínico es fundamental para el diagnóstico y la instauración de un adecuado tratamiento para el paciente. Se realizó un estudio de concordancia de cinco metodologías usadas para la identificación de aislamientos orales de Candida spp en Colombia. Métodos: Sesenta y siete aislamientos de Candida spp fueron identificados a nivel de especie utilizando; API® 20 C AUX‚ Vitek® 2 Compact, MALDI TOF (Vitek® MS y Microflex®) y una prueba molecular, PCR Panfungal y secuenciación. Un análisis del costo comercial y tiempo de procesamiento de las muestras por cada método fue realizado mediante el análisis gráfico de ambas variables. Resultados: La PCR Panfungal y secuenciación diferenció 12 especies de Candida‚ los métodos Vitek® MS y Microflex® identificaron 9 especies y los métodos API® 20 C AUX y Vitek® 2 Compact identificaron 8 especies. El análisis de Kappa ponderado (wK) demostró una concordancia alta entre los métodos PCR Panfungal y secuenciación‚ Vitek® MS‚ Microflex® y API® 20 C AUX‚ concordancias agrupadas en las categorías buena y muy buena (wK 0.62 - 0.93); los Kp que involucraron el método Vitek® 2 Compact presentaron concordancias moderadas o buenas frente a los otros métodos (wK 0.56 - 0.73). Las metodologías basadas en MALDI TOF MS requirieron 4 minutos para generar un resultado y el método Microflex® fue el método que en nuestro medio presentó el menor precio de venta del servicio. Conclusión: Los métodos evaluados presentaron una alta concordancia en sus resultados‚ siendo más alta para los métodos moleculares y las metodologías basadas en MALDI TOF MS; estas últimas son metodologías más rápidas, económicas y precisas, las cuales se presentan como alternativas prometedoras para la identificación rutinaria de especies de levaduras del género Candida.

Abstract Background: The yeasts species determination is fundamental not only for an accurate diagnosis but also for establishing a suitable patient treatment. We performed a concordance study of five methodologies for the species identification of oral isolates of Candida in Colombia. Methods: Sixty-seven Candida isolates were tested by; API® 20C-AUX, Vitek®2 Compact, Vitek®MS, Microflex® and a molecular test (panfungal PCR and sequencing). The commercial cost and processing time of the samples was done by graphical analysis. Results: Panfungal PCR differentiated 12 species of Candida, Vitek®MS and Microflex® methods identified 9 species, and API® 20C-AUX and Vitek®2 Compact methods identified 8 species each. Weighted Kappa (wK) showed a high agreement between Panfungal PCR, Vitek®MS, Microflex® and API® 20C-AUX (wK 0.62-0.93). The wK that involved the Vitek®2 Compact method presented moderate or good concordances compared with the other methods (wK 0.56-0.73). Methodologies based on MALDI TOF MS required 4 minutes to generate results and the Microflex® method had the lowest selling price. Conclusion: The methods evaluated showed high concordance in their results, being higher for the molecular methods and the methodologies based on MALDI TOF. The latter are faster and cheaper, presenting as promising alternatives for the routine identification of yeast species of the genus Candida.

Foi realizado um experimento em casa de vegetação com arroz, para verificar se os fosfatos solúveis em ácido cítrico a 2% ou citrato de amônio apresentam a mesma eficiência agronômica que os fosfatos solúveis em água e comparar a eficiência dos extratores de resina e Mehlich com a disponibilidade de fósforo no solo. As fontes testadas foram superfosfatos simples (SPS), multifosfato magnesiano (MFM), termofosfato magnesiano (TFM), fosfato de Araxá (FA) e fosfato de Gafsa (FG), nas doses de 0, 50 e 150mg P/dm3. Na dose de 50mg P/dm3 as fontes apresentaram índice de eficiência agronômica (IEA), em relação ao SPS (IEA = 100%), de 106%, 98%, 95% e 16%, respectivamente para o MFM, TFM, FG e FA. Na maior dose (150 mg P/dm3) os IEA foram de 86%, 82%, 84% e 22% para as fontes na mesma ordem, sendo as três primeiras estatisticamente iguais ao SPS, demonstrando que os fosfatos solúveis em ácido cítrico ou citrato apresentaram eficiência agronômica similar à de fosfatos solúveis em água. Comparando-se a resina trocadora de íons e o extrator de Mehlich como extratores de P do solo, observou-se que a resina forneceu as melhores correlações entre o fósforo do solo e produção de matéria seca (r = 0,82 resina e r = 0,08 Mehlich) e quantidade de fósforo absorvido pelas plantas de arroz (r = 0,89 resina e r = 0,15 Mehlich).

A greenhouse experiment was conducted with rice aiming to evaluate the agronomic efficiency of phosphates soluble in citric acid 2% or ammonium citrate, as compared to the water soluble phosphates and to compare the efficiency between the extractors of resin and Mehlich with the available soil phosphorus. The sources tested were Simple superphosphate (SSP), Magnesium multiphosphate (MP), Magnesium thermophosphate (TP), Araxá rock phosphate (AP) and Gafsa rock phosphate (GP), at the rates of 0, 50 and 150 mg P/dm3. The agronomic efficiency indices (AEI) for the 50 mg rate were 106%, 98%, 95% and 16% respectively for MP, TP, GP when compared to a standard AEI of 100% for SSP. At the higher rate, AEI were, of the same order, 86%, 82%, 84% and 22%, the first three being statistically equivalent to SSP, showing similar efficiencies when compared to water-soluble phosphates. Furthemore, in comparing ion-exchange resin and Mehlich as soil phosphate extractors, the resin was observed to have a much better correlation between soil phosphorus and a) dry matter yield (r = 0,82 resin and r = 0,08 Mehlich) b) phosphorus uptake by rice plants (r = 0,89 resin and r = 0,15 Mehlich).

Prevalence of Toxocara canis antibodies was studied in a poor community of Bogotá, Colombia. Two-hundred-sevem patients, from both sexes and all age groups, were studied. Positive Elisa titers were found in 47.5% of the population, a high prevalence compared with reports from developed countries. T. canis ova were positive in 43.6% of fecal samples from dog puppies. An endemic pattern of the disease is described: socioeconomic status, weathers, pollution, poor hygiene and a significant population of infected dogs. Neither the physical examination nor Elisa titers could detect any case of T. canis disease.