Association between fluoride intake from drinking water and severity of dental fluorosis in Northern and Western Mexico: systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Dental fluorosis (DF) is caused by excessive exposure to fluoride during odontogenesis and leads to various changes in the development of tooth enamel. Some regions in Mexico are considered endemic fluorosis zones due to the high fluoride content in drinking water. The objective of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify the association between the concentration of fluoride in drinking water and the severity of dental fluorosis in northern and western Mexico. METHODS: This protocol was registered in the PROSPERO database (ID: CRD42023401519). The search for information was carried out in the PubMed/Medline, Scopus, SpringerLink, and Google Scholar databases between January 2015 and October 2023. The overall relative risk was calculated using the inverse of variance approach with the random effects method. The RoB 2.0 tool was used to construct risk plots. RESULTS: Eleven articles were analyzed qualitatively, and most of the included studies presented at least one level of DF severity; six articles were analyzed quantitatively, dividing them into two regions. In North region it was observed a higher prevalence of severe TF cases, corresponding to ≥ TF 5 category (4.78) [3.55, 6.42]. In the West region, most of the included studies presented a higher prevalence of less severe cases, corresponding to ≤ TF 4, in comparison with the North region (0.01) [0.00, 0.52], interpreted as a protective effect. CONCLUSION: The concentrations of fluorides in drinking water are reportedly high in these regions and are directly related to the severity of dental fluorosis experienced by the inhabitants. In the Northern region exists a major concentration of fluoride in drinking water compared with the Western region as well as a prevalence of higher severity cases of dental fluorosis.

HLA-G 14 bp Ins/Del (rs66554220) Variant Is Not Associated with Breast Cancer in Women from Western Mexico.

HLA-G is a physiology and pathologic immunomodulator detrimentally related to cancer. Its gene is heavily transcriptionally and post-transcriptionally regulated by variants located in regulator regions like 3'UTR, being the most studied Ins/Del of 14-bp (rs66554220), which is known to influence the effects of endogen cell factors; nevertheless, the reports are discrepant and controversial. Herein, the relationship of the 14-bp Ins/Del variant (rs66554220) with breast cancer (BC) and its clinical characteristics were analyzed in 182 women with non-familial BC and 221 disease-free women as a reference group. Both groups from western Mexico and sex-age-matched (sm-RG). The rs66554220 variant was amplified by SSP-PCR and the fragments were visualized in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The variant rs66554220 was not associated with BC in our population. However, we suggest the Ins allele as a possible risk factor for developing BC at clinical stage IV (OR = 3.05, 95% CI = 1.16-7.96, p = 0.01); nevertheless, given the small stratified sample size (n = 11, statistical power = 41%), this is inconclusive. In conclusion, the 14-bp Ins/Del (rs66554220) variant of HLA-G is not associated with BC in the Mexican population, but might be related to advanced breast tumors. Further studies are required.

Extrapolating canopy phenology information using Sentinel-2 data and the Google Earth Engine platform to identify the optimal dates for remotely sensed image acquisition of semiarid mangroves.

Continuum monitoring of mangrove ecosystems is required to maintain and improve upon national mangrove conservation strategies. In particular, mangrove canopy assessments using remote sensing methods can be undertaken rapidly and, if freely available, optimize costs. Although such spaceborne data have been used for such purposes, their application to map mangroves at the species level has been limited by the capacity to provide continuous data. The objective of this study was to assess mangrove seasonal patterns using seven multispectral vegetation indices based on a Sentinel-2 (S2) time series (July 2018 to October 2019) to assess phenological trajectories of various semiarid mangrove classes in the Google Earth Engine platform using Fourier analysis for an area located in Western Mexico. The results indicate that the months from November through December and from May through July were critical in mangrove species discrimination using the EVI2, NDVI, and VARI series. The Random Forest classification accuracy for the S2 image was calculated at 79% during the optimal acquisition period (June 25, 2019), whereas only 55% accuracy was calculated for the non-optimal image acquired date (March 2, 2019). Although mangroves are considered evergreen forests, the phenological pattern of various mangrove canopies, based on these indices, were shown to be very similar to the surrounding land-based semiarid deciduous forest. Consequently, it is believed that the rainfall pattern is likely to be the key environmental factor driving mangrove phenology in this semiarid coastal system and thus the degree of success in mangrove remote sensing classification endeavors. Identifying the optimal dates when canopy spectral conditions are ideal in achieving mangrove species discrimination could be of utmost importance when purchasing more expensive very-high spatial resolution satellite images or collecting spatial data from UAVs.

