Essential Oils from Bolivia. XV. Herzogole, an Original Monoterpene Benzodioxole from an Essential Oil from Pentacalia herzogii (Cabrera) Cuatrec

Over 15 years, with the support of a Canadian funding agency, the Universidad Mayor de San Simón, in Bolivia, undertook a large survey of aromatic plants of the South American country. More than a hundred species were studied under various aspects, including the production and characterization of essential oils. As part of this survey, the chemical composition of an essential oil sample obtained from Pentacalia herzogii (Asteraceae) growing wild in the High Valley region of the department of Cochabamba was determined by a combination of GC and GC-MS measurements. α-Pinene was the main constituent of this essential oil (34%), accompanied by limonene (22%) and germacrene D (7.5%) as well as an important fraction of methoxylated monoterpenoids. They were mainly isomers of thymol methyl ether, accounting for 13% of the chromatogram. A new quantitatively important compound (9%) was identified through NMR and chemical synthesis as 4-isopropyl-6-methylbenzo[d][1,3]dioxole, and designated herzogole, alongside the minor related compound 1-isopropyl-2,3-dimethoxy-5-methylbenzene. The monoterpene benzodioxole featured a distinctive green-phenolic aroma which could raise interest for fragrance use. Since these compounds were not known naturally, a biosynthetic mechanism of their formation was proposed and put in perspective to illustrate the metabolic originality of P. herzogii.

DNA Multi-Marker Genotyping and CIAS Morphometric Phenotyping of Fasciola gigantica-Sized Flukes from Ecuador, with an Analysis of the Radix Absence in the New World and the Evolutionary Lymnaeid Snail Vector Filter

Fascioliasis is a disease caused by Fasciola hepatica worldwide transmitted by lymnaeid snails mainly of the Galba/Fossaria group and F. gigantica restricted to parts of Africa and Asia and transmitted by Radix lymnaeids. Concern has recently risen regarding the high pathogenicity and human infection capacity of F. gigantica. Abnormally big-sized fasciolids were found infecting sheep in Ecuador, the only South American country where F. gigantica has been reported. Their phenotypic comparison with F. hepatica infecting sheep from Peru, Bolivia and Spain, and F. gigantica from Egypt and Vietnam demonstrated the Ecuadorian fasciolids to have size-linked parameters of F. gigantica. Genotyping of these big-sized fasciolids by rDNA ITS-2 and ITS-1 and mtDNA cox1 and nad1 and their comparison with other countries proved the big-sized fasciolids to belong to F. hepatica. Neither heterozygotic ITS position differentiated the two species, and no introgressed fragments and heteroplasmic positions in mtDNA were found. The haplotype diversity indicates introductions mainly from other South American countries, Europe and North America. Big-sized fasciolids from Ecuador and USA are considered to be consequences of F.gigantica introductions by past livestock importations. The vector specificity filter due to Radix absence should act as driving force in the evolution in such lineages.

Psychodynamic Psychiatry in Argentina at a Crossroads

The authors provide an overview of the history of psychoanalysis and psychodynamic psychiatry in Argentina. They describe the evolving practice patterns of psychodynamic psychiatrists in this vibrant South American country, highlighting socio-political influences and challenges.

Centaurea iberica (Iberian starthistle).

C. iberica appears to be somewhat weedy in its native environment, but is less aggressively invasive elsewhere than other Centaurea species. The only South American country where it appears to have established as an invasive alien is Argentina. It has been introduced in Europe and North America, but has either failed to persist or eradication efforts have been successful to some degree. Only in California has eradication not been achieved. Introductions in Wyoming and Oregon have not expanded rapidly. In its native range, various uses in folk medicine are proving to have a scientific basis. C. iberica is on prohibited weed lists in Chile and Australia; and is a Class A noxious weed in California and Oregon, and a prohibited noxious weed in Arizona, Nevada and Wyoming.

Empowering Families to Address Suicide in Rural Colombia

Suicidal behavior is a major public health problem that has devastating effects on families. Relevant suicide risk factor identification is a critical component to developing effective suicide assessments and interventions. Suicide risk factors vary across countries. Thus, the intent of this seminal research was to investigate suicide risk factors relevant to a small and rural region in the South American country of Colombia. The factors identified in the present Delphi study appear relevant in informing the development and expansion of suicide prevention strategies and community-based programs. Educating family members and other frontline community helpers on the identified suicide risk factors can exponentially increase service resources in underserved and unserved communities.

The Oriental Republic of Uruguay: great “soft power” of a small country

The article addresses the origins, characteristics and main manifestations of the Uruguayan “soft power” that tends to be tilted towards its traditionalist, classical model in the Latin American region. The appealing inherent features of this South American country, such as favorable geography and climate, national traditions and folklore, are harmoniously complemented by active and balanced foreign policy, universally recognized progress in the development of democracy and civil freedoms, economy, social peace, as well as achievements in culture, education and sports. The author concludes that the “soft power” of Uruguay is at the stage of its formation and reflection by local elites attempting to give it a touch of national identity – somewhat different from western concepts and their “advanced alternatives” in some developing countries – which increases capabilities and capacities of traditional diplomacy coupled with modern information and communication technologies.

Hurting Pockets: A Case Study of Peru’s Legal Obligations in Transparency and Justification of Public Expenditure in State Advertising

Public procurement of advertising is a matter of constant debate in many countries around the world. At one point in Peru, during 2018, hiring private media outlets to broadcast or publish state advertising was prohibited by law. Taking into account the ensuing controversy in Peru, this study assesses state advertising investment in the South American country, and examines whether certain public entities (government ministries) have complied with the obligations of justification, transparency and prohibitions provided for by the law that regulates state advertising. The findings of this study point to a worrying level of noncompliance. We display these results in a systematized manner and complement them with a qualitative analysis of the justification given by public entities for spending on advertising, as well as the accountability they provide (or should provide) ex-post. This baseline study is essential to identify possible failings in the regulation of public procurement of advertising, as well as the bad practices of the state when budgeting for public expenditure on advertising campaigns. While the case study is based on the Peruvian experience, the findings can be used in many other jurisdictions as a roadmap for avoiding certain shortcomings in the regulation of state advertising.

Analysis of Streamflow Variability and Trends in the Meta River, Colombia

The aim of this research is the detection and analysis of existing trends in the Meta River, Colombia, based on the streamflow records from seven gauging stations in its main course, for the period between June 1983 to July 2019. The Meta River is one of the principal branches of the Orinoco River, and it has a high environmental and economic value for this South American country. The methods employed for the trend detection and quantification were the Mann–Kendall (MK) test, the modified MK (MMK) test, and the Sen’s slope (SS) estimator. Statistically significant trends (at a 95% level of confidence) were detected in more than 30% of the 105 evaluated datasets. The results from the MK test indicate the presence of statistically significant downward trends in the upstream stations and upward trends in the downstream stations, with the latter presenting steep positive slopes. The findings of this study are valuable assets for water resources management and sustainable planning in the Meta River Basin.