Clinical characteristics and comorbidities associated with mortality in patients with COVID-19 in Coahuila (Mexico).

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: This study aims to describe the characteristics of patients with COVID-19 in a state in northern Mexico and establish the comorbidities associated with mortality. METHODS: Patients with COVID-19, divided into survivors and non-survivors, were analyzed. The data were analyzed using the chi-square test, Student's t-test, and Cox's regression model. RESULTS: A total of 17,479 patients were included and mortality rate of 6.3% was reported. Age over 60 years (HR = 8.04; 95%CI 7.03-9.19), diabetes (HR = 1.63; 95%CI 1.40-1.89), high blood pressure (HR = 1.48; 95%CI 1.28-1.72), obesity (HR = 1.37; 95%CI 1.18-1.60) and chronic kidney disease (HR = 2.06; 95%CI 1.64-2.59) were significantly associated with mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and chronic kidney disease increased mortality among patients with COVID-19 in the population of Coahuila, Mexico. The factor that most contributed to risk of death was age over 60 years.

[Clinical characteristics and comorbidities associated with mortality in patients with COVID-19 in Coahuila (Mexico)]. / Características clínicas y comorbilidades asociadas a mortalidad en pacientes con COVID-19 en Coahuila (México).

Background and objective: This study aims to describe the characteristics of patients with COVID-19 in a state in northern Mexico and establish the comorbidities associated with mortality. Methods: Patients with COVID-19, divided into survivors and non-survivors, were analyzed. The data were analyzed using the chi-square test, Student's t-test, and Cox's regression model. Results: A total of 17,479 patients were included and mortality rate of 6.3% was reported. Age over 60 years (HR = 8.04; 95% CI 7.03-9.19), diabetes (HR = 1.63; 95% CI 1.40-1.89), high blood pressure (HR = 1.48; 95% CI 1.28-1.72), obesity (HR = 1.37; 95% CI 1.18-1.60) and chronic kidney disease (HR = 2.06; 95% CI 1.64-2.59) were significantly associated with mortality. Conclusions: Diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and chronic kidney disease increased mortality among patients with COVID-19 in the population of Coahuila, Mexico. The factor that most contributed to risk of death was age over 60 years.

Effects of free-fatty-acid content and saturation degree of the dietary oil sources on lipid-class content and fatty-acid digestibility along the gastrointestinal tract in broilers from 22 to 37 days of age.

The aim of the present study is to assess the effect of the free-fatty-acid (FFA) content and saturation degree of dietary fat (added at 6%) on the fatty-acid (FA) digestibility and lipid-class content along the gastrointestinal tract and excreta in broilers from 22 to 37 d of age. This is essential to determine the potential use of acid oils (refining by-products rich in FFA) in broiler diets as an alternative to crude oils. The study consisted of a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement, which included 2 fat sources (soybean oils - unsaturated, or palm oils - saturated) and 4 levels of FFA (5, 15, 35, and 50%). Samples of digestive content of the gizzard, duodenum, jejunum, ileum and of the excreta were obtained at 37 d of age. Irrespective of the dietary fat source, more than 80% of total FA (TFA) was absorbed in the jejunum. Broilers fed with unsaturated diets had a higher absorption efficiency of FA than did those fed with saturated diets. This conclusion is supported by the lower FFA content and the higher TFA and polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) digestibility coefficients in the ileum (P < 0.001) observed in the former group. The dietary FFA level did not affect the FA absorption process as much as the dietary fat source did. This was supported by the lack of statistical differences among the diets with a similar saturation degree but rather different levels of FFA, for TFA, saturated FA, and PUFA digestibility coefficients both in the jejunum and ileum. However, the interactions reported in the ileum for triacylglycerol and diacylglycerol contents (P < 0.001), as well as for monounsaturated FA digestibility coefficients (P < 0.05) show that the dietary FFA content affects the FA absorption process. The present results show that the inclusion of acid oils in grower-finisher broiler diets with FFA levels up to 35% does not have a negative impact on the FA absorption process.

Validation of Brix refractometers and a hydrometer for measuring the quality of caprine colostrum.

