Search

Abstract Background Mosquito-borne diseases, such as malaria, dengue, Zika and chikungunya, pose significant public health threats in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. To mitigate the impact of these diseases on human health, effective vector surveillance and control strategies are necessary. Traditional vector control methods, which rely on chemical agents such as insecticides and larvicides, face challenges such as resistance and environmental concerns. Consequently, there has been a push to explore novel surveillance and control tools. Mass trapping interventions have emerged as a promising and environmentally friendly approach to reducing the burden of mosquito-borne diseases. This study assessed mass-trapping interventions using autocidal gravid ovitraps (AGOs) on Aedes aegypti populations in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Methods Four neighborhoods were selected to evaluate the effects of three treatments: AGO mass-trapping, integrated vector control (IVC), which included source reduction and the application of chemical larvicide and adulticide, and AGO + IVC on Ae. aegypti populations. A control area with no interventions was also included. The effectiveness of the interventions was evaluated by comparing Ae. aegypti abundance between the pre-treatment period (9 weeks) and the post-treatment period (11 weeks) for each treatment. Results Only treatment using AGO mass trapping with an 84% coverage significantly reduced Ae. aegypti female populations by 47%, from 3.75 ± 0.32 to 1.96 ± 0.15 females/trap/week. As expected, the abundance of Ae. aegypti in the control area did not differ from the pre- and post-treatment period (range of 4.97 ± 0.59 to 5.78 ± 0.53); Ae. aegypti abundance in the IVC treatment was 3.47 ± 0.30 before and 4.13 ± 0.35 after, which was not significantly different. However, Ae. aegypti abundance in the AGO + IVC treatment increased from 1.43 ± 0.21 before to 2.11 ± 0.20 after interventions; this increase may be explained in part by the low AGO (56%) coverage. Conclusions This is the first report to our knowledge on the effectiveness of mass-trapping interventions with AGOs in Mexico, establishing AGOs as a potential tool for controlling Ae. aegypti in Northeastern Mexico when deployed with sufficient coverage. Graphical Abstract

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a prevalent condition in the pediatric population. An index between the diameter of the optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) and the transverse eyeball transverse diameter (ETD) measured in the tomographic scan has been described in adults, with a cutoff value of ≥0.25 for predicting poor neurologic prognoses. This study was conducted to analyze the relationship between the index ONSD/ETD with the neurological outcome in children with severe TBI. Subjects and Methods: This was single-center, retrospective study, conducted from March 2021 to November 2022. Patients older than 30 days and up to 16 years of age admitted with severe TBI were included in the study. Measurements of the ONSD/ETD index by cranial tomography were calculated. The population was divided into two groups, one with index ≥0.25 and other with index

COVID-19 is no longer a public health emergency of international concern, but long COVID’s effects are yet to be fully understood. Hence, globally, SARS-CoV-2 is still a profound threat to public health and of perilous nature as a zoonotic disease. Timely vaccination provided to individuals worldwide during the pandemic phase was under a certain degree of control; however, few studies have reported the effectiveness of vaccines administered in Mexico, and its surveillance is paramount. Furthermore, an unknown proportion of Mexican individuals have not yet received any vaccine, and the circulation of the Omicron, Pirola, and FLiRT variants is ongoing. A cross-sectional serology survey study design was employed, involving 150 individuals from Southern Mexico (Oaxaca) whose humoral immune responses after vaccination were tested by an ELISA; the receptor-binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein served as a recombinant antigen in the ELISA. One hundred thirty-nine out of 150 individuals (92.6%; 95%-CI = 87–95%) examined were positive for the ELISA, but in 11 individuals, the vaccines did not induce any immune response. Interestingly, the immune responses (antibody prevalence and levels) of females (58%) were higher (T= −2.21; p-value = 0.02) than those of males (41%). However, in this sample population of Southern Mexico, age, vaccine type, comorbidity, and body mass index did not have any effect (p > 0.05) after COVID-19 vaccination. Taking all results together, here, we present factors that affected immune responses of individuals during the first vaccination campaign in Oaxaca, Mexico; however, vaccine surveillance during the post-pandemic phase needs further investigation.

Este trabajo analiza los valores educativos y comunicativos que se encuentran en la obra periodística del escritor francés Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Valores apenas conocidos en el caso de la comunicación o erróneamente reducidos al ámbito infantil en el de la educación y que tienen su origen en el pensamiento humanista del autor. Se trata de una concepción propia que el escritor recogió en su periodismo y que desarrolló en su obra literaria, especialmente en Le Petit Prince, tomada a menudo como referente literario en el ámbito educativo. Con una metodología cualitativa, y a partir de los textos que Saint-Exupéry publicó en la prensa francesa de su época, este trabajo parte de una perspectiva tanto histórica, por el contexto del objeto de estudio, como actual, ya que indaga en cuestiones vigentes desde un planteamiento interdisciplinar.

