Lesión hepática inducida por Phyllanthus niruri (chancapiedra), un remedio natural para urolitiasis / Liver injury induced by Phyllanthus niruri (chancapiedra), a natural remedy for urolithiasis

Tanto la lesión hepática inducida por drogas (DILI), así como la lesión hepática inducida por hierbas (HILI), son una preocupación creciente en la atención sanitaria contemporánea que plantea importantes desafíos clínicos debido a sus variadas etiologías, presentaciones clínicas y posibles resultados potencialmente mortales. Presentamos el caso de un paciente masculino de 38 años con antecedentes de cálculos renales que consultó por dolor lumbar y hematuria. Al ingreso presentó ictericia, hepatomegalia, dolor a la palpación en fosa ilíaca derecha y no tenía signos de hepatopatía crónica, con pruebas de función hepática anormales, que mostraron un patrón hepatocelular asociado con hiperbilirrubinemia. Se descartó obstrucción biliar, trombosis portal, hepatitis autoinmune y viral, con panel autoinmune negativo. El paciente refirió haber consumido un remedio herbario para los cálculos renales llamado "vino rompe cálculos (chancapiedra)", que se supone contiene Phyllanthus niruri, cinco días antes del inicio de los síntomas. Una biopsia hepática reveló hepatitis aguda con infiltrado inflamatorio mixto. Debido al empeoramiento de las pruebas de función hepática y la sospecha de DILI idiosincrásico, se inició un ensayo terapéutico con corticosteroides, que resultó en una mejoría clínica y del perfil hepático. La gravedad de este caso nos recuerda la necesidad de incrementar el seguimiento por parte de las autoridades reguladoras de medicamentos, implementar campañas educativas para los pacientes e informar a la comunidad sobre productos con alertas activas.

Both drug-induced liver injury (DILI) and herb-induced liver injury (HILI) are a growing concern in contemporary healthcare that poses significant clinical challenges due to their varied etiology, clinical presentations, and potential life-threatening outcomes. We present the case of a 38-year-old male patient with a history of kidney stones who consulted for low back pain and hematuria. On admission he presented with jaundice, hepatomegaly, pain on palpation in the right iliac fossa and no signs of chronic liver disease, with abnormal liver function tests, which showed a hepatocellular pattern associated with hyperbilirubinemia. Biliary obstruction, portal thrombosis, autoimmune and viral hepatitis were ruled out, with negative autoimmune panel. The patient reported consuming an herbal remedy for kidney stones called "stone-breaking wine (chancapiedra)", presumed to contain Phyllanthus niruri, five days before the onset of symptoms. A liver biopsy revealedacute hepatitis with mixed inflammatory infiltrate. Due to worsening liver function tests and suspicion of idiosyncratic DILI, a therapeutic trial with corticosteroids was initiated, which resulted in clinical and liver profile improvement. The severity of this case reminds us of the need to increase follow-up by drug regulatory authorities, implement educational campaigns for patients, and inform the community about products with active alerts.

LysipheN: a gravimetric IoT device for near real-time high-frequency crop phenotyping: a case study on common beans.

Climate instability directly affects agro-environments. Water scarcity, high air temperature, and changes in soil biota are some factors caused by environmental changes. Verified and precise phenotypic traits are required for assessing the impact of various stress factors on crop performance while keeping phenotyping costs at a reasonable level. Experiments which use a lysimeter method to measure transpiration efficiency are often expensive and require complex infrastructures. This study presents the development and testing process of an automated, reliable, small, and low-cost prototype system using IoT with high-frequency potential in near-real time. Because of its waterproofness, our device-LysipheN-assesses each plant individually and can be deployed for experiments in different environmental conditions (farm, field, greenhouse, etc.). LysipheN integrates multiple sensors, automatic irrigation according to desired drought scenarios, and a remote, wireless connection to monitor each plant and device performance via a data platform. During testing, LysipheN proved to be sensitive enough to detect and measure plant transpiration, from early to ultimate plant developmental stages. Even though the results were generated on common beans, the LysipheN can be scaled up/adapted to other crops. This tool serves to screen transpiration, transpiration efficiency, and transpiration-related physiological traits. Because of its price, endurance, and waterproof design, LysipheN will be useful in screening populations in a realistic ecological and breeding context. It operates by phenotyping the most suitable parental lines, characterizing genebank accessions, and allowing breeders to make a target-specific selection using functional traits (related to the place where LysipheN units are located) in line with a realistic agronomic background.

