Search

Abstract The genomic characteristics of Peruvian patients with gastric adenocarcinoma from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds were examined in consideration of the possibility that patients from different socioeconomic backgrounds may be exposed to different risk factors. We conducted a prospective pilot study in two Peruvian cities (Lima and Ica). This study enrolled 15 patients from low socioeconomic status (LSES) and 15 patients from medium/high socioeconomic status (MHSES). The genomic profiling of gastric adenocarcinoma samples was done through the FoundationOne CDx platform. We compared the genomic characteristics and the need for targeted therapy and immunotherapy between LSES and MHSES. The genes with higher rates of alterations were TP53 (73.3% vs. 50.0%, P = 0.2635); CDH1 (26.7% vs. 28.6%, P = 1); CDKN2A (20.0% vs. 28.6%, P = 1); KRAS (33.3% vs. 7.1%, P = 0.1686); ARID1A (20.0% vs. 14.3%, P = 1); MLL2 (13.3% vs. 21.4%, P = 1) and SOX9 (33.3% vs. 0.0%, P = 0.0421) in LSES versus HMSES, respectively. There was no significant difference in tumor mutational burden (P = 0.377) or microsatellite status (P = 1). The LSES group had a higher need for targeted therapy or immunotherapy according to gene involvement and alterations. A significant genomic difference exists among patients with gastric adenocarcinoma of different socioeconomic status, which may result in a different need for targeted therapy and immunotherapy.

Abstract Currently, intraoperative guidance tools used for brain tumor resection assistance during surgery have several limitations. Hyperspectral (HS) imaging is arising as a novel imaging technique that could offer new capabilities to delineate brain tumor tissue in surgical-time. However, the HS acquisition systems have some limitations regarding spatial and spectral resolution depending on the spectral range to be captured. Image fusion techniques combine information from different sensors to obtain an HS cube with improved spatial and spectral resolution. This paper describes the contributions to HS image fusion using two push-broom HS cameras, covering the visual and near-infrared (VNIR) [400–1000 nm] and near-infrared (NIR) [900–1700 nm] spectral ranges, which are integrated into an intraoperative HS acquisition system developed to delineate brain tumor tissue during neurosurgical procedures. Both HS images were registered using intensity-based and feature-based techniques with different geometric transformations to perform the HS image fusion, obtaining an HS cube with wide spectral range [435–1638 nm]. Four HS datasets were captured to verify the image registration and the fusion process. Moreover, segmentation and classification methods were evaluated to compare the performance results between the use of the VNIR and NIR data, independently, with respect to the fused data. The results reveal that the proposed methodology for fusing VNIR–NIR data improves the classification results up to 21% of accuracy with respect to the use of each data modality independently, depending on the targeted classification problem.

The current COVID-19 pandemic is causing profound health, economic, and social problems worldwide. The global shortage of medical and personal protective equipment (PPE) in specialized centers during the outbreak demonstrated the need for efficient methods to disinfect and recycle them in times of emergency. We have previously described that high ozone concentrations destroyed viral RNA in an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 strain within a few minutes. However, the efficient ozone dosages for active SARS-CoV-2 are still unknown. The present study aimed to evaluate the systematic effects of ozone exposure on face masks from hospitalized patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. Face masks from COVID-19 patients were collected and treated with a clinical ozone generator at high ozone concentrations in small volumes for short periods. The study focused on SARS-CoV-2 gene detection (assessed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR)) and on the virus inactivation by in vitro studies. We assessed the effects of different high ozone concentrations and exposure times on decontamination efficiency. We showed that high ozone concentrations (10,000, 2,000, and 4,000 ppm) and short exposure times (10, 10, and 2 minutes, respectively), inactivated both the original strain and the B.1.1.7 strain of SARS-CoV-2 from 24 contaminated face masks from COVID-19 patients. The validation results showed that the best condition for SARS-CoV-2 inactivation was a treatment of 4,000 ppm of ozone for 2 minutes. Further studies are in progress to advance the potential applications of these findings.

ObjectiveSince the recent introduction of preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP), several studies have reported a decrease in the use of condoms and a rise in STIs among users. This rise in risk behavior associated with the advent of PrEP is known as "risk compensation." The aim of this study is to measure clinical and behavioral changes associated with the introduction of PrEP by analyzing condom use for anal intercourse, number of sexual partners, sexualized drug use and STI incidence.MethodsWe performed a retrospective descriptive study of PrEP users followed every 3months over a 2-year period spanning 2017-2019 in a referral clinic specializing in STI/HIV in Madrid, Spain. One hundred ten men who have sex with men and transgender women underwent regular screening for STIs and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Sociodemographic, clinical, and behavioral data were gathered for all subjects studied.ResultsThe risk compensation observed in this study consisted primarily of a lower rate of condom use, while the number of sexual partners and recreational drug consumption remained stable. We observed a very high incidence of STIs in this sample, particularly rectal gonorrhea and chlamydia. The factors shown to be independently associated with the presence of an STI on multivariate analysis were age below 30 years and over 10 sexual partners/month.ConclusionThe incidence of STI acquisition was higher than expected, indicating a need for strategies to minimize this impact, particularly among younger individuals with a higher number of sexual partners.

