Publications by authors named "Rafael Hernandez Zenteno"

Background: COPD ranks as the third leading global cause of mortality. Despite the widespread use of the BODE index and its variants for mortality prediction, their accuracy may be affected by factors like ethnicity, altitude and regional disparities. This study aimed to assess a new altitude-adapted prognostic index in COPD patients at moderate altitudes compared with the BODE and other mortality predictors.

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Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by progressive airflow obstruction and destruction of lung tissue, primarily attributed to tobacco smoking. However, other factors like biomass-burning smoke (BS) exposure are also implicated. COPD has been described as an accelerated aging disease, and telomere length is a biomarker of aging.

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Background: COPD due to biomass exposure (COPD-B) is highly prevalent in low- and middle-income countries, and there are no clinical trials designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatments currently recommended for patients with COPD due to cigarette smoking (COPD-C). The purpose of the study was to compare the efficacy of fluticasone furoate/vilanterol (FF/V) 100/25 μg and umeclidinium/vilanterol (UMEC/VI) 62.5/25 μg on the rate of exacerbations, the time to first exacerbation, on dyspnoea, health-related quality of life (HRQL), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV) and inspiratory capacity (IC) during a period of 6 months in patients with COPD-B and COPD-C, at a third level referral centre in Mexico City.

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The present study aimed to identify in patients with severe COVID-19 and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) the association between rs3804099 and rs3804100 () and evaluate the expression of TLR-2 on the cell surface of innate and adaptive cells of patients' carriers of C allele in at least one genetic variant. We genotyped 1018 patients with COVID-19 and ARDS. According to genotype, a subgroup of 12 patients was selected to stimulate peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) with spike and LPS + spike.

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Unlabelled: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a disease characterized by local and systemic inflammation independently of the risk factor; during the exacerbations, such inflammation is accentuated and amplified. A practical inflammatory marker and one with an applicable predictive value in the follow-up has been sought. FeNO has shown an excellent performance in that respect within the context of asthma and has also been studied in tobacco-smoke COPD (COPD-TS).

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Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with tobacco smoking and biomass-burning smoke exposure. Toll-like receptor 4 () single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) may contribute to its pathogenesis. The study aimed to assess the association of rs4986790 and rs4986791 in the gene in a Mexican mestizo population with COPD secondary to tobacco smoking (COPD-TS) and biomass-burning smoke (COPD-BBS) and to evaluate whether the genotypes of risk affect cytokine serum levels.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the relationship between certain genetic variants (rs2071288, rs3134940, rs184003, and rs2070600) and soluble-RAGE levels in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) related to biomass-burning smoke (BBS) and tobacco smoking.
  • Researchers analyzed 2189 subjects divided into four groups to determine if these variants and RAGE levels were linked to COPD, but found no strong associations, except a marginal one for rs3134940 with COPD-BBS.
  • The findings revealed that sRAGE plasma and sputum levels were lower in COPD patients compared to non-COPD individuals, with rs3134940 influencing these levels, but the genetic variants themselves did
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Background: Enzymes of the peptidylarginine deiminase family (PADs) play a relevant role in the pathogenesis of COVID-19. However, the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in their genes with COVID-19 severity and death is unknown.

Methodology: We included 1045 patients who were diagnosed with COVID-19 between October 2020 and December 2021.

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Objectives: We investigated the expression of toll-like receptor (TLR)-4 on the cell surface of innate and adaptive cells from patients with COVID-19 carrying the rs4986790 GG genotype in the TLR4 gene and the functional profile of these cells.

Methods: We included 1169 hospitalized patients with COVID-19. The rs4986790 in TLR4 was identified by real-time polymerase chain reaction.

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Article Synopsis
  • Post-COVID-19 syndrome leads to various health issues, including reduced lung function and muscle strength, highlighting a need to investigate the impact of obesity and low muscle strength in affected patients.
  • A study involving 711 subjects revealed significant associations between poor pulmonary function and conditions like dynapenia (low muscle strength) and sarcopenia (muscle loss), especially among those with obesity.
  • Results show that individuals with dynapenia and sarcopenia experienced notable decreases in lung function metrics, suggesting these factors can worsen respiratory outcomes in post-COVID-19 patients.
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Unlabelled: In COVID-19, critical disease and invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) increase the risk of death, mainly in patients over 60 years of age.

Objectives: To find the relationship between miR-21-5p and miR-146a-5p in terms of the severity, IMV, and mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients younger than 55 years of age.

Methods: The patients were stratified according to disease severity using the IDSA/WHO criteria for severe and critical COVID-19 and subclassified into critical non-survivors and critical survivors.

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This paper assesses the association of the insertion/deletion (angiotensin-converting enzyme) variant (rs1799752 I/D) and the serum ACE activity with the severity of COVID-19 as well as its impact on post-COVID-19, and we compare these associations with those for patients with non-COVID-19 respiratory disorders. We studied 1252 patients with COVID-19, 104 subjects recovered from COVID-19, and 74 patients hospitalized with a respiratory disease different from COVID-19. The rs1799752 variant was assessed using TaqMan Assays.

