Publications by authors named "Vargas-Alarcon G"

Deregulation of micro-RNAs (miRNAs) may contribute to mechanisms of injury in the bicuspid aortic valve (BAV). Our objective was to investigate the expression of miRNAs in aortic tissue from patients who underwent aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis and its relationship with aortic dilatation. The study included 78 patients, 40 with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) and 38 with tricuspid aortic valve (TAV).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Ambient fine particulate matter (PM) is a risk factor for atherosclerosis disease. We aimed to assess whether nitric oxide stable metabolites (NOx) and l-arginine mediate the association between PM and carotid intima media thickness (cIMT) increase.

Methods: We selected 251 participants from the control group of GEA (Genetics of Atheroslerosis Disease Mexican) study (2008-2013) in Mexico City.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to determine if five specific single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the DPP4 gene could serve as risk markers for in-stent restenosis in patients with coronary stents.
  • Genotyping was conducted on 190 patients, comparing 60 with restenosis to 130 without, using TaqMan assays.
  • Findings indicated that the CC genotype of the rs12617656 SNP significantly correlates with an increased risk of restenosis, while other examined SNPs showed no difference between the two patient groups; a specific haplotype (CTC) was also linked to restenosis susceptibility.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase (CYP7A1) enzyme plays an important role in the conversion of cholesterol to bile acid, contributing to the reduction of cholesterol plasma levels in normal conditions. Nonetheless, recent studies have shown that some genetic variants in the enhancer and promoter regions of the CYP7A1 gene reduce the expression of the CYP7A1 enzyme, increasing plasma lipid levels, as well as the risk of developing coronary heart disease. The aim of this work was to explore whether the genetic variants (rs2081687, rs9297994, rs10107182, rs10504255, rs1457043, rs8192870, and rs3808607) of the CYP7A1 gene are involved in subclinical atherosclerosis and plasma lipid levels.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Searching for positive selection signals across genomes has identified functional genetic variants responding to environmental change. In Native Americans of Mexico, we used the fixation index (F) and population branch statistic (PBS) to identify SNPs suggesting positive selection. The 103 most differentiated SNPs were tested for associations with metabolic traits, the most significant association was /rs174616 with body mass index (BMI).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is associated with various complications, including diabetic foot, which can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. Non-healing foot ulcers in diabetic patients are a major risk factor for infections and amputations. Despite conventional treatments, which have limited efficacy, there is a need for more effective therapies.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: In the present study, we evaluated whether gene polymorphisms are associated with the presence of coronary artery disease (CAD).

Methods: Two rs11362 , and rs1800972 gene polymorphisms of gene were genotyped by 5'exonuclease TaqMan assays in 219 patients with CAD and 522 control individuals.

Results: The distribution of rs1800972 polymorphisms was similar in patients with CAD and healthy controls.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) participates in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. In vitro studies have reported that the rs1024611 polymorphism is associated with increased MCP-1 concentrations. The study aimed to define whether MCP-1 concentrations are associated with premature coronary artery disease (pCAD) and to establish whether variations in the rs1024611 polymorphism increase MCP-1 concentrations.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The host immune response might confer differential vulnerability to SARS-CoV-2 infection. The Toll-like receptor 8 (TLR8), could participated for severe COVID-19 outcomes. To investigated the relationship of TLR8 rs3764879-C/G, rs3764880-A/G, and rs3761624-A/G with COVID-19 outcomes and with biochemical parameters.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

To compare the demographic, clinical, and laboratory characteristics, disease onset, and clinical features of radiographic axial Spondyloarthritis (r-axSpA) and non-radiographic axial Spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA) patients. All patients who attended outpatient spondylarthritis (SpA) clinics at Hospital General de Mexico and the Instituto Nacional de la Nutrición from 1998 to 2005 and met the rheumatologist diagnostic criteria for SpA were selected. Then the SpA patients were classified by European Spondyloarthropathy Study Group criteria (ESSG).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Aim: The Dysfunctional Adiposity Index (DAI) is a clinical surrogate for evaluating adipose tissue functionality and cardiometabolic health. However, its association with Pericardial Fat Volume (PFV) has not been tested. The aim of this study was to evaluate DAI- PFV association, stratified by type 2 diabetes (T2D) status, and identify DAI thresholds for detecting increased PFV among patients without premature CVD.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study estimates the prevalence of four diabetes subgroups in Mexico using data from national health surveys conducted between 2016 and 2022, focusing on over 23,000 adults.
  • The overall diabetes prevalence was found to be 16.04%, with specific subgroup prevalence rates highlighting that severe insulin-deficient diabetes (SIDD) and obesity-related diabetes (MOD) are more common in Southern Mexico, while age-related (MARD) and severe insulin-resistant diabetes (SIRD) are prevalent in Northern Mexico and Mexico City.
  • Factors such as social disadvantage and speaking an indigenous language were associated with increased odds for SIDD, indicating regional and sociodemographic disparities that could impact diabetes management in Mexico.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Serine proteases play a critical role during SARS-CoV-2 infection. Therefore, polymorphisms of transmembrane protease serine 2 () and serpine family E member 1 () could help to elucidate the contribution of variability to COVID-19 outcomes.

