Cytogenomic characterization of small supernumerary marker chromosomes in patients with pigmentary mosaicism.

Introduction: The combination of gene content on the marker chromosome, chromosomal origin, level of mosaicism, origin mechanism (chromothripsis), and uniparental disomy can influence the final characterization of sSMCs. Several chromosomal aberrations, including sSMCs, have been observed in 30%-60% of patients with pigmentary mosaicism, and in more than 80%, chromosomal abnormalities are present in the mosaic state. In patients with pigmentary mosaicism the most representative chromosomes involved in sSMCs are 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 13, 15, 18, 20, and X. In this study, we included the complete clinical, cytogenetic, and molecular characterization of seven patients with pigmentary mosaicism associated with the presence of SMCs of different chromosomal origins. Methods: The patients were diagnosed by the Genetics and Dermatology Department of three different hospitals. Cytogenetic and FISH analyses were performed on peripheral blood, light skin, and dark skin. FISH analysis was performed using different probes, depending on the marker chromosome description. Different array analysis was performed. Results: To date, of the seven cases studied, the chromosomal origins of six were successfully identified by FISH or array analysis. The chromosomes involved in SMCs were 6, 9, 15, and 18, X. The most frequently found was the centric minute structure. Discussion: To date, this group of seven patients constitutes the largest clinical and cytogenetically finely described study of cases with pigmentary mosaicism associated with sSMCs. Undoubtedly, analysis of the two skin types is a fundamental part of our study, as numerical differences may occur in the cell lines found in each skin type. The knowledge generated in this study will help delineate a very heterogeneous entity more accurately, and in the future, analyzing more patients with PM will likely establish a more definite association with the presence of this genetic alteration.

New trends in modelling of breakthrough curves to remove pollutants using adsorption on advanced monoliths geometries.

This work proposes a rigorous mathematical model capable of reproducing the adsorption process in dynamic regime on advanced monoliths geometries. For this, four bed geometries with axisymmetric distribution of channels and similar solid mass were proposed. In each geometry a different distribution of channels was suggested, maintaining constant the bed dimensions of 15 cm high and 5 cm radius. The mathematical modeling includes mass and momentum transfer phenomena, and it was solved with the COMSOL Multiphysics software using mass transfer parameters published in the literature. The overall performance of the column was evaluated in terms of breakthrough (CA/CA0 = 0.1) and saturation times (CA/CA0 = 0.9). The mass and velocity distributions obtained from the proposed model show good physical consistency with what is expected in real systems. In addition, the model proved to be easy to solve given the short convergence times required (2-4 h). Modifications were made to the bed geometry to achieve a better use of the adsorbent material which reached up to 80%. The proposed bed geometries allow obtaining different mixing distributions, in such a way that inside the bed a thinning of the boundary layer is caused, thus reducing diffusive effects at the adsorbent solid-fluid interface, given dissipation rates of about 323 × 10-11 m2/s3. The bed geometry composed of intersecting rings deployed the best performance in terms of usage of the material adsorbent, and acceptable hydrodynamical behavior inside the channels (maximum fluid velocity = 35.4 × 10-5 m/s and drop pressure = 0.19 Pa). Based on these results, it was found that it is possible to reduce diffusional effects and delimit the mass transfer zone inside the monoliths, thus increasing the efficiency of adsorbent fixed beds.

High TGM1 Allelic Heterogeneity causing Lamellar ichthyosis in a small geographic area in South Mexico: Another Example of the "Réunion Paradox".

Lamellar ichthyosis (LI) is an autosomal recessive congenital ichthyosis characterized by generalized dry skin and severe scaling. It is caused by biallelic mutations in the TGM1 gene, however molecular data from non-Caucasian populations are limited. Results of genetic-molecular analysis of a group of LI pedigrees originating from two close small populations from south Mexico are presented. LI affected individuals belonging to 9 apparently unrelated families were studied. Exome sequencing or Sanger sequencing in probands from each family was carried out. Furthermore, DNA from 294 unaffected subjects from one of the communities were Sanger sequenced to determine the carrier frequency of the c.427C > T TGM1 variant. Five different TGM1 pathogenic variants, either in homozygous or in compound heterozygous state, were demonstrated in affected subjects. The two most common variants were c.427C > T (p.Arg143Cys) and c.1159+1G > T. A novel c.1645+1G > T TGM1 pathogenic allele was recognized. Carrier frequency analysis identified a total of 23 individuals heterozygous for the c.427C > T variant, predicting a prevalence of 78 carriers per 1000 inhabitants in the community. A high TGM1 allelic heterogeneity with 5 different LI-causing alleles in a limited geographic area was demonstrated. While the occurrence of homozygosity for a founder mutation is expected in small populations with high frequency of a particular autosomal recessive disorder, the occurrence of multiple pathogenic alleles has been previously described, a situation known as the Reúnion paradox. Our results expand the current knowledge of the mutational spectrum of TGM1-linked LI.

