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Purpose The COVID-19 Fear Scale (FCV-19S) allows screening in general population; however, there is no specific instrument in our population for screening in the perinatal period that considers fear related with COVID-19 and offspring well-being. We aimed to validate the FCV-19S modified for application during the perinatal period. Materials and methods Analytical, cross-sectional design. After signing consent, women 18–45 years were included. Internal consistency was calculated with Cronbach’s alpha, external validity using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), factorial analysis and intraclass correlation coefficient for re-test. Results The sample included 178 women, mean age 31.04 ± 5.9. We obtained internal consistency with Cronbach’s alpha = 0.873 (95%CI, 0.842–0.899). Spearman’s Rho coefficient was 0.207 (p= .013). All the elements were statistically significant for the polychoric correlation (p

Antecedentes: El concepto de adicción a la comida describe las dificultades de algunos individuos respecto al consumo de comida. Objetivo: Determinar la frecuencia de la adicción a la comida y su asociación con el índice de masa corporal (IMC), consumo de calorías y control terapéutico en pacientes con diabetes mellitus tipo 2 (DMT2) de diagnóstico reciente. Material y métodos: Se incluyeron 1080 pacientes con DMT2. Se determinó el grado de control terapéutico con niveles de hemoglobina glicada, colesterol de baja densidad y presión arterial. El consumo diario de calorías fue estimado con un cuestionario semicuantitativo de frecuencia de consumo de alimentos. Resultados: Casi todos los pacientes mostraron sobrepeso (40.5 %) y obesidad (49.1 %). La frecuencia de adicción a la comida fue de 54.2 % (56.9 % en mujeres y 48.9 % en hombres). La adicción a la comida se asoció a IMC (RM = 1.89, p ≤ 0.05), alto consumo calórico (RM = 1.14, p ≤ 0.05) y hemoglobina glicada > 7 % (RM = 1.43, p ≤ 0.05). Conclusiones: La adicción a la comida es frecuente en pacientes con sobrepeso/ obesidad y DMT2 recientemente diagnosticada y se asocia al consumo calórico superior a lo recomendado, grado de obesidad y pobre control terapéutico.

Centruroides possanii is a recently discovered species of “striped scorpion” found in Mexico. Certain species of Centruroides are known to be toxic to mammals, leading to numerous cases of human intoxications in the country. Venom components are thought to possess therapeutic potential and/or biotechnological applications. Hence, obtaining and analyzing the secretory gland transcriptome and venom proteome of C. possanii is relevant, and that is what is described in this communication. Since this is a newly described species, first, its LD50 to mice was determined and estimated to be 659 ng/g mouse weight. Using RNA extracted from this species and preparing their corresponding cDNA fragments, a transcriptome analysis was obtained on a Genome Analyzer (Illumina) using the 76-base pair-end sequencing protocol. Via high-throughput sequencing, 19,158,736 reads were obtained and ensembled in 835,204 sequences. Of them, 28,399 transcripts were annotated with Pfam. A total of 244 complete transcripts were identified in the transcriptome of C. possanii. Of these, 109 sequences showed identity to toxins that act on ion channels, 47 enzymes, 17 protease inhibitors (PINs), 11 defense peptides (HDPs), and 60 in other components. In addition, a sample of the soluble venom obtained from this scorpion was analyzed using an Orbitrap Velos apparatus, which allowed for identification by liquid chromatography followed by mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) of 70 peptides and proteins: 23 toxins, 27 enzymes, 6 PINs, 3 HDPs, and 11 other components. Until now, this work has the highest number of scorpion venom components identified through omics technologies. The main novel findings described here were analyzed in comparison with the known data from the literature, and this process permitted some new insights in this field.

