Use of flavor capsule cigarettes and their preliminary impact on smoking cessation in Mexico: an exploratory study.

Background: No study has assessed the impact of flavor capsule cigarettes (FCCs) on smoking cessation. Thus, the purpose of this exploratory study was to assess (1) the sociodemographic and smoking-related characteristics associated with using FCCs, and (2) the preliminary impact of FCCs on smoking cessation.

Methods: This study is a secondary data analysis of a single-arm study with 100 individuals living in Mexico who smoked and received a smoking cessation mHealth intervention and pharmacotherapy support.

Perceived healthiness of sugary drinks and related social norms among adults in five countries: evidence from the International Food Policy Study.

Background: A better understanding of correlates of sugary drink consumption is essential to inform public health interventions. This study examined differences in perceived healthiness of sugary drinks and related social norms between countries, over time, and sociodemographic groups and associations with sugary drink intake.

Methods: This study used annual cross-sectional data from the International Food Policy Study from 2018 to 2021 in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Mexico.

Health system financing fragmentation and maternal mortality transition in Mexico, 2000-2022.

Objective: To analyze the temporal and territorial relationship between health system financing fragmentation and maternal mortality in the last two decades in Mexico.

Methods: We conducted an ecological-longitudinal study of the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in the 32 states of Mexico during the period 2000-2022. Annual MMRs were estimated at the national and state levels according to health insurance.

Design and manufacture of CubeSat-type nanosatellite thermal subsystem.

This work presents the design and validation of a thermal subsystem for a 1U CubeSat-type nanosatellite. The design encompasses two stages: regulating the satellite's temperature range through implementing passive control based on multilayer coatings and an electronic board capable of measuring the internal surface temperature of each of the satellite's six faces. Validation is conducted through tests performed in a theoretical thermo vacuum chamber that provides a controlled environment, simulating the thermal conditions to which the satellite will be exposed once in orbit.

Effectiveness of an mHealth Intervention With Short Text Messages to Promote Treatment Adherence Among HIV-Positive Mexican Adults: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: HIV continues to be a public health concern in Mexico and Latin America due to an increase in new infections, despite a decrease being observed globally. Treatment adherence is a pillar for achieving viral suppression. It prevents the spread of the disease at a community level and improves the quality and survival of people living with HIV.

Assessment of forest fragmentation and ecological dynamics in Western Himalayan Region over three decades (1990-2020).

A spatial assessment of temporal forest cover changes is essential for effective forest conservation and management practices. This study analyzes changes in forest cover and the evolution of forest spatial configuration using Landsat satellite imagery over the past three decades (1990-2020) in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Pakistan. To achieve the objectives, landscape metrics and forest fragmentation analyses were applied.

Perioperative outcomes of robotic vs laparoscopic pancreatoduodenectomy: a meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis.

Background: Minimally invasive pancreatoduodenectomy has gained widespread acceptance among hepatopancreatobiliary surgeons due to its demonstrated advantages in perioperative outcomes compared to the conventional open approach. This meta-analysis, along with trial sequential analysis, aimed to compare the outcomes of robotic pancreatoduodenectomy and laparoscopic pancreatoduodenectomy based on the current available evidence.

Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, Cochrane, Scopus, and Web of Science was conducted from inception to July 2024.

Agricultural Practices and Environmental Factors Drive Microbial Communities in the Mezcal-Producing Agave angustifolia Haw.

Mezcal, a traditional Mexican alcoholic beverage, has been a vital source of livelihood for indigenous and rural communities for centuries. However, increasing international demand is exerting pressure on natural resources and encouraging intensive agricultural practices. This study investigates the impact of management practices (wild, traditional, and conventional) and environmental factors on the microbial communities associated with Agave angustifolia, a key species in mezcal production.

Contrasting drought sensitivity of Eurasian and North American grasslands.

Extreme droughts generally decrease productivity in grassland ecosystems with negative consequences for nature's contribution to people. The extent to which this negative effect varies among grassland types and over time in response to multi-year extreme drought remains unclear. Here, using a coordinated distributed experiment that simulated four years of growing-season drought (around 66% rainfall reduction), we compared drought sensitivity within and among six representative grasslands spanning broad precipitation gradients in each of Eurasia and North America-two of the Northern Hemisphere's largest grass-dominated regions.

Minimal methimazole exposure-induced fatal pancytopenia.

This case highlights that refractory pancytopenia leading to death can occur with methimazole treatment even at a very low cumulative dose and after a very short duration of exposure. In addition, the standard treatments to correct the pancytopenia may not be effective and a bone marrow transplant may be required. Current American Thyroid Association guidelines do not recommend routine monitoring of the complete blood count in patients receiving thionamides because of the rapidity of the onset of agranulocytosis and the lack of positive evidence that such monitoring would be useful.

study protocol for a pilot trial of a novel parenting and mental health prevention intervention for migrant mothers with young children at the Mexico-US border.

Introduction: Migrant women in transit face high risk of developing mental health problems such as depression and anxiety, driven by gendered social-structural factors including violence, social isolation, migration uncertainty, limited access to services and gender inequities. Although migrant women who endure such conditions have high need for mental health prevention, few evidence-based interventions are tailored to this population. Moreover, while women and children's mental health are interconnected, few mental health interventions address parenting needs.