ZNF217 Gene Copy Number as a Marker of Response to Standard Therapy Drugs According to ERα Status in Breast Cancer.

Purpose: The therapeutic decision for the management of breast cancer (BC) patients is based on the evaluation of prognostic factors alongside clinical and pathological parameters. Despite the use of standard biomarkers, response and resistance to therapy represent a challenge for clinicians. Among the new potential biomarkers for BC the ZNF217 gene have gained importance in recent years. However, while associations between ZNF217 gene copy number and clinicopathological characteristics have been established, its correlation with treatment response remains unclear. Patients and Methods: This study aimed to evaluate the ZNF217 gene copy number and establish its associations with treatment response in estrogen receptor positive (ERα+) and ERα negative (ERα-) BC cell lines. In addition, a validation of the relationship between ZNF217 gene copy number and its prognostic value was performed using datasets of BC patients retrieved from the cBioPortal public database. Results: Our data show that in ERα+ cells, ZNF217 gene copy number increase (amplification), while cell proliferation decreases in response to standard drug treatments. In contrast, both ZNF217 gene copy number (gain) and cell proliferation increases in response to standard drug treatments in ERα- cells. The results obtained align with findings from the cBioPortal database analysis, demonstrating that ERα+/HER2- low proliferation patients, exhibiting ZNF217 gene amplification or gain, have a significantly higher survival probability after treatment, compared to ERα-/HER2- and HER2+ patients. Conclusion: Our results suggest that in ERα+ BC cells, ZNF217 gene amplification could be indicative of a favorable response, while in ERα- BC cells, ZNF217 gene gain could be postulated as a potential predictor of treatment resistance. A broader understanding of the role of ZNF217 gene in treatment response, together with prospective studies in BC patients, could contribute to confirming our data, as well as optimizing existing treatments and exploring novel approaches to improve overall cancer treatment outcomes.

Nonbonded Force Field Parameters from MBIS Partitioning of the Molecular Electron Density Improve Binding Affinity Predictions of the T4-Lysozyme Double Mutant.

The use of computer simulation for binding affinity prediction is growing in drug discovery. However, its wider use is constrained by the accuracy of the free energy calculations. The key sources of error are the force fields used to depict molecular interactions and insufficient sampling of the configurational space. To improve the quality of the force field, we developed a Python-based computational workflow. The workflow described here uses the minimal basis iterative stockholder (MBIS) method to determine atomic charges and Lennard-Jones parameters from the polarized molecular density. This is done by performing electronic structure calculations on various configurations of the ligand when it is both bound and unbound. In addition, we validated a simulation procedure that accounts for the protein and ligand degrees of freedom to precisely calculate binding free energies. This was achieved by comparing the self-adjusted mixture sampling and nonequilibrium thermodynamic integration methods using various protein and ligand conformations. The accuracy of predicting binding affinity is improved by using MBIS-derived force field parameters and a validated simulation procedure. This improvement surpasses the chemical precision for the eight aromatic ligands, reaching a root-mean-square error of 0.7 kcal/mol.

