Evaluation of anti-citrullinated and anti-carbamylated antibodies in mexicans with rheumatoid arthritis and at-risk individuals.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) diagnosis is a challenge in the initial phases of the disease when clinical symptoms are only starting to develop. Early diagnosis and treatment can promote long-term remission, reduce disability, and improve cardiovascular outcomes. Autoantibodies can help in the diagnosis and identification of RA patients in the early phases of the disease, but scarce information has been reported for the Mexican population.

Rapid Identification of Drug Resistance and Phylogeny in M. tuberculosis, Directly from Sputum Samples.

Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the most important infectious diseases globally. Establishing a resistance profile from the initial TB diagnosis is a priority. Rapid molecular tests evaluate only the most common genetic variants responsible for resistance to certain drugs, and Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) needs culture prior to next-generation sequencing (NGS), limiting their clinical value.

Influence of type 2 diabetes mellitus on mortality in women with breast cancer: A matched case-control study.

Aims: The study assessed the association between the presence of type2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and mortality in women with breast cancer (BC).

Methods: A matched pair case-control study was conducted at the State Cancer Center, which is located in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. It was matched by age (±3 years) within a cohort of 1442 patients with BC.

A bioinformatics pipeline for Mycobacterium tuberculosis sequencing that cleans contaminant reads from sputum samples.

Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) is widely used to investigate genomic variation. In several studies, the genetic variation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been analyzed in sputum samples without previous culture, using target enrichment methodologies for NGS. Alignments obtained by different programs generally map the sequences under default parameters, and from these results, it is assumed that only Mycobacterium reads will be obtained.

Homozygous deletion of glutathione S-transferase theta 1 and mu 1 increase the risk of non-syndromic oral clefts in a Mexican population.

Objective: To investigate whether null variants of Glutathione S-transferase Mu 1 (GSTM1) and GST Theta 1 (GSTT1) in infants and mothers, as well as maternal exposures to environmental factors, contribute to the risk of non-syndromic cleft lip with or without palate (NSCL/P) in a Mexican population.

Design: We performed a matched pair case-control study, including 98 cases and 98 controls and their mothers. Sociodemographic information and environmental exposures were collected by a questionnaire.

Allele Frequency of Intron Variants and Its Association with Blood Pressure.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is known as the counter-regulator of the renin-angiotensin system, it cleaves angiotensin II to render Ag 1-7, a potent vasodilator with multiple roles in cardiovascular protection. A few studies have pinpointed polymorphisms and their relationship with heart function and hypertension in a sex-dependent manner. These observations still lack replication mostly for admixed populations.

Characterization of Polymorphisms Associated with Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis by Whole Genomic Sequencing: A Preliminary Report from Mexico.

Whole genome sequencing (WGS) has been proposed as a tool for the diagnosis of drug resistance in tuberculosis (TB); however, there have been few studies on its effectiveness in countries with significantly high drug resistance rates. This study therefore aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of WGS to identify mutations related to drug resistance in TB isolates from an endemic region of Mexico. The results showed that, of 35 multidrug-resistant isolates analyzed, the values of congruence found between the phenotypic drug susceptibility testing and polymorphisms were 94% for isoniazid, 97% for rifampicin, 90% for ethambutol, and 82% for pyrazinamide.

Whole genomic sequencing as a tool for diagnosis of drug and multidrug-resistance tuberculosis in an endemic region in Mexico.

Background: Whole genome sequencing (WGS) has been proposed as a tool for diagnosing drug resistance in tuberculosis. However, reports of its effectiveness in endemic countries with important numbers of drug resistance are scarce. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of this procedure in isolates from a tuberculosis endemic region in Mexico.

rpoB, katG and inhA mutations in multi-drug resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates from southeast Mexico.

Introduction: Previous knowledge of molecular mechanisms related with multi-drug resistances in tuberculosis is important if molecular diagnostic procedures want to be used in specific geographical regions. For that reason, the aim of this study was to investigate the mutations at rpoB, katG and inhA in multi-drug resistant tuberculosis isolates from Southeast Mexico.