Objective To examine whether socioeconomic status is associated with prognosis after the diagnosis of hypertension (HTN), in a population older than 65 years, in the community setting.Design Retrospective cohort study.Setting All the primary care centres of the Community of Madrid (n=392).Participants All patients (>65 years) with a new diagnosis of HTN in 2007–08, without previous kidney or cardiovascular (K/CV) events (n=21 754).Patient records from primary care electronic health records and Spanish mortality database were analysed from January 2007 through December 2018. Sociodemographic data such as age, gender, Area Deprivation Index (MEDEA—Mortalidad en áreas pequeñas Españolas y Desigualdades Socioeconómicas y Ambientales—Index in quintiles), and characteristics, such as smoking, type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypercholesterolaemia, were collected at the time of enrolment.Primary and secondary outcome measures The occurrence of K/CV events (including mortality from these causes) and total mortality were evaluated using Cox regression.Results Patients had a mean age of 73.5 (SD 6.5) years, and 63.5% were women. The median follow-up was 128.7 months (IQR: 110.6–136.7 months). There were 10 648 first K/CV events, including 1508 deaths from these causes and 4273 deaths from other causes. Adjusted for age, gender, smoking, diabetes and hypercholesterolaemia, when comparing the third, fourth and last quintiles (less affluent) of the Deprivation Index with respect to the first quintile, the hazard of K/CV events increased by 14.8% (95% CI: 3.3 to 27.6%), 16.0% (95% CI: 6.4 to 26.4%) and 19.1% (95% CI: 8.9 to 30.2%), respectively. The MEDEA Index was not associated with differences in adjusted total mortality.Conclusion Living in a low socioeconomic status area is associated with an increase in kidney or cardiovascular events in hypertensive patients diagnosed after age 65 years, which will result in a significant increase in disease burden even if not related to an increase in total mortality.

IntroductionUnderstanding immune cell dynamics in kidney transplantation may provide insight into the mechanisms of rejection and improve patient management. B cells have gained interest with a special relevance of the “regulatory” subsets and their graft outcome prognostic value. In this study, we aimed to prove that the direct immunophenotyping and target gene expression analysis of kidney transplant patients' fresh whole blood will help to identify graft rejection risk and assist in the monitoring of kidney transplanted patients.MethodsWe employed flow cytometry and qPCR techniques to characterize B and T cell subsets within fresh whole blood samples, with particular emphasis on transitional B cells (TrB) identified as CD19+CD24hiCD38hi. TrB are a relevant population in the context of kidney transplantation and are closely associated with regulatory B cells (Bregs) in humans. Patients were monitored, tracking pertinent clinical parameters and kidney-related events, including alterations in graft function and episodes of biopsy proven rejection.ResultsHigher percentages of TrB cells at 3 months after transplantation were positively associated with better graft outcomes and lower biopsy-proven acute rejection risk. Furthermore, a novel panel of B cell regulatory associated genes was validated at 3 months post-transplantation by qPCR analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) mRNA, showing high predictive power of graft events and prognostic value.DiscussionThese findings suggest that monitoring TrB may provide interesting patient management information, improve transplant outcomes, and allow for personalized drug regimens to minimize clinical complications.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common autoimmune and inflammatory disease characterized by inflammation and hyperplasia of the synovial tissues. RA pathogenesis involves multiple cell types, genes, transcription factors (TFs) and networks. Yet, little is known about the TFs, and key drivers and networks regulating cell function and disease at the synovial tissue level, which is the site of disease. In the present study, we used available RNA-seq databases generated from synovial tissues and developed a novel approach to elucidate cell type-specific regulatory networks on synovial tissue genes in RA. We leverage established computational methodologies to infer sample-specific gene regulatory networks and applied statistical methods to compare network properties across phenotypic groups (RA versus osteoarthritis). We developed computational approaches to rank TFs based on their contribution to the observed phenotypic differences between RA and controls across different cell types. We identified 18 (fibroblast-like synoviocyte), 16 (T cells), 19 (B cells) and 11 (monocyte) key regulators in RA synovial tissues. Interestingly, fibroblast-like synoviocyte (FLS) and B cells were driven by multiple independent co-regulatory TF clusters that included MITF, HLX, BACH1 (FLS) and KLF13, FOSB, FOSL1 (B cells). However, monocytes were collectively governed by a single cluster of TF drivers, responsible for the main phenotypic differences between RA and controls, which included RFX5, IRF9, CREB5. Among several cell subset and pathway changes, we also detected reduced presence of Natural killer T (NKT) cells and eosinophils in RA synovial tissues. Overall, our novel approach identified new and previously unsuspected Key driver genes (KDG), TF and networks and should help better understanding individual cell regulation and co-regulatory networks in RA pathogenesis, as well as potentially generate new targets for treatment.

Macroalgal blooms are increasing globally, with those linked to pelagic Sargassum affecting over 30 nations since 2011. As Sargassum mats traverse the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, they entrap and transport plastic to coastal areas, intensifying pollution in diverse ecosystems. This research assessed microplastics (MPs) within Sargassum fluitans III collected from the northern Mexican Caribbean coast (March 2021 to January 2022). The study employed a hydrogen peroxide protocol for macroalgae pretreatment to optimize MP extraction. All samples analyzed contained MPs at monthly mean concentrations that ranged from 3.5 to 15.3 MPs g−1 DW, with fibers constituting ≥90%. Fiber colors, mainly transparent, blue, and black, exhibited diverse sizes and wear stages. The study underscores the pervasive and consistent presence of MPs in pelagic Sargassum reaching the Mexican Caribbean. Considering the documented Sargassum influxes to this coast in recent years (2789–11,297 tons km−1 yr−1), potential annual MP influxes range from 0.1 × 109 to 17.3 × 109 km−1 yr−1. Efficiently removing beach-cast Sargassum and directing it to landfills could serve as a viable strategy for the simultaneous removal of attached MPs from the ocean and coastal waters, offering a promising mitigation strategy to combat plastic pollution in the examined marine environment.