Low Frequency of Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding Despite Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and Corticosteroids in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease. It has been identified that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and corticosteroids can be essential risk factors for developing complications such as upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB). OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to describe the safety profile of drugs used to treat RA focused in UGIB. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of patients with RA between 2015 and 2021, a description of the population, and an evaluation of the relationship with UGIB through bivariate analysis and logistic regression. RESULTS: Of 405 individuals, 16 presented UGIB (93.8% women, mean age was 65±13.6 years). No statistically significant differences were found regarding UGIB and medication use, except for the mean dose of corticosteroids. In the multivariate analysis, it was found that the presence of anemia in the last three months had an adjusted OR (AOR) of 16.1 (95% CI 2.74- 24.23) and higher HAQ values during the previous three months had an AOR of 6.17 (95% CI 1.79- 21.24). CONCLUSION: This study found a low frequency of UGIB in patients with RA. More significant disability and anemia in the previous months were independently associated with UGIB. The low frequency of NSAID use in this population is noteworthy. In general, reasonable medication use related to this complication is recommended.

Predictive models for health outcomes due to SARS-CoV-2, including the effect of vaccination: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The interaction between modelers and policymakers is becoming more common due to the increase in computing speed seen in recent decades. The recent pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus was no exception. Thus, this study aims to identify and assess epidemiological mathematical models of SARS-CoV-2 applied to real-world data, including immunization for coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). METHODOLOGY: PubMed, JSTOR, medRxiv, LILACS, EconLit, and other databases were searched for studies employing epidemiological mathematical models of SARS-CoV-2 applied to real-world data. We summarized the information qualitatively, and each article included was assessed for bias risk using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) and PROBAST checklist tool. The PROSPERO registration number is CRD42022344542. FINDINGS: In total, 5646 articles were retrieved, of which 411 were included. Most of the information was published in 2021. The countries with the highest number of studies were the United States, Canada, China, and the United Kingdom; no studies were found in low-income countries. The SEIR model (susceptible, exposed, infectious, and recovered) was the most frequently used approach, followed by agent-based modeling. Moreover, the most commonly used software were R, Matlab, and Python, with the most recurring health outcomes being death and recovery. According to the JBI assessment, 61.4% of articles were considered to have a low risk of bias. INTERPRETATION: The utilization of mathematical models increased following the onset of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Stakeholders have begun to incorporate these analytical tools more extensively into public policy, enabling the construction of various scenarios for public health. This contribution adds value to informed decision-making. Therefore, understanding their advancements, strengths, and limitations is essential.

Urolitiasis en lactantes: un reto diagnóstico y terapéutico. Reporte de un caso

La litiasis urinaria en niños obedece a cambios nutricionales, ambientales, climáticos, predisposición genética, infecciones del tracto urinario, anomalías metabólicas y/o anatómicas subyacentes, su incidencia es de 1-3%, la cual se ha incrementado en la última década. Se presenta lactante masculino de 22 meses, con presencia de cálculos a nivel uretral con proceso infeccioso asociado, quien requirió procedimiento invasivo para la extracción de un cálculo y documentaron hiperuricosuria, hipomagneseuria e hipercalciuria, sin antecedente familiar de litiasis renal. La urolitiasis en lactantes es relevante dado el papel que puede tener en la etiología de la infección urinaria y en el deterioro progresivo de la función renal, abarca un manejo integral multidisciplinario debido a su carácter recurrente y que aún no existe un tratamiento curativo, es importante establecer los factores de riesgo, definir estrategias para el diagnóstico temprano y acciones para su prevención y procedimientos menos invasivos para la extracción de los cálculos.

Urinary lithiasis in children are due to nutritional, environmental, climatic changes, genetic predisposition, urinary tract infections, underlying metabolic and/or anatomical anomalies. Its incidence is 1-3%, which has increased in the last decade. We present the case of a 22-month-old male infant, who presented with stones at the urethral level with an associated infectious process, and who required an invasive procedure for the extraction of a stone. The patient had documented hyperuricosuria, hypomagneseuria and hypercalciuria, without a family history of kidney stones. Urolithiasis in infants is relevant given the role it can play in the etiology of urinary infection and the progressive deterioration of kidney function. Its treatment encompasses comprehensive multidisciplinary management due to its recurrent nature and the fact that there is still no curative treatment. It is important to identify risk factors, define strategies for early diagnosis, preventive measures and less invasive procedures for stone extraction.

