SARS-CoV-2 has spread throughout the world since 2019, changing in its genome and leading to the appearance of new variants. This gave it different evolutionary advantages, such as greater infectivity and/or a greater ability to avoid the immune response, which could lead to an increased severity of COVID-19 cases. There is no consistent information about the viral load that occurs in infection with the different SARS-CoV-2 variants, hence, in this study we quantify the viral load of more than 16,800 samples taken from the Mexican population with confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 and we analyze the relation between different demographic and disease variables.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMycoplasma contamination in cell culture affects the properties of cell lines. Gold standard detection by microbiological culture takes days and requires specialists. The polymerase chain reaction and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) are fast molecular options, but LAMP only requires one heating block for DNA amplification.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhotochem Photobiol
November 2023
Cervical carcinoma (CC) is the second cause of cancer death in Mexican women. It starts with premalignant lesions known as Intraepithelial Cervical Neoplasia (CIN) that can develop due to infection by Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and other microorganisms. Current CIN therapy involves invasive methods that affect cervix integrity and fertility; we propose the use of photodynamic therapy (PDT) as a strategy with few side effects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNitric oxide (NO) participates in processes such as endothelium-dependent vasodilation and neurotransmission/neuromodulation. The role of NO in epilepsy is controversial, attributing it to anticonvulsant but also proconvulsant properties. Clarification of this dual effect of NO might lead to the development of new antiepileptic drugs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicrobiol Spectr
February 2023
The WHO has approved the use of several vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic; experience over the last 2 years has indicated that dose demand can only be covered using more than one design. Therefore, having scientific evidence of the performance of the different vaccines applied in a country is highly relevant. In Mexico, 5 vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) were used, allowing a cohort study to analyze the generation of anti-S1/S2 IgG antibodies and anti-RBD antibodies with neutralizing activity at 0, 21, 90, and 180 days after vaccination.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is used to treat tumors through selective cytotoxic effects. PDT induces damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) expression, which can cause an immunogenic death cell (IDC). In this study we identified potential immunogenic epitopes generated by PDT on triple-negative breast cancer cell line (MDA-MB-231).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnalyzing the electrical double layer (EDL) in electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurement at low frequencies remains a challenging task for sensing purposes. In this work, we propose two approaches to deal with the EDL in measuring impedance for particles and non-adherent cells in an electrolytic suspension. The first approach is a simple procedure to compute a normalized electrical impedance spectrum named dispersed medium index (DMi).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe anti-inflammatory effects of Aloe vera (AV), polysaccharide extract from AV, and extracts from the digestion and colonic fermentation of AV were evaluated using an immortal astrocyte cell line (U373 MG) that develops a neuro-inflammatory profile. Cell viability and inflammatory markers were assessed after stimulation with neuropeptide substance P (SP) that activates the pro-inflammatory MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) pathway. Cell viability after SP treatment was over 50% at 10 mg/mL AV, polysaccharide extract from AV, extracts from the digestion: non-digestible fraction of AV non-digestible fraction of polysaccharide extract from AV and extracts from the colonic fermentation of AV, at 4 and 24 h.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOne of the main obstacles of Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) to damage and destroy abnormal cells is that most photosensitizers (Ps) have a highly hydrophobic nature with a tendency to aggregate in aqueous solutions and the non-specificity towards target cells. Nanotechnology proposes new tactics for the development of monomeric Ps nanotransporters and active targeting mole-cules with the use of biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles to improve the specificity towards target cells. The goal of this work was to optimize the synthesis of chitosan polymeric nanoparticles conjugated with protoporphyrin IX and vitamin B9 (CNPs-PpIX-B9) by the ionic gelation method from the established protocol previously carried out by our laboratory with 1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNanotechnology proposes new applications for the development of nanotransporters and active targeting molecules with the use of biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles to improve the specificity towards target cells. However, these products must comply with safety tests to be endorsed as therapeutic alternatives by regulatory organizations. The goal of this work was to evaluate the biosafety (cytotoxicity and genotoxicity) of chitosan polymeric nanoparticles conjugate with protoporphyrin IX and vitamin B9 (CNPs-PpIX-B9) that were previously optimized from the established protocol by our laboratory and tested in CHO-K1 cells by bioassay following the recommendations of the chromosomal aberrations test by OECD 473 (2016) guideline.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe main obstacle of Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) to damage and destroy abnormal cells is that most photosensitizers (Ps) have a highly hydrophobic nature with a tendency to aggregate in aqueous solutions and the non-specificity towards target cells. Nanotechnology proposes new tactics for the development of monomeric Ps nanotransporters and active targeting molecules with the use of biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles to improve the specificity towards target cells. However, these products must comply with safety tests to be endorsed as therapeutic alternatives by regulatory organizations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn Mexico, urban rabies has been reduced during the last decade thanks to intensive canine control and vaccination campaigns; however, rabies transmitted by wild animals, especially by bats, has been increasing due to vampire bats feeding on livestock. Vampire bat populations has been controlled by culling with vampiricides, reducing indiscriminately other bat species. Hence, bat vaccination for rabies offers an alternative for culling.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDue to the high resistance that cancer has shown to conventional therapies, it is difficult to treat this disease, particularly in advanced stages. In recent decades, treatments have been improved, being more specific according to the characteristics of the tumor, becoming more effective, less toxic, and invasive. Cancer can be treated by the combination of surgery, radiation therapy, and/or drug administration, but therapies based on anticancer drugs are the main cancer treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNanoparticles (NPs) are novel platforms that can carry both cancer-targeting molecules and drugs to avoid severe side effects due to nonspecific drug delivery in standard chemotherapy treatments. Cancer cells are characterized by abnormal membranes, metabolic changes, the presence of lectin receptors, glucose transporters (GLUT) overexpression, and glycosylation of immune receptors of programmed death on cell surfaces. These characteristics have led to the development of several strategies for cancer therapy, including a large number of carbohydrate-modified NPs, which have become desirable for use in cell-selective drug delivery systems because they increase nanoparticle-cell interactions and uptake of carried drugs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhotodiagnosis Photodyn Ther
March 2021
Background: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy effecting women, and the triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtype is particularly aggressive. This study aimed to evaluate the differential expression pattern of microRNAs (miRNAs) between untreated MDA-MB-231 cells (TNBC cell model) and those that survived photodynamic therapy (PDT) to gain insights into cell survival mechanisms.