Methods: Isolates of tuberculosis with a confirmed resistance against rifampicin and isoniazid were collected and sequencing analysis was performed of the rpoB rifampicin resistance-determining region, the katG and the encoding region of inhA.

Improvement in the Diagnosis of Tuberculosis Combining Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Immunodominant Peptides and Serum Host Biomarkers.

Background: Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is a public health problem with 10.4 million new cases reported in 2017 (1). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), accurate diagnostic tests based in serum biomarkers to detect new cases of tuberculosis are necessary.

Transcriptional profiles discriminate patients with pulmonary tuberculosis from non-tuberculous individuals depending on the presence of non-insulin diabetes mellitus.

Our objective was to identify transcriptional biomarkers in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) that discriminate individuals with latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) from those with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) in subjects with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and in individuals without NIDDM. Using gene expression microarrays we identified differentially expressed genes from lungs of mice infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) or a mutant (ΔsigH) representing a non-inflammatory model. Genes expressed in blood, with inflammatory related functions were evaluated in humans by RT-qPCR.

Mutation at embB codon 306, a potential marker for the identification of multidrug resistance associated with ethambutol in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Ethambutol inhibits arabinogalactan and lipoarabinomannan biosynthesis in mycobacteria. The occurrence of mutations in embB codon 306 in ethambutol-susceptible isolates and their absence in resistant isolates has raised questions regarding the utility of this codon as a potential marker for resistance against ethambutol. The characterization of mutations on embB 306 will contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms of resistance to this drug; therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the association between embB 306 mutations and first-line drug resistance profiles in tuberculosis isolates.

Saliva: a fluid of study for OMICS.

Saliva is a fluid that can be collected easily and noninvasively. Its functions in the oral cavity are well known. Advances in molecular biology and technology, as well as research conducted by the various disciplines of omics (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and metagenomics) have contributed to the identification and characterization of salivary components, including DNA, RNA, proteins, metabolites, and microorganisms.

Characterization of pncA gene mutations in pyrazinamide-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from Mexico.

Numerous studies have linked mutations in the pncA gene with resistance to pyrazinamide (Z) in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. However, variations in these mutations are specific to the country of origin of the isolate. The aim of this study was to characterize changes in pncA gene sequence in isolates of M.

rrs and rpsL mutations in streptomycin-resistant isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from Mexico.

Background/purpose: Mutations in rpsL and rrs genes are associated with resistance to streptomycin in tuberculosis, but important geographical variation exists in these mutations. The goal of this study was to characterize these mutations in isolates of streptomycin-resistant mycobacteria originating from southeast Mexico.

Methods: Mycobacteria were isolated from patients with suspected drug-resistant tuberculosis.

Assessing the utility of three TaqMan probes for the diagnosis of tuberculosis and resistance to rifampin and isoniazid in Veracruz, México.

Mutations at codons 526 and 531 in the rpoB gene and at 315 in the katG gene are considered diagnostic markers for resistance to rifampin and isoniazid in tuberculosis. The aim of this study was to design and evaluate three TaqMan probes for the identification of these mutations in 138 respiratory samples positive for acid-fast bacilli, and 32 clinical isolates from a region with considerable levels of drug resistance. The specificities of the probes for the diagnosis of resistance to both drugs were 100%; however, the sensitivities were calculated to be 50% for isoniazid and 56% for rifampin.

[Drug resistant tuberculosis: molecular mechanisms and diagnostic methods].

Drug resistant tuberculosis: Molecular mechanisms and diagnostic methods. Despite the fact that Tuberculosis (TB) has been found in humans since the Neolithic Age, it still remains serious public health problem, increased in the last few years due to the phenomenon of drug resistance (DR). The World Health Organization (WHO) established that the diagnosis of tuberculosis drug resistance (DR) is essential for its control, and at the same time considers that the traditional diagnostic procedures have reached their limit.