Importance of the Natural Incidence of the Fusarium Genus in Food Crops Established in Northern México

The incidence of the Fusarium genus causing root rot is reviewed in crops showing high importance for food supply and to obtain regular income by farmers in the highlands of Northern México. Pathogen incidence was evaluated under field conditions in multiple sampling locations for common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and several chili peppers (Capsicum annuum) local cultivars (landraces and bred cultivars). Five commercial plots for registered and certified seed were also evaluated in common beans to be used in the ‘seed refreshing program’ implemented for the cultivar Pinto Saltillo, considered as the main variety sown in the highlands of México. High Fusarium genus incidence and its interactions with other fungi species, such as Rhizoctonia solani and Pythium spp., cause high losses in plant population, commercial yield and seed quality in food crops grown in Northern México. The natural incidence of plant disease caused by the Fusarium genus and its negative effect on crop survival and the reduction of commercial yield and seed quality is fully reviewed. Plant disease resistance, crop breeding and the influence of the environmental conditions were also considered.

Influence of COVID-19 Pandemic Uncertainty in Negative Emotional States and Resilience as Mediators against Suicide Ideation, Drug Addiction and Alcoholism

This research uses structural equation modeling to determine the influence of uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic as an independent variable in the negative emotional states and resilience (as mediating variables) vs. drug addiction, alcoholism, and suicide ideation as dependent variables in 5557 students from a public state university in Northern Mexico. The five variables are related through eight hypotheses and tested using partial least squares. We used an adapted questionnaire sent by email in May 2020. Findings show that uncertainty facing the COVID-19 pandemic had a direct and significant influence on negative emotional states and a significant inverse effect on resilience; in the trajectory, drug addiction and alcoholism, and suicide ideation are explained.

New dicotyledonous woods from the San Carlos Formation (Upper Cretaceous) in Northern Mexico

We describe two new fossil woods from the San Carlos Formation (Upper Cretaceous), Chihuahua State, Mexico. The first wood resembles the fossil genus Metcalfeoxylon in having solitary vessels, scalariform perforation plates, vessel-ray parenchyma pits of similar size as the intervessel pits, axial parenchyma apotracheal diffuse and diffuse in aggregates, and heterocellular multiseriate rays with long, uniseriate tails. The second wood is a new fossil genus, and it is characterized by having diffuse porous wood, vessels predominantly solitary, vessel outlines oval and tending to be of two diameter classes, simple perforation plates, minute alternate intervessel pits, vessel-ray parenchyma pits similar to intervessel pits in size and shape, vasicentric tracheids, non-septate fibers, homocellular rays, and exclusively uniseriate and biseriate rays. This combination of features supports its placement in Myrtales (?Myrtaceae), in a new fossil-genus named Lazarocardenasoxylon. These two new records provide more information about the floristic composition of the Late Cretaceous flora of the San Carlos Formation and its relationship with those from the southern USA. However, a definitive picture of the floristic relationship of these Cretaceous floras of northern Mexico and southern USA remains elusive.

Indigenous people’s self-determination in the context of COVID-19 in northern Mexico

This article presents various transformations registered in the political sphere and community participation due to the COVID-19 pandemic on Indigenous territories in northern Mexico. It explores the challenges of the Rarámuri and Ódami Indigenous people’s experience in guaranteeing their political rights and self-determination in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically when organising festivities and ceremonies that were unable to celebrate to comply with official health care guidelines. The article gives firsthand accounts of the political relations between Indigenous groups’ community responses and the Mexican government’s actions to mitigate the effects of the new coronavirus. The article draws on the argument that the current health emergency context is inserted into a complex network of pre-existing and structured power relations that largely define the scope of the actions taken because of the pandemic. Critically, the community responses emanating from Indigenous groups show crucial cultural differences in ways to deal with the disease.

Tobacco Smoke Exposure and Urinary Cadmium in Women from Northern Mexico

Cadmium (Cd), a carcinogenic metal also related to reproductive and cardiovascular diseases, is contained in tobacco and elevated concentrations of it in humans have been consistently associated with first-hand tobacco smoke; however, there is scarce and inconclusive evidence of the relationship between Cd and secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure. Our aim was to evaluate the association between exposure to tobacco, both active and SHS, with urinary Cd concentrations in Mexican women. In a cross-sectional analysis that included 998 women living in northern Mexico, we measured the concentration of creatinine-adjusted urinary Cd (µg-cadmium/g-creatinine) using inductively coupled plasma triple quadrupole (ICP-QQQ) in tandem mass spectrometry mode (MS/MS). We gathered tobacco smoking information through an in-person interview and formed seven groups: non-smokers without SHS exposure; non-smokers with SHS exposure; ex-smokers without SHS exposure <1 year of quitting; ex-smokers without SHS exposure ≥1 year of quitting, ex-smokers with SHS exposure <1 year of quitting; ex-smokers with SHS exposure ≥1 year of quitting and current smokers. The interview also yielded sociodemographic characteristics. We used linear multivariable regression models to estimate the association between Cd concentrations and tobacco smoke exposure. Compared to non-smokers without SHS exposure, we found higher Cd concentrations in ex-smokers with SHS exposure <1 year of quitting and current smokers (adjusted geometric means 0.51 vs. 1.01 and 0.69 µg-cadmium/g-creatinine, respectively). Our results do not support a conclusion that SHS exposure is a source of Cd body burden.