Integrating Genomic and Chromosomal Data: A Cytogenetic Study of Transancistrus santarosensis (Loricariidae: Hypostominae) with Characterization of a ZZ/ZW Sex Chromosome System.

The plecos (Loricariidae) fish represent a great model for cytogenetic investigations due to their variety of karyotypes, including diploid and polyploid genomes, and different types of sex chromosomes. In this study we investigate Transancistrus santarosensis a rare loricariid endemic to Ecuador, integrating cytogenetic methods with specimens' molecular identification by mtDNA, to describe the the species karyotype. We aim to verify whether sex chromosomes are cytologically identifiable and if they are associated with the accumulation of repetitive sequences present in other species of the family. The analysis of the karyotype (2n = 54 chromosomes) excludes recent centric fusion and pericentromeric inversion and suggests the presence of a ZZ/ZW sex chromosome system at an early stage of differentiation: the W chromosome is degenerated but is not characterized by the presence of differential sex-specific repetitive DNAs. Data indicate that although T. santarosensis has retained the ancestral diploid number of Loricariidae, it accumulated heterochromatin and shows non-syntenic ribosomal genes localization, chromosomal traits considered apomorphic in the family.

Surgical technique for margin widening in the treatment of polypoid nodular malignant back melanoma.

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Nodular melanoma is the second most frequent cutaneous melanoma worldwide and due to its rapid growth rate and non-malignant appearance, is the most aggressive one. In its polypoid form, it is usually found in mucosal areas, but can also be seen on the trunk. This case is presented because it is an unusual manifestation and surgical treatment required wide excision, however, the patient's evolution is favorable. CASE PRESENTATION: 70-year-old female patient shows a progressively growing lesion with irregular border, abnormal color and a heterogeneous appearance. The biopsy yields the histological diagnosis of nodular polypoid melanoma. The surgical technique results in the resection of a 10 × 9 × 67 cm piece with favorable evolution of the patient. CLINICAL DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The surgical technique of margin widening is considered a recommended option for polypoid nodular back melanomas. Although the excision is considered vast, the patient's evolution may turn out to be favorable.

Fabrication of voltage-gated spin Hall nano-oscillators.

We demonstrate an optimized fabrication process for electric field (voltage gate) controlled nano-constriction spin Hall nano-oscillators (SHNOs), achieving feature sizes of <30 nm with easy to handle ma-N 2401 e-beam lithography negative tone resist. For the nanoscopic voltage gates, we utilize a two-step tilted ion beam etching approach and through-hole encapsulation using 30 nm HfOx. The optimized tilted etching process reduces sidewalls by 75% compared to no tilting. Moreover, the HfOx encapsulation avoids any sidewall shunting and improves gate breakdown. Our experimental results on W/CoFeB/MgO/SiO2 SHNOs show significant frequency tunability (6 MHz V-1) even for moderate perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Circular patterns with diameter of 45 nm are achieved with an aspect ratio better than 0.85 for 80% of the population. The optimized fabrication process allows incorporating a large number of individual gates to interface to SHNO arrays for unconventional computing and densely packed spintronic neural networks.

Fighting Against Stroke in Latin America: A Joint Effort of Medical Professional Societies and Governments.

Introduction: Stroke is one of the leading causes of death in Latin America, a region with countless gaps to be addressed to decrease its burden. In 2018, at the first Latin American Stroke Ministerial Meeting, stroke physician and healthcare manager representatives from 13 countries signed the Declaration of Gramado with the priorities to improve the region, with the commitment to implement all evidence-based strategies for stroke care. The second meeting in March 2020 reviewed the achievements in 2 years and discussed new objectives. This paper will review the 2-year advances and future plans of the Latin American alliance for stroke. Method: In March 2020, a survey based on the Declaration of Gramado items was sent to the neurologists participants of the Stroke Ministerial Meetings. The results were confirmed with representatives of the Ministries of Health and leaders from the countries at the second Latin American Stroke Ministerial Meeting. Results: In 2 years, public stroke awareness initiatives increased from 25 to 75% of countries. All countries have started programs to encourage physical activity, and there has been an increase in the number of countries that implement, at least partially, strategies to identify and treat hypertension, diabetes, and lifestyle risk factors. Programs to identify and treat dyslipidemia and atrial fibrillation still remained poor. The number of stroke centers increased from 322 to 448, all of them providing intravenous thrombolysis, with an increase in countries with stroke units. All countries have mechanical thrombectomy, but mostly restricted to a few private hospitals. Pre-hospital organization remains limited. The utilization of telemedicine has increased but is restricted to a few hospitals and is not widely available throughout the country. Patients have late, if any, access to rehabilitation after hospital discharge. Conclusion: The initiative to collaborate, exchange experiences, and unite societies and governments to improve stroke care in Latin America has yielded good results. Important advances have been made in the region in terms of increasing the number of acute stroke care services, implementing reperfusion treatments and creating programs for the detection and treatment of risk factors. We hope that this approach can reduce inequalities in stroke care in Latin America and serves as a model for other under-resourced environments.

