Pulque and pulquerías of Mexico City: a traditional fermented beverage and spaces of biocultural conservation

Álvarez-Ríos Gonzalo D.,Casas Alejandro,Pérez-Volkow Lucía,Figueredo-Urbina Carmen J.,de Dios Páramo-Gómez Juan,Vallejo Mariana 한국식품연구원 2022 Journal of Ethnic Foods Vol.9 No.-

Pulque is a fermented beverage prepared with the sap of agave species, consumed since pre-Hispanic times in Mexico. In the sixteenth century, spaces called pulquerías were established for the sale and consumption of pulque. The demand for pulque became so high that there were more than 1500 pulquerías in Mexico City early twentieth century, but due to socio-cultural factors, the popularity of pulque plummeted. Currently, there are few pulquerías in Mexico City, and these are the main spaces for the consumption of this beverage in the metropolis. The pulque sold in pulquerías comes from eight localities, largely from Nanacamilpa, Tlaxcala. People working in pulquerías have deep knowledge and specific practices to keep pulque in good conditions and to prepare it in a wide spectrum of flavors by mixing the fermented beverage with fruits, vegetables or seeds. We recorded 69 types of pulque mixtures. Pulquerías allow the economic maintenance of working families in urban and rural contexts, are spaces of socialization, and identity and help the conservation of an ancient traditional beverage.

Long-term Tractography Evaluation of Corpus Callosum Impairment after Severe Traumatic Brain Injury in Patients with Isolated Intraventricular Hemorrhage on Admission CT: Two Illustrative Cases and a Literature Review

Polina Angelova,Ivo Kehayov,Edgar G. Ordonez-Rubiano,Luisa F. Figueredo,Dora Zlatareva 대한신경손상학회 2023 Korean Journal of Neurotrauma Vol.19 No.2

Severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is often associated with diffuse axonal injury. Diffuse axonal injury affecting the corpus callosum may present with intraventricular hemorrhage on baseline computed tomography (CT) scan. Posttraumatic corpus callosum damage is a chronic condition that can be diagnosed over the long term using various magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences. Here, we present two cases of severe survivors of TBI with isolated intraventricular hemorrhage detected on an initial CT scan. After acute trauma management, long-term follow-up was performed. Diffusion tensor imaging and subsequent tractography revealed a significant decrease in the fractional anisotropy values and the number of corpus callosum fibers compared with those in healthy control patients. This study presents a possible correlation between traumatic intraventricular hemorrhage on admission CT and long-term corpus callosum impairment detected on MRI in patients with severe head injury by presenting demonstrative cases and conducting a literature review.

Real World Utility of Dobutamine Stress Echocardiography in Predicting Perioperative Cardiovascular Morbidity and Mortality after Orthotopic Liver Transplantation

Akanksha Agrawal,Deepanshu Jain,Andre Dias,Vinicius Jorge,Vincent M. Figueredo 대한심장학회 2018 Korean Circulation Journal Vol.48 No.9

Background and Objectives Stress echocardiography is the current standard for cardiac risk stratification of patients undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). We aim to evaluate the role of dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) in predicting perioperative major adverse cardiac event (MACE) in patients undergoing OLT. Methods This was a single-center retrospective study including 144 OLT patients. Of 144 patients, 118 had DSE. MACE included myocardial infarction (MI), heart failure (HF), cardiovascular and all-cause death 1 year after OLT. Results Our study cohort included 118 patients. The mean age was 57.3±8.2 years (range, 25–72 years). There were 85 men and 33 women, male to female ratio being 2.6:1. Of 118, 15 (13%) had positive DSE and 103 (87%) had negative DSE. Perioperative MACE incidence was 5.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.6–12.3%). In predicting MACE, DSE had sensitivity of 5.6% (95% CI, 0.2–29.4%), specificity 86% (95% CI, 77.3–91.9%), positive predictive value 6.7% (95% CI, 0.3–33.4%), and negative predictive value (NPV) 83.5% (95% CI, 74.6–89.8%). Eighteen patients had MACE in first year post OLT (15%, 95% CI, 9.5–23.3%). Adverse events included cardiogenic shock (2/18), systolic HF (2/18), non-ST-elevated MI (7/18), cardiac mortality (3/18), and all-cause mortality (7/18). The overall complication rate of DSE was 17% (20/118). Conclusions In our cohort, DSE had a low sensitivity but high NPV in predicting perioperative MACE post OLT. A similar trend was noted for DSE in predicting 1-year MACE post OLT. We reiterate the need of a better screening and risk stratification tool for OLT.

