Chronic chagasic cardiomyopathy is the most severe clinical manifestation of Chagas disease, which affects approximately seven million people worldwide. Latin American countries bear the highest burden, with the greatest morbidity and mortality rates. Currently, diagnostic methods do not provide information on the risk of progression to severe stages of the disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe stridulation in the subfamily Triatominae has been identified as a means of communication between species, produced by the friction of the proboscis on the prosternal stridulatory groove. Despite its biological significance, this phenomenon remains understudied, with the signal's production seemingly contingent upon the morphology of the stridulatory groove. In this study, we examined the morphology of stridulatory grooves in females and males of five species and two subspecies of Mexican triatomines using morphometric and scanning electron microscopical analysis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe present report describes a case of acanthocephaliasis associated with necrotic enteritis in quetzals (Pharomachrus mocinno). Three juvenile quetzals exhibited depression, anorexia, ruffled feathers, and sudden death. They were submitted to the laboratory for examination.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study assesses the feasibility of calorie restriction (CR) and time-restricted feeding (TRF) in overweight and obese cancer patients who realized little to no physical activity undergoing curative radiotherapy, structured as a prospective, interventional, non-randomized open-label clinical trial. Of the 27 participants initially enrolled, 21 patients with breast cancer were selected for analysis. The participants self-selected into two dietary interventions: TRF, comprising a sugar and saturated fat-free diet calibrated to individual energy needs consumed within an 8 h eating window followed by a 16 h fast, or CR, involving a 25% reduction in total caloric intake from energy expenditure distributed across 4 meals and 1 snack with 55% carbohydrates, 15% protein, and 30% fats, excluding sugars and saturated fats.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTRPV4 channels, which respond to mechanical activation by permeating Ca into the cell, may play a pivotal role in cardiac remodeling during cardiac overload. Our study aimed to investigate TRPV4 involvement in pathological and physiological remodeling through Ca-dependent signaling. TRPV4 expression was assessed in heart failure (HF) models, induced by isoproterenol infusion or transverse aortic constriction, and in exercise-induced adaptive remodeling models.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: We report the presence of Triatoma longipennis for the first time in two localities in Hidalgo, Mexico.
Methods: This study was conducted at Tecozautla municipality, Hidalgo. Collection was performed in April 2022.
is an exclusive and widely distributed species in Mexico and one of the three main vectors that transmit Chagas disease in the country. The state of Hidalgo is an endemic area for Chagas disease where the presence of several species of triatomines has been reported. The objective of our work was to describe the morphology, colonization process, and reproductive behavior of in Guadalupe, Tecozautla, two years after the first collection of a specimen in this region.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCoral reef decline is an issue of concern around the globe. Remote and uninhabited coral areas are not exempt from facing changes in species composition and functionality due to global drivers. Quitasueño is a remote atoll within the Seaflower Biosphere Reserve, in the Southwestern Caribbean Sea.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFish populations that bear considerable pressure levels tend to show a decline in the average size of individuals, with the small and unexploited species replacing the large and exploited ones. It is important to carry on with their characterization in areas where they are becoming an important source of food for local human populations. An example of such species are parrotfishes, whose responses to external factors such as fishing need to be understood and predicted.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTriatoma mexicana is an important vector of Trypanosoma cruzi-the etiological agent of Chagas disease. This triatomine species occurs in central Mexico, but little is known about its genetic variability. Using Cyt-b gene as a genetic marker, in this study, we determined the population genetic structure of T.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe operation related degradation processes of high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell operated with hydrogen-rich reformate gas are studied. CO impurities from the reformate gas are strongly adsorbed by the catalyst surface, leading to poisoning and thus, reduction of the overall performance of the cell. Most of the studies are performed in a laboratory set-up by applying accelerated stress tests.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Latin American Society of Nephrology and Hypertension conducted a prospective cohort, multinational registry of Latin American patients with kidney impairment associated to COVID-19 infection with the objective to describe the characteristics of acute kidney disease under these circumstances. The study was carried out through open invitation in order to describe the characteristics of the disease in the region. Eight-hundred and seventy patients from 12 countries were included.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChronic kidney disease-associated pruritus (CKD-aP), also known as uremic pruritus, has been associated with increased mortality and lower quality of life among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The relentless nature of the condition is mainly due to its diverse and complex etiologies, which are still being studied. Despite the introduction of many agents to treat it, the resolution rates of CKD-aP still remain unsatisfactory.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF(Kunt) is one of the two vascular plant species present in Antarctica and develops under severe environmental conditions, being found in both pristine and human-threatened environments. We determined the Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn levels in roots, leaves, and soils of origin using flame atomic absorption spectroscopy. In January 2017, we collected samples from four geographical zones on the longitudinal gradient along which is distributed, starting from Punta Arenas (PAR) at the extreme south of mainland Chile and moving southwards to the Antarctic territory from King George Island (KGI) to Hannah Point Peninsula (PHA) and finally Lagotellerie Island (LAT).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFForensic Sci Int Genet
March 2022
We have genotyped the 58 STRs (27 autosomal, 24 Y-STRs and 7 X-STRs) and 94 autosomal SNPs in Illumina ForenSeq™ Primer Mix A in a sample of 248 men and 143 women from El Salvador, Central America. Regional division (Centro, Oriente, Occidente) showed in almost all cases F values not significantly different from 0, and further analyses were applied only to the undivided, country-wide population. The overall random match probability (RMP) decreased from 6.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHighly energetic ultrashort electron bunches have the potential to reveal the ultrafast structural dynamics in relatively thicker in-liquid samples. However, direct current voltages higher than 100 kV are exponentially difficult to attain as surface and vacuum breakdown become an important problem as the electric field increases. One of the most demanding components in the design of a high-energy electrostatic ultrafast electron source is the high voltage feedthrough (HVFT), which must keep the electron gun from discharging against ground.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
October 2021
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to the occurrence of work-related stress on nursing staff. Being resilience an essential element to countering adversity. The aim of the study was to assess burnout syndrome as well as resilience in hospital-care nurses during the first outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Chagas disease is considered important and presents intense inflammatory and fibrotic processes induced by the perpetuation of the parasite in the affected tissues and organs. Therefore, it is necessary to inquire about the host defense and attack mechanisms to have a more detailed knowledge about Chagas disease. MicroRNAs are found in blood, tissues and extracellular vesicles.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction And Objectives: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD) are a cost-effective alternative for secondary prevention of sudden cardiac death, but their efficiency in primary prevention, especially among patients with nonischemic heart disease, is still uncertain.
Methods: We performed a cost-effectiveness analysis of ICD plus conventional medical treatment (CMT) vs CMT for primary prevention of cardiac arrhythmias from the perspective of the national health service. We simulated the course of the disease by using Markov models in patients with ischemic and nonischemic heart disease.
Novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the etiologic agent of the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which has reached 28 million cases worldwide in 1 year. The serological detection of antibodies against the virus will play a pivotal role in complementing molecular tests to improve diagnostic accuracy, contact tracing, vaccine efficacy testing, and seroprevalence surveillance. Here, we aimed first to evaluate a lateral flow assay's ability to identify specific IgM and IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 and second, to report the seroprevalence estimates of these antibodies among health care workers and healthy volunteer blood donors in Panama.
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