Association between food insecurity and perinatal risk factors with hearing problems in preterm birth / Asociación entre la inseguridad alimentaria y factores de riesgo prenatales con problemas de audición en prematuros

Background: hearing disorders in the premature newborns impact on their development and language and therefore, on their quality of life. Several risk factors have been associated to these conditions, but little is known about socioeconomic, nutrition factors and food security. Objective: to analyze the association between food security and prenatal risk factors in newborns with hearing disorders. Material and methods: study of 35 cases and 105 controls in premature newborns from 30 to 37 weeks of gestation (WG) in a public hospital. The working tool was a questionnaire to collect data about the maternal medical record and the anthropometry of the newborn, as well as the risk factors for the auditory function, sociodemographic aspects, and food security with its respective classification and food habits. Results: the principal perinatal risk factor associated to hearing impairment was the use of gentamycin (ototoxic drug) in 18.1% of the total (OR: 5.61 [1.29-24.50]). Severe food insecurity was associated with auditory disfunctions in 27.2% of cases and in 2.8% of controls (OR: 12.75 [2.89-56.16]). There were differences between the groups regarding the education level (cases: 50% of the mothers finished or interrupted primary education level vs controls with 19%; Ji2 = 0.008). The anthropomorphic variables showed differences in weight, length and cephalic perimeter for the newborns (p < 0.000). Conclusion: severe food insecurity, exposure to gentamycin and low education level of the mother had a significant association with auditory impairments in preterm children. For these newborns, variables like weight, length and cephalic perimeter at the moment of birth were lower than in controls. These initial findings point to the important role that environmental risks, like food insecurity, have in auditory impairments in addition to those previously described

Introducción: las alteraciones auditivas en el recién nacido prematuro impactan en su desarrollo y lenguaje y por ende a la calidad de vida. Se conocen varios factores de riesgo asociados a estas alteraciones, pero poco sobre los aspectos socioeconómicos, nutricionales y de inseguridad alimentaria. Objetivo: analizar la asociación con la inseguridad alimentaria y los factores de riesgo prenatales en prematuros con problemas de audición. Material y métodos: estudio de 35 casos y 105 controles, en prematuros de 30 a 37 SDG de un hospital público, realizado a través de una encuesta donde se recopilaron datos del expediente materno y del recién nacido (antropometría), así como factores de riesgo para alteración auditiva, aspectos sociodemográficos, seguridad alimentaria con sus respectivas clasificaciones y tipo de alimentación. Resultados: el principal factor de riego perinatal asociado a las alteraciones auditivas fue la administración de gentamicina (antibiótico ototóxico) en 18,1% de los casos (OR: 5,61 [IC = 1,29-24,50]). La inseguridad alimentaria severa se asoció con las alteraciones auditivas, en 27,2% de casos y en 2,8% de controles (OR: 12,75 [IC = 2,89-56,16]). Además, se encontraron diferencias entre los grupos para el nivel de escolaridad (casos: 50% de las madres tuvieron primaria terminada o incompleta vs. controles con 19%; Ji2 = 0,008) y Las variables antropométricas presentaron diferencias en peso, longitud y perímetro cefálico (p < 0,000). Conclusión: la inseguridad alimentaria severa, exposición a gentamicina, el nivel de escolaridad de la madre, tuvieron una asociación significativa con las alteraciones auditivas en el prematuro. Variables como el peso, longitud y perímetro cefálico al nacimiento presentaron valores inferiores en el grupo casos. Estos primeros hallazgos, reflejan riesgos ambientales como la inseguridad alimentaria en las alteraciones auditivas además de las ya conocidas

Association between food insecurity and perinatal risk factors with hearing problems in preterm birth.

INTRODUCTION: Background: hearing disorders in the premature newborns impact on their development and language and therefore, on their quality of life. Several risk factors have been associated to these conditions, but little is known about socioeconomic, nutrition factors and food security. Objective: to analyze the association between food security and prenatal risk factors in newborns with hearing disorders. Material and methods: study of 35 cases and 105 controls in premature newborns from 30 to 37 weeks of gestation (WG) in a public hospital. The working tool was a questionnaire to collect data about the maternal medical record and the anthropometry of the newborn, as well as the risk factors for the auditory function, sociodemographic aspects, and food security with its respective classification and food habits. Results: the principal perinatal risk factor associated to hearing impairment was the use of gentamycin (ototoxic drug) in 18.1% of the total (OR: 5.61 [1.29-24.50]). Severe food insecurity was associated with auditory disfunctions in 27.2% of cases and in 2.8% of controls (OR: 12.75 [2.89-56.16]). There were differences between the groups regarding the education level (cases: 50% of the mothers finished or interrupted primary education level vs controls with 19%; Ji2 = 0.008). The anthropomorphic variables showed differences in weight, length and cephalic perimeter for the newborns (p < 0.000). Conclusion: severe food insecurity, exposure to gentamycin and low education level of the mother had a significant association with auditory impairments in preterm children. For these newborns, variables like weight, length and cephalic perimeter at the moment of birth were lower than in controls. These initial findings point to the important role that environmental risks, like food insecurity, have in auditory impairments in addition to those previously described.

