Gut microbiome diversity within Clostridia is negatively associated with human obesity.

Clostridia are abundant in the human gut and comprise families associated with host health such as Oscillospiraceae, which has been correlated with leanness. However, culturing bacteria within this family is challenging, leading to their detection primarily through 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, which has a limited ability to unravel diversity at low taxonomic levels, or by shotgun metagenomics, which is hindered by its high costs and complexity. In this cross-sectional study involving 114 Colombian adults, we used an amplicon-based sequencing strategy with alternative markers-gyrase subunit B (gyrB) and DNA K chaperone heat protein 70 (dnaK)-that evolve faster than the 16S rRNA gene. Comparing the diversity and abundance observed with the three markers in our cohort, we found a reduction in the diversity of Clostridia, particularly within Lachnospiraceae and Oscillospiraceae among obese individuals [as measured by the body mass index (BMI)]. Within Lachnospiraceae, the diversity of Ruminococcus_A negatively correlated with BMI. Within Oscillospiraceae, the genera CAG-170 and Vescimonas also exhibited this negative correlation. In addition, the abundance of Vescimonas was negatively correlated with BMI. Leveraging shotgun metagenomic data, we conducted a phylogenetic and genomic characterization of 120 metagenome-assembled genomes from Vescimonas obtained from a larger sample of the same cohort. We identified 17 of the 72 reported species. The functional annotation of these genomes showed the presence of multiple carbohydrate-active enzymes, particularly glycosyl transferases and glycoside hydrolases, suggesting potential beneficial roles in fiber degradation, carbohydrate metabolism, and butyrate production. IMPORTANCE: The gut microbiota is diverse across various taxonomic levels. At the intra-species level, it comprises multiple strains, some of which may be host-specific. However, our understanding of fine-grained diversity has been hindered by the use of the conserved 16S rRNA gene. While shotgun metagenomics offers higher resolution, it remains costly, may fail to identify specific microbes in complex samples, and requires extensive computational resources and expertise. To address this, we employed a simple and cost-effective analysis of alternative genetic markers to explore diversity within Clostridia, a crucial group within the human gut microbiota whose diversity may be underestimated. We found high intra-species diversity for certain groups and associations with obesity. Notably, we identified Vescimonas, an understudied group. Making use of metagenomic data, we inferred functionality, uncovering potential beneficial roles in dietary fiber and carbohydrate degradation, as well as in short-chain fatty acid production.

Critical appraisal of the Colombian clinical practice guide for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of suicidal ideation and/or behaviour (adoption).

INTRODUCTION: Suicide is a complex, global public health problem. The Colombian clinical practice guideline provides relevant input for its prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The objective was to evaluate the methodological quality, credibility and applicability of the Colombian clinical practice guideline for suicidal behaviour. METHODS: An academic group of 12 evaluators was established to assess the guide and its recommendations in a standardised way, using the AGREE-II and AGREE-REX instruments. The evaluations were given in the range of 0.0-1.0 with 0.7 as a cut-off point for appropriate quality. RESULTS: The global assessment of the AGREE-II was greater than 0.7 in the dimensions: "scope and objective" (0.86), "clarity of presentation" (0.89), "applicability" (0.73) and "editorial independence" (0.89). The lowest scores were for "participation of those involved" (0.67) and "rigour in preparation" (0.69). With the AGREE-REX, the results in all dimensions were below 0.70, which indicates lower quality and suitability for use. CONCLUSIONS: The adoption process of the Colombian guideline for suicidal behaviour was a rigorous methodological process, while the practice recommendations were valued as of low applicability due to low support in local evidence. It is necessary to strengthen the generation and synthesis of evidence at the national level to give greater support and applicability to the practice recommendations.

A new early-diverging probainognathian cynodont and a revision of the occurrence of cf. Aleodon from the Chañares Formation, northwestern Argentina: New clues on the faunistic composition of the latest Middle-?earliest Late Triassic Tarjadia Assemblage Zone.

The Chañares Formation (Ischigualasto-Villa Unión Basin) is worldwide known by its exquisitely preserved fossil record of latest Middle-to-early Late Triassic tetrapods, including erpetosuchids, "rauisuchians," proterochampsids, gracilisuchids, dinosauromorphs, pterosauromorphs, kannemeyeriiform dicynodonts, and traversodontid, chiniquodontid and probainognathid cynodonts, coming from the Tarjadia (bottom) and Massetognathus-Chanaresuchus (top) Assemblage Zones of its lower member. Regarding cynodonts, most of its profuse knowledge comes from the traditional layers discovered by Alfred Romer and his team in the 1960s that are now enclosed in the Massetognathus-Chanaresuchus Assemblage Zone (AZ). In this contribution we focus our study on the probainognathian cynodonts discovered in levels of the Tarjadia Assemblage Zone. We describe a new chiniquodontid cynodont with transversely broad postcanine teeth (Riojanodon nenoi gen. et sp. nov.) which is related to the genus Aleodon. In addition, the specimen CRILAR-Pv 567 previously referred to cf. Aleodon is here described, compared, and included in a phylogenetic analysis. It is considered as an indeterminate Aleodontinae nov., a clade here proposed to included chiniquodontids with transversely broad upper and lower postcanines, by having a cuspidated sectorial labial margin and a lingual platform that is twice broader than a lingual cingulum. Cromptodon mamiferoides, from the Cerro de Las Cabras Formation (Cuyo Basin), was also included in the phylogenetic analysis and recovered as an Aleodontinae. The new cynodont and the record of Aleodontinae indet. reinforce the faunal differentiation between the Tarjadia and Massetognathus-Chanaresuchus Assemblage Zones, in the lower member of the Chañares Formation, and inform on the diverse chiniquodontid clade with both sectorial and transversely broad postcanine teeth.

