Risk Factors Associated with COVID-19 Mortality in the State of Durango, Mexico.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused over six million deaths worldwide since its emergence in Wuhan China, factors associated with COVID-19 mortality, such as comorbidities, age, and observed symptomatology still remain a major subject of study. In the present work, a total of 16,345 SARS-CoV-2 positive cases from Durango Mexico diagnosed from May 2020 to December 2021 were analyzed to establish an association of COVID-19 mortality with clinical and demographic variables in a case-control study. Selected variables include patient age, smoking status, sex, presence of comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes and obesity, as well as patient symptomatology such as fever, dyspnea, abdominal pain and diarrhea.

Maternal and umbilical cord procalcitonin, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and interleukin-6 levels in preeclamptic and normotensive patients: A cross-sectional study.

Objectives: To report maternal and umbilical vein levels of procalcitonin (PCT) in patients with preeclampsia (PE) compared to controls. As secondary aims, we measured high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Moreover, correlation analyses were performed between the inflammatory biomarkers and mean arterial pressure (MAP).

Full Atrioventricular Block Secondary to Acute Poisoning Mercury: A Case Report.

The biological behaviour and clinical significance of mercury toxicity vary according to its chemical structure. Mercury differs in its degree of toxicity and in its effects on the nervous, digestive and immune systems as well as on organs such as the lungs, kidneys, skin, eyes and heart. Human exposure occurs mainly through inhalation of elemental mercury vapours during industrial and artisanal processes such as artisanal and small-scale gold mining.

Apoptosis in pancreatic β-cells is induced by arsenic and atorvastatin in Wistar rats with diabetes mellitus type 2.

Introduction: Diabetes Mellitus type 2 (T2D) is a multifactorial disease. However, it is known that there is an important effect in pancreatic β-cells caused by apoptosis of pro-apoptotic proteins, possibly related to arsenic exposure and atorvastatin treatment.

Objective: The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of atorvastatin treatment on apoptosis of pancreatic β-cells in Wistar rats with induced diabetes type 2 exposed to arsenic.

Takayasu arteritis a cause of hypertensive disorder of pregnancy: a case report.

Background: Takayasu arteritis is a rare, chronic, granulomatous systemic vasculitis of unknown etiology and a few cases have been reported in pregnancy. In pregnancies concomitant with Takayasu arteritis or after diagnosis, Takayasu arteritis negatively affects pregnancy by increasing 13-fold the odds of complications such as hypertensive disorders. The best recommendations in this scenario are still to be made.

Lack of Association Between Cytomegalovirus Infection and Hypertensive Disorders in Pregnancy: A Case-Control Study in Durango, Mexico.

It is not clear whether infection with cytomegalovirus (CMV) is associated with hypertensive disorders in pregnant women. Through a case-control study design, 146 women suffering from hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (cases) and 146 age-matched normotensive pregnant women (controls) were examined for the presence of anti-CMV IgG and IgM antibodies with enzyme-linked immunoassays. IgM seropositive samples were further assayed by enzyme-linked fluorescent assay (ELFA).

Association between Blood Lead Levels and Delta-Aminolevulinic Acid Dehydratase in Pregnant Women.

Blood lead levels (BLLs) and delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) activity are considered biomarkers of lead exposure and lead toxicity, respectively. The present study was designed to investigate the association between BLLs and ALAD activity in pregnant women from Durango, Mexico. A total of 633 pregnant women aged 13-43 years participated in this study.

Oxidative stress equilibrium during obstetric event in normal pregnancy.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration as an oxidative stress marker and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in pregnancy before and after perinatal event.

Methods: This study was performed on 200 healthy full-term pregnant women admitted to pregnancy resolution in Maternal-Child Hospital of Durango, Mexico. Oxidative stress and TAC were assessed through detection of lipid peroxidation by quantitation of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) and TAC through ferric reducing ability of the plasma (FRAP).

Arsenic exposure and risk of preeclampsia in a Mexican mestizo population.

Background: Exposure to arsenic in drinking water has been associated with various complications of pregnancy including fetal loss, low birth weight, anemia, gestational diabetes and spontaneous abortion. However, to date, there are no studies evaluating its possible association with preeclampsia.

Methods: This case-control study involved 104 preeclamptic and 202 healthy pregnant women.

Lack of association between Toxoplasma gondii infection and hypertensive disorders in pregnancy: a case-control study in a Northern Mexican population.

Background: The outcome of pregnancy is often threatened by hypertension disorders, i.e. eclampsia.

Polymorphisms in DNA repair genes (APEX1, XPD, XRCC1 and XRCC3) and risk of preeclampsia in a Mexican mestizo population.

Variations in genes involved in DNA repair systems have been proposed as risk factors for the development of preeclampsia (PE). We conducted a case-control study to investigate the association of Human apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) endonuclease (APEX1) Asp148Glu (rs1130409), Xeroderma Pigmentosum group D (XPD) Lys751Gln (rs13181), X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC) Arg399Gln (rs25487) and X-ray repair cross-complementing group 3 (XRCC3) Thr241Met (rs861539) polymorphisms with PE in a Mexican population. Samples of 202 cases and 350 controls were genotyped using RTPCR.

Polymorphisms in the GSTT1 and GSTM1 genes are associated with increased risk of preeclampsia in the Mexican mestizo population.

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-specific disorder in humans and a major cause of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Increasing evidence suggests that oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between null alleles of the glutathione S-transferases (GST) M1 and T1 genes and the risk of preeclampsia.

Association of COMT G675A and MTHFR C677T polymorphisms with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in Mexican mestizo population.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between COMT G675A and MTHFR C677T polymorphisms and hypertension disorders of pregnancy (HDP) in a Mexican mestizo population.

Design And Methods: This case-control study involved 194 HDP and 194 normoevolutive pregnant women. The polymorphisms were genotyped by real time PCR.

Haplotype analysis of TGF-β1 gene in a preeclamptic population of northern Mexico.

Objective: To determine the frequencies of -800G/A (rs1800468), -509C/T (rs1800469) and 869T/C (rs1800470) polymorphisms and their haplotypes in the TGF-β1 gene and their association with preeclampsia in a population of northern México.

Design And Methods: This case-control study involved 175 preeclamptic and 253 normoevolutive pregnant women. The polymorphisms were genotyped by real time PCR.

SLC41A1 is the only magnesium responsive gene significantly overexpressed in placentas of preeclamptic women.

Objective: To examine expression profile of magnesium responsive genes (MRGs) in placentas of normoevolutive and preeclamptic women.

Methods: The expression profiles of MRGs were determined in placentas of normoevolutive (N=26) and preeclamptic (N=25) women by RT-qPCR.

Results: Among all tested MRGs (9) only SLC41A1 (encoding for Na(+)/Mg(2+) exchanger) was significantly overexpressed in ~54.

Genetic variation in oxidative stress and DNA repair genes in a Mexican population.

Background: Oxidative stress has been associated with several complex diseases. Effects generated as a result of oxidative stress may be modulated by various genes. Variation in these genes, particularly when located within coding or regulating regions, may be the primary cause of this modulation.

Comparative expression profiles for KiSS-1 and REN genes in preeclamptic and healthy placental tissues.

Objective: The aim of the present work was to look at differences in the placental tissue expression of KiSS-1 and REN genes from preeclamptic and healthy pregnant women, that could account for a possible synergistic function for both genes in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.

Study Design: This case-control study involved 27 preeclamptic women and 27 normoevolutive pregnant women. cDNA was obtained from placental tissue to carry out qPCR for both KiSS-1 and REN genes in order to compare mRNA expression levels in the studied groups.