Interpopulation characterization of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) from different agroecological environments of Colombia.

Chenopodium quinoa Willd. it is an Andean cereal of great importance for human consumption due to its high nutritional value. In Colombia there is a high phenotypic and genotypic variability within quinoa crops, which has not been studied and has been maintained by the same farmers cycle after production cycle. The objective of this study was to carry out an interpopulation characterization of quinoa cultivated in different producing municipalities of the department of Boyacá, in Colombia, for which 19 morphological descriptors were used, which were evaluated in situ in nine municipalities and analyzed through descriptive statistics, principal component analysis, correlation and conglomerates. In the evaluation of the quantitative traits for all the populations, it was observed that the most variable descriptors were Number of teeth lower leaf (DHI), Lower leaf length (LHI), Width upper leaf (AHI) and Number of teeth upper leaf (DHS). Great segregation between and within individuals of Blanca de Jericó and Piartal was observed for panicle and leaf color and shape, stem color, presence of teeth, and axils on upper and lower leaves. A classification key is proposed that allows in the field to be able to morphologically differentiate the genotypes of Piartal and Blanca de Jericó. This research shows that among the most cultivated genotypes in the department of Boyacá, there is still an important phenotypic diversity given at the inter and intra-individual level, due to the phenological state and the agroclimatological conditions of the different producing regions.

Conductive carbon paint: An efficient way to electrodeposit metallic nanowires by using porous membranes.

The present work demonstrates that conductive carbon paint, used for sample preparation in electron microscopy, can be a more straightforward and as-effective substitute for the metallic layer deposition usually used for the electrodeposition of metallic nanowires within porous membranes. AFM images demonstrated the good surface quality of the carbon layer. Raman spectroscopy confirmed the high crystallinity of carbon and high density of π-electrons. The electrical conductivity of the carbon layer was estimated using the linear sweep voltammetry technique. This new cathode was employed to grow continuous (Ni) and composition-modulated (Ni/Cu) nanowires within alumina templates, starting from aqueous solutions of Ni2+ and Cu2+ mixed salts. The obtention of metallic copper and nickel, and their separation can be readily observed by scanning electron microscopy and elemental mapping by EDS.

Agave fructans enhance the effects of fermented milk products on obesity biomarkers: a randomised trial.

Dysbiosis has been implicated in childhood obesity. Oral intake of fermented milk containing Lacticaseibacillus casei strain Shirota preserves gut microbiota (GM) diversity in children and adults. This study was a double-blind trial involving 37 overweight or obese children aged 6-10 years. Children were followed over a 6-week intervention period in which they received different fermented milk products containing L. casei Shirota: 10 in the first group received just L. casei Shirota; 13 received L. casei Shirota with 3 g/day of inulin (L. casei+inulin); and 14 received L. casei Shirota with 3 g/day of fructans from Agave salmiana (L. casei+fructans). Principal component analysis showed the relationship between microbial abundance, GM metabolites, and other obesity-related markers. Supplementation with probiotics and synbiotics improved the HDL-cholesterol levels of overweight and obese children, although no changes in body composition were detected. We observed an increase in butyrate or propionate concentrations in the L. casei+fructans group compared to the end of the intervention (P<0.03). A diminished level of ANGPTL4 within the L. casei+fructans group (P=0.04) was also found, but no differences when lipopolysaccharide-binding protein was evaluated. The FFAR2+ cell frequency decreased between baseline and at the end of 6-week intervention in L. casei+inulin (P=0.02) and L. casei+fructans groups (P=0.04). In contrast, the percentage of CD14+FFAR3+ frequency increased in the same groups (P=0.04). The L. casei Shirota with inulin or fructans modulates GM, which improves the lipid profile and changes at a molecular level, such as expression of FFAR3 and FFAR2, ANGPTL4, propionate, and butyrate. It, therefore, could be considered an interesting therapeutic possibility for treating childhood overweight and obesity. The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (ID: NCT05423015).

