The World Health Organization (WHO) defines anemia according age, gender, and altitude based on statistical distribution considerations and by cut‐off points. Anemia in pregnancy and in children aged 6–59 months is defined as hemoglobin (Hb) concentration <11 g/dL. Since Hb contains almost 70% of iron in the organism, WHO recommends its measurement to determining prevalence of anemia as screening for iron deficiency (ID) despite that they recognize that anemia is not a specific indication of ID...

This study was supported by a grant obtained from the Peruvian National Council of Sciences, Technology and Innovation (CONCYTEC) through the grant PROCOM 2009, No. 217-2009, Peru. G. F. participated in the design of the study and writing the paper. B. V. V. and M. G. participated in the development of the study. All the authors revised the manuscript. Dr. Gustavo F. Gonzales is in charge of CAYENATUR EIRL, a small enterprise that develops products based on maca. No other authors have conflict of interest.

We investigated the effect of two extracts from Peruvian plants given alone or in a mixture on sperm count and glycemia in streptozotocin-diabetic mice. Normal or diabetic mice were divided in groups receiving vehicle, black maca (Lepidium meyenii), yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) or three mixtures of extracts black maca/yacon (90/10, 50/50 and 10/90%). Normal or diabetic mice were treated for 7 d with each extract, mixture or vehicle. Glycemia, daily sperm production (DSP), epididymal and vas deferens sperm counts in mice and polyphenol content, and antioxidant activity in each extract were assessed. Black maca (BM), yacon and the mixture of extracts reduced glucose levels in diabetic mice. Non-diabetic mice treated with BM and yacon showed higher DSP than those treated with vehicle (p < 0.05). Diabetic mice treated with BM, yacon and the mixture maca/yacon increased DSP, and sperm cou...

This study was supported in part by a Maintenance Grant from the World Health Organization, Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction, and by a grant from the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologıa CONCYTEC , Peru.

This study investigated the effect of ageing and reduction in ovarian function on whole blood serotonin levels and the effect of the oestrogen replacement in postmenopausal women on blood serotonin levels. Amenorrbeic, natural postmenopausal and ovariectomised women had lower blood serotonin levels than regularly menstruating women. Blood serotonin levels increased after oestrogen replacement in postmenopausal women to values similar to those observed in regularly menstruating women. In ovariec-tomised women, the blood serotonin levels were inversely correlated with age (P < 0.01). In women with different serum oestradiol levels ranging 30–1335 pg/ml, a direct relationship was observed between serum oestradiol levels and whole blood serotonin levels (P < 0.001). It was concluded that whole blood serotonin concentration is reduced during menopause by suppression of ovarian function but ...

OBJETIVOS: Determinar los niveles séricos de prolactina en mujeres a nivel del mar y a gran altura, y la prevalencia de hiperprolactinemia en ambos lugares. MÉTODOS: El estudio incluyó a 303 mujeres normales y 112 mujeres con alguna disfunción reproductiva (anormalidades menstruales, galactorrea o dismenorrea). De ellas, 228 vivían en Lima a 150 m sobre el nivel del mar y 187 vivían en Cerro de Pasco a 4340 m. Las mujeres normales incluían mujeres no embarazadas y embarazadas. Las anormalidades menstruales incluyeron amenorrea, oligomenorrea y polimenorrea. RESULTADOS: Los niveles de prolactina sérica fueron significativamente más bajos en las mujeres no embarazadas y embarazadas que vivían a gran altura que a nivel del mar. La prevalencia de la hiperprolactinemia, la galactorrea y las anomalías menstruales fueron significativamente menores a gran altura que al nivel del mar. ...

This study was supported by a grant from theConsejo Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innova-ción Tecnológica (CONCYTEC), Lima, Peru.

Lepidium meyenii, a Peruvian plant growing over 4000 m.a.s.l., has effects on nutrition and fertility. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the sperm count in 105 male mice receiving boiled aqueous extract of yellow maca hypocotyls from different sizes, under different pH conditions and using two different routes of administration. Five mice per group were treated daily for 3 days with vehicle (oral and intraperitoneal) or maca aqueous extracts (5 mg/0.5 ml/day) belonging to the first, second, third and fourth categories, according to their hypocotyl size. On day four, sperm count was evaluated at testis, epididymis and vas deferens. Sperm count was higher in mice receiving maca from the larger sizes (first and second categories). Reduction in maca extract pH increased sperm count, whereas an increase in the pH resulted in a reduction in sperm count. The effect of pH reduction is ob...

The effects of butanol/aqueous fractions partitioned from methanol extract of yellow and black maca were examined. Total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant capacity by 2,2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl were used to evaluate maca fractions in vitro. Daily sperm production and sperm count in epididymis and vas deferens in mice were determined as biological effect of maca extracts in vivo. Yellow maca had better antioxidant capacity than black maca. TPC is higher in the aqueous fraction than in the methanolic extract of yellow or black maca. Black maca administration resulted in higher concentration of sperm count in epididymis and vas deferens compared to yellow maca. In conclusion, better biological effect was observed in the methanolic extract of maca than in its partitioned fractions.