Universal Access to On-Demand Treatment of Patients with Hereditary Angioedema, the Chilean Experience.

Background: In Chile, patients with hereditary angioedema (HAE) type I and type II are protected under Ley Ricarte Soto (LRS), which guarantees access to on demand plasma-derived C1-INH (pdC1-INH) since 2018. We aimed to analyze the first 3 years of LRS. Methods: Review of the LRS database between 2018 and 2021. Results: During the study period, 154 patients were covered by LRS, with an estimated prevalence of HAE in Chile at 0.8:100,000 inhabitants. A delay in diagnosis of 22 years was noted, 50 patients received epinephrine during an attack before the diagnosis of HAE. Mean number of attacks per year was 8, with 50% of adults and 42% of children experiencing more than 1 attack per month. Conclusion: Disease awareness must improve to reduce the diagnostic delay of HAE. Long-term prophylactic medications should be included in LRS to treat patients with high attack rates and control the costs of frequent on-demand treatment with pdC1-INH.

Satisfacción profesional: Encuesta a profesionales con especialidad en clínica médica / Professional satisfaction: Survey of professionals specialized in clinical medicine

La satisfacción laboral es un tema de interés en los servicios de salud ya que existe relación entre el grado de calidad de los servicios ofrecidos y el nivel de satisfacción de lxs profesionales que trabajan en él. Es importante para nuestra especialidad y nuestro desempeño laboral conocer el grado de satisfacción que tienen lxs médicxs clínicxs con la especialidad, con la retribución económica que perciben y qué factores personales y laborales pueden afectar estas variables. Diseñamos este trabajo para conocer en mayor profundidad quienes somos lxs que ejercemos la atención clínica de lxs pacientes y cómo vemos distintos aspectos de nuestra especialidad, entre ellos la satisfacción profesional y la retribución económica. Los objetivos del trabajo son: o Conocer el grado de satisfacción que tienen lxs médicxs clínicxs con la especialidad. o Identificar si existen diferencias entre el grado de satisfacción que tienen lxs médicxs clínicos con la especialidad. o Conocer el grado de satisfacción que tienen lxs médicxs clínicxs con la retribución económica que perciben. o Identificar si existen diferencias entre el grado de satisfacción que tienen lxs médicxs clínicxs con la retribución económica. o Conocer la percepción de lxs médicxs clínicos sobre las causas del panorama retributivo actual. o Identificar la relación entre la satisfacción con la especialidad y la satisfacción económica. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Estudio de corte transversal, observacional, descriptivo, a través de un cuestionario online difundido a médicxs clínicxs a través de redes sociales y otros medios de difusión entre el 26/05/22 y el 12/07/22. Población: Médicxs que trabajan en Argentina que ejercen como médicxs clínicxs. Análisis Estadístico: análisis descriptivo de los datos mediante medidas de tendencia central para las variables numéricas y frecuencias relativas para las variables categóricas. Asociaciones entre las variables independientes con las variables principales utilizando chi cuadrado y grado de probabilidad con test de Fisher. RESULTADOS: 524 médicos, 318 mujeres (61,4%) y 200 hombres (38,6%), de 25 a 75 años, edad promedio: 41 años Satisfacción con la especialidad: 75,5% (395) muy/bastantes satisfechos, 24,5% (127) algo/nada satisfechos. Sin diferencias significativas entre edad, género, años de ejercicio profesional, carga laboral, número de instituciones en las que trabajan, médicxs en formación con médicxs con especialidad finalizada. Mayor satisfacción con la especialidad en médicxs que volverían a elegir la especialidad (89% muy/bastante vs 46%, (OR 9, IC 5-14, p <0,00001), en médicxs que no se irían a otro país (85% vs 69%, OR 2.38, IC 1.52-3,7; p<0.0001) y en médicxs que realizaron recertificación (82% vs 72%, OR 1.73, IC 1.09-2.76, p<0,01). Retribución económica: 87% (454) poco/nada satisfechxs, 13% (69) muy/bastante satisfechxs. Mayor satisfacción en retribución económica con diferencias estadísticamente significativas en mayores a 40 años (16% de mayores a 40 años muy/bastante satisfechxs vs 9% de menores a 40 años, OR 1.8, IC 1.08-3.14, p<0.01), hombres (17% muy/bastante satisfechos vs 10% de las mujeres OR 1.7, IC 1.02-2.85, p 0.02), lxs que volverían a elegir la especialidad (17% muy/bastante satisfechos vs 3% en los que no volverían a elegir, OR 5.4, IC 2.3-12, p 0), lxs que no se irían a ejercer a otro país (21% muy/bastante satisfechxs vs 7% de lxs que no se irían, OR 3.6, IC 2.1-6.22, p 0), lxs que realizaron recertificación (18% muy/bastante satisfechxs vs 11% en lxs que no recertificaron, OR 1.73; IC 1.03-2.92; p <0,02). Al comparar las 2 variables principales: satisfacción con la especialidad y con la retribución económica vemos que de lxs médicxs que se encuentran muy o bastante satisfechxs con la especialidad, el 83% se encuentra poco o nada satisfecho con la retribución económica, 16,5% muy o bastante satisfecho con la misma. De lxs médicxs que se encuentran poco o nada satisfechxs con la especialidad, el 97% están poco o nada satisfechxs con la retribución económica, mientras que sólo el 3% se encuentran muy o bastante satisfechxs con la misma, siendo esta diferencia estadísticamente significativa (OR 6, IC 2.1-16.9, p 0). CONCLUSIÓN: Como resultado de esta encuesta y los datos analizados, podemos observar que el 75% de lxs médicxs clínicxs encuestadxs se encuentran satisfechxs con la especialidad. Sin embargo, el 87% de lxs encuestadxs no se encuentran satisfechxs con la retribución económica percibida, especialmente esto último en los médicxs más jóvenes y las mujeres. El 69% volvería a elegir la especialidad, estando este grupo más satisfechxs con la especialidad (89%) y con la retribución económica (17%).

