Traditional Cardiovascular Risk Factors Associated with Diagonal Earlobe Crease (Frank Sign) in Mexican Adults: Aging, Obesity, Arterial Hypertension, and Being Male Are the Most Important.

Introduction: Cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, smoking, and dyslipidemia enfold heart disease morbimortality. Diagonal earlobe crease has been proposed as a prognostic marker of extension and severity of illness in patients with acute coronary syndrome. But its usefulness remains unclear in patients with or without coronary disease. Methods: A case-control study was carried out on a total of 805 patients with and without cardiovascular risk factors or acute coronary syndrome. Univariate and multivariate binary logistic regression analyses were used to determine the probability of having diagonal earlobe crease with the presence of cardiovascular risk factors and acute coronary syndrome. Data were summarized as odds ratio with 95% confidence intervals and P values. Results: An unadjusted (univariate) analysis showed that being male, being older than 55 years, obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, smoking, and dyslipidemia, as well as having acute coronary syndrome, were associated with the presence of diagonal earlobe crease. The multivariate analysis showed that men (OR 1.6, 95% IC 1.1-2.4, P=0.007), being over 55 years old (OR 4.8, 95% IC 3.2-7.2, P < 0.001), being obese (OR 2.1, 95% IC 1.4-3.1, P < 0.001), having arterial hypertension (1.5, 95% IC 1.1-2.3, P=0.025), or suffering from acute coronary syndrome (OR 5.3, 95% IC 2.5-11.1, P < 0.001), were independent factors associated with diagonal earlobe crease. The rest of cardiovascular risk factors were not relevant in the multivariate model. Conclusions: In Mexican adults, having an acute coronary syndrome is not the only factor associated with diagonal earlobe crease but also being a man, older than 55 years, having high blood pressure and obesity. Diagonal earlobe crease may simply be caused by changes in the skin and connective tissues of the ears because of the aging process, obesity, and/or being male. These factors, by themselves, enfold cardiovascular risk due to well-known pathophysiological causes.

Efficacy of Hot Tea Infusion vs. Ethanolic Extract of Moringa oleifera for the Simultaneous Treatment of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver, Hyperlipidemia, and Hyperglycemia in a Murine Model Fed with a High-Fat Diet.

Moringa oleifera (MO) is a native tree of Asia and is cultivated in some areas of Mexico as part of traditional horticulture. The aim of the present study was to compare the efficacy of MO infusion vs. MO ethanolic extract for the simultaneous treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD), hyperlipidemia, and hyperglycemia in a murine model fed with a high-fat diet (HFD). BALB/c mice were fed a balanced diet (healthy control) or an HFD for 6 months. With this, the NAFLD model was established before starting a therapeutic intervention with MO for two months. The phytochemical analysis by nuclear magnetic resonance in 1H and 13C experiments showed signals for pyrrole alkaloids and triterpenes as the main constituents of the extract and infusion preparation. A significant reduction of SGPT, SGOT, lipids, urea, and glucose in blood among NAFLD groups treated with MO (infusion or extract) was found, when compared to the NAFLD-placebo group. Steatosis and liver inflammation were found to be decreased in the MO groups, as infusion or ethanolic extract. Infusion produced a better therapeutic effect than the extract in all parameters, except glycemic control, where the extract was better. As an additional finding, it is noteworthy that treatment with MO, particularly through infusion, resulted in improved motor activity. Moreover, a reduction in anxiety-like behavior was observed exclusively with the administration of infusion. These observations provide valuable insights into the potential broader effects of Moringa oleifera beyond the primary aim of the study.

Protective Effect of Neutral Electrolyzed Saline on Gentamicin-Induced Nephrotoxicity: Evaluation of Histopathologic Parameters in a Murine Model.

Background and Objectives: Gentamicin (GM) is a nephrotoxic aminoglycoside. Neutral electrolyzed saline (SES) is a compound with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory properties. The objective of the present study was to evaluate whether kidney damage by GM can be prevented and/or reversed through the administration of SES. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out as a prospective, single-blind, five-arm, parallel-group, randomized, preclinical trial. The nephrotoxicity model was established in male BALB/c mice by administering GM at a dose of 100 mg/kg/day intraperitoneally for 30 days, concomitantly administering (+) SES or placebo (physiologic saline solution), and then administering SES for another 30 days after the initial 30 days of GM plus SES or placebo. At the end of the test, the mice were euthanized, and renal tissues were evaluated histopathologically. Results: The GM + placebo group showed significant tubular injury, interstitial fibrosis, and increased interstitial infiltrate of inflammatory cells compared with the group without GM. Tubular injury and interstitial fibrosis were lower in the groups that received concomitant GM + SES compared with the GM + placebo group. SES administration for 30 days after the GM administration periods (GM + placebo and GM + SES for 30 days) did not reduce nephrotoxicity. Conclusions: Intraperitoneal administration of SES prevents gentamicin-induced histologic nephrotoxicity when administered concomitantly, but it cannot reverse the damage when administered later.

