ABSTRACT Introduction: Oligosaccharins are poly and oligosaccharides from plant, microbial and animal origin with biological activity in plants as growth and development promotion and anti-stress protection. However, they can be, also, obtained starting from agricultural by-products and polluting fish wastes present in commercial raw materials. Methods: In this work, national formulations of oligogalacturonides (from citric pectin), chitosans (from crustacean exoskeletons) and lipochitinoligosaccharides (excreted to the culture medium by Rhizobia). Results: Increased growth and yield in important crops such as, horticultural (tomato, pepper, cucumber), tubers as potato, and grains as beans. They also enhance plant behavior to afford biotic stress, caused by fungal pathogens (Phytophthora nicotianae) and abiotic stress such as drought, salinity, and heavy metal and they allow reducing chemical fertilization in bean. Conclusion: Those results achieved, supported the development and registration of three new biostimulants that were introduced and extended among Cuban producers.

RESUMEN Introducción: Las oligosacarinas son poli- y oligosacáridos de origen vegetal, microbiano y animal con actividad biológica en las plantas como la promoción del crecimiento y desarrollo y la protección antiestrés. Sin embargo, pueden obtenerse también, a partir de subproductos agrícolas y desechos contaminantes de la pesca, presentes, además, en materias primas comerciales. Métodos: En este trabajo, formulaciones nacionales de oligogalacturónidos (de pectina cítrica), quitosanos (de exoesqueleto de crustáceos) y lipo-quitin oligosacáridos (excretados al medio de cultivo por Rizobios). Resultados: Incrementaron el crecimiento y los rendimientos en cultivos importantes tales como, hortícolas (tomate, pimiento, pepino), tubérculos como la papa y granos como el frijol; mejoraron su comportamiento para afrontar estreses bióticos causados por patógenos fungosos (Phytophthora nicotianae) y abióticos como el déficit hídrico, la salinidad y el estrés por metales pesados, y permitieron reducir la fertilización química en el frijol. Conclusión: Esos resultados alcanzados apoyaron el desarrollo y registro de 3 nuevos bioestimulantes que fueron introducidos y extendidos entre los productores cubanos.

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is considered a species sensitive to salinity, but there are differences in the degree of tolerance to this type of stress. The present study was carried out to determine the tolerance to salinity of some cuban cultivars of chickpea and its relationship with indicators of the development and accumulation of ions in the different organs of the plant. For this, eight chickpea cultivars exposed to two treatments, 0 and 50 mM NaCl, were studied. The results showed that the cultivars Nac-29, Nac-5HA and JP-94 were the ones that showed the highest degree of tolerance to salinity. The cultivar N-29 turned out to be more tolerant and although it diminished its growth, the results show that it also accumulated less quantity of ions in the different organs of the plant, in the two conditions of imposed salinity. Therefore, it can be inferred that the reduction in growth was related to some inability of the chickpea plants to prevent high concentrations of saline ions from reaching the leaves, resulting in considerable variability in the degree of tolerance to salinity the cultivars evaluated

El garbanzo (Cicer arietinum L.) es considerado una especie sensible a la salinidad, pero existen diferencias en cuanto al grado de tolerancia a este tipo de estrés. El presente estudio se realizó para determinar la tolerancia a la salinidad de algunos cultivares cubanos de garbanzo y su relación con indicadores del desarrollo y la acumulación de iones en los diferentes órganos de la planta. Para ello, se estudiaron ocho cultivares de garbanzo expuestos a dos tratamientos, 0 y 50 mM de NaCl. Los resultados evidenciaron que los cultivares N-29, Nac-5HA y JP-94 fueron los que mostraron mayor grado de tolerancia a la salinidad. El cultivar N-29 resultó ser más tolerante y aunque disminuyó su crecimiento, los resultados evidencian que también acumuló menos cantidad de iones en los diferentes órganos de la planta, en las dos condiciones de salinidad impuesta. Por tanto, se infiere que la reducción del crecimiento estuvo relacionado con alguna incapacidad que tienen las plantas de garbanzo para evitar que altas concentraciones de iones salinos lleguen a las hojas, trayendo como consecuencia una considerable variabilidad en cuanto al grado de tolerancia a la salinidad de los cultivares evaluados

INTRODUCTION: Sepsis is the most common direct cause of death worldwide and septic shock the syndrome's most serious complication. In 2002, the pediatric intensive care unit of the José Luis Miranda Pediatric University Hospital in Santa Clara (Villa Clara Province), Cuba, began implementing the recently published guidelines of the American College of Critical Care Medicine (ACCM) for management of pediatric and neonatal septic shock, observing a drop in case fatality from 34.6% to 19% between the years 2003 and 2007. ACCM updated these Guidelines in 2007. OBJECTIVE: Describe experiences with the use of the 2007 ACCM updated Guidelines and discuss their possible impact in reducing case fatality. METHODS: Between 2008 and 2010, a study was conducted of 280 children and adolescents, from newborns through 18 years, admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit with a diagnosis of septic shock. The diagnostic and therapeutic criteria used were those recommended in the ACCM's 2007 updated Guidelines. The dependent variable was case fatality. Independent variables were age, sex, comorbidity or prior chronic disease, origin and course of sepsis, hemodynamic state, blood glucose level, hyperglycemia, organ dysfunction, volume of fluid therapy administered, use of mechanical ventilation and therapeutic response. RESULTS: In the 3-year period, 28-day case fatality was 11.1% (31/280). A total of 45 patients had comorbidities, with 14 deaths and a case fatality rate of 31.1% vs. 7.2% (17/235) in previously healthy patients. Cold shock with a hemodynamic state of low cardiac output and high systemic vascular resistance predominated (68.9%), with low cardiac output and low systemic vascular resistance the least common type (12.5%), but the one with highest case fatality (34.4%). Hyperglycemia was present in 39.6% of patients, with 15.3% case fatality; case fatality was higher (25.6%) when hyperglycemia was in the 10-15.9 mmol/L range. Fluid therapy of 40-100 mL/kg was administered in the first hour to 90% of patients, increasing to >96% in the first 3-6 hours. The most common therapeutic response was fluid refractory, dobutamine responsive (39.3%). Mechanical ventilation was used in 33.9% of patients, with a case fatality of 30.5%. Cardiovascular, respiratory and hematologic dysfunctions were common. Failure of >4 organs raised case fatality to 77.8%. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of ACCM Guidelines facilitates timely, appropriate care for septic shock patients and contributes to lower case fatality. Early aggressive fluid therapy with support of vasoactive drugs, either singly or in combination, has a positive impact on patient outcomes. Similar studies with a larger number of patients are needed to corroborate these conclusions.