On-farm assessment of caprine colostrum quality is important for goat farmers; the ability to quickly recognize whether colostrum is suitable to feed to kids helps achieve successful passive transfer of immunity. The study compared the use of optical and digital Brix refractometers and a hydrometer against the international gold standard radial immunodiffusion (RID), using both fresh and frozen samples. A locally available ELISA methodology was included for comparison. A total of 300 samples were collected from 2 farms (farm 1: n = 157, collected by research staff within 24 h of parturition; farm 2: n = 143, collected by the farmer within 12 h of parturition). Farm 1 provided doe age for a subset of samples (n = 86). Samples were tested fresh and then frozen for shipment and repeated testing. Specific gravity was measured using a hydrometer in a subset of samples (n = 22) from farm 2. Because no gold standard thresholds are currently available for caprine colostrum, RID-derived values of 30, 40, and 50 g/L IgG were used as potential "good quality" thresholds. Pearson (ρ) and Lin's concordance correlation coefficients (CCC) were calculated for comparison of methods. Optimum thresholds were established maximizing the Youden index and minimizing the "distance closest to the top left corner" of the receiver operator characteristic curves. Brix values were correlated with RID (optical Brix, fresh: ρ = 0.73; digital Brix, fresh: ρ = 0.71; digital Brix, frozen: ρ = 0.76) and with each other (range: ρ = 0.93 to 0.99; CCC = 0.91 to 0.99). Specific gravity measured by the hydrometer yielded a strong relationship with RID (ρ = 0.83) and with Brix values (range: ρ = 0.88 to 0.90). The ELISA method was not correlated with Brix methods (range: ρ = 0.02 to 0.09) or RID (ρ = 0.20). Depending on the colostrum IgG threshold, the hydrometer yielded high Youden indices (range: 0.78 to 0.93) and low distance closest to the top left corner criteria (0 to 0.05) at a threshold of 1.047 specific gravity. For all RID IgG thresholds, the best Brix threshold (regardless of type or whether the sample was fresh or frozen) was 18 or 19%, with the highest Youden indices (range: 0.47 to 0.61) and lowest distance to the top left corner criteria (range: 0.09 to 0.16); however, we recommend 19%, because this reduces the potential of feeding poor-quality colostrum. The ELISA method was the poorest predictor of colostrum concentration. Age was not found to affect colostrum quality; however, the sample size of this subset was small. Hydrometers are inexpensive and easy to use, whereas Brix methods use only a small amount of colostrum; we suggest that either method could be used on-farm.

Crude soybean lecithin as alternative energy source for broiler chicken diets.

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the use of crude soybean lecithin (L) as an alternative energy source in broiler feeding and to study its influence on performance, fatty acid (FA) digestibility between 9 to 11 D and 36 to 37 D, feed AME content, and the FA profile of the abdominal fat pad (AFP). A basal diet was supplemented at 3% with soybean oil (S; experiment 1) or a monounsaturated vegetable acid oil (A; experiment 2) and increasing amounts of L (1, 2, and 3%) were included in replacement. The inclusion of L did not modify performance results (P > 0.05). In starter diets, the replacement of S by L reduced feed AME content (P < 0.001) and lowered PUFA digestibility (P = 0.028), whereas in the grower-finisher phase, a blend of 2% of S and 1% of L did not modify feed AME content or FA digestibility. When L was included instead of A, no effects on feed AME value and total FA digestibility (P > 0.05) were shown in the starter phase, whereas in grower-finisher diets, a blending of 2% of A and 1% of L enhanced feed AME content (P < 0.001) and total FA digestibility (P = 0.001). The FA profile of the AFP reflected the FA composition of the diets. Crude soybean lecithin represents an alternative energy source for broiler chickens, and it can be used in growing-finishing diets in replacement of 1% S. The best option to include both alternative fats (L and A) was 2% of L with 1% of A in starter diets and 1% of L with 2% of A in grower-finisher diets because they showed positive synergic effects. The results suggest that dietary FA profile have a bigger impact on the AFP saturation degree than the different dietary lipid molecular structures.

Effects of dietary free fatty-acid content and saturation degree on lipid-class composition and fatty-acid digestibility along the gastrointestinal tract in broiler starter chickens.

