Biodegradable films based on commercial κ-carrageenan and cassava starch to achieve low production costs.

Biodegradable films have been a great alternative compared to non-renewable sources because of their cytocompatibility, biodegradability, and antimicrobial features. These properties may raise the foodstuff shelf life, reducing costs and economic losses. Indeed, biodegradable films can also reduce the environmental pollution promoted by non-biodegradable conventional packs.

Magnification loupes in dentistry: A qualitative study of dental students' perspectives.

Introduction: The nature of the oral operating field makes it a challenge for dentists to work while maintaining musculoskeletal health. Strategies have been studied in recent years to improve visualisation of the operating field, and the use of magnification systems has been recommended for providing additional benefits. Despite the growing body of evidence suggesting that the use of magnification improves visual acuity, the dentist's posture and the quality of dental procedures, few studies have analysed users' perspectives on these devices in terms of their adaptation process.

Socioeconomic factors associated with antimicrobial resistance of , , and in Chilean hospitals (2008-2017).

Objective: To identify socioeconomic factors associated with antimicrobial resistance of and in Chilean hospitals (2008-2017).

Methods: We reviewed the scientific literature on socioeconomic factors associated with the emergence and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance. Using multivariate regression, we tested findings from the literature drawing from a longitudinal dataset on antimicrobial resistance from 41 major private and public hospitals and a nationally representative household survey in Chile (2008-2017).

Landscape of Genome-Wide DNA Methylation of Colorectal Cancer Metastasis.

Colorectal cancer is a heterogeneous disease caused by both genetic and epigenetics factors. Analysing DNA methylation changes occurring during colorectal cancer progression and metastasis formation is crucial for the identification of novel epigenetic markers of patient prognosis. Genome-wide methylation sequencing of paired samples of colon (normal adjacent, primary tumour and lymph node metastasis) showed global hypomethylation and CpG island (CGI) hypermethylation of primary tumours compared to normal.

Follow-Up Care for Breast and Colorectal Cancer Across the Globe: Survey Findings From 27 Countries.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe follow-up care for breast and colorectal cancer survivors in countries with varying levels of resources and highlight challenges regarding posttreatment survivorship care.

Methods: We surveyed one key stakeholder from each of 27 countries with expertise in survivorship care on questions including the components/structure of follow-up care, delivery of treatment summaries and survivorship care plans, and involvement of primary care in survivorship. Descriptive analyses were performed to characterize results across countries and variations between the WHO income categories (low, middle, high).

COVID-19 Response in Latin America.

Effective management of a pandemic due to a respiratory virus requires public health capacity for a coordinated response for mandatory restrictions, large-scale testing to identify infected individuals, capacity to isolate infected cases and track and test contacts, and health services for those infected who require hospitalization. Because of contextual and socioeconomic factors, it has been hard for Latin America to confront this epidemic. In this article, we discuss the context and the initial responses of eight selected Latin American countries, including similarities and differences in public health, economic, and fiscal measures, and provide reflections on what worked and what did not work and what to expect moving forward.

[Not Available].

COVID-19 represents a global crisis. Rapidly conducting a clinical trial with the rigor necessary to obtain reliable results requires the collaboration of various participants involved in the development, evaluation and authorization of clinical trials (CT) such as the trial sponsor, researchers, regulatory authority and the ethics committee (EC). Carrying out these studies is not only scientifically appropriate, but an ethical and moral obligation to guarantee our patients effective treatment.

[Identification of mycobacteria species through mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF)].

Background: Mycobacterial diseases are very important both clinically and epidemiologically. Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBc) infections confer higher morbidity and mortality rate than non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infections. Traditional species identification techniques are based on phenotypic characteristics which take a long time by laborious processes and in occasions are no conclusive.

Integrated genomic analysis reveals mutated ELF3 as a potential gallbladder cancer vaccine candidate.

Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is an aggressive gastrointestinal malignancy with no approved targeted therapy. Here, we analyze exomes (n = 160), transcriptomes (n = 115), and low pass whole genomes (n = 146) from 167 gallbladder cancers (GBCs) from patients in Korea, India and Chile. In addition, we also sequence samples from 39 GBC high-risk patients and detect evidence of early cancer-related genomic lesions.

Obesity is associated with postural balance on unstable surfaces but not with fear of falling in older adults.

Background: There are inconsistent findings regarding the relationship between body mass index (BMI), fear of falling and body balance, especially on unstable surfaces.

Objectives: To investigate whether obesity is associated with worse postural balance and fear of falling in older adults.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 201 older adults, classified as normal weight, overweight, or obese according to BMI.

Widespread Environmental Presence of Multidrug-Resistant in an Equine Veterinary Hospital That Received Local and International Horses.

is a highly infectious microorganism responsible for many outbreaks reported in equine hospitals. Outbreaks are characterized by high morbidity and mortality rates, nosocomial transmission to other patients, zoonotic transmission to hospital personnel, and even closure of facilities. In this study, 545 samples (environmental and hospitalized patients) were collected monthly during a 1-year period from human and animal contact surfaces in an equine hospital that received local and international horses.

Serology testing in the COVID-19 pandemic response.

The collapse of global cooperation and a failure of international solidarity have led to many low-income and middle-income countries being denied access to molecular diagnostics in the COVID-19 pandemic response. Yet the scarcity of knowledge on the dynamics of the immune response to infection has led to hesitation on recommending the use of rapid immunodiagnostic tests, even though rapid serology tests are commercially available and scalable. On the basis of our knowledge and understanding of viral infectivity and host response, we urge countries without the capacity to do molecular testing at scale to research the use of serology tests to triage symptomatic patients in community settings, to test contacts of confirmed cases, and in situational analysis and surveillance.

Population seroprevalence of celiac disease in urban areas of Peru.

