Acoustic Stress Induces Opposite Proliferative/Transformative Effects in Hippocampal Glia.

The hippocampus is a brain region crucially involved in regulating stress responses and highly sensitive to environmental changes, with elevated proliferative and adaptive activity of neurons and glial cells. Despite the prevalence of environmental noise as a stressor, its effects on hippocampal cytoarchitecture remain largely unknown. In this study, we aimed to investigate the impact of acoustic stress on hippocampal proliferation and glial cytoarchitecture in adult male rats, using environmental noise as a stress model. After 21 days of noise exposure, our results showed abnormal cellular proliferation in the hippocampus, with an inverse effect on the proliferation ratios of astrocytes and microglia. Both cell lineages also displayed atrophic morphologies with fewer processes and lower densities in the noise-stressed animals. Our findings suggest that, stress not only affects neurogenesis and neuronal death in the hippocampus, but also the proliferation ratio, cell density, and morphology of glial cells, potentially triggering an inflammatory-like response that compromises their homeostatic and repair functions.

Culturally Responsive Telepsychology & mHealth Interventions for Racial-Ethnic Minoritized Youth: Research Gaps and Future Directions.

Telepsychology and mHealth (TPmH) services for youth and their families have become increasingly prevalent in recent years. However, significant limitations in theory, research, and policy introduce questions about the effectiveness of such interventions, particularly for racial-ethnic minoritized youth and their families, who already contend with inequities in mental health treatment access and outcomes. Although TPmH have the potential to reduce barriers to mental health services in ways that may benefit racial-ethnic minoritized youth and their families, the mental health field must first grapple with limitations in culturally responsive TPmH work to avoid perpetuating existing mental health inequities. As such, this article begins by briefly reviewing extant literature on (1) TPmH for youth, (2) culturally adapted or culturally responsive evidence-based interventions for racial-ethnic minoritized youth and families, and (3) the intersection of TPmH and culturally responsive interventions. Informed by the gaps identified by this review, we provide recommendations for future directions in culturally responsive TPmH for racial-ethnic minoritized youth and families. These recommendations have been organized into four overarching categories: (1) conceptual and theoretical recommendations, (2) research priorities, (3) practice and policy recommendations, and (4) engagement and access recommendations. These recommendations offer novel ideas for researchers, clinicians, funding agencies, policy-makers, and other key stakeholders and are intended to facilitate equity in TPmH for racial-ethnic minoritized youth and their families.

Primary central nervous system lymphoma: A mirror type presentation in an immunocompetent patient.

Background: Primary central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma is a very rare extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The bilateral pattern, as we call it "mirror type", has been identified in other CNS lesions such as gliomas, metastases, and demyelinating lesions, so the differential diagnosis includes imaging studies such as magnetic resonance imaging contrasted with spectroscopy, ruling out immunodeficiency or metastatic disease. Case Description: A 65-year-old female presented progressing headache, loss of memory and language alterations, as well as sensory alterations. Neuroimaging showed the presence of two equidistant periventricular lesions at the level of both ventricular atria, a spectroscopy study suggestive of malignancy. Serological studies showed no evidence of immunodeficiency or the presence of positive tumor markers; however, a biopsy was performed, which revealed a histopathological result of primary lymphoma of the CNS. Conclusion: In neuro-oncology, primary CNS tumors with multiple lesions are rare, even more, the "mirror type" lesions. Lymphomas are lesions that can present in different ways on imaging and clinical presentation. These tumors that present a vector effect due to their size, perilesional edema, or that lead to loss of neurological function are highly discussed in diagnostic and surgical treatment. Due to their prognosis, action on diagnosis and treatment must be taken as quickly as hospital resources allow.

Visual EMDR stimulation mitigates acute varied stress effects on morphology of hippocampal neurons in male Wistar rats.

Introduction: Stress is a pervasive health concern known to induce physiological changes, particularly impacting the vulnerable hippocampus and the morphological integrity of its main residing cells, the hippocampal neurons. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), initially developed to alleviate emotional distress, has emerged as a potential therapeutic/preventive intervention for other stress-related disorders. This study aimed to investigate the impact of Acute Variable Stress (AVS) on hippocampal neurons and the potential protective effects of EMDR. Methods: Rats were exposed to diverse stressors for 7 days, followed by dendritic morphology assessment of hippocampal neurons using Golgi-Cox staining. Results: AVS resulted in significant dendritic atrophy, evidenced by reduced dendritic branches and length. In contrast, rats receiving EMDR treatment alongside stress exposure exhibited preserved dendritic morphology comparable to controls, suggesting EMDR's protective role against stressinduced dendritic remodeling. Conclusions: These findings highlight the potential of EMDR as a neuroprotective intervention in mitigating stress-related hippocampal alterations.

Prevalence and Characteristics of Patients Requiring Surgical Reinterventions for Ankle Fractures.

(1) Background: Ankle fractures are common injuries that typically require surgical treatment. Complications may arise, leading to reinterventions with poor recovery and reduced quality of life for patients. The aim of this study was to determine the number of patients who underwent surgical reintervention for ankle fractures, characteristics, and associated factors. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to analyze the number of patients requiring surgical intervention for ankle fractures at General Hospital Zone No1 IMSS in Colima over a period of two years. The age, gender, comorbidities, laterality, cause of surgical reintervention, Weber classification, and elapsed time to reintervention were analyzed. (3) Results: A total of 33 patients were included in this study, of whom 63.3% were male, ranging in age from 18 to 51 years old. The predominant Danis-Weber classification for both sexes was suprasyndesmotic fracture (Type C). No established relationship was found between comorbidities and surgical reintervention; however, a significant relationship was observed between home accidents and the need for reintervention. (4) Conclusions: Reintervention in patients previously operated on for ankle fractures is more frequent in male patients and those who sustained the injury at home.