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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death worldwide; the main risk factors associated with the suffering are tobacco smoking (TS) and chronic exposure to biomass-burning smoke (BBS). Different biological pathways have been associated with COPD, especially xenobiotic or drug metabolism enzymes. This research aims to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) profiles associated with COPD from two expositional sources: tobacco smoking and BBS.

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Introduction: The systemic viral disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 called coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to be a public health problem worldwide.

Objective: This study is aimed to evaluate the association and predictive value of indices of systemic inflammation with severity and non-survival of COVID-19 in Mexican patients.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective study was carried out on 807 subjects with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19.

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Background: Patients with biomass exposure-related COPD (BE-COPD) is a prevalent disease in developing countries and requires a detailed study of its clinical and inflammatory characteristics, specifying interventions that may differ from tobacco exposure-related COPD (TE-COPD). The objective was to describe clinical characteristics, biomarkers of inflammation, T-helper cells, and microbiological agents during a COPD exacerbation in BE-COPD in comparison with TE-COPD.

Methods: A prospective observational study in patients with moderate or severe exacerbation was recruited either in the emergency room or the COPD clinic.

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Interferons (IFNs) are a group of cytokines with antiviral, antiproliferative, antiangiogenic, and immunomodulatory activities. Type I IFNs amplify and propagate the antiviral response by interacting with their receptors, IFNAR1 and IFNAR2. In COVID-19, the (interferon alpha and beta receptor subunit 2) gene has been associated with the severity of the disease, but the soluble receptor (sIFNAR2) levels have not been investigated.

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Background: Genetic susceptibility to infectious diseases is partly due to the variation in the human genome, and COVID-19 is not the exception. This study aimed to identify whether risk alleles of known genes linked with emphysema () and pulmonary fibrosis () are associated with severe COVID-19, and whether plasma mucin 5B differs according to patients' outcomes.

Materials And Methods: We included 1258 Mexican subjects diagnosed with COVID-19.

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An impaired coagulation process has been described in patients with severe or critical coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Nevertheless, the implication of coagulation-related genes has not been explored. We aimed to evaluate the impact of F5 rs6025 and SERPINE1 rs6092 on invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) requirement and the levels of coagulation proteins among patients with severe COVID-19.

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Introduction: Lower respiratory tract infections remain the deadliest communicable disease worldwide. The relationship between cardiovascular diseases and viral infections is well known; for example, during the AH1N1 influenza pandemic, many patients developed acute cardiovascular disease. In the SARS-CoV2 pandemic, cardiovascular health has again become a challenge, with early reports showing cardiac damage in these patients.

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Article Synopsis
  • BE-COPD patients, exposed to biomass, may be more vulnerable to COVID-19 than TE-COPD patients, who are affected by tobacco smoke.
  • The study found an 11% prevalence of COVID-19 in both groups, with no significant differences in infection rates or risk factors like housing or knowledge about COVID-19.
  • Poor socioeconomic status was noted in the BE-COPD group, and around 40% of patients had inadequate risk perception and adherence to health guidelines during the pandemic.
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Genetic association studies have identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with lasting lung diseases such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), as well as the simultaneous presentation, known as Combined Pulmonary Fibrosis and Emphysema (CPFE) Syndrome. It is unknown if these diseases share genetic variants previously described in an independent way. This study aims to identify common or differential variants between COPD, IPF, and CPFE.

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Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2) is an 805 amino acid protein encoded by the ACE2 gene expressed in various human cells, especially in those located in the epithelia. The primary function of ACE2 is to produce angiotensin (1-7) from angiotensin II (Ang II). The current research has described the importance of ACE2 and Ang (1-7) in alternative routes of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) that promote the downregulation of fibrosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress processes in a great variety of diseases, such as hypertension, acute lung injury, liver cirrhosis, and kidney abnormalities.

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Article Synopsis
  • COPD is an inflammatory disease mainly affecting smokers and those exposed to biomass-burning smoke (BBS), with certain gene variants linked to its risk.
  • Researchers studied 1549 participants to identify associations between two specific single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the heat shock protein (HSP) genes and COPD.
  • Findings showed that certain SNPs were linked to a decreased risk of COPD in individuals exposed to BBS and those with severe forms of the disease among smokers.
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Tobacco smoking results in a multifactorial disease involving environmental and genetic factors; epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) show changes in DNA methylation levels due to cigarette consumption, partially reversible upon tobacco smoking cessation. Therefore, methylation levels could predict smoking status. This study aimed to evaluate the DNA methylation level of cg05575921 () and cg23771366 () and their correlation with lung function variables, cigarette consumption, and nicotine addiction in the Mexican smoking population.

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Pulmonary hypertension is a rare condition that impairs patients' quality of life and life expectancy. The development of noninvasive instruments may help elucidate the prognosis of this cardiorespiratory disease. We aimed to evaluate the utility of routinely performed noninvasive test results as prognostic markers in patients with pulmonary hypertension.

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