Extreme environments Morrope and Bayovar Salt lagoons, several ecosystems and microhabitats remain unexplored, and little is known about the diversity of Actinobacteria. We suggest that the endemic bacteria present in this extreme environment is a source of active molecules with anticancer, antimicrobial, and antiparasitic properties. Using phenotypic and genotypic characterization techniques, including 16S rRNA sequencing, we identified these bacteria as members of the genera Streptomyces, Pseudonocardia, Staphylococcus, Bacillus, and Pseudomonas. Actinobacteria strains were found predominantly. Phylogenetic analysis revealed 13 Actinobacteria clusters of Streptomyces, the main genus. Three Streptomycetes, strains MW562814, MW562805, and MW562807 showed antiproliferative activities against three tumor cell lines: U251 glioma, MCF7 breast, and NCI-H460 lung (non-small cell type); and antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538, Escherichia coli ATCC 10536, and the multidrug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii AC-972. The antiproliferative activities (measured as total growth inhibition [TGI]) of Streptomyces sp. MW562807 were 0.57 μg/mL, for 0.61 μg/mL, and 0.80 μg/mL for glioma, lung non-small cell type, and breast cancer cell lines, respectively; the methanolic fraction of the crude extract showed a better antiproliferative activity and could inhibit the growth of (U251 (TGI = 38.3 μg/mL), OVCAR-03 (TGI = 62.1 μg/mL), and K562 (TGI = 81.5 μg/mL)) of nine tumor cells types and one nontumor cell type. Extreme enviroments, such as the Morrope and Bayovar Salt saloons are promising sources of new bacteria, whose compounds may be useful for treating various infectious diseases or even some types of cancer.

INTRODUCTION:Adolescents have a higher incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) than persons of older age groups. The WHO emphasises the need to adopt specific and comprehensive prevention programmes aimed at this age group. The objective of this work was to analyse the prevalence of HIV/STIs among adolescents and to identify the sociodemographic, clinical and behavioural markers associated with these infections, in order to promote specific preventive strategies. METHODOLOGY:Retrospective descriptive study of adolescents, aged 10-19 years, who were attended to for the first consultation between 2016 and 2018 in a reference STI clinic in Madrid. All adolescents were given a structured epidemiological questionnaire where information on sociodemographic, clinical and behavioural characteristics was collected. They were screened for human inmmunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The processing and analysis of the data was done using the STATA 15.0 statistical package. RESULTS:The frequency of HIV/STIs detected among all adolescents was: gonorrhoea 21.7%, chlamydia 17.1%, syphilis 4.8% and HIV 2.4%. After conducting a multivariate analysis, the independent and statistically significant variables related to the presence of an STI were having first sexual relations at a young age and having a history of STIs. Latin American origin was just below the level of statistical significance (p = 0.066). DISCUSSION/CONCLUSIONS:Adolescents who begin sexual relations at an early age or those who have a history of HIV/STIs are at higher risk of acquiring STIs. Comprehensive prevention programmes aimed specifically at adolescents should be implemented, especially before the age of 13 years.

The Peruvian Amazon is classified as one of the mega-diverse ecosystem of the world. Local populations have benefited from the uses of its richness of fauna and flora, promoting the emergence of a wide variety of uses. The Abujao river basin, located in the Peruvian Amazon, is home for mestizos and indigenous groups of Ashéninka and Shipibo-Conibo, whose traditions, and ancestral and ecological knowledge are still alive and closely related to their natural environments. This research was carried out to determine how and to what extent present groups of indigenous and mestizo in the Abujao river basin have been using the wild species of mammals and birds in their locations. Categories of its uses were determined. Among of all defined categories, the most predominant one was the use of wild animals for human consumption, traditional medicine and commercial trades. In contrast, relatively few species, in whole or part, were still used for rituals, and ornamental due to the loss of some ancestral knowledge and traditions on these uses. Revaluing this set of knowledge and uses has a great importance in the conservation of birds and mammals as well as the ecological knowledge of local populations in the Peruvian Amazon.

While high species diversity of lichen - lichenized fungi - is reported especially in the tropics, the studies on these organisms are still scarce in Peru. Using conventional methodology and current literature on the description of genera and species, we reported macro-lichens collected from Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu (Cusco, Peru). Sixty seven species of macro-lichens are reported to SHMP, nine new records to Peru are documented. Parmeliaceae, Physciaceae and Lobariaceae are the families with major number of species.

Durante el año 2001 se realizaron muestreos bimensuales en tres estaciones fijas en la laguna de Cashibococha (Ucayali, Perú). Cashibococha presenta aguas de color verdoso a café oscuro, con pH entre 6 a 6,8, Conductividad entre 10 y 30µS.cm −1 , Transparencia de 21 a 59 cm y Alcalinidad Total entre 14 y 22 mg CaCO3 / L . La temperatura superficial del agua osciló entre 24,4 y 37 ºC y el Oxígeno Disuelto entre 1,3 y 7,4 mg/ L. Los análisis bacteriológicos registraron recuentos de aerobios mesófilos entre 350 y 3600 UFC/ mL. Los coliformes totales oscilaron entre 3 y 43 NMP/ 100 mL. Se diferenciaron 47 especies pertenecientes a 20 familias de macrófitas acuáticas; el mayor número de especies se reportó durante la época de Transición − Creciente (octubre − noviembre), debido a la inundación del bosque. Fueron identificadas 52 especies de fitoplancton, la División Chlorophyta fue la mas dominante. La comunidad fitoplanctónica está dominada por las especies Actinastrum hantzschi, Spirogyra sp., Eudorina elegans, Pandorina morum y Closterium kuetzingui. Se diferenciaron 54 especies de Zooplancton. Los rotíferos fue el taxa dominante. La densidad de zooplancton está dominada por Brachionus patulus macracanthus y Polyarthra vulgaris. Fueron identificadas 66 especies de peces, pertenecientes a 55 géneros, 11 familias y 4 órdenes. El orden dominante en diversidad y abundancia fue el de Characiformes, Curimata vittata fue la especie dominante en la comunidad de peces en éstas áreas litorales. Los índices de diversidad fueron superiores a 3,0 bits. ind –1 , en todas las estaciones y lugares de muestreo. De igual manera los valores de equitabilidad fueron superiores a 0,8 en todas las estaciones y lugares de muestreo.