High-altitude (HA) hypoxia is a stressful condition endured by organisms through different mechanisms. Failing to adapt to chronic HA exposure leads to a disease called chronic mountain sickness (CMS) characterized by excessive erythrocytosis (hemoglobin [Hb] ≥19 g/dL for women and ≥21 g/dL for men). Genes encoding for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) subunits α and γ have been proposed as candidate genes for HA adaptation. N-acylethanolamides (NAEs) are endogenous fatty acid substances that bind to PPAR-α and -γ. NAEs are also able to modulate the endocannabinoid system, a signaling pathway activated in physiological stressful conditions. In the frame of a metabolomic study, we measured plasma levels of four NAEs: palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), oleoylethanolamide (OEA), stearoyl ethanolamide (SEA), and linoleoyl ethanolamide (LEA) in natives from Puno (3830 m), a ...

The present study was supported by a grant obtained from Peruvian National Council of Sciences, Technology and Innovation (CONCYTEC) through the grant PROCOM 2008. All authors participated in the experimental design and development of the study. Also, the authors report no conflicts of interest. The study was performed in 2008. Since 2009, Dr Gustavo F. Gonzales is in charged of CAYENATUR EIRL an enterprise that develops products based on Maca.

PROCOM 2009

Wound healing consists of three simultaneous phases: inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling. Previous studies suggest that there is a delay in the healing process in high altitude, mainly due to alterations in the inflammatory phase. Maca (Lepidium meyenii) is a Peruvian plant with diverse biological properties, such as the ability to protect the skin from inflammatory lesions caused by ultraviolet radiation, as well as its antioxidant and immunomodulatory properties. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of high altitude on tissue repair and the effect of the topical administration of the spray-dried extract of red maca (RM) in tissue repair. Studies were conducted in male Balb/c mice at sea level and high altitude. Lesions were inflicted through a 10 mm-diameter excisional wound in the skin dorsal surface. Treatments consisted of either (1) spray-dried RM extract or (2...

PROCOM 2007-2008

This study was performed to determine the effects of gamma irradiation on UV spectrum on maca, total content of polyphenols, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging activities and in vivo biological activities of red and black maca extracts (Lepidium meyenii).

Peng Bo, Hu Qin, Xiaming Wen, Yang Keli, Jiang Zhen and Sandra Yucra are acknowledged for their help in this study. Special thanks to the joint financial support for this work from the National Nature Science Foundation of China, NSFC in 2004 (30472016/C03020701) and from Peruvian National Council of Sciences, Technology and Innovation (CONCYTEC) through the grant PROCOM 2005 and support for travel. Julio Rubio was on leave from the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Peru (UPCH) through the Memorandum of Understanding between IMPLAD, CONCYTEC and UPCH.

National Nature Science Foundation of China, NSFC in 2004 (30472016/C03020701); International Technologic Collaboration Project, grant no. 2006DFA21740; Peruvian National Council of Sciences, Technology and Innovation (CONCYTEC) through the grant PROCOM 2005.

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) affects, worldwide, 50% of 60-year-old men. The Peruvian plant red maca (Lepidium meyenii) inhibits BPH in rodents. This study aimed to determine the effects of methanolic red maca extract and its n-butanol and aqueous fractions on expression of androgen and oestrogen receptors in rats with testosterone enanthate-induced BPH. Thirty-six rats in six groups were studied. Control group received 2 mL of vehicle orally and 0.1 mL of propylene glycol intramuscularly. The second group received vehicle orally and testosterone enanthate (TE) (25 mg/0.1 mL) intramuscularly in days 1 and 7. The other four groups were BPH-induced with TE and received, during 21 days, 3.78 mg/mL of finasteride, 18.3 mg/mL methanol extract of red maca, 2 mg/mL of n-butanol fraction, or 16.3 mg/mL of aqueous fraction from red maca. Treatments with red maca extract and its n-butanol bu...

This study was supported by Grant PIBA15A106 and B17100101 Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos and National Council of Science Technology and Innovation N° 313-2011-CONCYTEC-OAJ. This article includes results of Martha Valdivia ?octoral Thesis of Sciences with mention of Physiology, Universidad Peruana Cayetano

Human high-altitude (HA) adaptation or mal-adaptation is explored to understand the physiology, pathophysiology, and molecular mechanisms that underlie long-term exposure to hypoxia. Here, we report the results of an analysis of the largest whole-genome-sequencing of Chronic Mountain Sickness (CMS) and nonCMS individuals, identified candidate genes and functionally validated these candidates in a genetic model system (Drosophila). We used PreCIOSS algorithm that uses Haplotype Allele Frequency score to separate haplotypes carrying the favored allele from the noncarriers and accordingly, prioritize genes associated with the CMS or nonCMS phenotype. Haplotypes in eleven candidate regions, with SNPs mostly in nonexonic regions, were significantly different between CMS and nonCMS subjects. Closer examination of individual genes in these regions revealed the involvement of previously identifi...