Skin secretions of toads are a complex mixture of molecules. The substances secreted comprise more than 80 different compounds that show diverse pharmacological activities. The compounds secreted through skin pores and parotid glands are of particular interest because they help toads to endure in habitats full of pathogenic microbes, i.e., bacteria, fungi, viruses, and protozoa, due to their content of components such as bufadienolides, alkaloids, and antimicrobial peptides. We carried out an extensive literature review of relevant articles published until November 2022 in ACS Publications, Google Scholar, PubMed, and ScienceDirect. It was centered on research addressing the biological characterization of the compounds identified in the species of genera Atelopus, Bufo, Duttaphrynus, Melanophryniscus, Peltopryne, Phrynoidis, Rhaebo, and Rhinella, with antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and antiparasitic activities; as well as studies performed with analogous compounds and skin secretions of toads that also showed these activities. This review shows that the compounds in the secretions of toads could be candidates for new drugs to treat infectious diseases or be used to develop new molecules with better properties from existing ones. Some compounds in this review showed activity against microorganisms of medical interest such as Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Coronavirus varieties, HIV, Trypanosoma cruzi, Leishmania chagasi, Plasmodium falciparum, and against different kinds of fungi that affect plants of economic interest.

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Centruroides possanii is a recently discovered species of "striped scorpion" found in Mexico. Certain species of Centruroides are known to be toxic to mammals, leading to numerous cases of human intoxications in the country. Venom components are thought to possess therapeutic potential and/or biotechnological applications. Hence, obtaining and analyzing the secretory gland transcriptome and venom proteome of C. possanii is relevant, and that is what is described in this communication. Since this is a newly described species, first, its LD50 to mice was determined and estimated to be 659 ng/g mouse weight. Using RNA extracted from this species and preparing their corresponding cDNA fragments, a transcriptome analysis was obtained on a Genome Analyzer (Illumina) using the 76-base pair-end sequencing protocol. Via high-throughput sequencing, 19,158,736 reads were obtained and ensembled in 835,204 sequences. Of them, 28,399 transcripts were annotated with Pfam. A total of 244 complete transcripts were identified in the transcriptome of C. possanii. Of these, 109 sequences showed identity to toxins that act on ion channels, 47 enzymes, 17 protease inhibitors (PINs), 11 defense peptides (HDPs), and 60 in other components. In addition, a sample of the soluble venom obtained from this scorpion was analyzed using an Orbitrap Velos apparatus, which allowed for identification by liquid chromatography followed by mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) of 70 peptides and proteins: 23 toxins, 27 enzymes, 6 PINs, 3 HDPs, and 11 other components. Until now, this work has the highest number of scorpion venom components identified through omics technologies. The main novel findings described here were analyzed in comparison with the known data from the literature, and this process permitted some new insights in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine disease associated with infertility and metabolic disorders in reproductive-aged women. In this study, we evaluated the expression of eight genes related to endometrial function and their DNA methylation levels in the endometrium of PCOS patients and women without the disease (control group). In addition, eight of the PCOS patients underwent intervention with metformin (1500 mg/day) and a carbohydrate-controlled diet (type and quantity) for three months. Clinical and metabolic parameters were determined, and RT-qPCR and MeDIP-qPCR were used to evaluate gene expression and DNA methylation levels, respectively. Decreased expression levels of HOXA10, GAB1, and SLC2A4 genes and increased DNA methylation levels of the HOXA10 promoter were found in the endometrium of PCOS patients compared to controls. After metformin and nutritional intervention, some metabolic and clinical variables improved in PCOS patients. This intervention was associated with increased expression of HOXA10, ESR1, GAB1, and SLC2A4 genes and reduced DNA methylation levels of the HOXA10 promoter in the endometrium of PCOS women. Our preliminary findings suggest that metformin and a carbohydrate-controlled diet improve endometrial function in PCOS patients, partly by modulating DNA methylation of the HOXA10 gene promoter and the expression of genes implicated in endometrial receptivity and insulin signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Skin secretions of toads are a complex mixture of molecules. The substances secreted comprise more than 80 different compounds that show diverse pharmacological activities. The compounds secreted through skin pores and parotid glands are of particular interest because they help toads to endure in habitats full of pathogenic microbes, i.e., bacteria, fungi, viruses, and protozoa, due to their content of components such as bufadienolides, alkaloids, and antimicrobial peptides. We carried out an extensive