Intestinal Dysbiosis in Subjects with Obesity from Western Mexico and Its Association with a Proinflammatory Profile and Disturbances of Folate (B9) and Carbohydrate Metabolism.

Obesity is a public health problem with a growing prevalence worldwide. In Mexico, it is estimated that one out of three adults suffer from obesity. In these patients, the intestinal microbiota (IM) undergoes pathological changes that are associated with a dysbiotic state; however, the microbiota profile of adult subjects with obesity from western Mexico has not been described. To assess this, fecal samples were obtained from 65 participants (Obese = 38; Control = 27). The microbial composition was characterized by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. The IM of the group with obesity revealed a clear decrease in richness and diversity (p < 0.001), as well as a significant increase in proinflammatory bacterial groups, mainly genera belonging to the Negativicutes class, Escherichia/Shigella, and Prevotella. Likewise, an increase in short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria was found, especially the genus Lachnoclostridium. Additionally, PICRUSt2 analysis showed a depletion of vitamin B9 metabolism and an increase in saccharolytic pathways. The IM of patients with obesity possesses a dysbiotic, proinflammatory environment, possibly contributing to lipogenesis and adiposity. Thus, assessing the IM will allow for a better understanding of the pathophysiology of metabolic diseases of high prevalence, such as obesity. These findings are described for the first time in the adult population of western Mexico.

Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii Measured by Western Blot, ELISA and DNA Analysis, by PCR, in Cats of Western Mexico.

Toxoplasma gondii is the causative agent of toxoplasmosis in humans and animals. The sexual reproductive cycle of Toxoplasma takes place in the small intestine of felines, the definitive hosts. In the final part of the sexual cycle, T. gondii forms oocysts in infected cats. Oocysts transferred via the faeces to the environment are highly infectious to both animals and humans. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors associated with T. gondii infection in cats from the metropolitan region of Guadalajara in western Mexico. Western blotting and ELISA for anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibodies was performed, and Toxoplasma DNA was identified using polymerase chain reaction. Prevalence of anti-T. gondii antibodies was 14.8% (44/297), and only 2/297 cases were positive for PCR. Cats older than one year were at an increased risk of infection (OR = 3.9, 95% CI 1.844-8.362). Sex, raw meat feeding, hunting habits, vaccination status, and body condition were not associated with positivity. The prevalence of T. gondii infection determined with Western blot in cats in the metropolitan area of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, was lower than that reported in previous studies.

Pelagic amphipods (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Hyperiidea) in western Mexico. 2. Family Eupronoidae.

During deep-water (0-1550m) sampling operations off western Mexico performed between 1989 and 2014, a series of 89 specimens of pelagic amphipods of the family Eupronoidae was obtained, including two genera and four species: Eupronoe armata, E. maculata, E. minuta, and Parapronoe parva. The most abundant species (50% of total number of individuals) and frequently collected species (in 65% of samples with eupronoids) was E. maculata. Worldwide and regional distributions are provided for each species. Notes on previously used names are provided.

Tubicolous polychaete worms (Annelida) from Bahía de Chamela Islands Sanctuary, Mexico, with the description of a new bamboo worm.

