How glycobiology can help us treat and beat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged during the last months of 2019, spreading throughout the world as a highly transmissible infectious illness designated as COVID-19. Vaccines have now appeared, but the challenges in producing sufficient material and distributing them around the world means that effective treatments to limit infection and improve recovery are still urgently needed. This review focuses on the relevance of different glycobiological molecules that could potentially serve as or inspire therapeutic tools during SARS-CoV-2 infection. As such, we highlight the glycobiology of the SARS-CoV-2 infection process, where glycans on viral proteins and on host glycosaminoglycans have critical roles in efficient infection. We also take notice of the glycan-binding proteins involved in the infective capacity of virus and in human defense. In addition, we critically evaluate the glycobiological contribution of candidate drugs for COVID-19 therapy such as glycans for vaccines, anti-glycan antibodies, recombinant lectins, lectin inhibitors, glycosidase inhibitors, polysaccharides, and numerous glycosides, emphasizing some opportunities to repurpose FDA-approved drugs. For the next-generation drugs suggested here, biotechnological engineering of new probes to block the SARS-CoV-2 infection might be based on the essential glycobiological insight on glycosyltransferases, glycans, glycan-binding proteins, and glycosidases related to this pathology.

Evaluation of mental health and occupational stress in Mexican medical residents / Evaluación de la salud mental y el estrés laboral en médicos residentes mexicanos

Abstract Introduction Since mental health disorders are an emerging problem in medical residents, its detection and attention must be a priority. Objetive To compare the frequency of psychopathology in residents according to sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Method We conducted a cross-sectional study evaluating the presence of psychopathology, as well as sociodemographic and clinical characteristics in 644 residents through online questionnaires. Results Among participants, 55.7% reported a psychiatric disorder at some point and 29.2% a current one; only 41.5% were under treatment. Additionally, 8.1% had attempted suicide, of which 32.4% attempted it during residency. We found that 6.5% of women and 3.3% of men presented "risk of psychopathology," with a higher percentage of men presenting "severe psychopathology." Individuals with "risk of psychopathology" presented significantly higher scores on all of the questionnaires, compared to those with "absence of psychopathology." Discussion and conclusion Residents with occupational stress also presented higher risks of psychopathology, suicide, and substance use. Being under psychiatric treatment significantly improved the scores on the different scales. Because residency is a period that may increase the probability of suffering psychopathology, interventions should be aimed at reducing occupational stress and bringing specialized care.

Resumen Introducción Dado que los trastornos de salud mental son un problema emergente en los médicos residentes, su detección y atención deben ser una prioridad. Objetivo Comparar la frecuencia de psicopatología en médicos residentes de acuerdo con las características clínicas y sociodemográficas. Método Realizamos un estudio transversal donde evaluamos la presencia de psicopatología, así como características clínicas y sociodemográficas en 644 médicos residentes por medio de cuestionarios en línea. Resultados Entre los participantes, el 55.7% reportó haber tenido un trastorno psiquiátrico en algún momento de su vida y el 29.2% al momento del estudio, de los cuales solo el 41.5% estaba bajo tratamiento psiquiátrico. Asimismo, el 8.1% había intentado suicidarse a lo largo de su vida y el 32.4% lo intentó durante la residencia. Encontramos que el 6.5% de las mujeres y el 3.3% de los hombres presentaban "riesgo de psicopatología", y un mayor porcentaje de hombres presentaron "psicopatología grave". Las personas con "riesgo de psicopatología" contaron con puntuaciones significativamente más altas en todos los cuestionarios, en comparación con los individuos con "ausencia de psicopatología". Discusión y conclusión Los residentes con estrés laboral también presentaron mayor riesgo de psicopatología, suicidio y uso de sustancias. Estar bajo tratamiento psiquiátrico mejoró significativamente los puntajes en las diferentes escalas. Debido a que la residencia es un período que puede aumentar la probabilidad de sufrir psicopatología, las intervenciones deben estar dirigidas a reducir el estrés ocupacional y brindar atención especializada.

Core 1 O-N-acetylgalactosamine (O-GalNAc) glycosylation in the human cell nucleus.

Glycosylation is a very frequent post-translational modification in proteins, and the initiation of O-N-acetylgalactosamine (O-GalNAc) glycosylation has been recently described on relevant nuclear proteins. Here we evaluated the nuclear incorporation of a second sugar residue in the biosynthesis pathway of O-GalNAc glycans to yield the terminal core 1 glycan (C1G, Galß3GalNAcαSer/Thr). Using confocal microscopy, enzymatic assay, affinity chromatography, and mass spectrometry, we analyzed intact cells, purified nuclei and soluble nucleoplasms to identify the essential factors for C1G biosynthesis in the cell nucleus. The enzyme C1GalT1 responsible for C1G synthesis was detected inside the nucleus, while catalytic activity of C1Gal-transferase was present in nucleoplasm and purified nuclei. In addition, C1G were detected in the nucleus inside of intact cells, and nuclear proteins exposing C1G were also identified. These evidences represent the first demonstration of core 1 O-GalNAc glycosylation of proteins in the human cell nucleus. These findings reveal a novel post-translational modification on nuclear proteins, with relevant repercussion in epigenetic and chemical biology areas.