Oxaliplatin-Associated Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy in a Patient with Metastatic Gastric Cancer: A Case Report.

We present the case of a 64-year-old female with stage IV gastric adenocarcinoma, pulmonary, and abdominal wall metastases, and no history of cardiovascular disease. In palliative care, she received systemic cytotoxic treatment with fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and docetaxel protocol, which was well tolerated over five cycles. During cycle 6, she presented with cardiovascular symptoms with hemodynamic consequences while receiving oxaliplatin injection without docetaxel or 5-fluorouracil. She was transferred to the emergency department and then to the intensive care unit. She developed no complications during the hospital stay and was discharged after 10 days with preserved systolic function and no structural changes at the myocardial level. The electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, cardiac catheterization, and magnetic resonance imaging findings indicated an oxaliplatin-associated Takotsubo syndrome. The immunochemistry analysis showed PD-L1 expression level TPS: 40% and the foundation one genomic profiling revealed high mutation load, microsatellite instability, and HER2 not found. The patient is currently asymptomatic and on pembrolizumab monotherapy with good tolerance and partial treatment response.

Parental Perception of Remote Education in Pandemic: An Analysis Based on Children's Cognitive Performance.

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly changed patterns of human interaction, including in the educational sector, which was forced to transform relationships among students, families, and the academic community. The present study sought to establish the interrelationships between performance on cognitive tests during the preschool stage and the perceptions of parents about remote education in school children during the pandemic. The study included 100 preschool children from socially vulnerable sectors who underwent remote and distance learning in 2020 and 2021. The reliability of the applied questionnaire was determined through a confirmatory factor analysis. A structural equation model was constructed to determine the perceptions of parents about remote education based on cognitive performance during the preschool stage. The model fit yielded favorable results for predictive variables (χ2 = 7.734, DF = 9 [p = 0.561], the comparative goodness-of-fit index [CFI] = 1.000, root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.000, standardized mean square residual [SRMR] = 0.069), and executive function (χ2 = 3.711, DF = 5 [p > 0.592], CFI = 1.000, RMSEA = 0.000, SRMR = 0.039) as latent variables that affected parents' perceptions. These results indicate that parents' perceptions of remote education are mediated by predictive aspects of learning and executive function during the preschool stage.

Metronidazole for Prevention of Pelvic Cellulitis and Abscess after Laparoscopic Hysterectomy: A Triple-blinded, Randomized, Placebo-controlled Clinical Trial.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a postoperative 5-day treatment schedule with vaginal metronidazole added to conventional antibiotic prophylaxis with 2 g cefazolin modifies the risk of pelvic cellulitis (PC) and pelvic abscess (PA) after total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH). DESIGN: A randomized, controlled, triple-blind, multicenter clinical trial. SETTING: Two centers dedicated to minimally invasive gynecologic surgery in Colombia. PATIENTS: A total of 574 patients were taken to TLH because of benign diseases. INTERVENTION: Patients taken to TLH were divided into 2 groups (treatment group, cefazolin 2 g intravenous single dose before surgery + metronidazole vaginal ovules for 5 days postoperatively, control group: cefazolin 2 g intravenous single dose + placebo vaginal ovules for 5 days postoperatively). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The absolute frequency (AF) of PC and PA and their relationship with the presence of bacterial vaginosis (BV) were measured. There was no difference in AF of PC (AF, 2/285 [0.7%] vs 5/284 [1.7%] in the treatment and placebo groups, respectively; risk ratio, 1.75; 95% confidence interval, 0.54-5.65; p = .261), nor for PA (AF, 0/285 [0%] vs 2/289 [0.7%]; p = .159, in the treatment and placebo groups, respectively). The incidence of BV was higher in the metronidazole group than the placebo group (42.5% vs 33.4%, p = .026). CONCLUSION: The use of vaginal metronidazole ovules during the first 5 days in postoperative TLH added to conventional cefazolin prophylaxis does not prevent the development of PC or PA, regardless of the patient's diagnosis of BV.