Sexual and reproductive health from the perspective of patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases in Mexico: a qualitative study.

Objectives: To explore the experiences and perspectives of female patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs) regarding sexual and reproductive health, including contraception, family planning, and pregnancy.

Design: Qualitative descriptive study using semi-structured interviews.

Setting: Specialised rheumatology clinic in a tertiary hospital in Monterrey, Mexico.

fos genes in mainly invertebrate model systems: A review of commonalities and some diversities.

fos genes, transcription factors with a common basic region and leucine zipper domains binding to a consensus DNA sequence (TGA{}TCA), are evolutionarily conserved in eukaryotes. Homologs can be found in many different species from yeast to vertebrates. In yeast, the homologous GCN4 gene is required to mediate "emergency" situations like nutrient deprivation and the unfolded protein response.

Entrainment of visuomotor responses to target speed during interception.

Motor actions adapt dynamically to external changes through the brain's ability to predict sensory outcomes and adjust for discrepancies between anticipated and actual sensory inputs. In this study, we investigated how changes in target speed (v) and direction influenced visuomotor responses, focusing on gaze and manual joystick control during an interception task. Participants tracked a moving target with sinusoidal variations in v and directional changes, generating sensory prediction errors and requiring real-time adjustments.

Interactions between PEI and biological polyanions and the ability of glycosaminoglycans in destabilizing PEI/peGFP-C3 polyplexes for genetic material release.

The lack of understanding of polyplexes stability and their dissociation mechanisms, allowing the release of DNA, is currently a major limitation in non-viral gene delivery. One proposed mechanism for DNA-based polyplexes dissociation is based on the electrostatic interactions between polycations and biological polyanions, such as glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). This work aimed at investigating whether GAGs such as heparin, chondroitin sulphate and hyaluronic acid promote the dissociation of PEI/DNA polyplexes.

Comparison between Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition criteria and protein-energy wasting in patients with kidney failure undergoing peritoneal dialysis.

Background: Protein-energy wasting (PEW) is the chronic kidney disease (CKD)-specific diagnosis encompassing malnutrition. PEW is associated with adverse outcomes, including those receiving peritoneal dialysis (PD). Identifying PEW requires accurate methods to improve diagnosis.

Permanent tactile sensory loss reduces neuronal activity in the amygdala and ventral hippocampus and alters anxiety-like behaviors.

Tactile information from the whiskers (vibrissae) travels through the somatosensory cortex to the entorhinal cortex and the hippocampus, influencing development and psychological well-being. The lack of whiskers affects cognitive functions, spatial memory, neuronal firing, spatial mapping, and neurogenesis in the dorsal hippocampus. Recent studies underline the importance of tactile experiences in emotional health, noting that while tactile stimuli modulate the dorsal hippocampus, the effects of tactile deprivation on anxiety-like behaviors and neural activity in regions like the ventral hippocampus and amygdala are less understood.

Focus on brown dog tick-transmitted Rocky Mountain spotted fever in dogs and people: shared threats and solutions.

Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) kills people and dogs in rural communities throughout the Americas and in urban epidemics in Brazil and Mexico. The companion Currents in One Health by Foley et al, AJVR , March 2025, addresses the urban ecology of this devastating disease across the Americas. Cases acquired from Dermacentor spp ticks are sylvatic and sporadic, in contrast with peridomestic cases from Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato, which relies on dogs as hosts.

Development and implementation of an electronic health record system for use in humanitarian emergencies, disaster response, and conflict zones.

Humanitarian medical response to natural and human-made disasters can be complicated by high clinician, staff, and patient turnover. While electronic medical records are being scaled up globally, their use remains limited in humanitarian response settings. The Fast Electronic Medical Record (fEMR) system is an open-source electronic health record system specifically designed for use in resource-limited settings and humanitarian crises.

Taming the transplant troll: Exploring racial and ethnic disparities in cytomegalovirus infection among kidney transplant patients.

Background: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection poses a significant risk to kidney transplant recipients. This study investigated CMV disease incidence, outcomes, and management challenges in racial and ethnic minority populations following kidney transplantation.

Methods: This single-center, mixed-methods study included a retrospective cohort analysis of kidney transplant recipients (n = 58) and qualitative surveys of healthcare providers.

Electronically Nonadiabatic Quenching of Excited States of O by Collisions with O Atoms.

The kinetics of electronically inelastic quenching of O(Δ) and O(Σ) by collisions with O(P) have been investigated using mixed quantum-classical trajectories governed by adiabatic potential energy surfaces and state couplings generated from a recently developed diabatic potential energy matrix (DPEM) for the 14 lowest-energy A' states of O. Using the coherent switching with decay of mixing (CSDM) method, dynamics calculations were performed both with 14 coupled electronic states and with 8 coupled electronical states, and similar results were obtained. The calculated thermal quenching rate coefficients are generally small, but they increase with temperature.

Unified Variational Approach Description of Ground-State Phases of the Two-Dimensional Electron Gas.

The two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) is a fundamental model, which is drawing increasing interest because of recent advances in experimental and theoretical studies of 2D materials. Current understanding of the ground state of the 2DEG relies on quantum Monte Carlo calculations, based on variational comparisons of different Ansätze for different phases. We use a single variational ansatz, a general backflow-type wave function using a message-passing neural quantum state architecture, for a unified description across the entire density range.