Serum level changes of long chain-polyunsaturated fatty acids in patients undergoing periodontal therapy combined with one year of omega-3 supplementation: a pilot randomized clinical trial

Martinez, Gisele Lago,Koury, Josely Correa,Martins, Marcela Anjos,Nogueira, Fernanda,Fischer, Ricardo Guimaraes,Gustafsson, Anders,Figueredo, Carlos Marcelo S. Korean Academy of Periodontology 2014 Journal of Periodontal & Implant Science Vol.44 No.4

Purpose: We aimed to investigate the impact of nonsurgical periodontal treatment combined with one-year dietary supplementation with omega (${\omega}$)-3 on the serum levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), and arachidonic acid (AA). Methods: Fifteen patients with chronic generalized periodontitis were treated with scaling and root planing. The test group consisted of seven patients ($43.1{\pm}6.0$ years) supplemented with ${\omega}$-3, consisting of EPA plus DHA, three capsules, each of 300 mg of ${\omega}$-3 (180-mg EPA/120-mg DHA), for 12 months. The control group was composed of eight patients ($46.1{\pm}11.6$ years) that took a placebo capsule for 12 months. The periodontal examination and the serum levels of DPA, EPA, DHA, and AA were performed at baseline (T0), and 4 (T1), and 12 (T2) months after therapy. Results: In the test group, AA and DPA levels had been reduced significantly at T1 (P<0.05). AA and EPA levels had been increased significantly at T2 (P<0.05). The ${\Delta}EPA$ was significantly higher in the test compared to the placebo group at T2-T0 (P=0.02). The AA/EPA had decreased significantly at T1 and T2 relative to baseline (P<0.05). Conclusions: Nonsurgical periodontal treatment combined with ${\omega}$-3 supplementation significantly increased the EPA levels and decreased the AA/EPA ratio in serum after one year follow-up. However, no effect on the clinical outcome of periodontal therapy was observed.

Serum level changes of long chain-polyunsaturated fatty acids in patients undergoing periodontal therapy combined with one year of omega-3 supplementation: a pilot randomized clinical trial

Gisele Lago Martinez,Josely Correa Koury,Marcela Anjos Martins,Fernanda Nogueira,Ricardo Guimarães Fischer,Anders Gustafsson,Carlos Marcelo S Figueredo 대한치주과학회 2014 Journal of Periodontal & Implant Science Vol.44 No.4

Purpose: We aimed to investigate the impact of nonsurgical periodontal treatment combined with one-year dietary supplementation with omega (ω)-3 on the serum levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), and arachidonic acid (AA). Methods: Fifteen patients with chronic generalized periodontitis were treated with scaling and root planing. The test group consisted of seven patients (43.1±6.0 years) supplemented with ω-3, consisting of EPA plus DHA, three capsules, each of 300 mg of ω-3 (180-mg EPA/120-mg DHA), for 12 months. The control group was composed of eight patients (46.1±11.6 years) that took a placebo capsule for 12 months. The periodontal examination and the serum levels of DPA, EPA, DHA, and AA were performed at baseline (T0), and 4 (T1), and 12 (T2) months after therapy. Results: In the test group, AA and DPA levels had been reduced significantly at T1 (P<0.05). AA and EPA levels had been increased significantly at T2 (P<0.05). The ΔEPA was significantly higher in the test compared to the placebo group at T2–T0 (P=0.02). The AA/EPA had decreased significantly at T1 and T2 relative to baseline (P<0.05). Conclusions: Nonsurgical periodontal treatment combined with ω-3 supplementation significantly increased the EPA levels and decreased the AA/EPA ratio in serum after one year follow-up. However, no effect on the clinical outcome of periodontal therapy was observed.

Diagnosis and Management of Isolated Superior Mesenteric Artery Dissection: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Waqas Ullah,Maryam Mukhtar,Hafez Mohammad Abdullah,Mamoon Ur Rashid,Asrar Ahmad,Abu Hurairah,Usman Sarwar,Vincent M. Figueredo 대한심장학회 2019 Korean Circulation Journal Vol.49 No.5

The objective of this study was to analyze the three different management modalities for isolated superior mesenteric artery (SMA) dissection. We did a comprehensive literature search and found 703 articles on the initial search, out of which 111 articles consisting of 145 patients were selected for analysis. The mean age was 55.7 years (standard deviation,9.7;33–85) and 80.6% were male. These patients were managed conservatively (41.3%), endovascularly (28.1%) or surgically (30%). The median follow-up was 10 months (interquartile range [IQR], 4–18 months), 12 months (IQR, 6–19 months) and 14 months (IQR, 6–20 months) respectively. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) was the most commonly used diagnostic tool in the conservative group (43.8%), while conventional CT scan was the most widely used in endovascular (58.1%) and surgical group (50%). 17% percent of the conservative group had SMA angiography for diagnosis, while this was less than 3% in the other groups. Of these patients, 96.7%, 97.4%, and 100.0% recovered successfully in the conservative, endovascular, and surgical groups respectively. There was no significant difference in the mortality between the three groups (Pearson χ2=0.482). This suggests a conservative and endovascular approach could be used in most patients, which can reduce costs and surgery-related morbidity and mortality. Surgical management should be reserved for cases having infarction or widespread bowel ischemia and in cases where other treatment modalities fail.