Frequent Cardiovascular Manifestations Associated With SARS Cov-2 Infection: Experience at a Tertiary Hospital In Cali, Colombia

Abstract Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mainly affects the respiratory system, while the most common extrapulmonary complication of COVID-19 is cardiovascular involvement. Objective: To identify the frequency of electrocardiographic changes and cardiac arrhythmias in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 infection. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study, including patients aged >18 years with diagnosis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection in a high-complexity hospital in Santiago de Cali, Colombia, from March to September 2020. A descriptive analysis with an analytical component and multiple logistic regression analysis were performed; all estimates were established with a 95% confidence level (CI) and a 5% significance level. Results: This study included 183 individuals; of whom 160 were considered for electrocardiographic analysis, 63% of which evidenced significant findings, the most frequent being sinus tachycardia (29.4%). The frequency of myocardial injury was 21.9% and was more common among non-survivors than among survivors (41.7% vs. 12.2%, p < 0.001). Myocardial injury was also significantly more common in patients who presented electrocardiographic findings than those who did not (26.5% vs. 12.1%, p = 0.032) and in those who required intensive care admission (31.8% vs 10.5%, p < 0.001). The strongest mortality-associated factor was the need for mechanical ventilation — odds ratio (OR), 9.14; 95% confidence interval, 3.4-24.5. Conclusions: Electrocardiographic findings in patients with COVID 19 are frequent, including newly diagnosed arrhythmias, justifying the use of cost-effective tools for the initial approach and follow-up of this affected population. Worse outcomes depend on factors such as invasive mechanical ventilation, comorbidities, age, and superinfection.

Encapsulation of Ruta essential oil in chitosan and alginate matrices as an ecological alternative for the control of nematodes.

Controlled release formulations of Ruta essential oil obtained by ionic gelation were developed. The presence of rue essential oil in the alginate and chitosan capsules was evidenced by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. Release studies revealed that in acidic conditions (pH 4.2), the CHS-REO particles reached a Sw of 240% (w/w) in 30 days and 101% (w/w) for ALG-REO particles, generating a RR of 23.7% for CHS-REO and 20.4% for ALG-REO. On the other hand, at pH 6.8 it favored the Sw for ALG-REO 840% (w/w) and therefore the RR (45.6%) and disfavored the Sw of CHS-REO generating low RR (16.9%). Encapsulated rue essential oil showed equal or superior nematicidal activity against the nematode Melodogyne ssp., compared to free oil and a synthetic nematicide such as Carbofuran, without having a phytotoxic effect on the plant. This study revealed that REO encapsulated in biopolymeric matrices can be used as new nematicide formulations.

Chromosomal Instability as Enabling Feature and Central Hallmark of Breast Cancer.

Chromosomal instability (CIN) has become a topic of great interest in recent years, not only for its implications in cancer diagnosis and prognosis but also for its role as an enabling feature and central hallmark of cancer. CIN describes cell-to-cell variation in the number or structure of chromosomes in a tumor population. Although extensive research in recent decades has identified some associations between CIN with response to therapy, specific associations with other hallmarks of cancer have not been fully evidenced. Such associations place CIN as an enabling feature of the other hallmarks of cancer and highlight the importance of deepening its knowledge to improve the outcome in cancer. In addition, studies conducted to date have shown paradoxical findings about the implications of CIN for therapeutic response, with some studies showing associations between high CIN and better therapeutic response, and others showing the opposite: associations between high CIN and therapeutic resistance. This evidences the complex relationships between CIN with the prognosis and response to treatment in cancer. Considering the above, this review focuses on recent studies on the role of CIN in cancer, the cellular mechanisms leading to CIN, its relationship with other hallmarks of cancer, and the emerging therapeutic approaches that are being developed to target such instability, with a primary focus on breast cancer. Further understanding of the complexity of CIN and its association with other hallmarks of cancer could provide a better understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in prognosis and response to treatment in cancer and potentially lead to new drug targets.