Abstract The Ocean microbiome has a crucial role in Earth’s biogeochemical cycles. During the last decade, global cruises such as Tara Oceans and the Malaspina Expedition have expanded our understanding of the diversity and genetic repertoire of marine microbes. Nevertheless, there are still knowledge gaps regarding their diversity patterns throughout depth gradients ranging from the surface to the deep ocean. Here we present a dataset of 76 microbial metagenomes (MProfile) of the picoplankton size fraction (0.2–3.0 µm) collected in 11 vertical profiles covering contrasting ocean regions sampled during the Malaspina Expedition circumnavigation (7 depths, from surface to 4,000 m deep). The MProfile dataset produced 1.66 Tbp of raw DNA sequences from which we derived: 17.4 million genes clustered at 95% sequence similarity (M-GeneDB-VP), 2,672 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) of Archaea and Bacteria (Malaspina-VP-MAGs), and over 100,000 viral genomic sequences. This dataset will be a valuable resource for exploring the functional and taxonomic connectivity between the photic and bathypelagic tropical and sub-tropical ocean, while increasing our general knowledge of the Ocean microbiome.

This article aims to examine how Cuban higher education has implemented and created frameworks for key performance indicators (KPIs) to enhance its higher education accountability and quality. Referring to the past 15 years of available data on the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization's website (2005-2020), this study shows that Cuba's higher education system has improved, as indicated by the increasing rate of the gross graduation ratio (both sexes) as well as national and inbound student mobility.

Objetivo: Identificar los agentes patógenos aislados en pacientes con catéter de diálisis peritoneal en el Hospital Docente Francisco E. Moscoso Puello in Santo Domingo, junio 2017 – junio 2019. Método: Se realizó un estudio descriptivo, de corte transversal con una proyección retrospectiva, y consta de una muestra de 32 registros de pacientes. Los datos obtenidos fueron analizados con el software Epi-info 7.0. Resultados: Los agentes patógenos más frecuentes aislados fueron el Staphylococcus aureus representando un 50%15 de los cultivos positivos, seguidos por Escherichia Coli y Pseudomona aeruginosa, ambos formando 12.5%4 de los cultivos positivos cada uno. En cuanto a los grupos de edad más afectados observamos que los que presentan una mayor frecuencia de casos son de 60-69 años de edad. Conclusión: La investigación identificó varios agentes patógenos asociados al catéter de diálisis peritoneal, entre los que destacan Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli y Pseudomona aeruginosa. Staphylococcus aureus fue el más común en ambos sexos y el más frecuente en pacientes de 1 a 3 años. Este mismo agente, junto con Escherichia coli y otros, fueron responsables de las recurrencias. Se encontró que todos los pacientes utilizaban diálisis peritoneal continua ambulatoria y todos los agentes patógenos identificados fueron aislados en esta terapia.

Rearrangement of the actin cytoskeleton is a prerequisite for carcinoma cells to develop cellular protrusions, which are required for migration, invasion, and metastasis. Fascin is a key protein involved in actin bundling and is expressed in aggressive and invasive carcinomas. Additionally, fascin appears to be involved in tubulin-binding and microtubule rearrangement. Pharmacophoric-based in silico screening was performed to identify compounds with better fascin inhibitory properties than migrastatin, a gold-standard fascin inhibitor. We hypothesized that monastrol displays anti-migratory and anti-invasive properties via fascin blocking in colorectal cancer cell lines. Biophysical (thermofluor and ligand titration followed by fluorescence spectroscopy), biochemical (NMR), and cellular assays (MTT, invasion of human tissue), as well as animal model studies (zebrafish invasion) were performed to characterize the inhibitory effect of monastrol on fascin activity. In silico analysis revealed that monastrol is a potential fascin-binding compound. Biophysical and biochemical assays demonstrated that monastrol binds to fascin and interferes with its actin-bundling activity. Cell culture studies, including a 3D human myoma disc model, showed that monastrol inhibited fascin-driven cytoplasmic protrusions as well as invasion. In silico, confocal microscopy, and immunoprecipitation assays demonstrated that monastrol disrupted fascin-tubulin interactions. These anti-invasive effects were confirmed in vivo. In silico confocal microscopy and immunoprecipitation assays were carried out to test whether monastrol disrupted the fascin-tubulin interaction. This study reports, for the first time, the in vitro and in vivo anti-invasive properties of monastrol in colorectal tumor cells. The number and types of interactions suggest potential binding of monastrol across actin and tubulin sites on fascin, which could be valuable for the development of antitumor therapies.