Introduction: In recent years, we have observed an increasingly fragmented medicine, with doctors graduating from universities and desisting from training in fundamental "core" medical specialties, preferring subspecialties instead. This article arises from questions that stem from this observation. Objectives and methods: The general objective of this work is to assess the motivation of clinicians in the Argentine Republic and identify key determinants. This involves understanding their satisfaction with the specialization and financial remuneration, gauging whether they would choose internal medicine again, or if they would practice their profession abroad. This is a mixed qualitative-quantitative, descriptive, analytical, cross-sectional study, conducted in Argentina. It was based on an online survey administered to medical specialists in clinical medicine or those currently undergoing training, conducted between May and July 2022. Results: Data suggestive of positive motivation were taken to include satisfaction with the specialty and the potential desire to choose it again. On the other hand, negative motivation was identified by dissatisfaction with the specialty, a preference not to choose it again, the desire to leave the country, and dissatisfaction with remuneration. Discussion: It was observed that 3 out of 10 clinicians, even though satisfied with the specialty, would not choose it again, and 6 out of 10 would choose to leave the country. Within this latter group, dissatisfaction with remuneration emerged as a significantly stronger determinant compared to the other groups. In conclusion, while assessing the motivational level of clinicians in Argentina proves to be a very complex task, this study underscores a high level of positive motivation towards the specialization. However, material conditions such as dissatisfaction with remuneration, multiple employments, and work overload lead to an important level of disillusionment, contributing to negative motivation.

Matching Pursuit for Denoising Raman Spectra, Based on Genetic Algorithm and Hermite Atoms.

Due to its various advantages, Raman spectroscopy has become a powerful tool in different fields of science and engineering; however, in specific applications, this technique's limiting factor is closely related to the inherent noise of the Raman spectra. To eliminate the noise of a Raman spectrum, preserving its position, intensity, and width characteristic, we propose using a genetic matching pursuit-Hermite atoms (GMP-HAs) algorithm in this work. This algorithm helps recover Raman spectra immersed in Gaussian noise with the least number of atoms. The noise-free Raman signal is reconstructed with the GMP-HAs algorithm, transforming the typical best-matching atom search into an optimization problem. Specifically, we maximize the fitness function, defined as the correlation between current residual and Hermite atoms, with the genetic algorithm MI-LXPM encoded in a real domain and avoiding local maxima, by adding a stopping criterion based on an exponential adjustment according to the algorithm's behavior in the presence of noise. Simulated and biological Raman spectra are used to evaluate the proposed algorithm and compare its performance with typically known methods for denoising, such as the Savitzky- Golay filter (SG) and basis pursuit denoising. Using the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N)metric resulted in a 0.31 dB advantage in the S/N product for the proposed algorithm with respect to SG. Additionally, it is shown that the algorithm uses only 25.3% of the number of atoms needed by the matching pursuit algorithm. The results indicate that the GMP-HAs algorithm has better denoising capabilities, and at the same time, the Raman spectra are decomposed with fewer atoms compared to known sparse algorithms.

Factores de riesgo psicosocial asociados con la diabetes mellitus gestacional: revisión sistemática / Psychosocial risk factors associated with gestational diabetes mellitus: systematic review

La diabetes mellitus gestacional DMG es una enfermedad con consecuencias mortales, incapacitantes y costosas para las personas, las familias, las comunidades y los países. Con el fin de establecer de manera sistemática los factores de riesgo psicosocial asociados con la DMG que deberían ser monitoreados durante y después del embarazo se realizó una revisión sistemática en las bases de datos PubMed/Medline y Cochrane. Se encontraron 1188 artículos y se seleccionaron 41. Algunos temas principales fueron conflictos con prácticas culturales, estigma social, influencia de la etnia/raza, bajo nivel educativo, calidad del sueño, problemas con la lactancia materna, preocupación por la propia salud o la del bebé, baja percepción de riesgo de DMG o de diabetes mellitus tipo 2 en el futuro, estrés, ansiedad y depresión, conocimiento limitado, falta de apoyo de la pareja, de la familia o social y de los profesionales de la salud, bajos niveles de autocuidado/autoeficacia y dificultades con cambios en el estilo de vida. Estos factores deberían monitorearse en las embarazadas durante y después del parto. Los tratamientos deberían considerar el impacto psicológico y el riesgo de desarrollar diabetes mellitus tipo 2 después del parto, y deberían ser incluidos en las guías de práctica clínica. Las poblaciones multiétnicas y los grupos más vulnerables demográficamente y socioeconómicamente son más susceptibles de desarrollar DMG.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a disease with fatal, disabling, and costly consequences for individuals, families, communities and countries. To systematically establish the psychosocial risk factors associated with GDM that should be monitored during and after pregnancy. Systematic review in PubMed/Medline and Cochrane databases. 1188 articles were found and 41 were selected. Some main themes were conflicts with cultural practices, social stigma, ethnicity/race influence, low educational level, sleep quality, breastfeeding problems, concern for ones own health/baby, low perception of the risk of GDM/DM2 in the future, stress, anxiety and depression, limited knowledge, lack of support from the partner/family/social and health professionals, low levels of self-care/self-efficacy and difficulties with changes in the lifestyle. These factors should be monitored in pregnant women during and after delivery. Treatments should consider the psychological impact and the risk of developing DM2 after childbirth and should be included in clinical practice guidelines. Multi-ethnic populations and the most demographically and socioeconomically vulnerable groups are more susceptible to developing GDM.

