Effects of Selective and Nonselective Beta Blockers on Bone Mineral Density in Mexican Patients with Breast Cancer.

Breast cancer (BCa) is related to chronic stress and can reduce the bone mineral density (BMD) through neurochemicals related to beta-adrenergic receptor (ADRB) 1 and 2. Selective beta blockers (sBBs) and nonselective beta blockers (nsBBs) are used to treat systemic arterial hypertension (SAH) and may have osteoprotective effects, as they inhibit ADRBs. To evaluate the effects of sBBs and nsBBs on the BMD of Mexican patients with BCa.

Comparative Effects of and Berberine on Adipokines, Body Composition, and Metabolic Parameters in Obese Patients: A Randomized Study.

Unlabelled: (GS) and berberine (BBR) are natural products that have demonstrated therapeutic potential for the management of obesity and its comorbidities, as effective and safe alternatives to synthetic drugs. Although their anti-obesogenic and antidiabetic properties have been widely studied, comparative research on their impact on the gene expression of adipokines, such as resistin (Res), omentin (Ome), visfatin (Vis) and apelin (Ap), has not been reported.

Methodology: We performed a comparative study in 50 adult Mexican patients with obesity treated with GS or BBR for 3 months.

Estrogens as a Possible Therapeutic Strategy for the Management of Neuroinflammation and Neuroprotection in COVID-19.

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) affects several tissues, including the central and peripheral nervous system. It has also been related to signs and symptoms that suggest neuroinflammation with possible effects in the short, medium, and long term. Estrogens could have a positive impact on the management of the disease, not only due to its already known immunomodulator effect, but also activating other pathways that may be important in the pathophysiology of COVID-19, such as the regulation of the virus receptor and its metabolites.

Therapeutic Potential of Dopamine and Related Drugs as Anti-Inflammatories and Antioxidants in Neuronal and Non-Neuronal Pathologies.

Unlabelled: Dopamine (DA), its derivatives, and dopaminergic drugs are compounds widely used in the management of diseases related to the nervous system. However, DA receptors have been identified in nonneuronal tissues, which has been related to their therapeutic potential in pathologies such as sepsis or septic shock, blood pressure, renal failure, diabetes, and obesity, among others. In addition, DA and dopaminergic drugs have shown anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties in different kinds of cells.

Comparative treatment with hyperbaric oxygen therapy in a model of systemic loxoscelism in rats.

Objectives: Spiders of the genus, known as violin spiders, produce venom with dermonecrotic and systemic effects, as it is a species widely distributed in the world, its study represents a high medical relevance. Systemic loxoscelism, which occurs in 1 in 5 cases and is the most frequent in children, can be fatal, so the study of effective therapy is of great relevance. In the present study, we compared different therapeutic options to mitigate the systemic effects of venom in a model in which prepubertal rats were used.

polymorphisms are associated with osteopenia in postmenopausal Mayan-Mestizo women.

Objective: This study aimed to analyze the association between rs3480 and rs16835198 of and their haplotypes with variations in bone mineral density (BMD) and osteopenia/osteoporosis in postmenopausal Mayan-Mestizo women.

Methods: We studied 547 postmenopausal women of Maya-Mestizo origin. BMD was measured in the lumbar spine and total hip by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.

Putative mechanism of neurological damage in COVID-19 infection.

The recent pandemic of the coronavirus infectious disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected around 192 countries, and projections have shown that around 40% to 70% of world population could be infected in the next months. COVID-19 is caused by the virus SARS- CoV-2, it enters the cells through the ACE2 receptor (angiotensin converting enzyme 2). It is well known that SARS-CoV-2 could develop mild, moderate, and severe respiratory symptoms that could lead to death.

Anorectic interaction and safety of 5-hydroxytryptophan/carbidopa plus phentermine or diethylpropion in rat.

Drug combinations are being studied as potential therapies to increase the efficacy or improve the safety profile of weight loss medications. This study was designed to determine the anorectic interaction and safety profile of 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP)/carbidopa + diethylpropion and 5-HTP/carbidopa + phentermine combinations in rats. The anorectic effect of individual drugs or in combination was evaluated by the sweetened milk test.

Biosensor of Inflammation Biomarkers Based on Electrical Bioimpedance Analysis on Immobilized DNA Without Chemical Modification.

The development of biosensors to identify molecular markers or specific genes is fundamental for the implementation of new techniques that allow the detection of specific Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequences in a fast, economic and simple way. Different detection techniques have been proposed in the development of biosensors. Electrical Bioimpedance Spectroscopy (EBiS) has been used for diagnosis and monitoring of human pathologies, and is recognized as a safe, fast, reusable, easy and inexpensive technique.

OX40 agonists for cancer treatment: a patent review.

Introduction: OX40 is an immune checkpoint in cancer and its presence in cancer is a good prognosis, making it a highly relevant target for the development of new immunotherapies.

Areas Covered: The patent literature reveals vital information on new trends in cancer therapies. The authors used the patent databases of the six major patent offices in the world: United States Patent and Trademark Office, European Patent Office, World Intellectual Property Organization, Japan Patent Office, State Office of Intellectual Property of China and Korean Intellectual Property Office, to generate a panorama of patents related to OX40 agonists.

Protective Role of Glutathione and Nitric Oxide Production in the Pathogenesis of Pterygium.

Objective: In the pathogenesis of pterygium, the protective role of glutathione and nitric oxide production is unclear. These are important factors for homeostasis in the redox state of cells. The aim of this study was to determine the levels of these and related parameters in pterygium tissue.

The Mechanisms of Action of Botulinum Toxin Type A in Nociceptive and Neuropathic Pathways in Cancer Pain.

Background: Botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) is widely employed for cosmetic purposes and in the treatment of certain diseases such as strabismus, hemifacial spasm and focal dystonia among others. BoNT-A effect mainly acts at the muscular level by inhibiting the release of acetylcholine at presynaptic levels consequently blocking the action potential in the neuromuscular junction. Despite the great progress in approval and pharmaceutical usage, improvement in displacing BoNT-A to other pathologies has remained very limited.

Alterations in glutathione, nitric oxide and 3-nitrotyrosine levels following exercise and/or hyperbaric oxygen treatment in mice with diet-induced diabetes.

Oxidative stress is involved in the development of diabetes. Nitric oxide (NO) contributes to oxidative stress, affects the synthesis of glutathione (GSH) in tissues and also regulates important physiological processes. The levels of nitrosative stress, assessed by measuring the levels of 3-nitrotirosina (3NT) as well as the bioavailability of NO are modulated by exercise and hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO).

Sensitivity and Specificity of Computed Tomography in the Evaluation of Bone Mineral Density in Mexican Patients with Breast Cancer.

Introduction Breast cancer (BC) is the most frequently reported cancer among women - reported in 2012 as 25% of all cancers. BC has been related to the increased life and activity of osteoclasts, conferring a higher risk for osteoporosis/osteopenia. This study aimed to determine a cut-off point in Hounsfield units (HU) as well as the sensitivity and specificity of computed axial tomography (CT) in the diagnosis of osteoporosis/osteopenia in Mexican women with BC.

[General characteristics of medical education in Mexico. A look from medical schools].

Objective: To know the characteristics of medical education and identify its strengths and weaknesses.

Materials And Methods: A transversal and quantitative study of the characteristics of medical education in 29 medical schools in Mexico was carried out, between April and September 2017. Questionnaire with Likert scale was applied to explore context, regulation, structure, process, results and impact of medical education.

[Educating general practitioners in Latin America: a challenge for universal healthFormação de clínicos gerais na América Latina: um desafio para a saúde universal].

Objective: To gather opinions from medical schools regarding the existence of public policies on the health workforce (human resources for health) and whether sufficient public financing and regulatory mechanisms are in place for undergraduate medical education; and to identify areas of opportunity to improve the availability of general practitioners in the Region of the Americas.

Methods: Cross-sectional, descriptive study conducted with 105 medical schools (51 public and 54 private) in 17 countries. A questionnaire with a Likert scale was used to explore three dimensions (political, economic, and regulatory contexts) composed of 4, 2, and 4 variables each, respectively, and validated with the Delphi method.

Catecholamine levels and gene expression of their receptors in tissues of adults with osteosarcoma.

