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El presente documento, es una reflexión derivada del Macro proyecto dirigido por ALAFEC –Asociación Latinoamericana de Facultades y Escuelas de Contaduría y Administración- denominado Adopción de criterios de sostenibilidad en las cadenas de valor en Latinoamérica en el tema trabajo digno o decente en Colombia y México. En las siguientes líneas se hace una presentación analítica de los objetivos propuestos por la OIT en relación al trabajo digno o decente, buscando con ello la identificación del nivel de compresión y aplicación de dichos objetivos en organizaciones tan particulares como las PyME. El desarrollo de este trabajo ha estado fundamentado bajo la metodología de una revisión bibliográfica a fin de generar como objetivo fundamental, una propuesta de indicadores que faciliten la identificación de la manera como en dichas organizaciones tan particulares se genera un trabajo digno o decente. Al finalizar el documento se hace una propuesta indicadores que, si bien no son definitivos, si permiten tener un acercamiento a unos elementos que han de facilitar la medición de la existencia de un trabajo digno o decente, los cuales permiten se pueda concluir que, tanto en México como en Colombia, aún existe mucho camino por recorrer en relación con la generación de un verdadero trabajo digno o decente.

This document is a reflection derived Macro ALAFEC –Latin American Association of Colleges and Schools of Accounting and Administration- led project called Adopt sustainability criteria in value chains in Latin America in the dignified or decent work in Colombia and Mexico In the following lines an analytical presentation of the objectives proposed by the ILO in relation to decent or decent work, seeking thereby identifying the level of compression and implementation of such objectives as private organizations such as SMEs it is made. The development of this work has been based on a literature review in order to generate a set of indicators to facilitate the identification of the manner in private organizations such as dignified or decent work is generated. At the end of the document, a proposed indicator which although not definitive, if allowed to have an approach to some elements to facilitate the measurement of the existence of a dignified or decent work, which allow done can be concluded that both in Mexico as in Colombia, there is still a long way to go in relation to the generation of a real worthy or decent work.

Este artículo de reflexión tiene como objetivo resaltar algunos apuntes relevantes que giran en torno al valor que representa el recurso humano en la organización y su fundamentación como elemento esencial para el direccionamiento estratégico. A través de una metodología de revisión documental, se abordan los temas de direccionamiento, planificación, calidad, participación y trabajo en equipo de los RRHH como aspectos determinantes en el éxito organizacional. Se concluye la necesidad de que la organización se oriente hacia una más visión más ambiciosa de los RRHH, vinculándolos como elementos claves del direccionamiento estratégico para el éxito organizacional. El personal es el factor clave en la capacidad de adaptación de la organización y en la consolidación de una ventaja competitiva, de ahí que el futuro de aquella dependa de lograr un capital humano idóneo y comprometido. Finalmente se reafirma la necesidad de consolidar herramientas propendan por la calidad de los procesos, los productos y los servicios en un sistema de calidad, de forma tal que la organización esté sustentada desde los paradigmas del mejoramiento continuo y la calidad total como dimensiones que le garantizan su viabilidad.

This reflection paper aims to highlight some important notes that revolve around the value representing the human resources in the organization and its foundation as an essential element for the strategic direction. Through a methodology document review, addressing the issues, planning, quality, participation and teamwork of HR as determining organizational success factors are examined. The need for the organization to be oriented towards a more ambitious vision of HR, linking as key elements of the strategic direction for organizational success is concluded. The staff is the key factor in the resilience of the organization and the consolidation of a competitive advantage, hence the future of that depends on achieving an appropriate and committed capital. Finally the need to consolidate tools propitiate the quality of processes, products and services in a quality system, so that the organization is supported from the paradigms of continuous improvement and total quality as dimensions that guarantee its viability.