Prevalencia de diabetes gestacional en Colombia: una revisión sistemática y estudio comparativo

Introducción: Las mujeres embarazadas con diabetes mellitus gestacional DMG tienen un mayor riesgo de tener resultados adversos materno-infantiles, debido a lo cual es importante estimar la prevalencia de DMG en Colombia de acuerdo con los criterios de la Asociación Internacional de Grupos de Estudio de Diabetes y Embarazo (IADPSG). Materiales y métodos: Se realizó una revisión sistemática mediante búsquedas en las bases de datos PubMed/Medline y Cochrane en inglés y español. La evaluación de la calidad se hizo mediante la metodología GRADE. Resultados: En la revisión sistemática se incluyó un total de 7 estudios con 37 795 participantes colombianas. La prevalencia de DMG en Colombia fue de 8,7 %. Conclusiones: Esta revisión sistemática se constituye en un primer estudio exploratorio en estimar la prevalencia de DMG en Colombia según criterios de la IADPSG. La estimación de la prevalencia global se sitúa cercana a la media mundial, sin embargo, estos resultados deben ser valorados con precaución por limitaciones en la opción de la guía para detección de diabetes gestacional y subregistro. WDF 15-955 Project, Barranquilla, Colombia.

Introduction: Pregnant women with GDM gestational diabetes mellitus have a higher risk of having adverse maternal-infant outcomes. Objective: To estimate the prevalence of GDM in Colombia according to the criteria of the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups [IADPSG]. Materials and methods: A systematic review was carried out by searching the PubMed / Medline and Cochrane databases in English and Spanish. The quality assessment was done using the GRADE methodology. Results: A total of 7 articles with 37,795 Colombian participants were included in the systematic review. The prevalence of GDM in Colombia was 8.7 %. Conclusions: As far as we know, this systematic review is the first study to estimate the prevalence of GDM in women in Colombia according to criteria of the IADPSG. The results suggest a GDM prevalence in Colombia in the world average. Be careful with these results because there could be un-der-records.

Human gut homeostasis and regeneration: the role of the gut microbiota and its metabolites.

The healthy human gut is a balanced ecosystem where host cells and representatives of the gut microbiota interact and communicate in a bidirectional manner at the gut epithelium. As a result of these interactions, many local and systemic processes necessary for host functionality, and ultimately health, take place. Impairment of the integrity of the gut epithelium diminishes its ability to act as an effective gut barrier, can contribute to conditions associated to inflammation processes and can have other negative consequences. Pathogens and pathobionts have been linked with damage of the integrity of the gut epithelium, but other components of the gut microbiota and some of their metabolites can contribute to its repair and regeneration. Here, we review what is known about the effect of bacterial metabolites on the gut epithelium and, more specifically, on the regulation of repair by intestinal stem cells and the regulation of the immune system in the gut. Additionally, we explore the potential therapeutic use of targeted modulation of the gut microbiota to maintain and improve gut homeostasis as a mean to improve health outcomes.

Putative intestinal permeability markers do not correlate with cardiometabolic health and gut microbiota in humans, except for peptides recognized by a widely used zonulin ELISA kit.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Cardiometabolic diseases refer to a group of interrelated conditions, sharing metabolic dysfunctions like insulin resistance, obesity, dyslipidemia, and hypertension. The gut microbiota has been associated with CMD and related conditions. Alterations in the intestinal epithelium permeability triggered by chronic stress and diet could bridge gut microbiota with inflammation and CMD development. Here, we assessed the relationship between intestinal permeability and circulating SCFAs with cardiometabolic health status (CMHS) and gut microbiota in a sample of 116 Colombian adults. METHODS AND RESULTS: Plasma levels of lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP), intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (I-FABP), claudin-3, and purported zonulin peptides (PZP) were measured by ELISA, whereas plasmatic levels of acetate, propionate, butyrate, isobutyrate, and valerate were measured by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. In addition, for further statistical analysis, we took data previously published by us on this cohort, including gut microbiota and multiple CMD risk factors that served to categorize subjects as cardiometabolically healthy or cardiometabolically abnormal. From univariate and multivariate statistical analyses, we found the levels of I-FABP, LBP, and PZP increased in the plasma of cardiometabolically abnormal individuals, although only PZP reached statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: Our results did not confirm the applicability of I-FABP, LBP, claudin-3, or SCFAs as biomarkers for associating intestinal permeability with the cardiometabolic health status in these subjects. On the other hand, the poorly characterized peptides detected with the ELISA kit branded as "zonulin" were inversely associated with cardiometabolic dysfunctions and gut microbiota. Further studies to confirm the true identity of these peptides are warranted.

Síndrome de fricción escapulotorácica por un osteocondroma subescapular: presentación de un caso y revisión bibliográfica / Snapping scapula syndrome resulting from a subscapular osteochondroma: Case report and literature review

El síndrome de fricción escapulotorácica, resalto o chasquido escapular es un cuadro poco frecuente, descrito, por primera vez, por Boinet, en 1867. Se produce por una incongruencia en la articulación escapulotorácica, asociada a múltiples causas, como bursitis, exostosis, masas óseas, tejidos fibrótico o muscular anómalos, consolidación defectuosa de fracturas o variaciones de la anatomía costal o escapular. El propósito de este artículo es comunicar un caso clínico de una adolescente con dolor incapacitante y deformidad en la región escapular derecha, de más de cuatro años de evolución. Los estudios diagnósticos revelaron una masa ósea única subescapular sugestiva de un osteocondroma de gran tamaño, más de 2,5 cm x 4 cm x 4 cm. También, se presenta una revisión y actualización de la bibliografía sobre el diagnóstico y el tratamiento actual de esta enfermedad. Nivel de Evidencia: III