Chemosensory representation of first-time oral exposure to ethanol in the orbitofrontal cortex of mice.

Intermittent ethanol consumption changes the neuronal activity of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) in rodents, which has been attributed to important participation in the development of addiction, particularly alcoholism. The OFC participates in gustatory sensory integration. However, it is unknown whether this region can encode chemosensory elements of oral ethanol administration independently of the consumption movement (orofacial motor response) when administered for the first time (naïve mice). To answer this question, we used a sedated mouse model and a temporary analysis protocol to register extracellular neuronal responses during the oral administration of ethanol. Our results show an increase in neuronal frequency (in the first 500 ms) when low (0.6, 1, and 2.1 M) and high (3.2, 4.3, and 8.6 M) concentrations of ethanol are orally administered. The modulatory effect of ethanol was observed from low and high concentrations and differed from the tastants. There was consistent neuronal activity independent of the concentration of ethanol. Our results demonstrate a sensory representation of oral ethanol stimulation in the OFC neurons of naïve mice under sedation.

Interpopulation characterization of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd) from different agroecological environments of Colombia / Caracterização interpopulacional de quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd) de diferentes ambientes agroecológicos da Colômbia

Chenopodium quinoa Willd. it is an Andean cereal of great importance for human consumption due to its high nutritional value. In Colombia there is a high phenotypic and genotypic variability within quinoa crops, which has not been studied and has been maintained by the same farmers cycle after production cycle. The objective of this study was to carry out an interpopulation characterization of quinoa cultivated in different producing municipalities of the department of Boyacá, in Colombia, for which 19 morphological descriptors were used, which were evaluated in situ in nine municipalities and analyzed through descriptive statistics, principal component analysis, correlation and conglomerates. In the evaluation of the quantitative traits for all the populations, it was observed that the most variable descriptors were Number of teeth lower leaf (DHI), Lower leaf length (LHI), Width upper leaf (AHI) and Number of teeth upper leaf (DHS). Great segregation between and within individuals of Blanca de Jericó and Piartal was observed for panicle and leaf color and shape, stem color, presence of teeth, and axils on upper and lower leaves. A classification key is proposed that allows in the field to be able to morphologically differentiate the genotypes of Piartal and Blanca de Jericó. This research shows that among the most cultivated genotypes in the department of Boyacá, there is still an important phenotypic diversity given at the inter and intra-individual level, due to the phenological state and the agroclimatological conditions of the different producing regions.

Chenopodium quinoa Willd. é um cereal andino de grande importância para a alimentação humana por causa do seu alto valor nutricional. Na Colômbia, existe uma alta variabilidade fenotípica e genotípica nos cultivos de quinoa, que não foi estudada e tem sido mantida pelo mesmo produtor ciclo após ciclo de produção. O objetivo deste estudo foi realizar uma caracterização interpopulacional da quinoa cultivada em diferentes municípios produtores do departamento de Boyacá, na Colômbia. Para tanto, foram utilizados 19 descritores morfológicos, avaliados in situ em nove municípios e analisados por meio de estatísticas descritivas, análise de componentes principais, correlação e conglomerados. Na avaliação dos caracteres quantitativos para todas as populações, observou-se que os descritores mais variáveis foram: número de dentes da folha inferior (DHI), comprimento da folha inferior (LHI), largura da folha superior (AHI) e número de dentes da folha superior (DHS). Entre os indivíduos de Blanca de Jericó e Piartal e dentro deles, observou-se grande segregação quanto à cor, formato da panícula e folha, cor do caule, presença de dentes e axilas nas folhas superiores e inferiores. É proposta uma chave de classificação que permite no campo poder diferenciar morfologicamente os genótipos de Piartal e Blanca de Jericó. Esta pesquisa mostra que, entre os genótipos mais cultivados no departamento de Boyacá, ainda existe uma importante diversidade fenotípica em nível inter e intraindividual, em razão do estado fenológico e das condições agroclimatológicas das diferentes regiões produtoras.