The aim of the present study is to assess the effect of the dietary free fatty acid (FFA) content and dietary fat saturation degree on the fatty-acid (FA) digestibility and lipid-class content along the gastrointestinal tract and excreta in broiler chickens. The 8 experimental diets resulted from replacing crude soybean oil with soybean acid oil from chemical refining, or crude palm oil with palm FA distillate from physical refining. Thus, there were 4 soybean and 4 palm diets with 6% added fat varying in their FFA% (5, 15, 35, and 50%). Samples of digestive content (gizzard, duodenum, jejunum, and ileum) and excreta were collected at 14 D for the determination of the FA digestibility and lipid-class content. The total FA digestibility coefficients reported for the chickens fed S diets in the jejunum, ileum, and excreta were higher than for those fed P diets (P ≤ 0.02). The general greater digestibility of the unsaturated diets was mainly explained by a higher contribution of the ileum to the absorption of saturated FA. The dietary FFA content mainly affected the FA absorption process. The diets with 50% FFA presented lower saturated FA digestibility coefficients in the jejunum and ileum (P ≤ 0.03), and higher content of FFA in the ileum and excreta (P ≤ 0.014), in comparison to the diets with 5% FFA. The 15% FFA diets were not different from the 5% FFA diets, regarding the saturated FA digestibility in the jejunum and excreta, and the FFA content in the ileum and excreta. It was concluded that unsaturated diets with moderate content of dietary FFA (up to 15%) could be used in broiler-chicken starter diets, as they led to similar FA absorption and performance results to the diets with the lowest dietary FFA content. From the present study, it has also been concluded that dietary saturated FA content has a greater impact on FA absorption than the dietary FFA content has.

Evolution of lipid classes and fatty acid digestibility along the gastrointestinal tract of broiler chickens fed different fat sources at different ages.

The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effect of the dietary fat saturation degree and age on the lipid class (TAG, DAG, MAG, and FFA) composition and fatty acid digestibility along the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and excreta in broiler chickens. A total of 120 one-day-old female broiler chickens were randomly distributed in 2 dietary treatments (6 cages/treatment), which resulted from the supplementation of a basal diet with 6% of soybean oil or palm oil. Two digestibility balances were carried out at 14 and 35 d and fatty acid digestibility and lipid class composition were determined in the gizzard, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, and excreta. Along de GIT, both fatty acid digestibility and lipid class composition were influenced by the dietary fat source and the age of the chickens. The absorption of the unsaturated fat was more efficient and faster than it was for the saturated fat. The ability of adult chickens to absorb fat was higher than for young chickens. The results show that the duodenum is the main place of fat digestion (hydrolysis), and the jejunum the main place of fat absorption. The role of the ileum on fat absorption is very important, as it is the last segment of the GIT where the absorption of fatty acids has been described. Thus, it was the contribution of the ileum that was responsible for the higher fat utilization observed for animals fed the unsaturated diet than for those fed the saturated diet at 14 d, and it was also responsible for the improvement on the utilization of the saturated diet between 14 and 35 d. All the results suggest that the absorption of fatty acids is more limiting than is hydrolysis, because the main differences were observed in the jejunum and ileum, where the absorption of fatty acids takes place.

Phycobiliproteins or C-phycocyanin of Arthrospira (Spirulina) maxima protect against HgCl(2)-caused oxidative stress and renal damage.

Our objective was to determine if the phycobiliproteins of Arthrospira (Spirulina) maxima protect renal cells against mercury-caused oxidative stress and cellular damage in the kidney. We used 40 male mice that were assigned into eight groups: (1) a control group that received 100mM phosphate buffer (PB) ig and 0.9% saline ip, (2) PB+HgCl(2) (5mg/kg ip), (3) PB plus phycobiliproteins (100mg/kg ig), (4) PB plus C-phycocyanin (100mg/kg ig), and four groups receiving HgCl(2)+phycobiliproteins or C-phycocyanin (50, and 100mg/kg ig). The left kidneys were used to determine lipid peroxidation, quantification of reactive oxygen species, and reduced glutathione and oxidised content. The right kidneys were processed for histology. The HgCl(2) caused oxidative stress and cellular damage. All doses of phycobiliproteins or C-phycocyanin prevented enhancement of oxidative markers and they protected against HgCl(2)-caused cellular damage.

Living with uncertainty: genetic imprints of climate shifts in East Pacific anchovy (Engraulis mordax) and sardine (Sardinops sagax).