El presente documento constituye una reflexión frente al valor que representa la gestión humana como socio estratégico para el éxito organizacional. Este documento tiene como objetivo presentar a la comunidad académica de manera descriptiva las acciones desarrolladas por dicha área y su aporte al desarrollo corporativo. La metodología empleada para el desarrollo de este documento se fundamentó en la revisión bibliográfica de fuentes secundarias en las que se ha enfatizado la gestión humana como proceso estratégico en la consecución de los objetivos y metas de la compañía. Como resultado de esta reflexión, se presenta un documento en el cual se argumenta la posibilidad de proponer una perspectiva para la gestión del talento humano en cualquier tipo de organización que se base en el diseño de diferentes estrategias como la gestión por procesos y la gestión por competencias, mediante la cual puede lograrse un capital humano que responda a las necesidades de la corporación. Hoy se requiere que las organizaciones cuenten con un área de gestión humana que deje en el pasado las funciones operativas y pase a ser gestora de valor para la organización, articulando sus labores con la estrategia organizacional y pasando de ser una simple área ejecutora a un área asesora que apoya la toma de decisiones.

This document is a reflection about the value that represents human management as a strategic partner for organizational success. This paper aims to present actions developed by this area and its contribution to corporate development. The methodology used to develop this document was based on the literature review of secondary sources which has emphasized human management as a strategic process in achieving the objectives and goals of the company. As a result of this reflection, a document is presented which chargues the possibility of proposing a vision for the management of human resources in any organization that is based on the design of different strategies such as process management and competency management, whereby human capital that meets the needs of the corporation can be achieved. Today organizations require to have a human resource departments to leave in the past operational functions and becomes manager of value to the organization, coordinating its work with organizational strategy and moving from being a simple executor area to an advises area that supports decision-making.

The service is the fundamental experience that takes place in the contact between the organization and the customer. From the adequately perform of this relationship depends retention or loss of a customer. Therefore, it is imperative that organizations visualize the service as the essential element in which lies the very meaning of their existence and relevance.The service in the organization essentially seeks to satisfy those needs that the client has, which is why we can say then that the lack of demand for services does not allow organizations to develop projects that revolve around it.Taking in count the service as an essential factor in the organization, various tools have been developed in order to have a continuous improvement in meeting the needs of customers, one of which is the CRM (Customer Relationship Management) that in this article is presented as an important tool to make an impact on the services provided by the organization.

El servicio constituye la experiencia fundamental en la que tiene lugar el contacto entre la organización y el cliente. De la forma adecuada como se efectúe esta relación, depende la conservación o perdida de un cliente. Es imperativo por tanto que las organizaciones visualicen el servicio como el elemento esencial en el que radica el sentido mismo de su existencia y pertinencia. El servicio en la organización busca esencialmente satisfacer aquellas necesidades que presenta el cliente, es por ello que puede afirmarse entonces que la ausencia de demanda de servicios no le permite a las organizaciones desarrollar proyectos que giren en torno a ello. Frente al servicio como factor esencial en la organización, diversas herramientas han sido desarrolladas con el fin de que haya un mejoramiento continuo en la satisfacción de las necesidades de los clientes, una de ellas es el CRM (Customer Relationship Management) que en este artículo se presenta como una herramienta importante para generar impacto en los servicios que presta la organización.

Introduction: Xylazine is a veterinary anesthetic increasingly present alongside illicit fentanyl in the US and Canada, presenting novel health risks. Although xylazine remains less common in the Western US, Mexican border cities serve as key trafficking hubs and may have higher prevalence of novel substances, but surveillance has been limited., Methods: We examined deidentified records from the Prevencasa harm reduction clinic in Tijuana, describing urine and paraphernalia testing from patients reporting using illicit opioids within 24 hr. Xylazine (two types), fentanyl, opiate, methamphetamine, amphetamine, benzodiazepine, and nitazene test strips were used to test urine and paraphernalia samples. Paraphernalia samples were also analyzed with mass spectrometry., Results: The study consisted of 23 participants that provided both urine and paraphernalia samples. Of the participants studied, 100 %, 91.3 %, and 69.6 % reported using China White/fentanyl, methamphetamine, and tar heroin, respectively. The mean age was 41.7 years, 95.7 % were male, 65.2 % were unhoused, and 30.4 % had skin wounds at the time of sample collection.Xylazine positivity in urine, for the two types used, was 82.6 % and 65.2 %. For paraphernalia testing, the xylazine positivity was 65.2 % and 47.8 %. Confirmatory testing of paraphernalia samples by mass spectrometry indicated a 52.2 % xylazine positivity. This testing also revealed positivity rates for fentanyl (73.9 %), fluorofentanyl (30.4 %), tramadol (30.4 %), and lidocaine (30.4 %).The mass spectrometry results suggest lidocaine triggered n = 3 and n = 0 false positives among the xylazine test strip types. A total of n = 0 and n = 1 false negatives were also observed., Discussion: Xylazine is present on the U.S.-Mexico border, requiring public health intervention. High lidocaine positivity complicates the clinical detection of xylazine via testing strips. Xylazine was found to be more prevalent in urine than in paraphernalia samples. Confirmatory urine studies are needed to better understand possible complications of using test strips for toxicological testing., Competing Interests: Disclosures Authors declare no disclosures or competing interests. Funders played no role in the study design or implementation.

