We report here the discovery of Aedes albopictus for the first time in Sinaloa state, Mexico. The mosquito larvae were collected from small water containers in the urban area of Culiacan city, Sinaloa state. Identification of the species was done primarily by morphology, followed by confirmation with polymerase-chain-reaction-based molecular method.

RESUMEN. La producción de microalgas vivas para cultivar rotíferos constituye uno de los mayores costos de operación en la larvicultura de peces, por lo que se están desarrollando sustitutos comerciales de microalgas para la alimentación y producción de rotíferos. Se desconoce el efecto que tienen las formulaciones comerciales sobre la dinámica poblacional de rotíferos nativos del noroeste de México y en este estudio se evaluó el efecto de cuatro dietas comerciales (Espirulina, RotiMac®, Nanno 3600®, RotiGrow-Plus®) y la microalga viva Nannochloropsis sp., sobre el crecimiento poblacional y fecundidad del rotífero Brachionus ibericus (GenBank KJ949043), aislado de una granja de camarón blanco (Litopenaeus vannamei). Se realizaron cinco réplicas por tratamiento alimenticio utilizando recipientes con volumen de 12 L de agua, con temperatura de 29 ± 1°C y salinidad de 35 ± 1, respectivamente. Los resultados mostraron que durante los periodos experimentales, las dietas probadas resultaron adecuadas para alimentar a B. ibericus, con tasas de crecimiento, tiempos de duplicación, densidades máximas y fecundidades que fluctuaron entre 0.20 a 0.27 rotíferos día , respectivamente. Las diferencias entre tratamientos fueron significativas (P < 0.05); los menores tiempos de duplicación y las mayores tasas de crecimiento, fecundidad y densidad poblacional fueron obtenidas con RotiGrow-Plus ® , pero el tiempo de duplicación y la tasa de crecimiento con RotiGrow-Plus ® no fueron significativamente diferentes (P > 0.05) a las obtenidas con Nanno 3600 ® .Palabras clave: Brachionus ibericus, Nannochloropsis, rotíferos, dinámica poblacional, dietas comerciales. Population dynamics of rotifer Brachionus ibericus isolated from shrimp ponds, fed with different dietsABSTRACT. The production of live microalgae to cultivate rotifers is one of the largest operating costs in fish hatcheries. Commercial substitutes of microalgae are being developed to feed and produce rotifers. The effect of commercial formulations on the population dynamics of native rotifers of northwestern Mexico is unknown, so in this study the effect of four commercial diets (Spirulina, RotiMac®, Nanno 3600®, RotiGrow-Plus®) was evaluated as well as the live macroalgae Nannochloropsis sp., on the population growth and fecundity of the rotifer Brachionus ibericus (GenBank KJ949043), isolated from a white shrimp farm (Litopenaeus vannamei). Five replicates per dietary treatment were performed using 12 L containers with temperature of 29 ± 1°C and salinity of 35 ± 1 respectively. The results showed that during the experimental period, the diets tested were suitable to feed B. ibericus, with mean growth rates, duplication times, maximum densities and fecundities that ranged from 0.20 to 0.27 rotifers day-1, 2.60 to 3.42 days, 0.16 to 0.39 eggs per female and 215.4 to 357.0 rotifers mL -1 , respectively. Differences between treatments were significant (P < 0.05); lower doubling times and higher growth rates, fecundities and population densities were obtained with RotiGrow-P...

Fourteen pools of Aedes aegypti larvae collected within the urban area of Culiacán, Sinaloa, were analyzed by RT-PCR. The results demonstrate, for the first time, the vertical infection of serotype-2 dengue virus (DENV-2) in Sinaloa, Mexico, suggesting that Ae. aegypti acts as a natural reservoir of DENV-2 in this region.

BACKGROUND: Biomaterials must allow revascularization for a successful tissue regeneration process. Biomaterials formulated from the extracellular matrix (ECM) have gained popularity in tissue engineering because of their superior biocompatibility, and due to their rheological properties, ECM-hydrogels can be easily applied in damaged areas, allowing cell colonization and integration into the host tissue. Porcine urinary bladder ECM (pUBM) retains functional signaling and structural proteins, being an excellent option in regenerative medicine. Even some small molecules, such as the antimicrobial cathelicidin-derived LL-37 peptide have proven angiogenic properties. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the biocompatibility and angiogenic potential of an ECM-hydrogel derived from the porcine urinary bladder (pUBMh) biofunctionalized with the LL-37 peptide (pUBMh/LL37). METHODS: Macrophages, fibroblasts, and adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSC) were exposed pUBMh/LL37, and the effect on cell proliferation was evaluated by MTT assay, cytotoxicity by quantification of lactate dehydrogenase release and the Live/Dead Cell Imaging assays. Moreover, macrophage production of IL-6, IL-10, IL-12p70, MCP-1, INF-γ, and TNF-α cytokines was quantified using a bead-based cytometric array. pUBMh/LL37 was implanted directly by dorsal subcutaneous injection in Wistar rats for 24 h to evaluate biocompatibility, and pUBMh/LL37-loaded angioreactors were implanted for 21 days for evaluation of angiogenesis. RESULTS: We found that pUBMh/LL37 did not affect cell proliferation and is cytocompatible to all tested cell lines but induces the production of TNF-α and MCP-1 in macrophages. In vivo, this ECM-hydrogel induces fibroblast-like cell recruitment within the material, without tissue damage or inflammation at 48 h. Interestingly, tissue remodeling with vasculature inside angioreactors was seen at 21 days. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that pUBMh/LL37 is cytologically compatible, and induces angiogenesis in vivo, showing potential for tissue regeneration therapies.

Background: The expression levels of the two human growth hormone (liGH) and three placental lactogen ([liPL) genes that constitute the liGH-ltPL gene family vary up to three orders of magnitude. Methods: A comparative transient expression study is described here, using deletion mutant series of all the ItGH-liPL promoters with lengths from 140 bp to 3,100 bp. Results: We found differences in the expression levels among the constructs, with the longest promoters showing the highest expression activity. In addition, we observed that the promoter of ItGH-V, the member of this gene family with the least expression in term placenta, behaved as one of the most active promoters. Our results also indicate the presence of three types of negative promoter elements in these genes: one is present in the upstream sequences of the promoter of ItGH-N and its activity in placental cells increases with promoter length. A second one is located between positions -140 and -496 of all the promoters, and the third represses the pituitary expression of the long promoters of all the placental genes. Conclusions:In general, we observed the expected tissue specificity of the long promoter versions of the genes, but not their relative expression levels. Paradoxically, the ItGH-V promoter behaved as one of the most active promoters of the locus.