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Cannabis, the most prevalent drug in Latin America, has long been associated with the state of Sinaloa, Mexico, known for its cultivation and distribution. Despite increasing global acceptance, cannabis use remains stigmatized in Mexican society, driven by perceptions of it as a highly psychoactive and addictive substance lacking medicinal or industrial value. This study investigates the impact of scientific information on societal perceptions of cannabis in Sinaloa. A large convenience sample of 3162 individuals from Sinaloa participated in this research, responding to a questionnaire on cannabis consumption and attitudes. Participants were then subjected to an intervention consisting of an informative briefing based on the documents "Using Evidence to Talk About Cannabis" and "State of the Evidence: cannabis use and regulation" by the International Centre for Science in Drug Policy. After the intervention, participants' attitudes were immediately reevaluated through the same questionnaire, allowing for a comparison of pre- and post-intervention responses. The results indicate that the intervention (providing scientific information) significantly influenced attitudes toward cannabis, with education and age playing prominent roles in its effectiveness. Notably, the intervention fostered more positive or more neutral attitudes, potentially reducing stigma and promoting a better-informed perspective on cannabis. This study highlights the pivotal role of evidence in shaping informed citizens' views, while underscoring the importance of countering misinformation for societal progress. These findings have significant implications for forthcoming cannabis policy modifications in Mexico, emphasizing the necessity of engaging knowledgeable individuals in policy decisions to address the violence and inequalities associated with the illicit drug trade, particularly in Sinaloa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monkeypox (Mpox) is an emerging zoonotic disease with the potential for severe complications. Early identification and diagnosis are essential to prompt treatment, control its spread, and reduce the risk of human-to-human transmission. This study aimed to develop a clinical diagnostic tool and describe the clinical and sociodemographic features of 19 PCR-confirmed Mpox cases during an outbreak in a nonendemic region of northwestern Mexico. The median age of patients was 35 years, and most were male. Mpox-positive patients commonly reported symptoms such as fever, lumbago, and asthenia, in addition to experiencing painful ulcers and a high frequency of HIV infection among people living with HIV (PLWH). Two diagnostic models using logistic regression were devised, with the best model exhibiting a prediction accuracy of 0.92 (95% CI: 0.8–1), a sensitivity of 0.86, and a specificity of 0.93. The high predictive values and accuracy of the top-performing model highlight its potential to significantly improve early Mpox diagnosis and treatment in clinical settings, aiding in the control of future outbreaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Worldwide, prostate cancer (PC) causes high morbidity and mortality. Thus, developing effective strategies for the prevention, diagnosis, and control of this disease is fundamental to providing updated and reliable estimations of the PC burden both nationally and subnationally. Herein, we analyzed data from the Global Burden of Disease study to estimate PC incidence and mortality, and their trends in Mexico at the national and subnational levels from 2000 to 2019. Our results show that PC was the top ranked cause of death among malign neoplasms in males from Mexico during 2019. Males from 70 to 79 years of age were the most affected by PC, and there was an increasing trend in the burden of this cancer. There was substantial subnational heterogeneity that suggested differential geographical patterns of change. These results provide both comprehensive and comparable estimates to assist the effort to reduce health loss due to PC. In 2019, the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) estimated that prostate cancer (PC) was the 16th most common cause of death globally in males. In Mexico, PC epidemiology has been studied by a number of metrics and over various periods, although without including the most up-to-date estimates. Herein, we describe and compare the burdens and trends of PC in Mexico and its 32 states from 2000 to 2019. For this study, we extracted online available data from the GBD 2019 to estimate the crude and age-standardized rates (ASR per 100,000 people) of the incidence and mortality of PC. In Mexico, PC caused 27.1 thousand (95% uncertainty intervals, 20.6–36.0 thousand) incident cases and 9.2 thousand (7.7–12.7 thousand) deaths in males of all ages in 2019. Among the states, Sinaloa had the greatest ASR of incidence, and Guerrero had the highest mortality. The burden of PC showed an increasing trend, although the magnitude of change differed between metrics and locations. We found both an increasing national trend and subnational variation in the burden of PC. Our results confirm the need for updated and timely estimates to design effective diagnostic and treatment campaigns in locations where the burden of PC is the highest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) removes cholesterol, an essential component in lipid rafts, and this cholesterol removal can regulate protein attachment to lipid rafts, modulating their functionality in the immune cell response. Although severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection can alter the lipid profile, there is little information on the role of HDL-c and other lipids in prognostic of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Mexican population. This study aims to evaluate the predictive value of HDL-c and lipid profile on severity and survival of 102 patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 during the COVID-19 first wave. Our findings, derived from univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models, highlighted age and hypertension as significant predictors of survival (HR = 1.04, p = 0.012; HR = 2.78, p = 0.027), while gender, diabetes, and obesity showed no significant impact. Triglycerides and HDL-c levels notably influenced mortality, with elevated triglycerides and lower HDL-c associated with higher mortality risk (p = 0.032). This study underscores the importance of lipid profiles alongside traditional risk factors in assessing COVID-19 risk and outcomes. It contributes to the understanding of COVID-19 patient management and emphasizes the need for further investigation into the role of dyslipidemia in influencing COVID-19 prognosis, potentially aiding in refined risk stratification and therapeutic strategies., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective: Childhood obesity linked to metabolic alterations, tend to appear simultaneously with altered adipocytokines, suggesting a role in pathogenetic development. Low circulating level of total and high molecular weight (HMW) adiponectin have been associated with components of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and could represent an independent risk factor with potential use as a biomarker. To examine the prevalence of MetS in Mexican school children and to investigate the association of total and HMW adiponectin levels with biochemical parameters related to MetS., Methods: The study included a population of boys and girls, from 8 to 11 years old. Anthropometric and biochemical parameters were evaluated according to weight and MetS status. A correlation analysis was fitted to establish an association between adiponectin concentrations and metabolic indicators., Results: One-hundred and fifty five children participated (59.4% females) from 8-11 years of age. The prevalence of MetS was of 10.3%. Impaired biochemical parameters, including total and HMW adiponectin, were associated with obesity. The adiponectin level was significantly lower in MetS than in non-MetS subjects (4.5 vs. 5.4 μg/mL). Total- but not HMW adiponectin concentration was negatively correlated with blood pressure, fasting insulin, fasting blood sugar and Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance., Conclusion: In young children, the total adiponectin level is associated with impaired biochemical parameters of carbohydrate metabolism and could be an excellent early predictor of metabolic complications.