Systemic Administration of Neutral Electrolyzed Saline as a Novel Treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis Reduces Mechanical and Inflammatory Damage to the Joints: Preclinical Evaluation in Mice.

Rheumatoid arthritis is globally present in about 1% of the population. This autoinflammatory disease modifies the connective tissue, causing pain and inflammation of the joints. Over time, it causes the loss of joint cartilage and bone mass, decreasing the patient's quality of life. Treatment options now available either give symptomatic alleviation or alter the disease process. Nonetheless, adherence to chronic treatment is typically limited due to adverse effects. As a result, new therapy approaches, such as systemic administration of neutral electrolyzed saline to improve patients' quality of life, are being investigated. The study is a randomized prospective preclinical trial with a single-blind and a 4-arm parallel group using a collagen-induced mice model to generate rheumatoid arthritis. It was carried out on 36 male BALB/c mice, with the primary outcome measure being a scoring system for histopathologic assessment. When all groups are compared, there are significant differences. In addition, the animal model was validated by the healthy group. The animals treated with neutral electrolyzed saline had much less cartilage degradation, bone erosion, pannus development, and inflammation than the placebo-treated mice. Serum IL-6 levels were evaluated in parallel with disease severity expressed as synovitis grading of the affected joints. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient (Rs) = 0.399 (P=0.016) between serum IL-6 levels and the synovitis grading suggests a direct correlation between IL-6 production and disease severity. An additional trial of 20 male BALB/c mice (10 treated with placebo and 10 with neutral electrolyzed saline for 30 days) showed no clinical nor histopathological evidence of adverse effects. According to histopathological and blood test results, we conclude that neutral electrolyzed saline minimizes mechanical and inflammatory damage to the joint and may be helpful as an alternative to rheumatoid arthritis therapy.

"I prefer to get coronavirus than to stop working": the street vendor's perspective.

During phase 2 of the COVID-19 pandemic in a Mexican City, informal street vendors (cases) and formal employees (controls) were interviewed. A total of 82.6% of street vendors preferred to expose themselves to the coronavirus than to stop working, compared with 18.4% of formal employees (adjusted OR = 19.4, 95%CI: 4.6-81.7, p < 0.001). Street vendors had 7 times less fear of dying from coronavirus (adjusted OR = 0.14, 95% CI: 0.03-0.5, p = 0.005) and showed a 16-times greater lack of real concern for the increase in cases in their community than the formal employees (adjusted OR = 0.06, 95% CI: 0.01-0.3, p = 0.002). Street vendors were the group with the poorest adherence to household and work area containment measures that continued to be in contact with others. The corresponding authorities must plan specific strategies that allow street vendors to survive economically, while at the same time, protecting community health.

Health and economic measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic- Effect on street vendors.

INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 pandemic affects human health and the global economy. Its evolution is unpredictable, making it hard for governments to provide response actions suited for all populations. Meanwhile, informal street workers carry on with their labor despite contingency measures to sustain their lives. The objective was to conduct a case-control study to become aware of how street vendors' economy is affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODOLOGY: During phase 2 of the COVID-19 pandemic in a Mexican suburban city. We interviewed informal street vendors (cases) and formal employees (controls). RESULTS: Before mobility restrictions were in place, population income came 1.5% from formal employment and 23.5% from informal employment (street vendors). Informal employees lived on less than the equivalent of 1.5 Big Macs per day (p <0.001). After the contingency measures, formal employment kept the same, while the informal employment ratio increased to 57.4% (p < 0.001). The street vendors were almost 100-times less likely to be concerned about the coronavirus outbreak (p < 0.001) and were 38-times less likely to stop working compared with the formal workers (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: We have proven that street vendors are a sector of the population that is highly vulnerable to significant economic loss due to contingency measures. Informal workers cannot stop working despite the "Stay at Home" initiative because the government has not implemented strategies that guarantee their survival and their families. Therefore, street vendors continue to be a source of the virus's spread throughout cities.