Microwave-assisted Synthesis of Pharmacologically Active 4-Phenoxyquinolines and their Benzazole-quinoline Hybrids Through SNAr Reaction of 4,7-dichloroquinoline and Phenols Using [bmim][PF6] as a Green Solvent.

BACKGROUND: Quinoline and its derivatives have been shown to display a wide spectrum of biological properties, especially anticancer activity. Particularly, diverse potent anticancer drugs are based on the 4-phenoxyquinoline skeleton, acting as small-molecules VEGR2 and/or c-Met kinase inhibitors. However, the design of new drugs based on these quinoline derivatives remains a challenge. Up till now, all approaches to 4-phenoxyquinoline skeleton construction do not obey any green chemistry principles. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Developing a new, and efficient protocol for the synthesis of potentially bioactive 4-phenoxyquinoline derivatives and benzazole-quinoline-quinoline hybrids from commercially available 4,7-dichloroquinoline and phenol derivatives using microwave energy (MW) in the presence of 1-methyl 3-butylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate. METHODS: Neweco-efficient protocol for valuable 7-chloro-4-phenoxyquinolines and their hybrids, which is based on SNAr reaction of 4,7-dichloroquinoline with respective simple phenols and hydroxyaryl- benzazoles under MWenergy in green reaction media, is studied for the first time. RESULTS: We found that among various solvents tested, the ionic liquid 1-methyl 3-butylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([bmim][PF6]) favored the SNAr reaction affording phenoxyquinolines in excellent yields (72-82%) in 10 min. The developed protocol allowed to obtain quickly in good yields (48-60%) new diverse benzazole-quinoline hybrids, which are expected to be pharmacologically active. According to the calculated bioactivity scores, new hybrids are potential kinase inhibitors that could be useful in anticancer drug research. CONCLUSION: We developed for the first time a new green, efficient method to prepare potentially bioactive functionalized 7-chloro-4-phenoxyquinolines and benzazole-quinoline molecules. Good to excellent yields of the quinoline products, use of MW irradiation in ([bmim] [PF6] as a green solvent, and short times of reactions are some of the main advantages of this new protocol.

Calidad de vida relacionada con la salud bucal y factores asociados en pacientes con bruxismo / Quality of life related to oral health and associated factors in patients with bruxism

RESUMEN Introducción: El bruxismo es una actividad parafuncional que puede tener impacto en la calidad de vida de las personas. Su etiología es diversa y por ello puede tener influencia de diferentes factores. Objetivo: Evaluar el impacto en la calidad de vida relacionada con la salud bucal y factores asociados en pacientes con bruxismo, atendidos en clínicas de practica de la Facultad de Odontología sede Medellín-Envigado, de la Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia. Métodos: Estudio observacional transversal y analítico con una muestra no probabilística de 51 pacientes entre 18 y 60 años que acudieron a consulta programada, atendidos en clínicas de practica de la Facultad de Odontología en Envigado, de la Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, se realizaron exámenes clínicos, anamnesis y encuesta sociodemográfica, posteriormente se aplicó cuestionario OHIP-14 sobre calidad de vida relacionada con la salud bucal. Se realizó un análisis univariado y bivariado. Resultados: en los pacientes con bruxismo el índice OHIP-14 evidenció que la limitación funcional y el dolor físico obtuvieron un valor máximo de 6.00 puntos. Además, los ítems de discapacidad y malestar psicológico presentaban puntuación medianamente alta (4.00 y 5.00 puntos respectivamente). Al evaluar otros factores, solo se encuentran diferencias con significación estadística para los aspectos demográficos y socioeconómicos en algunos dominios (Vp=0,012). Conclusión: Los pacientes con bruxismo tuvieron un impacto negativo en la calidad de vida relacionada con la salud bucal.

