Rapid Epidemic Expansion of Chikungunya Virus East/Central/South African Lineage, Paraguay.

The spread of Chikungunya virus is a major public health concern in the Americas. There were >120,000 cases and 51 deaths in 2023, of which 46 occurred in Paraguay. Using a suite of genomic, phylodynamic, and epidemiologic techniques, we characterized the ongoing large chikungunya epidemic in Paraguay.

ASSOCIATION BETWEEN APOE-ε4 CARRIER STATUS AND QUALITATIVE NEUROIMAGING CHARACTERISTICS IN OLDER ADULTS WITH MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT.

BACKGROUND: The pathogenesis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is multifactorial and includes the presence of genetic variants such as the ε4 allele of the apolipoprotein E gene (APOE-ε4). Association between the APOE-ε4 carrier status and deleterious structural and functional changes on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been previously described in individuals with Alzheimer's disease. However, the central nervous system changes may possibly develop in earlier stages of cognitive impairment, as reflected in MCI. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to determine the association between APOE-ε4 carrier status and qualitative changes on MRI (medial temporal and parietal atrophy), as well as the detection of white matter hyperintensities (WMH) in older adults with MCI, in the memory clinic of a tertiary care hospital in Mexico City. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of 72 adults aged 60 years or above who underwent an exhaustive clinical, neuroimaging, and neuropsychological evaluation. Multivariate logistic regression models were constructed to determine the association between APOE-ε4 carrier status and qualitative/quantitative changes on MRI. RESULTS: Mean age was 75.2 years (± 7.2) and 64% were female. Twenty-one participants were cognitively normal and 51 had MCI. Almost 56% were APOE-ε4 carriers and were associated with medial-temporal atrophy according to the Scheltens scale (odds ratio [OR]: 20.0, 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 3.03-131.7), parietal atrophy according to the Koedam's score (OR: 6.3; 95% CI 1.03-39.53), and WMH according to the Fazekas scale (OR: 11.7, 95% CI: 1.26-108.2), even after adjusting for age, educational level, and cardiovascular risk factors. CONCLUSION: The APOE-ε4 carrier status was associated with medial temporal and parietal atrophy, as well as WMH. Our findings support the hypothesis suggesting the contribution of this genotype to neurodegeneration and cerebral vascular pathology.

Shock agudo secundario a un neuroblastoma congénito: Caso clmico neonatal / Acute shock secondary to congenital neuroblastoma: Neonatal case report

El neuroblastoma congénito es el tumor sólido maligno más frecuente en el período neonatal. La forma de presentación suele ser por diagnóstico prenatal o por una masa abdominal. Su estadificación permite clasificarlo en grupos de riesgo con pronóstico y tratamiento diferentes. En el período neonatal, se caracteriza por la alta tasa de regresión espontánea y el buen pronóstico (supervivencia libre de enfermedad a los 5 años superior al 90 %). Se presenta un caso clínico de neuroblastoma congénito cuya forma de presentación, shock e hipertensión, solo estaba descrita en otra ocasión antes. El tratamiento antihipertensivo, junto con la quimioterapia sistémica, produjo el control clínico y la mejoría del paciente.

Congenital neuroblastoma is the most frequent malignant solid tumor in the neonatal period. The clinical presentation is usually either by prenatal diagnosis or by palpation of an abdominal mass. Staging allows classifying it according to risk groups with a different prognosis and treatment. In the neonatal period, it is characterized by a high rate of spontaneous regression and good prognosis (disease-free survival at 5 years greater than 90 %). We present a clinical case of congenital neuroblastoma whose presentation, shock and hypertension, was only described on a previous occasion. Antihypertensive treatment along with systemic chemotherapy produced clinical control and patient improvement.

[Acute shock secondary to congenital neuroblastoma: Neonatal case report]. / Shock agudo secundario a un neuroblastoma congénito: Caso clmico neonatal.

Congenital neuroblastoma is the most frequent malignant solid tumor in the neonatal period. The clinical presentation is usually either by prenatal diagnosis or by palpation of an abdominal mass. Staging allows classifying it according to risk groups with a different prognosis and treatment. In the neonatal period, it is characterized by a high rate of spontaneous regression and good prognosis (disease-free survival at 5 years greater than 90 %). We present a clinical case of congenital neuroblastoma whose presentation, shock and hypertension, was only described on a previous occasion. Antihypertensive treatment along with systemic chemotherapy produced clinical control and patient improvement.

El neuroblastoma congénito es el tumor sólido maligno más frecuente en el período neonatal. La forma de presentación suele ser por diagnóstico prenatal o por una masa abdominal. Su estadificación permite clasificarlo en grupos de riesgo con pronóstico y tratamiento diferentes. En el período neonatal, se caracteriza por la alta tasa de regresión espontánea y el buen pronóstico (supervivencia libre de enfermedad a los 5 años superior al 90 %). Se presenta un caso clínico de neuroblastoma congénito cuya forma de presentación, shock e hipertensión, solo estaba descrita en otra ocasión antes. El tratamiento antihipertensivo, junto con la quimioterapia sistémica, produjo el control clínico y la mejoría del paciente.

Culture of explants from the sponge Mycale cecilia to obtain bioactive mycalazal-type metabolites.

Natural products with promising biomedical properties have been described from sponges, but the problem of supply is usually a limiting factor for their pharmacological evaluation. Mycale cecilia produces an array of metabolites containing a pyrrole-2-carbaldehyde moiety (e.g., mycalazals and mycalenitriles) that have shown activity as growth inhibitors of the human prostate carcinoma cell line LNcaP. This study shows that the culture of M. cecilia is a viable method to supply mycalazals while protecting the wild population. Small implants were bound to ceramic tiles, and after 3 to 4 days, the tissue samples formed a secure attachment. Subsequently, these explants were simultaneously cultured in their natural environment and in small tanks for 60 days. Sponges in the tanks were fed a diet consisting of a mixture of two microalgae (Tetraselmis sp. and Isochrysis sp.) and powdered yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The final survival of the explants differed significantly between the two farming methods: It was higher in the natural environment (95 ± 7.07%; overall mean ± standard error) than in the enclosed system (65 ± 21.21%). Growth was also higher than in the tanks, and after 60 days, it increased to 207% in the sea and 65% in the tanks, which represented a daily increase of 3.5% and 1.5%, respectively. At the end of the trial, both the explants cultured in the sea and in the tanks retained the production of bioactive metabolites. The mean concentration of pyrrole-2-carbaldehyde derivatives in wild and cultured sponges was determined by (1)H-NMR. These results demonstrate that in-sea aquaculture of M. cecilia is a viable method for supplying the amounts of mycalazal-type compounds needed to advance the studies on their bioactivity.