DEAGRARIANIZATION AND DIVERSIFICATION OF SOCIO-LABOUR AND ECONOMIC STRATEGIES IN THE MEXICAN COUNTRYSIDE

Hernán Salas Quintanal,Iñigo González de la Fuente Institute of Iberoamerican Studies Pusan Universit 2013 International Journal of Latin American Studies Vol.3 No.1

Abstract. In recent decades, the Latin America’s rural economy and society has been transformed as a result of its dependence on capitalist relationships and the integration of agriculture and food production to world markets, to forms of modernization favoring agro-industrial groups, capitalistic farm businessmen and a few peasant family units. Most peasants and rural workers are now employed in temporary, precarious and flexible contractual conditions. This article examines changes in the institutions regulating socio-economic life and their effect on the rural lifestyle in the Nativitas municipality, Tlaxcala, Mexico. By observing communities under study, the authors propose that rural changes have not turned these regions into totally urban settings. Rurality, as it has been known traditionally, have been altered since it is the current trend that family members work in varied sectors and milieus, whereupon it is necessary to ask what remains of that rurality and how it is defined in this context. Resumen. En las últimas décadas, la economía y sociedad rural, en toda América Latina, se ha transformado como consecuencia de la dependencia de las relaciones capitalistas, la incorporación de la agricultura y la producción de alimentos a los mercados de la economía mundial, a formas de modernización que han beneficiado a grupos de agroindustriales, empresarios agrícolas capitalistas y algunas unidades campesinas familiares. La mayoría de los campesinos y trabajadores rurales se emplean en condiciones contractuales temporales, precarias y flexibles. Este artículo tiene por objeto conocer las transformaciones de las instituciones que han regulado la vida socioeconómica y sus efectos en el modo de vida rural de la población del municipio de Natívitas al sur del estado de Tlaxcala. Estas evidencias nos llevan a proponer que las transformaciones rurales no han convertido estas regiones en espacios totalmente urbanos. La ruralidad, como la hemos conocido tradicionalmente se ha alterado, siendo la tendencia actual que los miembros de las familias se empleen en diferentes ámbitos y sectores, de manera que es necesario preguntarnos qué queda de aquella ruralidad y cómo se define en este contexto lo rural. Key words: New Rurality, Deagrarianization, Globalization, Labour pluriactivity, Mexico Palabras clave: Nueva Ruralidad, Desagrarización, Globalización, Pluriactividad laboral, México.

Antinociceptive Action and Redox Properties of Citronellal, an Essential Oil Present in Lemongrass

Lucindo Quintans-Júnior,Ricardo Fagundes da Rocha,Fernanda Freitas Caregnato,José Claudio Fonseca Moreira,Francilene Amaral da Silva,Adriano Antunes de Souza Araújo,João Paulo Almeida dos Santos,Mônic 한국식품영양과학회 2011 Journal of medicinal food Vol.14 No.6

Citronellal (CT) is a monoterpenoid and the major constituent of the mixture of terpenoids that give the citronella oil its lemon scent. Citronella oil is widely used around the world for various purposes and is mainly obtained from plants of the Cymbopogon genus, which are known as “lemongrass.” Considering these plants have been used worldwide for various medicinal purposes, the interest of researchers to understand the biological activities of monoterpenoids related to the Cymbopogon genus has been increasing. In the present work, we investigated the antinociceptive action and the redox properties of CT. Our results indicate that intraperitoneal injection of CT was effective in reducing nociceptive face-rubbing behavior in both phases of the formalin test, which was also naloxone-sensitive. CT also evoked antinociceptive response in the capsaicin and glutamate tests. The total radical-trapping antioxidant parameter and total antioxidant reactivity assays indicate that CT at doses of 0.1 and 1 mg/mL exerts a significant antioxidant activity, which is probably related to its ability to scavenge superoxide and nitric oxide, but not H_2O_2 or hydroxyl radicals, as evaluated separately by specific in vitro tests. These results show for the first time the antinociceptive potential of CT and indicate that the antioxidant properties of this compound may rely on its mechanism of biological actions because CT-containing natural products are used to treat various diseases related to oxidative stress and reactive species.

Dynamics of hospitalizations and in-hospital deaths from COVID-19 in northeast Brazil: a retrospective analysis based on the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 variants and vaccination coverage

Martins-Filho Paulo Ricardo,de Souza Araújo Adriano Antunes,Quintans-Júnior Lucindo José,Soares Bárbara dos Santos,Barboza Waneska de Souza,Cavalcante Taise Ferreira,Santos Victor Santana 한국역학회 2022 Epidemiology and Health Vol.44 No.-

This study investigated the dynamics of hospitalizations and in-hospital deaths from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) throughout the pandemic in northeast Brazil, the Brazilian region with the worst socioeconomic indicators. In total, 141,445 cases, 8,213 hospital admissions, and 1,644 in-hospital deaths from COVID-19 were registered from March 14, 2020 to February 5, 2022. The overall rates of hospitalization and in-hospital deaths were 5.8% and 20.0%, respectively. The hospitalization and death rates significantly decreased over time, which may have been related to progress in vaccination. During the spread of the Gamma variant (January to June 2021), most hospitalized individuals were young adults, and approximately 40% of deaths occurred in this age group. During the predominance of Delta (July to December 2021), over 75% of deaths occurred among the elderly and unvaccinated or partially vaccinated individuals. This rate decreased to 42.3% during the transmission of the Omicron variant (January to February 2022), during which 34.6% of deaths were recorded among fully vaccinated individuals (2 doses) and 23.1% among those who received full vaccination and a booster. The Omicron-driven third wave was associated with a rise in the proportion of deaths among vaccinated individuals, especially among those who had not received a booster dose.