BACKGROUND: The islands and islets of Bahía de Chamela, in the Eastern Tropical Pacific, were declared as the first marine sanctuary in Mexico and has been protected since 2002. Their marine biodiversity has been documented in a series of papers in the last decade, but only three species of polychaete worms have been reported. NEW INFORMATION: Sixteen species of sedentary polychaete worms belonging to the families Maldanidae, Oweniidae, Sabellariidae, Sabellidae and Serpulidae are reported to the Bahía de Chamela Islands Sanctuary, 15 of these species constituting the first records in the area. Isocirrus tropicus (Monro, 1928) (Monro 1928) and Notaulax californica (Treadwell, 1906) (Treadwell 1906) constitute new records to Mexico; Idanthyrsus mexicanus Kirtley, 1904 (Kirtley 1994) is first recorded since its description and one species of bamboo worm (Maldanidae) is described as new to science. The new species belongs to the genus Clymenura Verril, 1900 (Verrill 1900) and its characterised by the presence of a glandular shield on chaetiger 8; a cephalic plaque oval with smooth margins and a rounded palpode; nuchal organs straight, parallel, almost full length of plaque; manubriavicular uncini present from chaetiger 1 with 3-4 teeth above the main fang without hairs or bristles; two pre-anal achaetous segments with tori; an anal funnel with alternating triangular cirri, being the longest that are located mid-ventrally.

Rediscovery of Hansenomysis lucifugus (Faxon, 1893) (Crustacea, Mysida, Petalophthalmidae) in the eastern Pacific.

The deep-water mysid, Hansenomysis lucifugus (Faxon, 1893), previously known only from the type locality off the Galapagos Islands, is rediscovered off western Mexico. A complete description is provided based on this new material. The new records correspond to a series of 15 adult females and increase the known distribution of this species by over 30° of latitude to the north, to 30°51.26'N-116°42.18'W. Although no precise depth range in the water column is known for this species, it has been collected in localities where total depth was at least 1848 m.

Species of Scina Prestandrea, 1833 (Amphipoda, Hyperiidea, Scinidae) from western Mexico with the description of a new species from the Gulf of California.

Only a few previous surveys of the deep-water planktonic fauna have been accomplished off western Mexico, in particular in the Gulf of California. Samples of pelagic amphipods were obtained between surface and as deep as 2394 m using different gear during an extensive survey in this area. Among these samples, nine species of the genus Scina were recognized, including 78 specimens: 27 males and 51 females. The genus Scina inhabits mesopelagic waters at depths over 200 m, a community that remains largely unknown. The material examined includes a new species, the first reported from the Gulf of California, which is described and compared with its closest congeners, S. setigera Wagler, 1926 and S. parasetigera Zeidler, 1990. These three species share the presence of a long bristle on the base of the dactylus of pereopods 5 and 6. Scina sp. nov. differs from these other two species mainly by: 1) the shape and proportions of pereiopods 1-7; 2) the presence of three inner spiniform elements on uropod 1; 3) the insertion of the exopod on distal 1/3 of uropods. Of the remaining species collected during the survey S. borealis was by far the most abundant and widely distributed, followed by S. wolterecki and S. marginata. The other five species, S. curvidactyla, S. nana, S. pacifica, S. setigera, and S. submarginata, were represented by one or two specimens only. Co-occurence of species of Scina in samples was low with a maximum of four species in a single sample, all associated with S. borealis, the most common species. The distribution of Scina species collected during this survey is briefly discussed.

Species of Gnathophausiidae (Crustacea, Lophogastrida) collected off the west coast of Baja California, Mexico, during the TALUD cruises.

During a survey of the deep-water fauna off western Mexico a large series of specimens of Gnathophausiidae was collected in a benthic sledge operating between 296 and 2136 m. Five species known to occur in the area were collected: Gnathophausia scapularis Ortmann, 1906, G. zoea Willemoes-Suhm, 1873, Neognathophausia gigas (Willemoes-Suhm, 1873), N. ingens (Dohrn, 1870), and Fagegnathophausia gracilis (Willemoes-Suhm, 1875). Additional distribution data are provided for these species in the area. A sixth species, G. childressi Casanova, 1996, previously known only from the type locality, off California, was also collected in three localities. Several external morphological characters in F. gracilis are analyzed according to individual size. The general and regional (off western Mexico) distributions of these six species is analyzed.