The objective of the study was to determine the seroprevalence of celiac disease (CD) in urban areas of Peru using a population-based sample. A random sample of women and men 18 to 29 years old from 26 cities in Peru was screened. An anti-tissue transglutaminase IgA kit was used for the detection of CD.

Alcohol use, abuse and dependence among elderly in outpatient treatment through the application of AUDIT.

Objective: To identify or use alcohol abuse and abuse in the IAMSPE elderly, through the application of AUDIT, socioeconomic characterization of the elderly, and problems associated with drinking and weight, if there is a relationship between depression and alcohol abuse.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional, exploratory, and descriptive study with a quantitative approach. One hundred elderly patients were interviewed to apply a socioeconomic form and to assess alcohol consumption from AUDIT.

Occurrence of ESBL-producing Escherichia coli in soils subjected to livestock grazing in Azores archipelago: an environment-health pollution issue?

Antibiotics are successful drugs used in human and animal therapy; however, they must be considered as environmental pollutants. This study aims to isolate and characterize the extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) producing Escherichia coli soil from Azores Archipelago subjected to livestock agricultural practices. Twenty-four soil samples were collected from three different pasture systems with different number of cattle heads, and from a control site.

Home Birth in the Era of COVID-19: Counseling and Preparation for Pregnant Persons Living with HIV.

With the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in the United States, a majority of states have instituted "shelter-in-place" policies effectively quarantining individuals-including pregnant persons-in their homes. Given the concern for COVID-19 acquisition in health care settings, pregnant persons with high-risk pregnancies-such as persons living with HIV (PLHIV)-are increasingly investigating the option of a home birth. Although we strongly recommend hospital birth for PLHIV, we discuss our experience and recommendations for counseling and preparation of pregnant PLHIV who may be considering home birth or at risk for unintentional home birth due to the pandemic.

Cdk9 and H2Bub1 signal to Clr6-CII/Rpd3S to suppress aberrant antisense transcription.

Mono-ubiquitylation of histone H2B (H2Bub1) and phosphorylation of elongation factor Spt5 by cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (Cdk9) occur during transcription by RNA polymerase II (RNAPII), and are mutually dependent in fission yeast. It remained unclear whether Cdk9 and H2Bub1 cooperate to regulate the expression of individual genes. Here, we show that Cdk9 inhibition or H2Bub1 loss induces intragenic antisense transcription of ∼10% of fission yeast genes, with each perturbation affecting largely distinct subsets; ablation of both pathways de-represses antisense transcription of over half the genome.

Filling the gaps in the Peruvian care continuum for HIV-infected pregnant mothers: a case-control study in metropolitan Lima-Callao, Peru.

Mother-to-child transmission of HIV (MTCT) accounts for a significant proportion of new HIV infections in Peru. The purpose of this case-control study was to examine maternal and infant factors associated with MTCT in Peru from 2015 to 2016. For each biologically confirmed case infant, we randomly selected four birth year- and birth hospital-matched controls from five hospitals in Lima-Callao.

Methicillin-resistant colonization in patients undergoing primary total hip arthroplasty.

Nasal and skin colonization by methicillin-resistant (MRSA) are linked to a higher incidence of infection after total joint replacement. The prevalence of colonization is poorly defined in Latin American countries. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of MRSA colonization in the nostrils and groin using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA).

Effects of Vitamin D Supplementation on Inflammation, Colonic Cell Kinetics, and Microbiota in Colitis: A Review.

Vitamin D is widely known to regulate bone health, but there is increasing evidence that it may also ameliorate colitis through inflammation, cell proliferation and apoptosis, and the microbiota. The purpose of this review is to systematically examine the mechanisms by which vitamin D reduces colitis. PubMed and Web of Science were searched for articles published between 2008 and 2019 using key words such as "vitamin D," "colitis," "inflammatory bowel disease," "inflammation," "apoptosis," "cell proliferation," and "gut bacteria".

Spatially modelling the risk areas of chronic exposure to hydrothermal volcanic emissions using lichens.

Human populations living in volcanically active areas are chronically exposed to volcanogenic air pollution, potentially contributing to long-term adverse health effects. However, mapping chronic exposure is difficult due to low spatial resolution of monitoring data on air pollutants and the need for time integration. To overcome these problems, lichens were tested as ecological indicators of hydrothermal volcanic air pollution, considering their bioaccumulation capacity over time, by transplanting them from a reference area to several sites (n = 39) in a volcanic area.

Natural ligands of RXR receptors.

Given the role of retinoid X receptors (RXRs) as promiscuous partners of heterodimeric complexes with other members of the Nuclear Receptor (NR) superfamily, RXR ligands (rexinoids) play fundamental roles in gene transcription, since upon ligand binding either transcriptionally activate the "permissive" subclass of heterodimers or synergize with partner ligands in the "non-permissive" subclass of heterodimers. The collection of natural products thus far reported to bind RXR are described, including those discovered by high-throughput screening (HTS), mere serendipity, and a combination of those. Detailed protocols for the diastereo- and enantioselective synthesis of (R)-9-cis-13,14-dihydroretinoic acid, a putative natural RXR ligand, are provided.

Natural levels of hydrogen peroxide (HO) in deep clear South temperate lakes: Field and laboratory evidence of photo- and biotic production.

Hydrogen peroxide (HO) is a ubiquitous reactive oxygen species (ROS) in aquatic systems and is produced mainly in surface water by the interaction of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and natural dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Andean Patagonian lakes are ultraoligotrophic, clear systems with extended photic zones (~40 m), and are exposed to challenging UVR levels due to their lati-altitudinal situation and extremely low DOC levels. This investigation describes the seasonal levels of HO in relation to DOC quality in the water column of lakes Moreno East (ME) and Moreno West (MW), two deep (ca.