The oral cavity presents a diverse microbiota in a dynamic balance with the host. Disruption of the microbial community can promote dysregulation of local immune response which could generate oral diseases. Additionally, alterations in host immune system can result in inflammatory disorders. Different microorganisms have been associated with establishment and progression of the oral diseases. Oral cavity pathogens/diseases can modulate components of the inflammatory response. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) own immunoregulatory functions and have been involved in different inflammatory conditions such as infectious processes, autoimmune diseases, and cancer. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of generation, phenotypes, and biological functions of the MDSCs in oral inflammatory diseases. Also, it is addressed the biological aspects of MDSCs in presence of major oral pathogens. MDSCs have been mainly analyzed in periodontal disease and Sjögren's syndrome and could be involved in the outcome of these diseases. Studies including the participation of MDSCs in other important oral diseases are very scarce. Major oral bacterial and fungal pathogens can modulate expansion, subpopulations, recruitment, metabolism, immunosuppressive activity and osteoclastogenic potential of MDSCs. Moreover, MDSC plasticity is exhibited in presence of oral inflammatory diseases/oral pathogens and appears to be relevant in the disease progression and potentially useful in the searching of possible treatments. Further analyses of MDSCs in oral cavity context could allow to understand the contribution of these cells in the fine-tuned balance between host immune system and microorganism of the oral biofilm, as well as their involvement in the development of oral diseases when this balance is altered., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 García-Arévalo, Leija-Montoya, González-Ramírez, Isiordia-Espinoza, Serafín-Higuera, Fuchen-Ramos, Vazquez-Jimenez and Serafín-Higuera.)

COVID-19, a disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, poses significant threats to the respiratory system and other vital organs. Long non-coding RNAs have emerged as influential epigenetic regulators and promising biomarkers in respiratory ailments. The objective of this study was to identify candidate lncRNAs in SARS-CoV-2-positive individuals compared to SARS-CoV-2-negative individuals and investigate their potential association with ARDS-CoV-2 (acute respiratory distress syndrome). Employing qRT-PCR, we meticulously examined the expression profiles of a panel comprising 84 inflammation-related lncRNAs in individuals presenting upper respiratory infection symptoms, categorizing them into those testing negative or positive for SARS-CoV-2. Notably, first-phase PSD individuals exhibited significantly elevated levels of AC000120.7 and SENP3-EIF4A1. In addition, we measured the expression of two lncRNAs, AC000120.7 and SENP3-EIF4A1, in patients with ARDS unrelated to SARS-CoV-2 ( n = 5) and patients with ARDS induced by SARS-CoV-2 (ARDS-CoV-2, n = 10), and interestingly, expression was also higher among patients with ARDS. Intriguingly, our interaction pathway analysis unveiled potential interactions between lncRNA AC000120.7, various microRNAs, and genes associated with inflammation. This study found higher expression levels of lncRNAs AC000120.7 and SENP3-EIF4A1 in the context of infection-positive COVID-19, particularly within the complex landscape of ARDS.