In the upwelling zone of the northeastern Pacific, cold nutrient-rich conditions alternate with warm nutrient-poor intervals on timescales ranging from months to millennia. In this setting, the abundances of Pacific sardine (Sardinops sagax) and northern anchovy (Engraulis mordax) fluctuate by several orders of magnitude, with sardine dominating during warm conditions and anchovy dominating during cool conditions. Two population models can explain the response of these fishes to adverse conditions. Under the basin model, species distributions contract to a central (optimal) range during population crashes. Expectations of this model may include a single range-wide population with a decline in genetic diversity on both sides of a central refuge. In contrast, the self-recruitment model invokes a series of local oceanographic domains that maintain semi-isolated subpopulations. During adverse conditions, some subpopulations cannot complete the life cycle within the local environment and are extirpated. Expectations of this model include some degree of population genetic structure and no clear gradient in genetic diversity. We examined mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b sequences to assess these competing models for anchovy (N = 196; 539 bp) and sardine (N = 107; 425 bp). The mitochondrial DNA gene genealogies are shallow but diverse for both species. Haplotype frequencies are homogeneous among subpopulations, but genetic diversities peak for both species along Baja California and adjacent southern California. Mismatch distributions and Tajima's D-values reveal distinctive signatures of population bottlenecks and expansions. Sardine haplotypes coalesce at approximately 241,000 years bp, with an initial female effective population size Nf0 = 0 followed by exponential growth to Nf1 = 115 million. Anchovy haplotypes coalesce at approximately 282,000 years bp, with an initial population size of Nf0 = 14,000, followed by exponential growth to Nf1 = 2.3 million. These results indicate a founder event for sardine and a severe population decline for anchovy in the California Current during the late Pleistocene. Overall, these data support the basin model on decadal timescales, although local recruitment may dominate on shorter timescales.

HIV-associated primary body-cavity-based lymphoma: clinico-biologic features in three patients diagnosed at the same institution.

Primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) is a recently individualized form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (WHO classification) that mainly develops in HIV infected males, more frequently in homosexuals and advanced stages of the disease (total CD4+ lymphocyte count below 100-200/mL). Occasionally, it appears in others immunodepressive states (such as solid organs postransplant period) and even, although very rarelly, in immunocompetents patients. From a pathogenetic point of view, PEL has been related to Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpes virus (also named human herpesvirus 8) and to the clinical antecedent of Kaposís sarcoma. Relative unfrequency of this disease, the absence of wide casuistics allowing a better characterization, and its unfavorable outcome, support the need of a deeper knowledge. We present here the clinical-biological findings of three patients that were diagnosed of pleural PEL in our institution in the last two years.

[Neutrophil mobilization test with intravenous hydrocortisone in the study of chronic idiopathic neutropenias. Experience with 19 cases and usefulness of a new diagnostic index]. / Prueba de movilización de los neutrófilos con hidrocortisona intravenosa en el estudio de las neutropenias crónicas idiopáticas. Experiencia en 19 casos y utilidad de un nuevo índice diagnóstico.

BACKGROUND: Some patients with chronic benign neutropenia present granulocytes distribution disorders within their different physiologic pools, and this situation can be exposed by granulocyte mobilization tests. Stimulation with hydrocortisone is the best known test, but its performance and interpretation are not well standardized. Granulocyte mobilization test with hydrocortisone was performed in 19 patients with chronic peripheral idiopathic granulocytopenia, by applying homogeneous criteria. PATIENTS AND METHOD: The test included an injection of intravenous hydrocortisone 200 mg after a first basal blood neutrophil determination, and a second neutrophil count four hours after steroid administration. Following data were registered: basal blood neutrophil count (BNC), final blood neutrophil count (FNC), difference between both counts or increment (INCR), and the ratio = 60% of INCR/2.0 (109/1) BNC, which we name demargination index (DI). RESULTS: Three response patterns (three patient groups) were observed: pattern I, with FNC > 2.0 109/1 and DI >/= 1 (false neutropenia with hypermargination component); pattern II, with FNC > 2.0 (109/1) and DI < 1 (false neutropenia with pathogenic mechanisms others than hypermargination), and pattern III, with FNC < 2.0 (109/1) and DI < 1 (true neutropenia). There were no significant differences in BNC or INCR when groups I and II were compared, but we found differences in FNC (p = 0.026) and DI (p = 0.026). Comparison between groups I and III showed differences in all four parameters (BNC P = 0.07, FNC p < 0.001, INCR p = 0.02, and DI p < 0.001). No differences were found between groups II and III. CONCLUSIONS: Granulocyte mobilization test with intravenous hydrocortisone 200 mg and a four-hours interval between basal and final neutrophil counts, allows differentiation between false neutropenia with hypermargination component and true neutropenia.