ABSTRACT Introduction: Bruxism is a parafunctional activity that can have an impact on people's quality of life. Its etiology is diverse and therefore it can be influenced by different factors. Objective: To evaluate the impact on the quality of life related to oral health and associated factors in patients with bruxism, attended in the practices clinics of the Faculty of Dentistry, at the Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia sectional Medellín-Envigado. Methods: Cross-sectional and analytical observational study with a non-probability sample of 51 patients between 18 and 60 years of age who attended a scheduled consultation, attended in the practices clinics of the Faculty of Dentistry, at the Cooperative University of Colombia, Medellin-Envigado. Clinical exams, anamnesis and sociodemographic survey were carried out, subsequently an OHIP-14 survey on quality of life related to oral health was applied. A univariate and bivariate analysis was performed. Results: in patients with bruxism the OHIP-14 index showed that functional limitation and physical pain obtained a maximum value of 6.00 points. In addition, the items of disability and psychological distress presented a fairly high score (4.00 and 5.00 points respectively). When evaluating other factors, differences with statistical significance were found only for demographic and socioeconomic aspects in some domains (Vp = 0.012). Conclusion: Patients with bruxism had a negative impact on quality of life related to oral health.

Prevalence of Mild Cognitive Impairment in Southern Regions of Colombia.

Background: Recent reports suggest that by 2050 there will be an increase of around 310% of cases affected by dementia in Latin American countries. A previous study in a Southern region reported one of the highest prevalences of dementia in Latin America. Objective: To investigate the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment associated with low education, rurality, and demographic characteristics. Methods: A cross-sectional study recruited a community-dwelling sample of 823 adults from rural and urban areas of two Southern provinces of Colombia from 2020-2022. Participants were assessed with a neuropsychological protocol validated in Colombia. To obtain general and region-specific prevalence rates, age, sex, schooling, and socioeconomic level were considered and controlled for. Results: Most of the participants reported low education and socioeconomic level, the participation of women was higher. It was determined that the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) was 53.6%, with 56.6% in the province of Caquetá followed by 51.9% in the province of Huila. The amnestic MCI represented 42.6%, the amnestic multi-domain was 39%, the non-amnestic 16.55%, and the non-amnestic multi-domain 1.81%. Our participants reported comorbidities such as diabetes and hypertension. We also observed a relationship between exposure to pesticides and MCI. Conclusions: We observed one of the highest prevalences of MCI in Latin America reported to date. Variables such as age, gender, and education proved risk factors for MCI in the explored regions. Our findings are very much in line with recent studies that highlight the influence of non-canonical risk factors of dementia in underrepresented countries from Latin America.

Mid-Term Results of Left Carotid-Subclavian Bypass in Patients Undergoing Zone 2 TEVAR.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to present the mid-term results of patients who had undergone a carotid-subclavian bypass surgery after a thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) stent-graft implantation with proximal landing at zone 2 of the aorta. METHODS: A total of 66 patients had undergone TEVAR and carotid-subclavian bypass between January 2015 and May 2020 at our clinic. Five of these patients were lost to follow-up, so 61 patients were included in this retrospective study. At follow-up visits, patency of the carotid-subclavian bypass grafts was evaluated with physical examination and radiological imaging. RESULTS: The mean follow-up time was 15.11±12.29 months (ranging from 1 to 56 months). There were 3 (4.91%) in-hospital deaths of patients admitted with bilateral lower limb and visceral malperfusion. There were also 2 (3.27%) deaths unrelated to the procedure. Carotid-subclavian graft occlusion occurred in 3 (4.91%) patients. The occlusion was detected with radiological imaging within a period of 12 to 24 months. The graft patency rate was 100% in the first 12 months. The mean graft patency time (survival) was 52.56±2.10 months. CONCLUSION: Periprocedural carotid-subclavian bypass surgery with synthetic grafts is a recommended procedure with high patency and acceptably low mortality and morbidity rates in TEVAR.