Periodontal disease is one of the most common inflammatory disorders in humans. Gingivitis is the mildest form of periodontal disease and its progression can lead to periodontitis, an inflammatory disease characterized by soft tissue damage that can lead to progressive destruction of the periodontal ligament and alveolar bone. Diverse populations of immune cells are involved in periodontal disease. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) represent a heterogeneous group of immature myeloid cells derived from hematopoietic precursor cells and exhibit T cell immunosuppressive functions that are thought to be involved in periodontal disease. Therefore, MDSCs have been recently analyzed in the context of this disease. In this review, we discuss the most recent advances in the characterization of the biological aspects, subpopulations, and traffic of MDSCs, as well as their immunosuppressive and osteoclastogenic activity in the context of periodontal disease and in the presence of key periodontal pathogens., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Infectious agents such as viruses, bacteria, and parasites can lead to cancer development. Infection with the helminthic parasite Schistosoma haematobium can cause cancer of the urinary bladder in humans, and infection with the parasites Clonorchis sinensis and Opisthorchis viverrini can promote cholangiocarcinoma. These three pathogens have been categorized as "group 1: carcinogenic to humans" by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Additionally, the parasite Schistosoma japonicum has been associated with liver and colorectal cancer and classified as "group 2B: possibly carcinogenic to humans". These parasites express regulatory non-coding RNAs as microRNAs (miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), which modulate genic expression in different biological processes. In this review, we discuss the potential roles of miRNAS and lncRNAs encoded by helminthic parasites that are classified by the IARC as carcinogenic and possibly carcinogenic to humans. The miRNAs of these parasites may be involved in carcinogenesis by modulating the biological functions of the pathogen and the host and by altering microenvironments prone to tumor growth. miRNAs were identified in different host fluids. Additionally, some miRNAs showed direct antitumoral effects. Together, these miRNAs show potential for use in future therapeutic and diagnostic applications. LncRNAs have been less studied in these parasites, and their biological effects in the parasite-host interaction are largely unknown.

Palmitic acid, the main saturated fatty acid, is related with a wide range of metabolic disorders such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. It is known that palmitic acid disturbs the expression of some important proteins for cell homeostasis such as SERCA and RGS2, however, the role of this lipid at the molecular level in these disorders is not completely elucidated. Thus, our aim was to determinate the effect of palmitic acid in a relevant cell process as it is cell migration and the participation of SERCA and RGS2 in this response. We found that palmitic acid reduces cell migration (determined by the Boyden chamber method) in an epithelial cell line (HEK293) and this effect is modulated by SERCA and RGS2 differential protein expression (measured by western blot). Also, overexpression of individual proteins, RGS2 and SERCA, produced a decrease and an increase on cell migration, respectively. Taken together, these data suggest that the expression of regulatory proteins is affected by high concentrations of saturated fatty acids and in consequence cell migration is diminished in epithelial cells.

Background and Objective: Retinovascular anomalies in the fellow eyes of patients with Coats' disease have been described, but the clinical significance is unknown, as well as whether these lesions progress over time., Patients and Methods: This is an international, multicenter, retrospective, observational cohort study of fellow-eye abnormalities on widefield fluorescein angiography in patients with Coats' disease., Results: Three hundred fifty eyes of 175 patients with Coats' disease were analyzed. A total of 33 patients (18.8%) demonstrated abnormal fellow-eye findings: 14 (42.4%) telangiectasias, 18 (54.5%) aneurysms, six (18.2%) segmental non-perfusion, six (18.2%) leakage, and two (6.0%) vascular tortuosity. All eyes were asymptomatic, and none of the lesions progressed over time. There was no association between fellow-eye findings with severity of Coats' disease (P = .16), patient age (P = .16), or presence of systemic vascular disease (P = .16)., Conclusions: The vascular abnormalities in fellow eyes of patients with Coats' disease did not progress over time. Observation is a reasonable initial management strategy. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2019;50:221-227.]., (Copyright 2019, SLACK Incorporated.)