Snapping scapula syndrome is a rare pathology first described by Boinet in 1867. Its pathogenesis is caused by an incongruency in the thoracic scapular joint, associated with multiple causes including bursitis, exostosis, bone mass, fibrotic tissue or muscular abnormalities, defective consolidation of fractures or anatomical rib or scapular fractures. The purpose of this article is to present a clinical case of an adolescent with incapacitating clinical pain in the right scapular region, as well as a deformity at this level that had evolved for more than 4 years, and which, when diagnostic tests were performed, revealed a subscapular bone mass suggestive of a single large osteochondroma measuring more than 2.5 cm x 4 cm x 4 cm.. A review and update of the literature on the diagnosis and current treatment of this pathology is made. Level of Evidence: III

Use of Fourier Series in X-ray Diffraction (XRD) Analysis and Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) for Estimation of Crystallinity in Cellulose from Different Sources.

Cellulose crystallinity can be described according to the crystal size and the crystallinity index (CI). In this research, using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods, we studied the crystallinity of three different types of cellulose: banana rachis (BR), commercial cellulose (CS), and bacterial cellulose (BC). For each type of cellulose, we analyzed three different crystallization grades. These variations were obtained using three milling conditions: 6.5 h, 10 min, and unmilled (films). We developed a code in MATLAB software to perform deconvolution of the XRD data to estimate CI and full width at half-maximum (FWHM). For deconvolution, crystalline peaks were represented with Voigt functions, and a Fourier series fitted to the amorphous profile was used as the amorphous contribution, which allowed the contribution of the amorphous profile to be more effectively modeled. Comparisons based on the FTIR spectra and XRD results showed there were no compositional differences between the amorphous samples. However, changes associated with crystallinity were observed when the milling time was 10 min. The obtained CI (%) values show agreement with values reported in the literature and confirm the effectiveness of the method used in this work in predicting the crystallization aspects of cellulose samples.

Consumption of golden berries (Physalis peruviana L.) might reduce biomarkers of oxidative stress and alter gut permeability in men without changing inflammation status or the gut microbiota.

Golden berry (Physalis peruviana) is a tropical fruit rich in antioxidants that has been proposed to be able to control the lipid profile in hypercholesterolemic patients. Dyslipidemia is an independent risk factor for cardiometabolic diseases. The gut microbiota is strongly associated with cardiometabolic risk and is involved in redox balance, intestinal permeability, and inflammation. However, the impacts of golden berry on some of these factors, including the human gut microbiota, have never been tested, and there are no tools for compliance monitoring or dietary intake assessment regarding nutritional interventions with this fruit. In the pre-post quasi-experimental nutritional intervention presented here, 18 adult men (27-49 years old) consumed golden berries (Dorada variety) for three weeks. We evaluated putative biomarkers of exposure through an untargeted metabolomics approach (liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry LC-MS), quantified the biomarkers of oxidative stress, gut permeability, and inflammation in plasma, and assessed the effects of fruit intake on the gut microbiota through 16S rRNA gene sequencing of feces (Illumina MiSeq V2). First, syringic acid and kaempferol were identified as putative biomarkers of golden berry consumption. Intervention with this fruit promoted physiological changes in the participants after three weeks, reducing the level of the oxidative stress marker 8-isoprostane (-148 pg/ml; 36.1 %; p = 0.057) and slightly altering gut permeability by increasing the plasma levels of LBP (2.91 µg/ml; 54.6 %; p = 0.0005) and I-FABP (0.15, 14.7 %, p = 0.04) without inducing significant inflammation; i.e., the levels of IL-1ß, TNF-α and IL-8 changed by 0.7 (2.0 %), -4.0 (-9.6 %) and -0.4 (-1.8 %) pg/ml, respectively. Notably, the consumption of golden berries did not affect the gut microbiota of the individuals consistently but instead shifted it in a personalized manner. The compositions of the gut microbiota of a given individual at the end of intervention and one month after the end of intervention were statistically more similar to their own baseline than to a corresponding sample from a different individual. This intervention identified putative biomarkers of golden berry intake along with potential benefits of its consumption relevant to cardiometabolic disease risk reduction. Golden berries are likely to positively modulate redox balance, although this effect must be proven in a future controlled clinical trial.

Factores psicosociales asociados con la diabetes mellitus gestacional: Revisión sistemática de alcance / Psychosocial factors associated with gestational diabetes mellitus: Systematic review of scope

Resumen Objetivo: Hacer una revisión sistemática de alcance sobre los factores psicosociales asociados con la diabetes mellitus gestacional (DMG) para mejorar las intervenciones preventivas, evitar sus complicaciones y mejorar la calidad de vida de las mujeres embarazadas. Materiales y métodos: Se realizó una revisión sistemática con base a la metodología PRISMA en bases de datos PubMed/Medline y Cochrane sobre estudios de factores psicosociales en mujeres embarazadas, mayores de 18 años, con diagnóstico de DMG, publicadas en el periodo 2010 al 2020, en revistas revisadas por pares en cualquier idioma. La extracción de datos se hizo con un formulario estandarizado. Resultados: La búsqueda arrojó 1787 artículos, de los cuales se seleccionaron 102 según criterios de inclusión. Se encontraron como temas principales: conflictos con prácticas culturales, estigma social, influencia de la etnia/raza, bajo nivel educativo, calidad del sueño, limitaciones físicas, problemas con lactancia materna, preocupación por la propia salud/ bebé, baja percepción del riesgo de DMG y DM2 en el futuro, estrés/ansiedad/depresión, conocimiento limitado sobre DMG, falta de apoyo de la pareja/familia/social, bajos niveles de autocuidado/autoeficacia en el control glucémico, falta de apoyo de los profesionales de la salud y dificultades con los cambios en el estilo de vida. Conclusiones: Los factores psicosociales identificados deben integrarse a los programas de prevención y promoción existentes o en nuevas intervenciones. Las intervenciones no deberían finalizar con el embarazo si se tiene en cuenta el riesgo de desarrollar DM2 después del parto. Es necesario abordar las necesidades de poblaciones multiétnicas y grupos vulnerables demográfica y socioeconómicamente. Los factores psicosociales asociados con la DMG deberían incluirse también en el desarrollo de futuras Guías de Práctica Clínica.