INTRODUCCIÓN: Introducción: las alteraciones auditivas en el recién nacido prematuro impactan en su desarrollo y lenguaje y por ende a la calidad de vida. Se conocen varios factores de riesgo asociados a estas alteraciones, pero poco sobre los aspectos socioeconómicos, nutricionales y de inseguridad alimentaria. Objetivo: analizar la asociación con la inseguridad alimentaria y los factores de riesgo prenatales en prematuros con problemas de audición. Material y métodos: estudio de 35 casos y 105 controles, en prematuros de 30 a 37 SDG de un hospital público, realizado a través de una encuesta donde se recopilaron datos del expediente materno y del recién nacido (antropometría), así como factores de riesgo para alteración auditiva, aspectos sociodemográficos, seguridad alimentaria con sus respectivas clasificaciones y tipo de alimentación. Resultados: el principal factor de riego perinatal asociado a las alteraciones auditivas fue la administración de gentamicina (antibiótico ototóxico) en 18,1% de los casos (OR: 5,61 [IC = 1,29-24,50]). La inseguridad alimentaria severa se asoció con las alteraciones auditivas, en 27,2% de casos y en 2,8% de controles (OR: 12,75 [IC = 2,89-56,16]). Además, se encontraron diferencias entre los grupos para el nivel de escolaridad (casos: 50% de las madres tuvieron primaria terminada o incompleta vs. controles con 19%; Ji2 = 0,008) y Las variables antropométricas presentaron diferencias en peso, longitud y perímetro cefálico (p < 0,000). Conclusión: la inseguridad alimentaria severa, exposición a gentamicina, el nivel de escolaridad de la madre, tuvieron una asociación significativa con las alteraciones auditivas en el prematuro. Variables como el peso, longitud y perímetro cefálico al nacimiento presentaron valores inferiores en el grupo casos. Estos primeros hallazgos, reflejan riesgos ambientales como la inseguridad alimentaria en las alteraciones auditivas además de las ya conocidas.

Chemical profile and anti-leishmanial activity of three Ecuadorian propolis samples from Quito, Guayaquil and Cotacachi regions.

Three propolis samples were collected from different regions of Ecuador (Quito, Guayaquil and Cotacachi) and their methanolic extracts were prepared. Preliminary information supplied by TLC and NMR data, allowed us to define two main types of propolis: Cotacachi propoli sample (CPS), rich in flavonoids and Quito and Guayaquil samples (QPS and GPS) containing triterpenic alcohols and acetyl triterpenes as the main constituents. Two different approaches based on RP-HPLC preparative procedure and NMR structural determination (CPS) and GC-MS analysis (QPS and GPS) were successfully used for the chemical characterization of their major compounds. All three propolis extracts were able to inhibit Leishmania amazonensis growth but propolis sample rich in flavonoids was the most active (IC50=17.1±1.7µg/mL). In the literature this is the first study on propolis from Ecuador.

Emerging microfluidic devices for cancer cells/biomarkers manipulation and detection.

Circulating tumour cells (CTCs) are active participants in the metastasis process and account for ∼90% of all cancer deaths. As CTCs are admixed with a very large amount of erythrocytes, leukocytes, and platelets in blood, CTCs are very rare, making their isolation, capture, and detection a major technological challenge. Microfluidic technologies have opened-up new opportunities for the screening of blood samples and the detection of CTCs or other important cancer biomarker-proteins. In this study, the authors have reviewed the most recent developments in microfluidic devices for cells/biomarkers manipulation and detection, focusing their attention on immunomagnetic-affinity-based devices, dielectrophoresis-based devices, surface-plasmon-resonance microfluidic sensors, and quantum-dots-based sensors.

No evidence for inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-dependent Ca2+ release in isolated fibers of adult mouse skeletal muscle.

The presence and role of functional inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP(3)) receptors (IP(3)Rs) in adult skeletal muscle are controversial. The current consensus is that, in adult striated muscle, the relative amount of IP(3)Rs is too low and the kinetics of Ca(2+) release from IP(3)R is too slow compared with ryanodine receptors to contribute to the Ca(2+) transient during excitation-contraction coupling. However, it has been suggested that IP(3)-dependent Ca(2+) release may be involved in signaling cascades leading to regulation of muscle gene expression. We have reinvestigated IP(3)-dependent Ca(2+) release in isolated flexor digitorum brevis (FDB) muscle fibers from adult mice. Although Ca(2+) transients were readily induced in cultured C2C12 muscle cells by (a) UTP stimulation, (b) direct injection of IP(3), or (c) photolysis of membrane-permeant caged IP(3), no statistically significant change in calcium signal was detected in adult FDB fibers. We conclude that the IP(3)-IP(3)R system does not appear to affect global calcium levels in adult mouse skeletal muscle.