literature review of relevant articles published until November 2022 in ACS Publications, Google Scholar, PubMed, and ScienceDirect. It was centered on research addressing the biological characterization of the compounds identified in the species of genera Atelopus, Bufo, Duttaphrynus, Melanophryniscus, Peltopryne, Phrynoidis, Rhaebo, and Rhinella, with antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and antiparasitic activities; as well as studies performed with analogous compounds and skin secretions of toads that also showed these activities. This review shows that the compounds in the secretions of toads could be candidates for new drugs to treat infectious diseases or be used to develop new molecules with better properties from existing ones. Some compounds in this review showed activity against microorganisms of medical interest such as Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Coronavirus varieties, HIV, Trypanosoma cruzi, Leishmania chagasi, Plasmodium falciparum, and against different kinds of fungi that affect plants of economic interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The COVID-19 Fear Scale (FCV-19S) allows screening in general population; however, there is no specific instrument in our population for screening in the perinatal period that considers fear related with COVID-19 and offspring well-being. We aimed to validate the FCV-19S modified for application during the perinatal period.Materials and Methods: Analytical, cross-sectional design. After signing consent, women 18-45 years were included. Internal consistency was calculated with Cronbach's alpha, external validity using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), factorial analysis and intraclass correlation coefficient for re-test.Results: The sample included 178 women, mean age 31.04 ± 5.9. We obtained internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha = 0.873 (95%CI, 0.842-0.899). Spearman's Rho coefficient was 0.207 (p= .013). All the elements were statistically significant for the polychoric correlation (p<.001). Reliability test-retest with intraclass correlation was 0.873.Conclusions: The version of FCV-19S modified with eight items is a valid measurement instrument for application during the perinatal period, showing adequate internal consistency and external validity with HADS as measure of concurrence to identify anxiety related with COVID-19 during the perinatal period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scorpionism in México is a public health problem caused by stings from the Centruroides scorpion family. The Ct1a and Ct17 toxins from the venom of the Centruroides tecomanus scorpion are the most abundant and toxic for mammals. This study describes the heterologous expression of recombinant proteins from genes encoding these toxins merged with thioredoxin in the vector pET-22b + and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). The yield of Ct1a and Ct17 recombinant toxins was 1.25 mg and 1.737 mg per liter of culture, respectively. These were purified by metal ion affinity chromatography and RP-HPLC and were used for immunization in rabbits, obtaining polyclonal antibodies that confer a positive immune response against the complete venom of Centruroides tecomanus. The serum was tested in vitro and in vivo, obtaining neutralization and protection against the venom. Both toxins were produced recombinantly and fused to the thioredoxin protein; remarkably, the recombinant toxins were excellent immunogens. 300 μl of each immunized rabbit serum was tested in mice, resulting in 50% of the mice protected with each serum, but when the sera were pooled, the protection increased to 83%. This communication reveals the possibility of producing a specific and regional antivenom with polyclonal antibodies that neutralize the complete venom of Centruroides tecomanus. The sequence similarity of Ct1a and Ct17 to Cn2, a toxin that recognizes sodium channels, allowed in silico modeling analysis and a proposal for the different toxicities of Ct1a and Ct17. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diatoms of the genus Pseudo-nitzschia are of special interest due to their capacity to produce domoic acid, which is responsible for amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) in humans. Domoic acid is a neurotoxin that can cause devastating effects in the food web, especially in seabirds and marine mammals. Identification of Pseudo-nitzschia species is challenging since the morphological differences are difficult to distinguish in the light microscope, and even in SEM or TEM. In recent years, new molecular biology methods have been developed that allow us to differentiate between pseudo-cryptic or cryptic species. In this study, a new pseudo-cryptic taxon is described within the Pseudo-nitzschia/pseudodelicatissima complex, as a variety of P. cuspidata. Subtle morphological differences were found among our strains of P. cuspidata and other previously described strains of the P. pseudodelicatissima/cuspidata complex with respect to the poroids of the valvocopula. These differences were supported by phylogenetic analyses of ITS rDNA sequences. The existence of hemi-compensatory base changes in some of the strains indicates the presence of a separate clade, which is described as a new variety of P. cuspidata group. Domoic acid was not detected in the strains investigated in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]