Abstract Objective: To carry out a systematic review of scope on the psychosocial factors associated with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) to improve preventive interventions, avoid its complications and improve the quality of life of pregnant women. Materials and methods: A systematic review was carried out based on the PRISMA methodology in PubMed/Medline and Cochrane databases on studies of psychosocial factors in pregnant women, older than 18 years, with a diagnosis of GDM, published in the period 2010 to 2020, in peer-reviewed journals in any language. Data extraction was done using a standardized form. Results: The search yielded 1787 articles, of which 102 were selected according to inclusion criteria. The main themes were found: conflicts with cultural practices, social stigma, influence of ethnicity/race, low educational level, quality of sleep, physical limitations, problems with breastfeeding, concern for one's own health/baby, low perception of the risk of GDM and DM2 in the future, stress/anxiety/depression, limited knowledge about GDM, lack of partner/family/social support, low levels of self-care/self-efficacy in glycemic control, lack of support from health professionals and Difficulty with lifestyle changes. Conclusions: The identified psychosocial factors should be integrated into existing prevention and promotion programs or new interventions. Interventions should not terminate pregnancy if the risk of developing DM2 after delivery is taken into account. The needs of multi-ethnic populations and demographically and socioeconomically vulnerable groups need to be addressed. Psychosocial factors associated with GDM should also be included in the development of future Clinical Practice Guidelines.

Evaluación de los parámetros eritrocitarios en donantes recurrentes de plaquetas, Medellín / Evaluation of the red blood cell parameters in recurrent platelet donors from Medellín

Introducción: El efecto de la donación a repetición de plaquetas por aféresis sobre el eritrograma se desconoce para población colombiana. Objetivo: Evaluar los cambios en la línea eritroide de donantes habituales de plaquetoaféresis de dos bancos de sangre de Medellín. Métodos: Estudio longitudinal con 100 donantes repetitivos de plaquetoaféresis con 3 donaciones o más. La fuente de información fueron las bases de datos de los bancos de sangre participantes. Los datos demográficos, tiempo entre donaciones y parámetros eritocitarios fueron consignados en una base de datos de excel y analizados empleando el software SPSS versión 27.0. Se realizó descripción de variables mediante medidas de resumen y se emplearon las siguientes pruebas estadísticas: T de Student, U de Mann Whitney, correlaciones, T pareada y Wilcoxon, considerándose un nivel de significación estadística de <0,05. Resultados: El 58% de los donantes fueron mujeres, el 75% tenían 30 años o más y 70% residían en el área metropolitana. No se observaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas para la hemoglobina según sexo y grupo etario, el VCM aumentó en la segunda, tercera y cuarta donación respecto a la primera, el HCM disminuyó en la cuarta donación respecto a la primera y el CHCM disminuyó continuamente entre donaciones. Conclusiones: Se observaron cambios en los parámetros eritrocitarios en los donantes recurrentes de plaquetas correspondientes a mecanismos medulares compensatorios normales sin afectación clínica de los donantes. Se sugiere realizar estudios complementarios para evaluar otras variables relacionadas con la eritropoyesis y los efectos de la circulación extracorpórea durante la plaquetoaféresis.

Introduction: The effect of repeated platelet donation by apheresis on the erythrogram is unknown for the Colombian population. Objective: evaluate the changes in the erythroid line in regular plateletpheresis donors from two blood banks in Medellin. Methods: Longitudinal study with 100 repetitive plateletpheresis donors with 3 donations or more. The source of information was the databases of the participating blood banks. Demographic data, time between donations and erythrocyte parameters were recorded in an excel database and analyzed using SPSS version 27.0 software. Variables were described using summary measures and the following statistical tests were used: Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney U, correlations, paired t-test, and Wilcoxon, considering a level of statistical significance of <0.05. Results: 58% of the donors were women, 75% were 30 years old or older, and 70% resided in the metropolitan area. No statistically significant differences were observed for hemoglobin according to sex and age group, the MCV increased in the second, third and fourth donations compared to the first, the HCM decreased in the fourth donation compared to the first, and the CHCM decreased continuously between donations. Conclusions: Changes in erythrocyte parameters were observed in recurrent platelet donors corresponding to normal compensatory medullary mechanisms without clinical involvement of the donors. Complementary studies are suggested to evaluate other variables related to erythropoiesis and the effects of extracorporeal circulation during plateletpheresis.

Dietary antioxidant intake is inversely associated with 2,3-dinor oxylipin metabolites, the major excreted oxylipins in overweight and obese subjects.

