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Dioscorea remotiflora, a perennial climbing herbaceous plant native to Mexico, produces tubers with great nutritional and ethnobotanical value. However, most ecological aspects of this plant remain unknown, which limits its cultivation and use. This is why the objective of this research was to characterize the ecogeography of D. remotiflora as a source to determine its edaphoclimatic adaptability and current and potential distribution. A comprehensive database encompassing 480 geo-referenced accessions was assembled from different data sources. Using the Agroclimatic Information System for México and Central America (SIAMEXCA), 42 environmental variables were formulated. The MaxEnt model within the Kuenm R package was employed to predict the species distribution. The findings reveal a greater presence of D. remotiflora in harsh environments, characterized by arid to semiarid conditions, poor soils, and hot climates with long dry periods. Niche modeling revealed that seven key variables determine the geographical distribution of D. remotiflora: precipitation of the warmest quarter, precipitation of the driest month, minimum temperature of the coldest month, November–April solar radiation, annual mean relative humidity, annual moisture availability index, and May–October mean temperature. The current potential distribution of D. remotiflora is 428,747.68 km2. Favorable regions for D. remotiflora coincide with its current presence sites, while other suitable areas, such as the Yucatán Peninsula, northeast region, and Gulf of Mexico, offer potential expansion opportunities for the species distribution. The comprehensive characterization of Dioscorea remotiflora, encompassing aspects such as its soil habitats and climate adaptation, becomes essential not only for understanding its ecology but also for maximizing its economic potential. This will enable not only its sustainable use but also the exploration of commercial applications in sectors such as the pharmaceutical and food industries, thus providing a broader approach for its conservation and optimal utilization in the near future.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease that affects the nervous system. Peripheral blood leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA-CN) are potential biomarkers of neurological disability and neural damage. Our objective was to assess the LTL and mtDNA-CN in relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS). We included 10 healthy controls, 75 patients with RRMS, 50 of whom had an Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) from 0 to 3 (mild to moderate disability), and 25 had an EDSS of 3.5 to 7 (severe disability). We use the Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) technique to quantify absolute LTL and absolute mtDNA-CN. ANOVA test show differences between healthy control vs. severe disability RRMS and mild-moderate RRMS vs. severe disability RRMS (p = 0.0130). LTL and mtDNA-CN showed a linear correlation in mild-moderate disability RRMS (r = 0.378, p = 0.007). Furthermore, we analyzed LTL between RRMS groups with a ROC curve, and LTL can predict severe disability (AUC = 0.702, p = 0.0018, cut-off < 3.0875 Kb, sensitivity = 75%, specificity = 62%), whereas the prediction is improved with a logistic regression model including LTL plus age (AUC = 0.762, p = 0.0001, sensitivity = 79.17%, specificity = 80%). These results show that LTL is a biomarker of disability in RRMS and is correlated with mtDNA-CN in mild-moderate RRMS patients.

Cognitive impairment affects 40–60% of patients with multiple sclerosis. It may be present early in the course of the disease and has an impact on a patient’s employability, social interactions, and quality of life. In the last three decades, an increasing interest in diagnosis and management of cognitive impairment has arisen. Neuropsychological assessment and neuroimaging studies focusing on cognitive impairment are now being incorporated as primary outcomes in clinical trials. However, there are still key uncertainties concerning the underlying mechanisms of damage, neural basis, sensitivity and validity of neuropsychological tests, and efficacy of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions. The present article aimed to present an overview of the assessment, neural correlates, and impact of cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic and demyelinating disease with an autoimmune origin, which leads to neurodegeneration and progressive disability. Approximately 30 to 50% of patients do not respond optimally to disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), and therapeutic response may be influenced by genetic factors such as genetic variants. Therefore, our study aimed to investigate the association of the HLA-DRB1*0403 genetic variant and therapeutic response to DMTs in MS. We included 105 patients with MS diagnosis. No evidence of disease activity based on the absence of clinical relapse, disability progression or radiological activity (NEDA-3) was used to classify the therapeutic response. Patients were classified as follows: (a) controls: patients who achieved NEDA-3; (b) cases: patients who did not achieve NEDA-3. DNA was extracted from peripheral blood leukocytes. HLA-DRB1*0403 genetic variant was analyzed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) using TaqMan probes. NEDA-3 was achieved in 86.7% of MS patients treated with DMTs. Genotype frequencies were GG 50.5%, GA 34.3%, and AA 15.2%. No differences were observed in the genetic variant AA between patients who achieved NEDA-3 versus patients who did not achieve NEDA-3 (48.7% vs. 43.1%, p = 0.6). We concluded that in Mexican patients with MS, HLA-DRB1*0403 was not associated with the therapeutic response to DMTs.