New records of Synallactes virgulasolida Massin Hendrickx, 2010 (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) from the eastern Pacific.

Specimens of the sea cucumber Synallactes virgulasolida were obtained during sampling operations off western Mexico. Based on a total of 190 specimens and on additional records available in the Scripps Institution of Oceanography collections, new geographical (southern California to Chile) and bathymetric (712‒1300 m) distributions are provided. SEM photographs of ossicles are provided for the first time for this species. New ecological data associated with the presence of this species are also provided: 4.17‒5.81 °C, 0.15‒0.48 ml O2/l, and in 34.40‒34.48 ups. The species occurs in a wide variety of sediments with an organic carbon content of 17.93‒52.02 mg/g (1.79-5.20 % of organic matter) and is occasionally very dense (up to 170.32 orgs/ha). All Mexican records correspond to a bathymetric fringe located below the Oxygen Minimum Zone, thus indicating that S. virgulasolida is able to tolerate hypoxic conditions.

New records of helminths of Sceloporus pyrocephalus Cope (Squamata, Phrynosomatidae) from Guerrero and Michoacán, Mexico, with the description of a new species of Thubunaea Seurat, 1914 (Nematoda, Physalopteridae).

A total of 61 specimens of the Red-headed Spiny Lizard Sceloporus pyrocephalus Cope (Phrynosomatidae) collected during the breeding season (June/July 2003, 2004 and 2005) from Western Mexico were examined for helminths. The morphological characterization of the helminths found was made through light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Nine taxa of helminths were identified, two cestodes: Mesocestoides sp. and Oochoristica sp., and seven nematodes: Parapharyngodon ayotzinapaensis Garduño-Montes de Oca, Mata-López & León-Règagnon, 2016, Parapharyngodon tikuinii Garduño-Montes de Oca, Mata-López & León-Règagnon, 2016, Parapharyngodon sp., Physalopterinae gen. sp., Skrjabinoptera scelopori Caballero-Rodríguez, 1971, Strongyluris similis Caballero, 1938 and a new species of Thubunaea Seurat, 1914. Larvae of Mesocestoides sp. and Physalopterinae gen. sp. were found in the body cavity and digestive tract, respectively. Excluding the species of Parapharyngodon Chatterji, 1933, S. pyrocephalus is recorded for the first time as a host of the remaining seven taxa of helminths. Additionally, Thubunaealeonregagnonae sp. n. is described and illustrated as a new nematode species, parasite of S. pyrocephalus from Mexico. This new species can be differentiated from the majority of its congeners by the absence of spicules, the particular pattern of caudal papillae in males and the small ratio of oesophagus length:male total body length (0.1-0.16).

Causas del hidrops fetal: experiencia en un hospital obstétrico del Occidente de México / Etiology of fetal hydrops: experience in an obstetric hospital in western Mexico

Resumen OBJETIVO: Identificar las causas de hidrops fetal no inmunitario en un hospital obstétrico de referencia del Occidente de México. MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS: Estudio de serie de casos, con un muestreo no probabilístico por conveniencia, llevado a cabo de octubre de 2014 a septiembre de 2015 al que se incluyeron pacientes (entre las 15 y 38 semanas de embarazo), mayores de edad (en casos de menores de edad se solicitó consentimiento informado a los padres o tutores), con diagnóstico de hidrops fetal por ultrasonido obstétrico. Para el análisis estadístico se generó una base de datos en Excel y se aplicó estadística descriptiva. RESULTADOS: Se reunieron 33 embarazadas en quienes el hidrops fetal no inmunitario fue el más frecuente (n = 31) y la causa idiopática más común (n = 10) seguida por errores innatos del metabolismo, alteraciones cromosómicas y cardiacas (n = 6 de cada una). Posteriormente, las causas hematológicas (n = 4), linfáticas y sindrómicas (n = 3 de cada una), y las infecciosas y tumorales (n = 1 de cada una). En este estudio los errores innatos del metabolismo (específicamente síndrome Sly) tuvieron una frecuencia superior a la referida en la bibliografía. CONCLUSIONES: Los errores innatos del metabolismo, las anomalías cromosómicas y cardiacas fueron la segunda causa más frecuente de hidrops fetal no inmunitario. Se sugiere tener en cuenta las causas metabólicas en el enfoque diagnóstico del hidrops fetal, sobre todo para el establecimiento del tratamiento temprano.

