The role of SKA2 on affective disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide behavior: systematic review and in silico analysis.

Genes involved in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis may be a robust biomarker of psychiatric disorders. Genetic polymorphisms of the SKA2 gene are associated with several behavioral disorders. In this study, we embarked on a systematic search of all possible reports of genetic association with SKA2 and affective disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicide behavior; the functional consequences of nsSNPs were explored through computational tools with an in silico analysis. Eight eligible articles were included. Our study identified that SKA2 did not show association with risk of Major Depression Disorder. Epigenetic variation at SKA2 mediates vulnerability to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Studies provide strong preliminary evidence that alterations at the SKA2 gene covary with types of suicide behavior, including suicidal ideation, attempts, and completions. Results from in silico analysis predicted that I22S, I22G, I78T, A15L, D18R, R25L, N42I, Y21S, K14I, K14L, and L60R were the most structurally and functionally significant nsSNPs in SKA2. Amino acid conservation analysis revealed that the amino acids were highly conserved and some dissimilarities of mutant type amino acids from wild-type amino acids such as charge, size, and hydrophobicity were observed. In the future, SKA2 gene have the potential to be evaluated as prognostic biomarkers for diagnosis and research.

A new species of knob-scaled lizard (Xenosauridae, Xenosaurus) from the Sierra Madre Oriental of Puebla, Mexico.

A new species of Xenosaurus in the X. tzacualtipantecus clade is described from the Sierra Madre Oriental of northern Puebla, Mexico. The new species differs from all of its congeners in possessing a unique combination of characters. The new species appears to be allopatric and fills in the geographic gap between the geographic distributions of X. tzacualtipantecus and the species in the newmanorum clade to the north and northwest and those of the species in the grandis and rackhami clades to the south and southeast. The new species occurs between approximately 880 m and 1470 m of elevation, and appears to be restricted to cloud forest, which has been replaced by coffee plantations in many areas. An updated key to the species of Xenosaurus is provided.

ResumenSe describe una nueva especie de Xenosaurus del clado X. tzacualtipantecus de la Sierra Madre Oriental del norte de Puebla, México. La nueva especie difiere de todos sus congéneres por poseer una combinación única de caracteres. La nueva especie parece ser alopátrica y llena el hueco geográfico entre las distribuciones geográficas de X. tzacualtipantecus y las especies del clado newmanorum hacia el norte y noroeste, y aquellas de las especies de los clados grandis y rackhami hacia el sur y sureste. La nueva especie se ha encontrado en elevaciones entre aproximadamente 880 m y 1470 m y parece estar restringida al bosque mesófilo de montaña, el cual ha sido reemplazado por cafetales en muchas áreas. También se ofrece una clave actualizada para las especies de Xenosaurus.

Influence of parental education on Honduran medical students' labour perspectives: rural work and emigration.

INTRODUCTION: We sought to evaluate the intentions of Honduran medical students to emigrate or to work in a rural setting, and their association with parental education. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional, analytic study at a Honduran medical school. Student participants completed a structured questionnaire, which assessed their intentions to emigrate or work in a rural setting after finishing medical school and the highest level of education achieved by their parents. We calculated crude and adjusted prevalence ratios with their respective 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: Of 868 surveys distributed, 564 were completed. The mean age of the participants was 21 (standard deviation 3) years, and 62.2% were female. Of the respondents, 16.6% intended to emigrate to work and 11.2% intended to work in a rural setting. Higher paternal education (i.e., technical, university and postgraduate training) was associated with a higher rate of intention to emigrate. Students whose fathers underwent postgraduate education were less likely to intend to work in a rural setting. For maternal education, only the postgraduate level was associated with the outcomes in some of the tested models. CONCLUSION: The frequency of students intending to emigrate was relatively low. However, the frequency of students being willing to work in rural settings was also low. Students whose parents had higher levels of education were more likely to intend to work abroad and less likely to intend to work in a rural area. These factors should be considered in medical schools' selection processes to improve retention and ensure adequate distribution of physicians.

INTRODUCTION: Nous avons voulu évaluer les intentions d'étudiants en médecine honduriens d'émigrer ou de travailler en milieu rural et le rapport entre leurs intentions et le degré de scolarité de leurs parents. MÉTHODES: Nous avons effectué une étude analytique transversale dans une faculté de médecine du Honduras. Les étudiants participants ont répondu à un questionnaire structuré qui évaluait leurs intentions d'émigrer ou de travailler en milieu rural à la fin de leurs études de médecine et le plus haut degré de scolarité atteint par leurs parents. Nous avons calculé les rapports de prévalence brute et ajustée, ainsi que leurs intervalles de confiance de 95 % respectifs. RÉSULTATS: Sur les 868 questionnaires distribués, 564 ont été remplis. L'âge moyen des participants était de 21 ans (écart-type 3 ans) et 62,2 % étaient de sexe féminin. Parmi les répondants, 16,6 % avaient l'intention d'émigrer pour travailler et 11,2 % avaient l'intention de travailler en milieu rural. Un niveau de scolarité paternel plus élevé (c'est-à-dire, formation technique, universitaire ou études supérieures) était associé à un taux plus élevé d'intention d'émigrer. Les étudiants dont les pères avaient fait des études supérieures étaient moins susceptibles d'avoir l'intention de travailler en milieu rural. En ce qui concerne l'éducation maternelle, seules les études supérieures ont été associées aux résultats pour certains modèles testés. CONCLUSION: Le nombre d'étudiants ayant l'intention d'émigrer était relativement bas. Toutefois, le nombre d'étudiants acceptant de travailler en milieu rural était également bas. Les étudiants dont les parents avaient un niveau de scolarité plus élevé étaient plus susceptibles d'avoir l'intention de travailler à l'étranger et moins susceptibles d'avoir l'intention de travailler en milieu rural. Ces facteurs doivent entrer en ligne de compte lors du processus de sélection des étudiants admis dans les facultés de médecine pour améliorer la rétention et la distribution adéquate des effectifs médicaux.