Human Monkeypox: A Comprehensive Overview of Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention Strategies.

Monkeypox virus (MPXV) is an emerging zoonotic virus that belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus and presents clinical symptoms similar to those of smallpox, such as fever and vesicular-pustular skin lesions. However, the differential diagnosis between smallpox and monkeypox is that smallpox does not cause lymphadenopathy but monkeypox generates swelling in the lymph nodes. Since the eradication of smallpox, MPXV has been identified as the most common Orthopoxvirus to cause human disease. Despite MPXV being endemic to certain regions of Africa, the current MPXV outbreak, which began in early 2022, has spread to numerous countries worldwide, raising global concern. As of the end of May 2023, over 87,545 cases and 141 deaths have been reported, with most cases identified in non-endemic countries, primarily due to human-to-human transmission. To better understand this emerging threat, this review presents an overview of key aspects of MPXV infection, including its animal reservoirs, modes of transmission, animal models, epidemiology, clinical and immunological features, diagnosis, treatments, vaccines, and prevention strategies. The material presented here provides a comprehensive understanding of MPXV as a disease, while emphasizing the significance and unique characteristics of the 2022 outbreak. This offers valuable information that can inform future research and aid in the development of effective interventions.

Association of Serum Levels of Plasticizers Compounds, Phthalates and Bisphenols, in Patients and Survivors of Breast Cancer: A Real Connection?

Phthalates and bisphenols are ubiquitous environmental pollutants with the ability to perturb different systems. Specifically, they can alter the endocrine system, and this is why they are also known as endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs). Interestingly, they are related to the development and progression of breast cancer (BC), but the threshold concentrations at which they trigger that are not well established. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare the concentration measures of parent EDCs in three groups of women (without BC, with BC, and BC survivors) from two urban populations in Mexico, to establish a possible association between EDCs and this disease. We consider the measure of the parent compounds would reflect the individual's exposure. METHODS: The levels of di-ethyl-hexyl-phthalate (DEHP), butyl-benzyl-phthalate (BBP), di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) and di-ethyl-phthalate (DEP), bisphenol A (BPA) and bisphenol S (BPS) were determined by gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry in 102 subjects, including 37 women without any pathological disease, 46 patients with BC and 19 women survivals of BC of Mexico and Toluca City. RESULTS: All phthalates were detected in 100% of women, two of them were significantly higher in patients with different BC subtypes in Mexico City. Differential increases were observed mainly in the serum concentration of phthalates in women with BC compared to women without disease between Mexico and Toluca City. In addition, when performing an analysis of the concentrations of phthalates by molecular type of BC, DEP and BBP were found mainly in aggressive and poorly differentiated types of BC. It should be noted that female BC survivors treated with anti-hormonal therapy showed lower levels of BBP than patients with BC. BPA and BPS were found in most samples from Mexico City. However, BPS was undetectable in women from Toluca City. DISCUSSION: The results of our study support the hypothesis of a positive association between exposure to phthalates and BC incidence.

Male/female Differences in Radial Arm Water Maze Execution After Chronic Exposure to Noise.

INTRODUCTION: Noise is one of the main sources of discomfort in modern societies. It affects physiology, behavior, and cognition of exposed subjects. Although the effects of noise on cognition are well known, gender role in noise-cognition relationship remains controversial. AIM: We analyzed the effects of noise on the ability of male and female rats to execute the Radial Arm Water Maze (RAWM) paradigm. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Male and female Wistar rats were exposed to noise for 3 weeks, and the cognitive effects were assessed at the end of the exposure. RAWM execution included a three-day training phase and a reversal-learning phase conducted on the fourth day. Escape latency, reference memory errors, and working memory errors were quantified and compared between exposed and non-exposed subjects. RESULTS: We found that male rats were in general more affected by noise. Execution during the three-day learning phase evidenced that male exposed rats employed significantly more time to acquire the task than the non-exposed. On the other hand, the exposed females solved the paradigm in latencies similar to control rats. Both, males and females diminished their capacity to execute on the fourth day when re-learning abilities were tested. CONCLUSION: We conclude that male rats might be less tolerable to noise compared to female ones and that spatial learning may be a cognitive function comparably more vulnerable to noise.

Male rats exhibit higher pro-BDNF, c-Fos and dendritic tree changes after chronic acoustic stress.

Prolonged or intense exposure to environmental noise (EN) has been associated with a number of changes in auditory organs as well as other brain structures. Notably, males and females have shown different susceptibilities to acoustic damage as well as different responses to environmental stressors. Rodent models have evidence of sex-specific changes in brain structures involved in noise and sound processing. As a common effect, experimental models have demonstrated that dendrite arborizations reconfigure in response to aversive conditions in several brain regions. Here, we examined the effect of chronic noise on dendritic reorganization and c-Fos expression patterns of both sexes. During 21 days male and female rats were exposed to a rats' audiogram-fitted adaptation of a noisy environment. Golgi-Cox and c-Fos staining were performed at auditory cortices (AC) and hippocampal regions. Sholl analysis and c-Fos counts were conducted for evidence of intersex differences. In addition, pro-BDNF serum levels were also measured. We found different patterns of c-Fos expression in hippocampus and AC. While in AC expression levels showed rapid and intense increases starting at 2 h, hippocampal areas showed slower rises that reached the highest levels at 21 days. Sholl analysis also evidenced regional differences in response to noise. Dendritic trees were reduced after 21 days in hippocampus but not in AC. Meanwhile, pro-BDNF levels augmented after EN exposure. In all analyzed variables, exposed males were the most affected. These findings suggest that noise may exert differential effects on male and female brains and that males could be more vulnerable to the chronic effects of noise.