Antimicrobial Effect of Chitosan Nanoparticles and Species on and Several Other Microorganisms.

This study evaluates the antimicrobial efficacy of chitosan nanoparticles (CNPs), varying in size, against clinical isolates of (MTB), , , , and , as well as the antimicrobial effects of aqueous extracts and lyophilized powders of (garlic) species. CNPs were synthesized through ionotropic gelation and characterized by Z potential, hydrodynamic diameter (dynamic light scattering, DLS), and SEM. Aqueous garlic extracts were prepared via decoction.

The Legacy of President Lázaro Cárdenas for Health Care Reform in Today's Mexico.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's historic election victory in 2018 marked a sharp break from past decades of neoliberal socioeconomic policies. López Obrador campaigned on the promise of deep reform, with health care high on his agenda. The public health care sector had been decimated by decades of budget cuts, eroding workers' morale and patients' confidence, and crippling all aspects of the system.

Sociodemographic factors associated with the success or failure of anti-tuberculosis treatment in the Chiapas Highlands, Mexico, 2019-2022.

Objective: To estimate the incidence rate of tuberculosis (TB) in the Highlands (Tsotsil-Tseltal) region of Chiapas and to analyze sociodemographic factors that might influence the success of anti-TB treatment from the period of January 2019 to June 2022.

Methods: Retrospective study in which the TB databases of the National Epidemiological Surveillance System (SINAVE) were analyzed. TB incidence rates were calculated based on the number of registered TB cases and estimated annual populations.

Genetic Diversity of Isolates From an Amerindian Population in Chiapas, México.

This is the first report of the genetic diversity of the complex isolates found in a Mexican-Amerindian setting. In this study, we analyzed isolates collected from the Highlands region of Chiapas, Mexico, by using spoligotyping and whole-genome sequencing analyses. Seventy-three isolates were analyzed initially by spoligotyping; no new spoligotypes were identified.

Tween 80 Improves the Acid-Fast Bacilli Quantification in the Magnetic Nanoparticle-Based Colorimetric Biosensing Assay (NCBA).

Despite its reduced sensitivity, sputum smear microscopy (SSM) remains the main diagnostic test for detecting tuberculosis in many parts of the world. A new diagnostic technique, the magnetic nanoparticle-based colorimetric biosensing assay (NCBA) was optimized by evaluating different concentrations of glycan-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (GMNP) and Tween 80 to improve the acid-fast bacilli (AFB) count. Comparative analysis was performed on 225 sputum smears: 30 with SSM, 107 with NCBA at different GMNP concentrations, and 88 with NCBA-Tween 80 at various concentrations and incubation times.

Amylin serum levels are upregulated in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objectives: Amylin is a pancreatic hormone that participates in glucose homeostasis. We aimed to investigate how serum amylin levels are expressed in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) compared to matched controls, and their possible relationship to disease-related characteristics, such as activity or damage.

Methods: 144 SLE patients and 96 non-diabetic sex- (female 96% vs.

Geographical distribution and international collaboration of Latin American and Caribbean scientific publications on tuberculosis in Pubmed.

Objective: The objective of the study was to describe the geographical coverage of Latin American and Caribbean scientific publications on tuberculosis and its international collaboration.

Materials And Methods: The records were retrieved from the PubMed database (2009-2018), limiting the search to Latin American and Caribbean countries. Articles were analyzed in several categories, such as the total number, countries, institutions, authors, collaborations, and citations.

HDL cholesterol efflux capacity and lipid profile in patients with systemic sclerosis.

Objective: It is well established that patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) have a disrupted lipid profile and an increased cardiovascular risk. Cholesterol efflux capacity (CEC), the ability of high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol to accept cholesterol from macrophages, has been linked to cardiovascular events. The aim of this study was to establish whether CEC and lipid profile were impaired in SSc patients with respect to controls and whether these changes were associated with disease-related data.

Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 is related to disease activity and damage in patients with systemic erythematosus lupus.

Background: Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is a serine protease that regulates cholesterol metabolism through low-density lipoprotein receptor degradation and that has been linked to cardiovascular (CV) disease. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether PCSK9 levels are disrupted compared with controls in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We additionally sought to establish whether PCSK9 is related to both the abnormalities in the lipid profile and to the disease activity or damage of patients with SLE.

Impact of Disease Activity on Physical Activity in Patients With Psoriatic Arthritis.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare physical activity (PA) in a group of patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) versus healthy controls and to determine whether the mobility of these patients is affected by disease activity.

Methods: A group of 52 patients with PsA and 53 controls were included in this case-control study. PA was assessed by accelerometry in both groups and additionally with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) in patients with PsA.

Differences in Capacity of High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Efflux Between Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Objective: Cholesterol efflux capacity (CEC) is the ability of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol to accept cholesterol from macrophages. Lipid profiles and CEC appear to be altered in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) due to disease activity and inflammation. CEC has been linked to cardiovascular events in the general population and to subclinical atherosclerosis in SLE and RA patients.

