Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) Genotypes in an Ecuadorian Population: A Preliminary Study.

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection affects 257-291 million people worldwide. The World Health Organization reported 890,000 HBV-related deaths in 2019, higher than reported previously. There are 10 HBV genotypes (A-J) subdivided into several subgenotypes that differ considerably by geography.

Identification of the Genotypes Circulating in the Ecuadorian Population Infected with the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV).

Introduction: The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is responsible for 1.5 million new infections, and around 290 thousand deaths worldwide. 15 to 30% of the patients that go into a chronic phase of the disease will develop cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma within 20 years and is the leading etiology for liver transplantation.

SARS-CoV-2 genome sequencing from COVID-19 in Ecuadorian patients: a whole country analysis.

SARS-CoV-2, the etiological agent of COVID-19, was first described in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and has now spread globally. Ecuador was the second country in South America to confirm cases and Guayaquil was one of the first cities in the world to experience high mortality due to COVID-19. The aim of this study was to describe the lineages circulating throughout the country and to compare the mutations in local variants, to the reference strain.

Biophysical Stimuli: A Review of Electrical and Mechanical Stimulation in Hyaline Cartilage.

Objective: Hyaline cartilage degenerative pathologies induce morphologic and biomechanical changes resulting in cartilage tissue damage. In pursuit of therapeutic options, electrical and mechanical stimulation have been proposed for improving tissue engineering approaches for cartilage repair. The purpose of this review was to highlight the effect of electrical stimulation and mechanical stimuli in chondrocyte behavior.

Cellular scale model of growth plate: An in silico model of chondrocyte hypertrophy.

The growth plate is the responsible for longitudinal bone growth. It is a cartilaginous structure formed by chondrocytes that are continuously undergoing a differentiation process that starts with a highly proliferative state, followed by cellular hypertrophy, and finally tissue ossification. Within the growth plate chondrocytes display a characteristic columnar organization that potentiates longitudinal growth.