Asymmetric Wigner molecules in nanowire Y-junctions.

The possibility of crystalline states of interacting electrons, known as Wigner crystals, has been intensively studied in each of the three dimensions. One-dimensional (1D) systems, however, can be interconnected forming two-dimensional (2D) lattices, being a three-terminal Y-junction (Y-J) the simplest one. Then, even when electrons in the individual branches of the Y are confined in 1D, as the Y-J is in 2D, one could expect significant differences in the crystalline state of the electron gas in a Y-J. With the recent report of fabrication of defect-free GaAs/AlGaAs Y-Js by epitaxial methods, the study of semiconductor Y-Js acquires a special relevance due to its eventual direct exploration. Here, by considering the collective electron interactions using a Yukawa-like effective potential, we explore a two-electron distribution in nanowire Y-Js by modulating its electron density via a screening parameter. We find that the electrons changes from a quasi-continuous to a Wigner molecule-like distribution when the electron density decreases in the Y-J. In bold contrast to the strict 1D case, where equidistant distributions of equal density are obtained in the Wigner regime, in the Y-J equidistant distributions of asymmetric density are induced. We also explore the effect of an external electric field acting along the Y-axis on the asymmetric distributions.

Violencia contra el personal de salud en tiempo de pandemia por SARS-COV-2 en México / Violence against health workers in time of SARS-COV-2 Pandemic in México

Introducción: se analiza la violencia contra el personal de salud en tiempos de pandemia por SARS-Cov-2 bajo la perspectiva fenomenológica y simbólica de la realidad social. Objetivo: analizar la violencia contra el personal de salud en tiempos de COVID-19 a partir de la fenomenología y semiótica de las emociones. Material y métodos: se realizó una metodología hibrida para la descripción e interpretación de los datos cualitativos y cuantitativos. Se realizó un estudio transversal sobre violencia contra el personal de salud durante los primeros meses de la pandemia. Muestreo no probabilístico; se les aplicó un cuestionario en línea. Asimismo, se realizaron entrevistas semiestructuradas mediante las TIC utilizando técnicas etnográficas para la obtención de relatos sobre experiencias de violencia contra el personal de salud relacionadas con la pandemia. Resultados: se presentan gráficas de los resultados arrojados en la encuesta, así como la interpretación y cruce de los datos cuantitativos y cualitativos obtenidos. Conclusiones: la violencia es un fenómeno complejo, por ahora, nuestros acercamientos nos permiten identificar el detonante social y su reproducción.

Introduction: violence against health personnel in times of the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic is analyzed from the phenomenological and symbolic perspective of social reality. Objective: to analyze violence against health personnel in times of COVID-19 from the phenomenology and semiotics of emotions. Material and methods: a hybrid methodology was carried out for the description and interpretation of qualitative and quantitative data. A cross-sectional study was conducted on violence against health personnel during the first months of the pandemic. The sampling was non-probabilistic, an online questionnaire was administered to them. Likewise, semi-structured interviews were applied through ICT using ethnographic techniques to obtain reports on experiences of violence against health personnel related to the pandemic. Results: graphs and data from the survey are presented, as well as the interpretation and crossing of the results obtained. Conclusions: violence is a complex phenomenon, for now, our approaches allow us to identify the social trigger and its reproduction.

Nivel de dependencia funcional de los adultos mayores de la comunidad de Tula de Allende / Level of functional dependence of older adults in the community of Tula de Allende