Aim: The purpose of this work was to identify and measure catecholamines, their metabolites, and the gene expression of catecholamine receptors in osteosarcoma tissue.

Materials And Methods: The levels of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, norepinephrine, serotonin, and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid in cancer tissue and in adjacent and non-oncological bone tissue were analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography, and the gene expression of catecholamine receptors and of dopamine β-hydroxylase, monoaminoxidase, ki67, and Runx2 in the osteosarcoma tissue, tissue adjacent to the tumour, non-oncological bone, and human brain tissue was analysed by RT-PCR.

Results: We found significantly higher levels of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and norepinephrine in the cancer sample than in adjacent and non-oncological bone.

Anorectic efficacy and safety of the diethylpropion-topiramate combination in rats.

Preclinical Research & Development Current drugs for obesity treatment have limited efficacy and considerable adverse effects. Combination of drugs with complementary mechanisms of action at lower doses may produce a greater efficacy with a better safety profile. This study was designed to assess the anorectic effect and safety of a diethylpropion + topiramate mixture in rats.

Human Neutrophil Defensin-1, -3, and -4 Are Elevated in Nasal Aspirates from Children with Naturally Occurring Adenovirus Infection.

Background: Adenoviruses are highly contagious pathogens which cause respiratory disease particularly in children; they may induce severe disease in infants. Human neutrophil peptides (HNPs) have been found to exhibit antiadenoviral activity. Thus, we have investigated HNPs in nasal aspirates (NAs) of children suffering from adenoviral common cold.

Dysregulation of mitochondrial function and biogenesis modulators in adipose tissue of obese children.

Background/objectives: We aimed to evaluate mitochondrial biogenesis (MB), structure, metabolism and dysfunction in abdominal adipose tissue from male pediatric patients with obesity.

Subjects/methods: Samples were collected from five children with obesity (percentile ⩾95) and five eutrophic boys (percentile ⩾5/⩽85) (8-12 years old) following parental informed consent. We analyzed the expression of key genes involved in MB (sirtuin-1 (SIRT1), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ), PPARγ coactivator-1α (PGC1α), nuclear respiratory factors 1 and 2 (NRF1, NRF2) and mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) and surrogates for mitochondrial function/structure/metabolism (porin, TOMM20, complex I and V, UCP1, UCP2, SIRT3, SOD2) by western blot.

Overexpression of MMP-3 and uPA with Diminished PAI-1 Related to Metastasis in Ductal Breast Cancer Patients Attending a Public Hospital in Mexico City.

Extracellular matrix metalloproteases and the fibrinolytic system are important protease systems interacting with each other in charge of remodeling and recycling of tissues. Their role in tumor invasion and metastasis is often discussed. In this study several metalloproteases such as MMP-1, MMP-3, MMP-9, and TIMP-1 together with molecules from the fibrinolytic system like uPA, its receptor uPAR, and its inhibitor, PAI-1, were studied by immune-histochemistry to establish a comparison with and without metastasis.

Development of Primer Pairs from Molecular Typing of Rabies Virus Variants Present in Mexico.

Nucleoprotein (N) gene from rabies virus (RABV) is a useful sequence target for variant studies. Several specific RABV variants have been characterized in different mammalian hosts such as skunk, dog, and bats by using anti-nucleocapsid monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) via indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) test, a technique not available in many laboratories in Mexico. In the present study, a total of 158 sequences of N gene from RABV were used to design eight pairs of primers (four external and four internal primers), for typing four different RABV variants (dog, skunk, vampire bat, and nonhematophagous bat) which are most common in Mexico.

n-3 Fatty acids modulate the mRNA expression of the Nlrp3 inflammasome and Mtor in the liver of rats fed with high-fat or high-fat/fructose diets.

Context: There is evidence that n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3-PUFAs) can inhibit mTORC1, which should potentiate autophagy and eliminate NLRP3 inflammasome activity.

Objective: Evaluate the effect of a high-fat or high-fat/fructose diet with and without n-3-PUFAs on hepatic gene expression.

Materials And Methods: We examined the mRNA expression by RT-PCR of Mtor, Nlrp3, and other 22 genes associated with inflammation in rats livers after a 9-week diet.