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease that compromises the integrity of the periodontium. Despite extensive research involving periodontitis, the detailed mechanisms underlying periodontal inflammation remain unclear. However, new important expression regulators have been emerging, such as non-coding RNAs, which are important determinants in the molecular control of the inflammatory process. Taking into consideration the vital role of non-coding RNAs, we determined for the first time the expression profiles of different long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) that are implicated in inflammation. In this study, we take periodontal samples of healthy subjects, patients with gingivitis and with periodontitis. In both disease groups, the lncRNA OIP5-AS1 expression levels were lower than levels in healthy subjects (P < 0.05). This study reveals new insights into the relative levels of OIP5-AS1 lncRNA in healthy, gingivitis and periodontal tissue, which may have important applications as a potential biomarker with protagonist activity in the development and manifestation of destructive periodontitis., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) DNA has been found in ∼50% of cervical tumors worldwide. HPV infection starts with the binding of the virus capsid to heparan sulfate (HS) receptors exposed on the surface of epithelial basal layer keratinocytes. Previously, our group isolated a high-affinity RNA aptamer (Sc5c3) specific for HPV16 L1 virus-like particles (VLPs). In this study, we report the inhibition of HPV16 infection by Sc5c3 in a pseudovirus (PsVs) model. 293TT cells were infected by HPV16 PsVs containing the yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) as reporter gene. Incubation of HPV16 PsVs with Sc5c3 before infection resulted in a dose-dependent decrease in YFP fluorescence, suggesting infection inhibition. Aptamer degradation by RNase A restored PsVs infectivity, supporting the previous observation that Sc5c3 aptamer can inhibit infection. VLP mutants with removed HS binding sites were used in binding assays to elucidate the Sc5c3 blocking mechanism; however, no binding difference was observed between wild-type and mutant VLPs, suggesting that pseudoinfection inhibition relies on mechanisms additional to electrostatic HS binding site interaction. A DNA/RNA Sc5c3 version also inhibited HPV PsVs infection, suggesting that a modified, nuclease-resistant Sc5c3 may be used to inhibit HPV16 infection in vivo.

Periodontal disease can be initiated by a shift from a symbiotic to a dysbiotic microbial community. An increase in the recruitment of leukocytes and production of inflammatory cytokines, chemokines and oxidative stress are generated by this shift. In periodontitis, an exacerbated, poorly specific and effective inflammatory response is mounted. Moreover, failure in the inflammation resolving mechanism leads to establishment of a chronic inflammatory process, resulting in the progressive destruction of bone and soft tissue. In different diseases presenting chronic inflammation some important players of immune response are defectives. Thus, an immunosuppressive environment could be induced during chronic inflammation. Myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSC), a heterogenic group of immature myeloid cells with potent immune suppressive activity, are increased in several acute and chronic inflammatory diseases. Dysbiosis-mediated inflammation can induce increased frequency of MDSC. In addition, mediators generated in diverse inflammatory diseases have demonstrated to promote expansion, activation and recruitment of MDSC, similar mediators have been described in periodontal disease. MDSC promote generation of nitric oxide (NO) and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Furthermore, MDSC can differentiate in functional osteoclasts. We hypothesize that MDSC are generated during periodontal disease. Review of literature evaluating this hypothesis and possible implications are assed in this work. It encourages the study of MDSC in this common disease., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The human papillomavirus (HPV) capsid is mainly composed of the L1 protein that can self-assemble into virus-like particles (VLPs) that are structurally and immunologically similar to the infectious virions. We report here the characterization of RNA aptamers that recognize baculovirus-produced HPV-16 L1 VLPs. Interaction and slot-blot binding assays showed that all isolated aptamers efficiently bound HPV-16 VLPs, although the Sc5-c3 aptamer showed the highest specificity and affinity (Kd=0.05 pM). Sc5-c3 secondary structure consisted of a hairpin with a symmetric bubble and an unstructured 3'end. Biochemical and genetic analyses showed that the Sc5-c3 main loop is directly involved on VLPs binding. In particular, binding specificity appeared mediated by five non-consecutive nucleotide positions. Experiments using bacterial-produced HPV-16 L1 resulted in low Sc5-c3 binding, suggesting that recognition of HPV-16 L1 VLPs relies on quaternary structure features not present in bacteria-produced L1 protein. Sc5-c3 produced specific and stable binding to HPV-16 L1 VLPs even in biofluid protein mixes and thus it may provide a potential diagnostic tool for active HPV infection.