Abstract OBJECTIVE: To identify the causes of nonimmune fetal hydrops fetalis in an obstetric referral hospital in Western Mexico. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Case series study, with non-probabilistic sampling by convenience, carried out from October 2014 to September 2015 which included patients (between 15 and 38 weeks of pregnancy), of legal age (in cases of minors, informed consent was requested from parents or guardians), with a diagnosis of fetal hydrops fetalis by obstetric ultrasound. For statistical analysis, an Excel database was generated and descriptive statistics were applied. RESULTS: Thirty-three pregnant women were included, in whom non-immune fetal hydrops fetalis was the most frequent (94%) and idiopathic was the most common cause (n = 10), followed by inborn errors of metabolism, chromosomal and cardiac alterations (n = 6 each). This was followed by hematologic (n = 4), lymphatic and syndromic causes (n = 3 each), and infectious and tumor causes (n = 1 each). In this study, inborn errors of metabolism (specifically Sly syndrome) had a higher frequency than that reported in the literature. CONCLUSIONS: Inborn errors of metabolism, chromosomal and cardiac abnormalities were the second most frequent cause of nonimmune fetal hydrops. It is suggested that metabolic causes be taken into account in the diagnostic approach to fetal hydrops, especially for the establishment of early treatment.

CYP2C9 and CYP2C19 Allele and Haplotype Distributions in Four Mestizo Populations from Western Mexico: An Interethnic Comparative Study.

AIMS: Polymorphisms in the CYP2C9 and CYP2C19 genes confer potential risk for specific adverse drug reactions and therapeutic effect failure. Their frequencies differ among ethnic groups. This study was aimed to describe the distribution of CYP2C9 and CYP2C19 alleles and haplotypes in four Mestizo populations from Western Mexico and their comparison with the reported data from other ethnic groups. METHODS: The CYP2C alleles (CYP2C9*2, CYP2C9*3, CYP2C19*2, and CYP2C19*3) were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphisms analyses using DNA samples from 477 healthy Mestizo individuals of Colima (n = 100), Jalisco (n = 147), Michoacán (n = 117), and Nayarit (n = 113). RESULTS: Frequencies ranged from 2.2-3.0% and 4.8-8.9% for CYP2C9*3 and CYP2C9*2 alleles, respectively, and 5.4-12.0% for CYP2C19*2, whereas the CYP2C19*3 allele was not found. Haplotype GACA, which harbors the loss-of-function allele CYP2C19*2, was the second most frequent (8.7%). Genetic heterogeneity between the Western Mexican populations studied here and the global population was evident (p < 0.05), except for most American populations and other Mexican Mestizo populations. CONCLUSION: Our findings increase the evidence for genetic variability at relevant pharmacogenetic loci and could be useful in association studies involving drugs that are substrates for CYP2C enzymes in the Western Mexican population.