Methods: To evaluate the genetic variants of the genes previously associated with COVID-19 outcomes, we performed a cross-sectional study in which 1536 SARS-CoV-2-positive participants were enrolled.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Cholesterol-7-alpha hydroxylase (CYP7A1) is a key enzyme in the synthesis of bile salts, and its activity can contribute to determining cholesterol levels and, consequently, the risk of developing coronary atherosclerotic disease. We evaluated whether seven (rs3808607 , rs9297994 , rs10504255 , rs8192870 , rs2081687 , rs1457043 and rs10107182 polymorphisms located in the promoter and enhancer regions of the gene, which have not been sufficiently explored, are candidates of risk markers of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in the Mexican population. These polymorphisms were determined in a group of 1317 patients with ACS and 1046 control subjects.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study investigated the relationship between IL-6 gene polymorphisms and IL-6 levels with premature coronary artery disease (pCAD) and cardiovascular risk factors in a sample of 1150 pCAD patients and 1083 healthy controls.
  • Results showed that while IL-6 polymorphisms did not connect to pCAD, they were linked to cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity and lipid levels in both groups.
  • Higher IL-6 levels were found in pCAD patients compared to controls, with specific polymorphisms indicating increased risk for certain metabolic conditions in pCAD patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The development and severity of this infectious disease is influenced by a combination of environmental and genetic factors. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) facilitates SARS-CoV-2 entry into human cells, with transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2) playing a crucial role in S protein priming.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The interleukin-17 (IL-17) has a crucial role during inflammation and has been associated with cardiovascular diseases, but its role in epigenetics is still poorly understood. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the DNA methylation status of the gene promoter to establish whether it may represent a risk factor for subclinical atherosclerosis (SA) or clinical coronary artery disease (CAD). We included 38 patients with premature CAD (pCAD), 48 individuals with SA, and 43 healthy controls.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Interleukin 6 (IL-6) is a cytokine implicated in the development of atherosclerosis. This study aimed to determine the association of three IL-6 gene polymorphisms with increased carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and cardiometabolic risk factors. Three IL-6 polymorphisms (rs1800795, rs2069827, and rs1800796) were analyzed in 178 individuals with increased CIMT (CIMT ≥ 75th percentile) and 906 individuals without increased CIMT (CIMT < 75th percentile).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Mexico ranks second in the global prevalence of obesity in the adult population, which increases the probability of developing dyslipidemia. Dyslipidemia is closely related to cardiovascular diseases, which are the leading cause of death in the country. Therefore, developing tools that facilitate the prediction of dyslipidemias is essential for prevention and early treatment.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Marfan syndrome (MFS) is a multisystem genetic disorder with over 3000 mutations described in the fibrillin 1 (FBN1) gene. Like MFS, other connective tissue disorders also require a deeper understanding of the phenotype-genotype relationship due to the complexity of the clinical presentation, where diagnostic criteria often overlap. Our objective was to identify mutations in patients with connective tissue disorders using a genetic multipanel and to analyze the genotype-phenotype associations in a cohort of Mexican patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is frequent in preterm newborns, and its incidence is inversely associated with the degree of prematurity. The first choice of pharmacological treatment is ibuprofen. Several genes, including , have been proposed as probable markers associated with a genetic predisposition for the development of PDA in preterm infants.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the role of TLR7 and MyD88 gene polymorphisms in the severity of COVID-19 among unvaccinated individuals, analyzing a population of 618 patients.
  • A significant association was found between specific genetic variations (rs3853839 for TLR7 and rs7744 for MyD88) and worse clinical outcomes, with specific genotypes linked to critical and severe cases.
  • The findings suggest that these genetic markers could help predict COVID-19 severity and are associated with immune response factors like D-dimer and IFN-α concentrations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Researchers studied the link between ABO gene polymorphisms and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) as well as lipid metabolism, finding significant associations.
  • The rs8176746 T allele and rs8176740 A allele were linked to a lower risk of ACS across multiple genetic models, and the rs579459 C allele also showed protective effects.
  • Additionally, specific alleles were correlated with lower blood pressure and healthier lipid profiles, indicating a potential causal relationship between ABO blood groups and ACS risk.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Marfan syndrome (MFS) is an inherited connective tissue disorder. As the spinal growth depends on delicate balance of forces, conditions that affect musculoskeletal matrix often lead to spinal deformities. A large cross-sectional study revealed a 63% prevalence of scoliosis among patients with MFS.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: PM exposure has been associated with intima-media thickness (cIMT) increase. However, very few studies distinguished between left and right cIMT in relation to PM exposure.

Aim: To evaluate associations between chronic exposure to PM and cIMT at bilateral, left, and right in adults from Mexico City.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF