Fecal microbiota transplantation from protozoa-exposed donors downregulates immune response in a germ-free mouse model, its role in immune response and physiology of the intestine.

Intestinal parasites are part of the intestinal ecosystem and have been shown to establish close interactions with the intestinal microbiota. However, little is known about the influence of intestinal protozoa on the regulation of the immune response. In this study, we analyzed the regulation of the immune response of germ-free mice transplanted with fecal microbiota (FMT) from individuals with multiple parasitic protozoans (P) and non-parasitized individuals (NP).

Percentage of variance accounted for in structural equation models: The rediscovery of the goodness of fit index.

This article delves into the often-overlooked metric of percentage of variance accounted for in structural equation models (SEM). The goodness of fit index (GFI) provides the percentage of variance of the sum of squared covariances explained by the model. Despite being introduced over four decades ago, the GFI has been overshadowed in favor of fit indices that prioritize distinctions between close and nonclose fitting models.

Longitudinal anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody immune response in acute and convalescent patients.

Despite global efforts to assess the early response and persistence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in patients infected with or recovered from COVID-19, our understanding of the factors affecting its dynamics remains limited. This work aimed to evaluate the early and convalescent immunity of outpatients infected with SARS-CoV-2 and to determine the factors that affect the dynamics and persistence of the IgM and IgG antibody response. Seropositivity of volunteers from Mexico City and the State of Mexico, Mexico, was evaluated by ELISA using the recombinant receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein for 90 days, at different time points (1, 15, 45, 60, and 90 days) after molecular diagnosis (RT-qPCR).

Amoebiasis: Advances in Diagnosis, Treatment, Immunology Features and the Interaction with the Intestinal Ecosystem.

This review of human amoebiasis is based on the most current knowledge of pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and Entamoeba/microbiota interactions. The most relevant findings during this last decade about the parasite and the disease are related to the possibility of culturing trophozoites of different isolates from infected individuals that allowed the characterization of the multiple pathogenic mechanisms of the parasite and the understanding of the host-parasite relationship in the human. Second, the considerable advances in molecular biology and genetics help us to analyze the genome of , their genetic diversity, and the association of specific genotypes with the different amoebic forms of human amoebiasis.

The fecal and oropharyngeal eukaryotic viromes of healthy infants during the first year of life are personal.

Using a metagenomic sequencing approach, we described and compared the diversity and dynamics of the oropharyngeal and fecal eukaryotic virome of nine asymptomatic children in a semi-rural community setting located in the State of Morelos, Mexico. Ninety oropharyngeal swabs and 97 fecal samples were collected starting 2 weeks after birth and monthly thereafter until 12 months of age. In both niches, more than 95% of the total sequence reads were represented by viruses that replicate either in humans or in plants.

Overfactoring in rating scale data: A comparison between factor analysis and item response theory.

Educational and psychological measurement is typically based on dichotomous variables or rating scales comprising a few ordered categories. When the mean of the observed responses approaches the upper or the lower bound of the scale, the distribution of the data becomes skewed and, if a categorical factor model holds in the population, the Pearson correlation between variables is attenuated. The consequence of this correlation attenuation is that the traditional linear factor model renders an excessive number of factors.

The regulatory function of spp. on the immune inflammatory response in the gut microbiome.

spp. is a unicellular organism that resides in digestive tract of various vertebrates, with a worldwide distribution and a variable prevalence. For many years, spp.

What are the consequences of ignoring cross-loadings in bifactor models? A simulation study assessing parameter recovery and sensitivity of goodness-of-fit indices.

Bifactor latent models have gained popularity and are widely used to model construct multidimensionality. When adopting a confirmatory approach, a common practice is to assume that all cross-loadings take zero values. This article presents the results of a simulation study exploring the impact of ignoring non-zero cross-loadings on the performance of confirmatory bifactor analysis.

High Prevalence and Diversity of Caliciviruses in a Community Setting Determined by a Metagenomic Approach.

We recently carried out a metagenomic study to determine the fecal virome of infants during their first year of life in a semirural community in Mexico. A total of 97 stool samples from nine children were collected starting 2 weeks after birth and monthly thereafter until 12 months of age. In this work, we describe the prevalence and incidence of caliciviruses in this birth cohort.

Spatiotemporal Changes in Haplotypes in Southern Mexico: From the Control to the Pre-Elimination Phase.

For 20 years, has been the only prevalent malaria species in Mexico, and cases have declined significantly and continuously. Spatiotemporal genetic studies can be helpful for understanding parasite dynamics and developing strategies to weaken malaria transmission, thus facilitating the elimination of the parasite. The aim of the current contribution was to analyze -infected blood samples from patients in southern Mexico during the control (1993-2007) and pre-elimination phases (2008-2011).

Nominal Factor Analysis of Situational Judgment Tests: Evaluation of Latent Dimensionality and Factorial Invariance.

Situational judgment tests have gained popularity in educational and psychological measurement and are widely used in personnel assessment. A situational judgment item presents a hypothetical scenario and a list of actions, and the individuals are asked to select their most likely action for that scenario. Because actions have no explicit order, the item generates nominal responses consisting of the actions selected by the individuals.

Exposure to Parasitic Protists and Helminths Changes the Intestinal Community Structure of Bacterial Communities in a Cohort of Mother-Child Binomials from a Semirural Setting in Mexico.

An estimated 3.5 billion people are colonized by intestinal parasites worldwide. Intestinal parasitic eukaryotes interact not only with the host but also with the intestinal microbiota.

The gut virome of healthy children during the first year of life is diverse and dynamic.

In this work, we determined the diversity and dynamics of the gut virome of infants during the first year of life. Fecal samples were collected monthly, from birth to one year of age, from three healthy children living in a semi-rural village in Mexico. Most of the viral reads were classified into six families of bacteriophages including five dsDNA virus families of the order Caudovirales, with Siphoviridae and Podoviridae being the most abundant.

Differential Pathogenic Gene Expression of in Patients with Different Clinical Forms of Amoebiasis.

The etiological agent of human amoebiasis is the protozoan parasite ; the disease is still an endemic infection in some countries and the outcome of infection in the host infection can range from asymptomatic intestinal infection to intestinal or liver invasive forms of the disease. The invasive character of this parasite is multifactorial and mainly due to the differential expression of multiple pathogenic genes. The aim of the present work was to measure the differential expression of some genes in different specimens of patients with amoebic liver abscess (ALA) and specimens of genital amoebiasis (AG) by RT-qPCR.

Tobamoviruses can be frequently present in the oropharynx and gut of infants during their first year of life.

Plant viruses have been reported to be common in the gut of human adults, presumably as result of food ingestion. In this work, we report that plant viruses can also be found frequently in the gut and oropharynx of children during their first year of life, even when they are exclusively breast-fed. Fecal and oropharynx samples were collected monthly, from birth to 1 year of age, from three apparently healthy children in a semi-rural community and analyzed by next generation sequencing.

Use of next-generation amplicon sequencing to study Blastocystis genetic diversity in a rural human population from Mexico.

Background: The intestinal parasite Blastocystis is found in humans and animals around the world. It is spread through the consumption of contaminated food and water and has been associated with a variety of intestinal symptoms. Blastocystis is one of the most common intestinal parasites in humans, yet its prevalence and distribution in humans in North America is not well characterized.

Entamoeba histolytica Interaction with Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli Increases Parasite Virulence and Inflammation in Amebiasis.

Epidemiological studies suggest frequent association of enteropathogenic bacteria with during symptomatic infection. In this study, we sought to determine if the interaction with enteropathogenic (EPEC) or nonpathogenic (strain DH5α) could modify the virulence of to cause disease in animal models of amebiasis. studies showed a 2-fold increase in CaCo2 monolayer destruction when interacted with EPEC but not with DH5α for 2.

Correction: Differential expression of pathogenic genes of Entamoeba histolytica vs E. dispar in a model of infection using human liver tissue explants.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Validation of a Questionnaire for Personality Profiling using Cognitive Diagnostic Modeling.

This article describes the development of the ENCUIST (Extroversion, Neuroticism, Callous-Unemotional, Instability, Short-Test) questionnaire, which has been created to provide a personality profiling method based on a cognitive diagnostic modeling framework. The ENCUIST measures the attributes of extroversion, neuroticism, callous unemotionality and overt expressions of anger that are relevant in a forensic context. The scores provided by the ENCUIST are binary classifications of the individuals (high/low) in these attributes.

Calreticulin Induces the Expression of Cytokines in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Isolated From Patients With Amebic Liver Abscess.

Calreticulin (CRT) is a highly conserved protein in the endoplasmic reticulum that plays important roles in the regulation of key cellular functions. Little is known about the participation of CRT (CRT) in the processes of pathogenicity or in the modulation of the host immune response. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of CRT in the proliferation and the cytokine profile in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with amebic liver abscess (ALA) during the acute phase (AP-ALA) of the disease compared to patients during the resolution phase (R-ALA).

Genetic Diversity and Distribution of Subtype 3 in Human Populations, with Special Reference to a Rural Population in Central Mexico.

subtype 3 (ST3) is a parasitic protist found in the digestive tract of symptomatic and asymptomatic humans around the world. While this parasite exhibits a high prevalence in the human population, its true geographic distribution and global genetic diversity are still unknown. This gap in knowledge limits the understanding of the spread mechanisms, epidemiology, and impact that this parasite has on human populations.

Human Intestinal Microbiota: Interaction Between Parasites and the Host Immune Response.

The human gut is a highly complex ecosystem with an extensive microbial community, and the influence of the intestinal microbiota reaches the entire host organism. For example, the microbiome regulates fat storage, stimulates or renews epithelial cells, and influences the development and maturation of the brain and the immune system. Intestinal microbes can protect against infection by pathogenic bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites.

Development of Microbiota in Infants and its Role in Maturation of Gut Mucosa and Immune System.

Dysbiosis of the gut microbiota has been associated with increasing numbers of diseases, including obesity, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma, allergy, cancer and even neurologic or behavioral disorders. The other side of the coin is that a healthy microbiota leads to a healthy human development, to a mature and well trained immune system and to an efficient metabolic machinery. What we have learned in adults is in the end the result of a good start, a programmed, healthy development of the microbiota that must occur in the early years of life, probably even starting during the fetal stage.

Differential expression of pathogenic genes of Entamoeba histolytica vs E. dispar in a model of infection using human liver tissue explants.

We sought to establish an ex vivo model for examining the interaction of E. histolytica with human tissue, using precision-cut liver slices (PCLS) from donated organs. E.

Bayesian Dimensionality Assessment for the Multidimensional Nominal Response Model.

This article introduces Bayesian estimation and evaluation procedures for the multidimensional nominal response model. The utility of this model is to perform a nominal factor analysis of items that consist of a finite number of unordered response categories. The key aspect of the model, in comparison with traditional factorial model, is that there is a slope for each response category on the latent dimensions, instead of having slopes associated to the items.