Introducción: El estado funcional se mide mediante la autonomía que tienen las personas para desarrollar las actividades de la vida diaria, cuando no se pueden realizar de manera autónoma es necesario un cuidador. Esta medida se sustenta en el modelo de adaptación de Sor Callista Roy, ya que se identifica el proceso de envejecimiento como el estímulo focal que produce una respuesta inmediata en el adulto mayor de acuerdo con el modo de interdependencia. Objetivo: Conocer el nivel de dependencia funcional de los adultos mayores de la comunidad de Tula de Allende, Hidalgo. Material y métodos: Estudio de aplicabilidad básica, cuantitativo, descriptivo y trasversal. Participaron 366 adultos mayores de Tula de Allende, y se les dio a conocer los términos de confidencialidad conforme a lo establecido en la Ley General de Salud y Declaración de Helsinki mediante el consentimiento informado. Se aplicó el cuestionario de Índice de Barthel (IB), para medir la dependencia funcional en las actividades instrumentales de la vida diaria. Resultados: Predomina el género femenino con el 52.7% representado por 193 participantes, la mayoría son casadas y amas de casa. De acuerdo con el IB la mayoría de los participantes tiene una dependencia leve, con una frecuencia de 206 y un porcentaje de 56.3%, y el cruce de variables arroja como resultado una relación significativa. Conclusión: Los adultos mayores de la comunidad de Tula de Allende presentan un nivel de dependencia funcional leve.

Introduction: Functional status assesses people's ability to carry out daily activities; when these cannot be performed autonomously, a caregiver is necessary. This measure is based on the Roy Adaptation Model, which identifies the aging process as the focal stimulus that generates an effect according to the interdependence mode. Objective: To evaluate the level of functional dependence of the elderly in the community of Tula de Allende, Hidalgo. Material and methods: Quantitative, descriptive, and cross-sectional study of basic applicability. 366 older adults from Tula de Allende participated and were informed about confidentiality terms in accordance with the General Health Law and the Declaration of Helsinki through informed consent. The Barthel Index (BI) questionnaire was applied to measure functional dependence on daily instrumental activities. Results: The female gender predominates with 52.7% represented by 193 participants, the majority are married housewives. According to the BI, most of the participants have a slight dependency, with a frequency of 206 and a percentage of 56.3%; the correlation of variables showed statistical significance. Conclusion: Older adults in the community of Tula de Allende present a mild functional dependence level.

Discovery of a new species of Homalometron Stafford, 1904 (Digenea: Apocreadiidae) from the stripped mojarra, Eugerres plumieri in a coastal lagoon of the Gulf of Mexico.

To date, 34 species of the genus Homalometron (Apocreadiidae) have been described; five of them in Mexican fresh or brackish water fish, whereas five have been reported as parasites of members of the fish family Gerreidae. While sampling wildlife vertebrates during a field course of parasitology at the Los Tuxtlas Biological Station (Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México) in Veracruz, specimens of digeneans were collected from the intestine of the stripped mojarra, Eugerres plumeri in Sontecomapan Lagoon. Specimens were studied morphologically and molecularly, and we discovered that they represented a new species of Homalometron. The new species is morphologically like the other four congeners in having three pairs of well-developed oral papillae on the oral sucker: Homalometron elongatum; Homalometron lesliorum; Homalometron carapavae; and Homalometron papilliferum. Here, we describe the newly discovered species, increasing our understanding about the parasite diversity of brackish water fishes of Mexico.

Survey of selected pathogens in free-ranging pinnipeds in Uruguay.

Marine mammals, regarded as sentinels of aquatic ecosystem health, are exposed to different pathogens and parasites under natural conditions. We surveyed live South American fur seals Arctocephalus australis and South American sea lions Otaria flavescens in Uruguay for Leptospira spp., canine distemper virus (CDV), Mycobacterium spp., Toxoplasma gondii, and Neospora caninum. Samples were collected from 2007 to 2013. The seroprevalence of Leptospira spp. was 37.6% positive, 50.9% negative, and 11.5% suspect for A. australis (n = 61) while for O. flavescens (n = 12) it was 67% positive, 25% negative, and 8% suspect. CDV RNA was not detected in any of the analyzed samples. Most animals tested seropositive to tuberculosis antigens by WiZo ELISA (A. australis: 29/30; O. flavescens: 20/20); reactivity varied with a novel ELISA test (antigens MPB70, MPB83, ESAT6 and MPB59). Seroprevalence against N. caninum and T. gondii was 6.7 and 13.3% positive for O. flavescens and 0 and 2.2% positive for A. australis respectively. To evaluate possible sources of infection for pinnipeds, wild rats Rattus rattus and semi-feral cats Felis catus were also tested for Leptospira spp. and T. gondii respectively. Water samples tested for Leptospira revealed saprofitic L. bioflexa. Pathogenic Leptospira were detected in the kidneys of 2 rats, and cats tested positive for T. gondii (100%). These results represent a substantial contribution to the study of the health status of wild pinnipeds in Uruguay.

Prevention of incisional hernia with a reinforced tension line (RTL) versus primary suture only in midline laparotomies: 3-year follow-up in a randomized clinical trial.

PURPOSE: Incisional hernia (IH) has an incidence of 10-23%, which can increase to 38% in specific risk groups. The objective of this study is to report the results at 3 years of follow-up of the use of the reinforced tension line (RTL) technique compared with primary suture only (PSO) closure in the prevention of IH in high-risk patients undergoing laparotomy. METHODS: Open randomized controlled clinical trial. Included were patients older than 18 years who underwent midline laparotomy, emergency or scheduled, who were considered high risk, and who completed 3-year follow-up. The patients were randomized 1:1 to the RTL technique or to PSO. The objective was to report the incidence of IH and the complications associated with the closure method. Intention-to-treat analysis and Cox regression were performed. RESULTS: A total of 124 patients were randomized; 51 patients from the RTL group and 53 patients from the PSO group finished the 3-year follow-up. The incidence of IH was higher in the PSO group (15/53, 28.3%) than the RTL group (5/51, 9.8%) (p = 0.016, OR 0.35, 95% CI 0.14-0.88, number needed to treat 5.4, log-rank test p = 0.017). The groups were similar in the rates of surgical site infection, hematoma, seroma, and postoperative pain during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The RTL technique is useful in the prevention of IH when compared with PSO in high-risk midline laparotomy patients, and it is not associated with a higher percentage of complications. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Local Committee CI-HRAEB-2013-020. March 13, 2013. CLINICAL TRIALS: NCT02136628, retrospectively registered.

Phosphorene and phosphorene oxides as a toxic gas sensor materials: a theoretical study.

A systematic study of the adsorption of several harmful gases (CO2, NO, SO2, NH3y H2S) onto black phosphorene and three different black phosphorene oxides (BPO) is carried out through density functional theory calculations. In general, it is shown that BPOs are more suitable adsorbents than pure black phosphorene. Smaller values of adsorption energy correspond to CO2molecules, whilst those exhibiting larger ones are NH3, H2S, NO y SO2. It is found that SO2shows the greater difference in electronic charge transfer as well as the longer time of recovery among all species, being an electron acceptor molecule. Besides, it is revealed that physisorption induces changes of different order in the electronic, magnetic and optical responses of phosphorene systems involved. Greater changes in the electronic structure are produced in the case of NO adsorption. In that case, semiconductor nature and magnetization features of black phosphorene band structure become significantly modified. Moreover, a notorious effect of an externally applied electric field on the molecule adsorption onto BPOs has been detected. In accordance, adsorption energy changes with the applied electric field direction, in such a way that the higher value is favored through an upwards-directed orientation of NO y SO2adsorbates. Results presented could help to enhancing the understanding of BPOs as possible candidates for applications in gas sensing.

Human prostate epithelial cells and prostate-derived stem cells malignantly transformed in vitro with sodium arsenite show impaired Toll like receptor -3 (TLR3)-associated anti-tumor pathway.

A therapeutic strategy for prostate cancer (PCa) involves the use of 9-cis-retinoic acid (9cRA) to induce cancer stem cells (CSCs) differentiation and apoptosis. Polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (PIC) is a Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) agonist that induces tumor cells apoptosis after activation. PIC+9cRA combination activates retinoic acid receptor ß (RARß) re-expression, leading to CSC differentiation and growth arrest. Since inorganic arsenic (iAs) targets prostatic stem cells (SCs), we hypothesized that arsenic-transformed SCs (As-CSCs) show an impaired TLR3-associated anti-tumor pathway and, therefore, are unresponsive to PIC activation. We evaluated TLR3-mediated activation of anti-tumor pathway based in RARß expression, on As-CSC and iAs-transformed epithelial cells (CAsE-PE). As-CSCs and CAsE-PE showed lower TLR3 and RARß basal expression compared to their respective isogenic controls WPE-Stem and RWPE-1. Also, iAs transformants showed reduced expression of mediators in TLR3 pathway. Importantly, As-CSCs were irresponsive to PIC+9cRA in terms of increased RARß and decreased SC-markers expression, while CAsE-PE, a heterogeneous cell line having a small SC population, were partially responsive. These observations indicate that iAs can impair TLR3 expression and anti-tumor pathway activated by PIC+9cRA in SCs and prostatic epithelial cells. These findings suggest that TLR3-activation based therapy may be an ineffective therapeutic alternative for iAs-associated PCa.

The spreading of Covid-19 in Mexico: A diffusional approach.

In this work, we analyze the spreading of Covid-19 in Mexico using the spatial SEIRD epidemiologic model. We use the information of the 32 regions (States) that conform the country, such as population density, verified infected cases, and deaths in each State. We extend the SEIRD compartmental epidemiologic with diffusion mechanisms in the exposed and susceptible populations. We use the Fickian law with the diffusion coefficient proportional to the population density to encompass the diffusion effects. The numerical results suggest that the epidemiologic model demands time-dependent parameters to incorporate non-monotonous behavior in the actual data in the global dynamic. The diffusional model proposed in this work has great potential in predicting the virus spreading on different scales, i.e., local, national, and between countries, since the complete reduction in people mobility is impossible.

Nociception induces a differential presynaptic modulation of the synaptic efficacy of nociceptive and proprioceptive joint afferents.

A previous study has indicated that during the state of central sensitization induced by the intradermic injection of capsaicin, there is a gradual facilitation of the dorsal horn neuronal responses produced by stimulation of the high-threshold articular afferents that is counteracted by a concurrent increase of descending inhibitory actions. Since these changes occurred without significantly affecting the responses produced by stimulation of the low-threshold articular afferents, it was suggested that the capsaicin-induced descending inhibition included a preferential presynaptic modulation of the synaptic efficacy of the slow conducting nociceptive joint afferents (Ramírez-Morales et al., Exp Brain Res 237:1629-1641, 2019). The present study was aimed to investigate more directly the contribution of presynaptic mechanisms in this descending control. We found that in the barbiturate anesthetized cat, stimulation of the high-threshold myelinated afferents in the posterior articular nerve (PAN) produces primary afferent hyperpolarization (PAH) in the slow conducting (25-35 m/s) and primary afferent depolarization (PAD) in the fast conducting (40-50 m/s) articular fibers. During the state of central sensitization induced by capsaicin, there is a supraspinally mediated shift of the autogenic PAH to PAD that takes place in the slow conducting fibers, basically without affecting the autogenic PAD generated in the fast conducting afferents. It is suggested that the change of presynaptic facilitation to presynaptic inhibition induced by capsaicin on the slow articular afferents is part of an homeostatic process aimed to keep the nociceptive-induced neuronal activity within manageable limits while preserving the proprioceptive information required for proper control of movement.

Low levels of PAHs and organotin compounds in surface sediment samples from a broad marine area of 25 de Mayo (King George) Island, South Shetland Islands.

The Northern region of the Antarctic Peninsula constitutes the area with the highest human presence in West Antarctica. The human presence, with all the activities associated such as logistic, scientific and tourism operations, represents a potential risk of chemical pollution with both, organic and inorganic contaminants. Under these conditions knowledge about the presence and levels of the main persistent organic pollutants (POPs) is essential to evaluate the environmental status of this ecologically relevant and sensitive area. In this work, which complements our previous study regarding trace elements, we performed the first regional-scale monitoring of 24 PAHs (16 of them included in EPA list of primary pollutant), and organotin compounds (OTCs:TBT, DBT and MBT) in surface sediment from 68 sites comprising six different areas in Maxwell Bay, southeast coast of 25 de Mayo (King George) Island. POPs were quantified in surface sediment samples (20-30 m depth) obtained during two summer Antarctic expeditions by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The two most anthropized areas (South Fildes and Potter Cove) showed moderated evidence of pollution for PAHs and OTC. In some sampling sites the concentration of total PAHs was higher than 100 ng/g dw, while TBT was detected in only five samples, two of them located in Potter Cove (ranged between 14 and 18 ng/g dw), and three, located in South Fildes area (ranged between 118 and 416 ng/g dw). Although POPs contamination was evidenced in some samples close to scientific stations, a pollution pattern was not clearly identified.