Cardiometabolic disease risk factors, including obesity, insulin resistance, high blood pressure, and dyslipidemia, are associated with elevated oxidative stress biomarkers like oxylipins. Increased adiposity by itself induces various isomers of this oxidized lipid family, while dietary polyphenols show benefits in its regulation. Previously, we showed that specific co-abundant microorganisms characterized the gut microbiota of Colombians and associated differentially with diet, lifestyle, obesity, and cardiometabolic health status, which led us to hypothesize that urinary oxylipins would reflect the intensity of oxidative metabolism linked to gut microbiota dysbiosis. Thus, we selected a convenience sample of 105 participants (age: 40.2 ± 11.9 years, 47.6% women), grouped according to microbiota, cardiometabolic health status, and body mass index (BMI); and evaluated 33 urinary oxylipins by HPLC-QqQ-MS/MS (e.g., isoprostanes, prostaglandins, and metabolites), paired with anthropometry and blood chemistry information and dietary antioxidants estimated from a 24-h food recall. In general, oxylipins did not show differences among individuals who differed in gut microbiota. While the unmetabolized oxylipin levels were not associated with BMI, the total content of oxylipin metabolites was highest in obese and cardiometabolically abnormal subjects (e.g., insulin resistant), mainly by prostaglandin-D (2,3-dinor-11ß-PGF2α) and 15-F2t-IsoPs (2,3-dinor-15-F2t-IsoP and 2,3-dinor-15-epi-15-F2t-IsoP) metabolites. The total polyphenol intake in this cohort was 1070 ± 627 mg/day. After adjusting for body weight, the polyphenol intake was significantly higher in lean than overweight and showed an inverse association with dinor-oxylipin levels in principal component analysis. These results suggest that the 2,3-dinor-oxylipins could be more specific biomarkers associated with BMI than their parent oxylipins and that are sensitive to be regulated by dietary antioxidants.

Intervención educativa sobre la diabetes tipos 2 en una población sin hogar de Miami-Dade / Educational Intervention on Type 2 Diabetes in a Miami-Dade Homeless Population

Resumen: Objetivo: Las personas sin hogar tienen significativamente más necesidades de salud y tasas más altas de morbilidad y mortalidad, así como más hospitalizaciones y/o rehospitalizaciones que la población en general, causadas por factores como la pobreza extrema, el acceso deficiente a la atención médica y los desafíos en la adherencia a los medicamentos, por lo cual el presente estudio se propuso aplicar una intervención educativa sobre la diabetes tipo 2, dirigida a las personas sin hogar residentes en un refugio, con el fin de mejorar las técnicas de autocontrol y autocuidado de esta enfermedad crónica. Materiales y métodos: La intervención educativa fue realizada en un refugio para personas sin hogar de Miami Dade, con 250 participantes y consistió en tres sesiones de autocontrol y autocuidado de la diabetes y una lista de recursos de la comunidad en el idioma de preferencia de la persona (inglés o español). Las evaluaciones incluyeron una encuesta antes y después de la intervención y una evaluación previa y posterior mediante el cuestionario Diabetes Knowledge (DKQ-24). Resultados: Datos demográficos: 88% hombres y 12% mujeres, 40% hispanos, 36% afroamericanos, 26% caucásicos, idioma 64% inglés y 36% español. Hubo una diferencia significativa en la medición antes y después de dos meses de la intervención educativa (p <0,000). Conclusiones: La intervención educativa para mejorar la calidad de vida, el autocontrol y el autocuidado de los pacientes sin hogar con diabetes tipo 2 tuvo un efecto positivo y estos resultados pueden proporcionar la base para intervenciones futuras que ayuden a los profesionales de la salud a identificar las necesidades y abordarlas a través de intervenciones educativas adaptadas al contexto. Aprobación n. IRB 17-OR-372-ME del Institutional Review Board (IRB).

Abstract: Objective: Homeless people have significantly more health needs and higher rates of morbidity and mortality, as well as more hospitalizations and / or rehospitalizations than the general population, caused by factors such as extreme poverty, poor access to medical care and the challenges in adherence to medications, for which the present study set out to apply an educational intervention on type 2 diabetes, aimed at homeless people living in a shelter, in order to improve self-control and self-care techniques of this chronic disease. Materials and methods: The educational intervention was conducted in a Miami Dade homeless shelter with 250 participants and consisted of three diabetes self- management and self-care sessions and a list of community resources in the preferred language of the community. person (English or Spanish). The evaluations included a survey before and after the intervention and a pre- and post-evaluation using the Diabetes Knowledge questionnaire (DKQ-24). Results: Demographic data: 88% male and 12% female, 40% Hispanic, 36% African American, 26% Caucasian, 64% English and 36% Spanish language. There was a significant difference in the measurement before and after two months of the educational intervention (p <0.001). Conclusions: Educational intervention to improve the quality of life, self-control, and self-care of homeless patients with type 2 diabetes had a positive effect and these results may provide the basis for future interventions that help health professionals to identify needs and address them through context-specific educational interventions. Approval n. IRB 17-OR-372-ME of the Institutional Review Board (IRB).

Efectos de un programa de educación vial, tránsito y movilidad sobre actitudes y conocimientos de escolares de Barranquilla (Colombia)

Introducción: En Colombia mueren anualmente alrededor de 7000 personas por accidentes de tránsito y otras resultan gravemente heridas, con más de 30 000 lesionados en 2018. Estas cifras reflejan un problema de salud pública, lo que hace necesario generar un proceso de concienciación para lograr un cambio de actitud en todos los actores viales, así como incrementar el conocimiento de las personas respecto a la movilización y las señales de tránsito. Objetivo: Determinar el impacto de un programa educativo en conocimiento vial en la adopción de actitudes seguras hacia el tránsito y la movilidad en escolares de 11 a 14 años de Barranquilla, Colombia. Materiales y métodos: La investigación está estructurada en un diseño de preprueba, posprueba con grupo de comparación con mediciones a través de dos escalas: una escala de actitudes de los estudiantes en relación con la seguridad vial y un segundo instrumento que evalúa conocimientos respecto a las normas de tránsito y la movilidad. Resultados: Se encontró que existen diferencias significativas entre los niños que tuvieron la experiencia educativa en relación con las normas y señales de tránsito. Conclusiones: La educación vial se muestra como una estrategia positiva en la formación de actitudes seguras en relación con la normativa de tránsito y movilidad.