CERVANTESIACEAE: NUEVO REGISTRO DE UNA FAMILIA NATURALIZADA PARA LA FLORA DE MÉXICO / Cervantesiaceae: New Record of a Naturalized Family for the Flora of Mexico

Se registra por primera vez para México la especie naturalizada Acanthosyris glabrata (familia Cervantesiaceae), un árbol hemiparásito sólo conocido del noroeste de Sudamérica. Se proporciona información sobre su hábitat y se presenta una ilustración de la especie. Se propone una hipótesis de comercio maritimo entre Ecuador y México para explicar la presencia del taxón en el occidente de México, en un área que dista 3500 km de su distribución original.

We register for the first time in Mexico the naturalized species Acanthosyrisglabrata (family Cervantesiaceae), a hemiparasitic tree only known from northwestern South America. We provide information about its habitat and present an illustration of the species. We propose a hypothesis of maritime commerce between Ecuador and Mexico to account for the presence of the taxon in western Mexico, in an area 3500 km away from its original known distribution.

Estructura poblacional y relaciones ambientales del árbol tropical Nectandra rudis (Lauraceae), una especie rara en el occidente de México / Population structure and environmental relationships of the tropical tree Nectandra rudis (Lauraceae), a rare species in western Mexico

Population structure and environmental relationships of the tropical tree Nectandra rudis (Lauraceae), a rare species in western Mexico. The tree N. rudis is a rare species from western Mexico of which community and population features are unknown. We studied a population in an altitudinal gradient, from 550-1,850 m above sea level in the Sierra de Manantlan, Jalisco, Mexico. We established four 60x48 m sample sites at vertical distances of 100 m along this altitudinal gradient. Within each plot, ten 100 m2 circular sub-sampling units were randomly located. At each unit, we recorded diameter at breast height (dbh) and tree height for all woody vegetation > or =2.5 cm dbh. Basal area, tree density, frequency, species richness and importance values per species and plot. We estimated the vertical structure (total tree height) and diameter( as M=5log(10)N) for all N. rudis individuals. A direct ordination through Canonical Correspondence Analysis was done, involving amongst other species, edaphic and environmental data matrices. The record of 44 N. rudis individuals, in seven out the 56 plots sampled, represents the most septentrional record for the species and the first in Western Mexico. Its density and basal area represented 4.5 % and 8.7 % respectively of the total estimated for the community. The greatest importance values were observed at 1 650 m above sea level. The population structure of N. rudis is structured into five diameter categories in an inverse "J" shaped distribution. This is a typical behavior observed to occur in the Lauraceae, which produces big seeds of short viability that germinate when there is high soil moisture content. The species tend to form dense seedling banks although only a reduced number of them are able to survive. Species richness varies from 27 to 39 at plot level; the greatest importance values for the plots on which N. rudis was found, corresponds to Urera verrucosa (Liebm.) V.W. Steinm., N. rudis, Ficus sp...

Nectandra rudis es una especie rara en el occidente de México. Analizamos la población y la comunidad donde se desarrolla, en la Sierra de Manantlan, Jalisco, México. Establecimos cuatro parcelas de 60x48 m con diferencias altitudinales de 100 m entre sí. En cada una seleccionamos aleatoriamente diez círculos de 100 m2 cada uno, en los cuales medimos los diámetros normales y las alturas de las especies leñosas con diámetro ≥2.5 cm. Para cada especie y por parcela determinamos el área basal, la densidad, la frecuencia, la riqueza de especies y los valores de importancia. Establecimos la estructura vertical y diamétrica de N. rudis. Hicimos una ordenación directa con la matriz de especies y las variables edáficas y ambientales. El registro de N. rudis en la Sierra de Manantlán representa el primer registro para el occidente de México y el más septentrional del taxon. La población se estructura en cinco categorías diamétricas y genera una curva en forma de “J” invertida. La riqueza de especies en las parcelas donde se encuentra N. rudis, varía de 27 a 39, y los mayores valores de importancia son para Urera verrucosa, N. rudis y Ficus sp. La ordenación directa permite postular a la presencia de árboles caídos, la cobertura, la profundidad del horizonte superficial y el magnesio soluble, como los factores ambientales de mayor influencia en la distribución y abundancia de N. rudis.