Antioxidant, Antinociceptive, and Anti-inflammatory Properties of the Ethanolic Extract of Combretum duarteanum in Rodents

Marcos G.S. Gouveia,Maria A. Xavier,Andre´ S. Barreto,Daniel P. Gelain,Joa˜o P.A. Santos,Adriano A.S. Arau´jo,Francilene A. Silva,Jullyana S. Quintans,Maria F. Agra,Analu´cia G.S. Cabral,Josean F. Tav 한국식품영양과학회 2011 Journal of medicinal food Vol.14 No.11

The antioxidant, antinociceptive, and anti-inflammatory activities of the ethanolic extract from leaves of Combretum duarteanum (EEC) were assessed in rodents through in vitro tests. The antioxidant activity was investigated by using thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS), hydroxyl radical–scavenging, and scavenging activity of nitric oxide assays. The antinociceptive activity was investigated by using acetic acid–induced writhing, formalin, and hot-plate tests in mice. The anti-inflammatory activity was assessed in rats by using the carrageenan-induced hind-paw edema test and arachidonic acid–induced paw edema test. EEC possesses a strong antioxidant potential according to the TBARS, nitric oxide, and hydroxyl radical–scavenging assays; it also presented scavenger activity in all in vitro tests. After intraperitoneal injection, EEC (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg) significantly reduced the number of writhes (38.1%, 90.6%, and 97.8%, respectively) in a writhing test and the number of paw licks during phase 1 (30.5% and 69.5%, higher doses) and phase 2 (38.1%, 90.6%, and 97.8%, all doses) of a formalin test when compared with the control group. Naloxone (1.5 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) antagonized the antinociceptive action of EEC (400 mg/kg), and this finding suggests participation of the opioid system. Administration of 200 and 400 mg/kg (intraperitoneally) of EEC exhibited an anti-inflammatory activity in the carrageenin test, which was based on interference with prostaglandin synthesis. This finding was confirmed by the arachidonic acid test. Together, these results indicate that properties of EEC might be further explored in the search for newer tools to treat painful inflammatory conditions, including those related to pro-oxidant states.

Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Ulcer Activities of Carvacrol, a Monoterpene Present in the Essential Oil of Oregano

Francilene V. Silva,Adriana G. Guimara˜es,Elayne R.S. Silva,Benedito P. Sousa-Neto,Fla´via D.F. Machado,Lucindo J. Quintans-Ju´nior,Daniel D.R. Arcanjo,Francisco A. Oliveira,Rita C.M. Oliveira 한국식품영양과학회 2012 Journal of medicinal food Vol.15 No.11

This study reports a pharmacological evaluation of anti-inflammatory and anti-ulcer activities of carvacrol, a phenolic monoterpene constituent of essential oils produced by oregano and other several aromatic plants and spices, in experimental models of edema induced by different phlogistic agents and gastric lesions induced by acetic acid. In models of paw edema induced by dextran or histamine, carvacrol was effective at 50 mg/kg (46% and 35%, respectively); in these models, cyproheptadine reduced edema formation (61% and 43%, respectively). In edema induced by substance P, carvacrol (100 mg/kg) and ruthenium red (3 mg/kg) also decreased the edema formation (46% and 40%, respectively). Carvacrol significantly reduced the ear edema induced by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol acetate and arachidonic acid at 0.1 mg per ear (43% and 33%, respectively), similar to indomethacin at 0.5 mg per ear or 2.0 mg per ear (55% and 57%, respectively). Carvacrol (at doses of 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg) showed a healing capacity on gastric lesions induced by acid acetic (60%, 91%, and 81%, respectively) after 14 days of treatment. These results suggest that carvacrol acts on different pharmacological targets, probably interfering in release and/or synthesis of inflammatory mediators, such as the prostanoids, and thus favoring the healing process for gastric ulcers.

Chrysobalanus icaco L. Leaves Normalizes Insulin Sensitivity and Blood Glucose and Inhibits Weight Gain in High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Mice

Pollyanna A.S. White,Jessica M.D. Araujo,Luana M. Cercato,Lucas A. Souza,Ana Paula Oliveira Barbosa,Lucindo Jose´ Quintans-Junior,Ubiratan F. Machado,Enilton A. Camargo,Luciana C. Brito,Marcio Roberto 한국식품영양과학회 2016 Journal of medicinal food Vol.19 No.2

Chrysobalanus icaco L. is a medicinal plant present in the Brazilian coastline and known for its hypoglicemic and antioxidant properties. Here, we assessed the beneficial metabolic effects of the aqueous extract of C. icaco (AECI) leaves in diet-induced obese mice. Swiss mice were fed standard chow (SC used as controls) or high-fat diet (HFD) to induce obesity. After 10 weeks, mice on each diet were divided into two groups with one group used as control while the other group treated with AECI for 4 weeks resulting in four groups of mice: SC; SC treated with AECI (SC + AECI); HFD; and HFD treated with AECI (HFD + AECI). AECI was administered drinking water at about 200 mg/kg. AECI was able to normalize insulin (13,682 ± 1090 vs. 9828 ± 485 AU, P < .05) and fasting blood glucose (192.8 ± 14.2 vs. 132.3 ± 6.4 mg/dL, P < .05) and inhibit weight gain (39 ± 5.7%) and fat storage in liver (72.60 ± 3.83%, P < .0001), despite the high-fat intake. These findings reinforce the use of AECI in hyperglycemia and highlight the potential extract’s effect in preventing weight gain and fat accumulation in liver of diet-induced obese mice.