Introduction: In Colombia, 7,000 people, in average, die every year from traffic accidents and others are seriously injured, with more than 30,000 injured in 2018. These figures reflect a public health problem, which makes it necessary to generate an awareness process to achieve change in attitude in all road actors, as well as increasing people's knowledge regarding mobilization and traffic signs. Objective: To determine the impact of an educational program on road knowledge in the adoption of safe attitudes towards traffic and mobility in schoolchildren aged 11 to 14 years from Barranquilla, Colombia. Materials and methods: This research is structured in a pre-test and post-test design with a comparison group with measurements through two scales: a scale of students' attitudes in relation to road safety, and a second instrument that assesses knowledge regarding traffic regulations and mobility. Results: It was found that there are significant differences between the children who had the educational experience in relation to traffic rules and signs. Conclusions: Road safety education is shown as a positive strategy in the formation of safe attitudes in relation to traffic and mobility regulations.

[Ketamine as a treatment of bronchospasm due to an anaphylaxis. A case report]. / Ketamina como tratamiento de broncoespasmo asociado a anafilaxia. Reporte de un caso.

Background: Ketamine is used in intravenous anesthesia for the maintenance in the general anesthesia. It has characteristics to prevent the difficult of breathing due to bronchospasm, as well as the delivery of histamine associated with asthmatic attack. These effects come from the direct action in the bronchial muscle, as well as from the potentiation of its catecholamines, which is why its use is very controversial, given that there are not enough trials to back it up. Moreover, the effect of ketamine on bronchospasm due to anaphylactic reaction has not been studied. The election treatment is epinephrine and there are factors associated with its use. The objective was to present the case of a patient with a history of allergic reaction to midazolam, who presented bronchospasm due to the administration of this drug, and who received unconventional treatment with positive outcomes. Clinical case: We present the case of a young female with a history of allergies to medicines, specifically to benzodiazepines, who presented bronchospasm and oxygen saturation drop after receiving a dose of midazolam into her eye while she was working. The use of ketamine was proposed after adrenaline, a beta-agonist, inhaled anticholinergics, a steroid and antihistamine drugs were used. Conclusion: Trials are needed in order to demonstrate the efficacy of ketamine in this particular context; however, the outcome in this case was positive.

Introducción: la ketamina es utilizada en anestesia intravenosa en el mantenimiento en la anestesia general. Su efecto cuenta con propiedades para prevenir la dificultad respiratoria asociada a broncoconstricción y la secreción de histamina asociada a crisis asmática. Estos efectos derivan de la acción directa en el músculo bronquial, así como de la potencialización de las catecolaminas, por lo que su uso muy controversial, ya que hasta el día de hoy no hay suficientes estudios que lo sustenten. Además, el efecto de la ketamina en el broncoespasmo debido a anafilaxia no está estudiado. El tratamiento de elección es la epinefrina y hay factores que están asociados en el éxito de esta. El objetivo fue presentar el caso de una paciente con antecedente de alergia a midazolam, que presentó broncoespasmo al estar en contacto con este y a la que se le administró tratamiento no convencional con resultados favorables. Caso clínico: presentamos el caso de una mujer joven con antecedentes de alergias a medicamentos, específicamente a benzodiacepinas, la cual presentó broncoespasmo y caída de la saturación posteriores al contacto con midazolam intraocular mientras laboraba. Se propuso la utilización de ketamina posterior a adrenalina, betaagonista y anticolinérgicos inhalados, esteroide y antihistamínico. Conclusión: es necesario hacer estudios que demuestren la eficacia de la ketamina en este contexto en particular; en este caso, los resultados fueron positivos.

Deep Splicer: A CNN Model for Splice Site Prediction in Genetic Sequences.

Many living organisms have DNA in their cells that is responsible for their biological features. DNA is an organic molecule of two complementary strands of four different nucleotides wound up in a double helix. These nucleotides are adenine (A), thymine (T), guanine (G), and cytosine (C). Genes are DNA sequences containing the information to synthesize proteins. The genes of higher eukaryotic organisms contain coding sequences, known as exons and non-coding sequences, known as introns, which are removed on splice sites after the DNA is transcribed into RNA. Genome annotation is the process of identifying the location of coding regions and determining their function. This process is fundamental for understanding gene structure; however, it is time-consuming and expensive when done by biochemical methods. With technological advances, splice site detection can be done computationally. Although various software tools have been developed to predict splice sites, they need to improve accuracy and reduce false-positive rates. The main goal of this research was to generate Deep Splicer, a deep learning model to identify splice sites in the genomes of humans and other species. This model has good performance metrics and a lower false-positive rate than the currently existing tools. Deep Splicer achieved an accuracy between 93.55% and 99.66% on the genetic sequences of different organisms, while Splice2Deep, another splice site detection tool, had an accuracy between 90.52% and 98.08%. Splice2Deep surpassed Deep Splicer on the accuracy obtained after evaluating C. elegans genomic sequences (97.88% vs. 93.62%) and A. thaliana (95.40% vs. 94.93%); however, Deep Splicer's accuracy was better for H. sapiens (98.94% vs. 97.15%) and D. melanogaster (97.14% vs. 92.30%). The rate of false positives was 0.11% for human genetic sequences and 0.25% for other species' genetic sequences. Another splice prediction tool, Splice Finder, had between 1% and 3% of false positives for human sequences, while other species' sequences had around 4% and 10%.