Two multicentre genome-wide association (GWA) studies provided substantial evidence, implicating the complement receptor 1 gene (CR1) in Alzheimer disease (AD) genetic etiology. CR1 encodes a large transmembrane receptor with a crucial role in the immune complement cascade. We performed a genetic follow-up of the GWA CR1 association in a Flanders-Belgian cohort (n=1883), and investigated the effect of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in the CR1 locus on AD risk and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarker levels. We obtained significant association (P(adj)<0.03; odds ratio (OR)=1.24 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02-1.51)) for one CR1 risk haplotype, and haplotype association was strongest in individuals carrying apolipoprotein E (APOE) ɛ4 alleles (P(adj)<0.006; OR=1.50 (95% CI: 1.08-2.09)). Also, four SNPs correlated with increased CSF amyloid Aβ₁₋₄₂ levels, suggesting a role for the CR1 protein in Aβ metabolism. Moreover, we quantified a low-copy repeat (LCR)-associated copy number variation (CNV) in CR1, producing different CR1 isoforms, CR1-F and CR1-S, and obtained significant association in carriers of CR1-S. We replicated the CR1 CNV association finding in a French cohort (n=2003) and calculated in the combined cohorts, an OR of 1.32; 95% CI: 1.10-1.59 (P=0.0025). Our data showed that the common AD risk association may well be explained by the presence of CR1-S increasing the number of C3b/C4b and cofactor activity sites and AD risk with 30% in CR1-S carriers. How precisely the different functional role of CR1-S in the immune complement cascade contributes to AD pathogenesis will need additional functional studies.

The nuclear transactive response (TAR) DNA binding protein-43, TDP-43, is a major constituent of the ubiquitinated neuronal inclusions in patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Missense mutations in TDP-43 have been associated with familial and sporadic ALS. Since TDP-43 immunoreactivity was also frequently observed in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brains and elevated TDP-43 plasma levels were detected in a subset of AD patients, we sequenced the TDP-43 gene, TARDBP, in a well-documented group of AD patients (n=485). We observed one mutation in exon 3 (c.269C>T) predicting a p.Ala90Val substitution in two patients. One extra p.Ala90Val carrier was observed by sequencing exon 3 of an additional set of 254 AD patients. The mutation was absent from 604 control individuals. Allele and haplotype analysis using microsatellite markers suggested that the three patients might share a common founder. However, co-segregation of p.Ala90Val with AD could not be realized leaving its pathogenic unclear at this moment. Also, sequencing in 190 additional AD patients of TARDBP exon 6 in which pathogenic mutations have been reported in FTLD and ALS was negative. Further, genetic association analyses using five single nucleotide polymorphisms did not detect significant differences between AD patients and control individuals. In conclusion, the genetic contribution of TARDBP to AD was restricted to the rare mutation p.Ala90Val (3/739, 0.4%) of unclear pathogenic nature that affects the nuclear localization signal in TDP-43.

The recreational drug "ecstasy" (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, or MDMA) is widely used by young people throughout the world. Experimental studies indicate that MDMA damages serotonergic neurons in animals and possibly in humans. Repeated use may induce long-term neurotoxic effects, with cognitive and behavioral implications. We reviewed both the preclinical and the clinical literature to assess the evidence for persistent neuropsychiatric sequelae in humans. We focused on studies of chronic recreational use and reports of presence or absence of neurological, psychiatric, and psychological problems related to MDMA exposure. These investigations show repeated use of ecstasy to be associated with sleep, mood, and anxiety disturbances, elevated impulsiveness, memory deficits, and attention problems, which may persist for up to 2 years after cessation. In a subset of humans, particularly adolescents, depletion of serotonin by MDMA use may hasten or enhance vulnerability to a wide array of neuropsychiatric problems. Together, the studies reviewed provide substantial evidence that MDMA causes neuronal damage in animals and humans. Additional research is necessary to determine whether the MDMA-induced destruction of serotonergic neurons can have long-term and possibly permanent neuropsychiatric consequences in humans.