Introduction: Wildlife hematological patterns are fundamental for health monitoring, and allows elucidating variations both within and between populations. Among these, hematological parameters are particularly valuable to evaluate the health status of neotropical primate species in the wild. Objective: To define hematological reference values for two species of monkeys in Costa Rica. Methods: During 2014, we collected blood samples from free-ranging mantled howler monkeys, Alouatta palliata (17 females, 18 males) and white-faced capuchin monkeys, Cebus imitator (5 females, 7 males) in seven localities of the Costa Rican Pacific coast. Results: For both species, the hematological values were higher in males, and howler monkey populations differed significantly except for platelets. Conclusions: These hematological values, which differ by sex and locality, will help evaluate the health status of these neotropical primate populations.

The objective of this study was to determine the gingival state and presence of red complex bacteria in saliva samples of 12-year-old schoolchildren. A calibrated periodontist evaluated biofilm index (BI) (Silness and Löe, 1964), presence of calculus, and  gingival index (GI) (Silness and Löe, 1967) in sixty two 12-year-old students of Carmen Lyra School. Saliva samples were collected from each student. The DNA of each sample was extracted and amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique, using specific primers. The BI was 1.18. Calculus was present in 40.40% of  the schoolchildren examined; 19.4% was supragingival calculus and 21% both supragingival and subgingival calculus. The GI was 0.97, which according to Silness and Löe is mild gingivitis. Gingivitis was present in 96.8% of the children examined. Regarding the PCR tests: 18 of the samples (31.58%) did not present any of the bacteria analyzed and the remaining 39 samples (68.42%) were positive for at least the presence of red complex bacteria. Within the limitations of this study, it is concluded that the prevalence of gingivitis and calculus is high in the sample examined, and the gingival state observed in the study population, may be related to the presence of red complex bacteria.

No abstract

Dyslipidemias are risk factors in diseases of significant importance to public health, such as atherosclerosis, a condition that contributes to the development of cardiovascular disease. Unhealthy lifestyles, the pre-existence of diseases, and the accumulation of genetic variants in some loci contribute to the development of dyslipidemia. The genetic causality behind these diseases has been studied primarily on populations with extensive European ancestry. Only some studies have explored this topic in Costa Rica, and none have focused on identifying variants that can alter blood lipid levels and quantifying their frequency. To fill this gap, this study focused on identifying variants in 69 genes involved in lipid metabolism using genomes from two studies in Costa Rica. We contrasted the allelic frequencies with those of groups reported in the 1000 Genomes Project and gnomAD and identified potential variants that could influence the development of dyslipidemias. In total, we detected 2,600 variants in the evaluated regions. However, after various filtering steps, we obtained 18 variants that have the potential to alter the function of 16 genes, nine variants have pharmacogenomic or protective implications, eight have high risk in Variant Effect Predictor, and eight were found in other Latin American genetic studies of lipid alterations and the development of dyslipidemia. Some of these variants have been linked to changes in blood lipid levels in other global studies and databases. In future studies, we propose to confirm at least 40 variants of interest from 23 genes in a larger cohort from Costa Rica and Latin American populations to determine their relevance regarding the genetic burden for dyslipidemia. Additionally, more complex studies should arise that include diverse clinical, environmental, and genetic data from patients and controls and functional validation of the variants.

Periodontitis is an inflammatory multifactorial chronic disease, caused by microorganisms that destroys periodontal tissues.  In the last years, several studies have described an association between periodontitis and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. This relationship has been made since both diseases share the same risk factors and they both increase C reactive proteins levels. C-reactive protein (C-RP) is a well-known inflammatory marker. This study was designed to try to stablish the relationship between C-RP levels and periodontitis in a group of patients that need periodontal treatment at Odontology Faculty in Universidad de Costa Rica.  Periodontal examinations were done to 30 patients and blood samples were taken. The mean value of C-RP found was 3.72mg/L (IC95%: 2.06-5.38) which represents a medium-high risk level. 54% of the patients had generalized chronic periodontitis, without statistical difference when compared gender (p=0.416) or age (p=0.477). 43% had chronic localized periodontitis and 3% gingivitis. Females showed a higher risk for cardiovascular disease (p=0.640). No statistical differences were found between C-RP values relating gender, age or other comorbilities, even though mean values were always higher in those suffering metabolic diseases (5.5mg/L) compared to those values from patients not suffering the same diseases (2.7mg/L).

La enfermedad producida por el virus de la enfermedad de Borna (VEB) o Borna Disease Virus (BDV), conocida como una encefalitis fatal, se ha reportado en caballos y ovejas en Europa Central, desde hace más de dos siglos. Los animales infectados por el VEB muestran cambios en el comportamiento: ansiedad, agresividad, separación del rebaño e hiperactividad……

Objetivo: determinar el riesgo cardiovascular global en las personas adultas mayores que asisten al Centro Diurno de Ancianos Josefina Ugalde, de Quebrada Ganado, Puntarenas.