Methods: Two PDT cycles were applied to MDA-MB-231 cells, using δ-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) followed by laser light at 635 nm.
Background/aim: To determine the differential protein profiles of cervical cancer cell lines in order to find potential targets that can be used as biomarkers in low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL) diagnosis.
Materials And Methods: Proteomic analysis was performed on cervical cancer cell lines by 2D electrophoresis and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Biomarker validation was performed in histological samples by immunofluorescence.
In the present study, we investigated the effects of 17β-estradiol (E) on membrane roughness and gold nanoparticle (AuNP) uptake in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer cells (MCF-7) were exposed to bare 20 nm AuNPs in the presence and absence of 1×10 M E for different time intervals for up to 24 hrs. The effects of AuNP incorporation and E incubation on the MCF-7 cell surface roughness were measured using atomic force microscopy (AFM).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: In this work, a drug product composed of an IgM antibody derived from a hybridoma subclone 4C1F6D5G7B8 was prepared and further labeled with PpIX to be used in cell lines A-549 and MRC-5. The aim of this work was to evaluate the potential theranostic activity of the obtained product together with photodynamic therapy (PDT).
Methods: The IgM antibody labeled with PpIX was used in different concentrations to perform theranostics with PDT in cell lines A-549 and MRC-5 in order to identify the specificity of IgM antibody in lung cancer cells by means of a LED-irradiation system set at 630 nm.
Background And Objective: Cervical cancer is an important health problem in our country. It is known that there are several risk factors for this neoplasm, and it has been suggested that cervical microbiome alterations could play a role in the development and progress of cancer. Bacterial vaginosis associated bacteria such as Atopobium vaginae and Gardnerella vaginalis has been suggested as potential risk factor for cervical lesions and cervical cancer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study aimed to determine the effectiveness of photodynamic therapy (PDT), using δ-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA), in the elimination of premalignant cervical lesions in Mexican patients with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and/or cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). Thirty women diagnosed with CIN I and/or positive for HPV participated in the study. Topical 6% 5-ALA in gel form was applied to the uterine cervix; after 4 h, the lesion area was irradiated with a light dose of 200 J cm at 635 nm.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSoybeans are an important source of bioactive molecules, such as peptides, which generation can improve through germination. In this study, the antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of three peptide fractions (>10 kDa, 5-10 kDa and <5 kDa) that were obtained by ultrafiltration of soybean protein hydrolysate after six days of germination were evaluated. The antioxidant activities of the peptide fractions were assessed by reducing power, Cu and Fe chelation and OH· scavenging assays, whereas their antiproliferative effects against cervical (HeLa, SiHa, CasKi) and breast (MCF7 and MDA-MB-231) cancer cell lines were evaluated by the MTT assay.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHuman pluripotent stem cells (hPSC) have promise for regenerative medicine due to their auto-renovation and differentiation capacities. Nevertheless, there are several ethical and methodological issues about these cells that have not been resolved. Human amniotic epithelial cells (hAEC) have been proposed as source of pluripotent stem cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe unpredictable, evolutionary nature of the influenza A virus (IAV) is the primary problem when generating a vaccine and when designing diagnostic strategies; thus, it is necessary to determine the constant regions in viral proteins. In this study, we completed an in silico analysis of the reported epitopes of the 4 IAV proteins that are antigenically most significant (HA, NA, NP, and M2) in the 3 strains with the greatest world circulation in the last century (H1N1, H2N2, and H3N2) and in one of the main aviary subtypes responsible for zoonosis (H5N1). For this purpose, the HMMER program was used to align 3,016 epitopes reported in the Immune Epitope Database and Analysis Resource (IEDB) and distributed in 34,294 stored sequences in the Pfam database.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChanges in the antioxidant capacity of albumin and alterations of the albumin structural conformation were examined in patients in advanced stages of diabetes nephropathy. Human serum albumin was purified from diabetic patients in pre-dialysis (glomerular filtration rate [GFR] between 15 and 29 ml min(-1) 1.73 m(-2)) and those in dialysis (GFR ≤ 15 ml min(-1) 1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNanotechnology is a promising interdisciplinary field for developing improved methods of diagnosis and treatment of different diseases, including cancer. Give their optical, magnetic, and structural property, the nanoparticles have been proposed to be use in the development of unconventional treatments for cancer such as photodynamic therapy (PDT). In PDT, a photosensitizing agent is used that accumulates in tumor cells, generating reactive oxygen species that causes the death of malignant cells after irradiation with light at a particular wavelength.
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