Tracking SARS-CoV-2 variants in wastewater in San Pedro de la Paz, Chile.

Studies have shown the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the stool of both symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID-19 patients, enabling wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) to complement clinical monitoring. The emergence of variants can enhance viral transmissibility, highlighting the need for ongoing surveillance to detect and control infectious diseases. This study aimed to detect SARS-CoV-2 variants in wastewater from a treatment plant in San Pedro de la Paz, Chile, between January and November 2021.

Cancer genetic counseling in Chile: Addressing barriers, confronting challenges, and seizing opportunities in an underserved Latin American Community.

Purpose: Despite the rapid advancements in genomics and the enactment of a new cancer law in Chile, the implementation of cancer genetic counseling continues to face significant challenges because of limited resources and infrastructure.

Methods: We conducted a survey targeting health care providers who offer genetic counseling to patients with cancer and possess training in genetics and counseling. Additionally, we distributed a separate survey to high-risk patients associated with an advocacy group to gather insights on their perceptions of and experiences with cancer genetic counseling.

Lack of canonical activities of connexins in highly aggressive human prostate cancer cells.

Connexins (Cxs) have the ability to form channels that allow the exchange of ions/metabolites between adjacent cells (gap junction channels, GJC) or between the intra- and extra-cellular compartments (hemichannels, HC). Cxs were initially classified as tumor suppressors. However, more recently, it has been shown that Cxs exert anti- and pro-tumorigenic effects depending on the cell and tissue context.

The Chilean COVID-19 Genomics Network Biorepository: A Resource for Multi-Omics Studies of COVID-19 and Long COVID in a Latin American Population.

Although a lack of diversity in genetic studies is an acknowledged obstacle for personalized medicine and precision public health, Latin American populations remain particularly understudied despite their heterogeneity and mixed ancestry. This gap extends to COVID-19 despite its variability in susceptibility and clinical course, where ethnic background appears to influence disease severity, with non-Europeans facing higher hospitalization rates. In addition, access to high-quality samples and data is a critical issue for personalized and precision medicine, and it has become clear that the solution lies in biobanks.

AI-Driven Prediction of Symptom Trajectories in Cancer Care: A Deep Learning Approach for Chemotherapy Management.

This study presents an advanced method for predicting symptom escalation in chemotherapy patients using Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). The accurate prediction of symptom escalation is critical in cancer care to enable timely interventions and improve symptom management to enhance patients' quality of life during treatment. The analytical dataset consists of daily self-reported symptom logs from chemotherapy patients, including a wide range of symptoms, such as nausea, fatigue, and pain.