Tuberculosis Care in Mexico's Chiapas Highlands Region: A Right to Health Analysis.

This article analyzes the fulfillment of the four essential and interrelated elements of availability, accessibility, acceptability, and quality (AAAQ) presented in General Comment 14 of the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. We examined the ways that AAAQ criteria are met in tuberculosis (TB) care by evaluating a sample of 33 primary health care units (PHCUs) in 10 municipalities of the Chiapas Highlands region of Mexico. We collected information about 56 people with TB who were treated in those PHCUs, the structural conditions of the health facilities, and data about all health care workers in the PHCUs (n=423).

Higher Prevalence and Degree of Insulin Resistance in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis Than in Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Objective: Since insulin resistance (IR) is highly prevalent in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), we aimed to determine whether differences in IR exist between the two conditions.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study comprising 413 subjects without diabetes (186 with SLE and 227 with RA). Glucose, insulin, and C-peptide serum levels, as well as IR by the homeostatic model assessment (HOMA2) were studied.

Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 in patients with systemic sclerosis.

Objectives: Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is a serine protease that regulates cholesterol metabolism through low-density lipoprotein receptor degradation, and which has been linked to cardiovascular risk. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether PCSK9 serum levels are disrupted in patients with systemic sclerosis (SS) compared to controls, and if PCSK9 is related to disease-related data and the subclinical atherosclerosis that occurs in these patients.

Methods: Cross-sectional study that encompassed 146 individuals; 73 patients with SS and 73 age- and sex-matched controls.

Impaired HDL cholesterol efflux capacity in systemic lupus erythematosus patients is related to subclinical carotid atherosclerosis.

Objectives: Lipid profiles appear to be altered in SLE patients due to disease activity and inflammation. Cholesterol efflux capacity (CEC) is the ability of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol to accept cholesterol from macrophages. CEC has been linked to cardiovascular events in the general population and is impaired in SLE patients.

HDL cholesterol efflux capacity is related to disease activity in psoriatic arthritis patients.

Objective: Cholesterol efflux capacity (CEC) is the ability of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol to accept cholesterol from macrophages. CEC is linked to cardiovascular events in the general population, and it has been shown to be disrupted in inflammatory states. The aim of this study was to establish whether CEC is impaired in PsA patients and if this could be explained by disease-related features like disease activity.

Comparable effects of traditional cardiovascular risk factors on subclinical atherosclerosis in systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis.

Objectives: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have an increased premature prevalence of atherosclerosis. We aimed to determine whether there are differences in the prevalence of classic cardiovascular risk factors between SLE and RA. We also analysed the effect of traditional cardiovascular risk factors on the development of subclinical atherosclerosis in both conditions and if some disease-characteristic features are associated with these traditional cardiovascular risk factors.

Brain insulin circuit. From the basics to impact on the clinic.

The discovery and synthesis of insulin has been vital in the study and treatment of diabetes mellitus. From the studies carried by Dr. Nicolae C.

Diabetes, undernutrition, migration and indigenous communities: tuberculosis in Chiapas, Mexico.

We investigated the distribution of comorbidities among adult tuberculosis (TB) patients in Chiapas, the poorest Mexican state, with a high presence of indigenous population, and a corridor for migrants from Latin America. Secondary analysis on 5508 new adult TB patients diagnosed between 2010 and 2014 revealed that the most prevalent comorbidities were diabetes mellitus (DM; 19.1%) and undernutrition (14.

Health reform in Mexico: governance and potential outcomes.

Adopting key mechanisms to restructure public policy in developing countries is a crucial political task. The strengthening of infrastructure of health services, care quality, monitoring and population health; all might contribute to assuring the functionality of a national system for health monitoring and care. Over the last decades, the Mexican government has launched wide-ranging political reforms aiming to overcome socioeconomic and environmental problems, namely health, education, finances, energy and pension.

Recommendations of the Spanish Rheumatology Society for Primary Antiphospholipid Syndrome. Part I: Diagnosis, Evaluation and Treatment.

Objective: The difficulty in diagnosis and the spectrum of clinical manifestations that can determine the choice of treatment for primary antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) has fostered the development of recommendations by the Spanish Society of Rheumatology (SER), based on the best possible evidence. These recommendations can serve as a reference for rheumatologists and other specialists involved in the management of APS.

Methods: A panel of four rheumatologists, a gynaecologist and a haematologist with expertise in APS was created, previously selected by the SER through an open call or based on professional merits.

Disease Damage Influences Cardiovascular Risk Reclassification Based on Carotid Ultrasound in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Objective: Composite scores of cardiovascular (CV) risk factors underestimate the CV risk in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Carotid artery ultrasound (US) was found useful in identifying high CV-risk patients with inflammatory arthritis. We assessed the effect of carotid US assessments on the CV risk stratification of patients with SLE.