Efectos de la contaminación ambiental sobre la salud de la población mediante una revisión narrativa / Effects of environmental pollution on populations health through a narrative review

Mediante la disminución de los niveles de contaminación del aire los países pueden reducir la carga en morbilidad derivada de accidentes cerebrovasculares, cáncer de pulmón y neumopatías crónicas y agudas. Por lo tanto, el objetivo de esta investigación fue determinar los efectos a corto y largo plazo que tiene la contaminación ambiental sobre la salud de la población por medio de una revisión narrativa de tipo cualitativo y descriptivo. El método de búsqueda e identificación de los estudios se realizó por medio de las siguientes bases de datos electrónicas: Medline, Pubmed, Science Direct, entre otras; con un estado del arte de máximo 5 años posteriores a su fecha de publicación. De acuerdo con la búsqueda realizada en las bases de datos, se seleccionaron un total de 10 artículos en los cuales se encontraron diferentes efectos de la contaminación ambiental en la salud humana a nivel respiratorio, cardiovascular, hepático, neurológico, gestacional, inmunológico, entre otros sistemas a causa del material particulado encontrado en el ambiente como los son del PM 2.5, PM10 Y otros gases relacionados con la contaminación y los efectos sobre la salud. Los resultados de esta revisión narrativa confirman los efectos asociados a la contaminación ambiental a corto plazo y largo plazo del aumento de las concentraciones de las partículas contaminantes encontradas en el ambiente. Palabras claves: contaminación ambiental, partículas contaminantes, efectos corto plazo, efectos largo plazo, material particulado.

By lowering air pollution levels, countries can reduce the burden of disease from strokes, lung cancer, and chronic and acute lung diseases. Therefore, the objective of this research was to determine the short and long-term effects of environmental pollution on the health of the population through a qualitative and descriptive narrative review. The search and identification method of the studies was carried out through the following electronic databases: Medline, Pubmed, Science Direct, among others; with a state of the art of a maximum of 5 years after its publication date. According to the search carried out in the databases, a total of 10 were selected in which different effects of environmental pollution on human health were found at the respiratory, cardiovascular, liver, neurological, gestational, and immune levels, among other systems. due to particulate matter found in the environment such as PM 2.5, PM10 and other gases related to pollution and health effects. The results of this narrative review confirm the short-term and long-term effects associated with environmental pollution of increased concentrations of polluting particles found in the environment.

Mid-Term Results of Left Carotid-Subclavian Bypass in Patients Undergoing Zone 2 TEVAR

ABSTRACT Introduction: The aim of this study was to present the mid-term results of patients who had undergone a carotid-subclavian bypass surgery after a thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) stent-graft implantation with proximal landing at zone 2 of the aorta. Methods: A total of 66 patients had undergone TEVAR and carotid-subclavian bypass between January 2015 and May 2020 at our clinic. Five of these patients were lost to follow-up, so 61 patients were included in this retrospective study. At follow-up visits, patency of the carotid-subclavian bypass grafts was evaluated with physical examination and radiological imaging. Results: The mean follow-up time was 15.11±12.29 months (ranging from 1 to 56 months). There were 3 (4.91%) in-hospital deaths of patients admitted with bilateral lower limb and visceral malperfusion. There were also 2 (3.27%) deaths unrelated to the procedure. Carotid-subclavian graft occlusion occurred in 3 (4.91%) patients. The occlusion was detected with radiological imaging within a period of 12 to 24 months. The graft patency rate was 100% in the first 12 months. The mean graft patency time (survival) was 52.56±2.10 months. Conclusion: Periprocedural carotid-subclavian bypass surgery with synthetic grafts is a recommended procedure with high patency and acceptably low mortality and morbidity rates in TEVAR.

Nonbonded Force Field Parameters from Minimal Basis Iterative Stockholder Partitioning of the Molecular Electron Density Improve CB7 Host-Guest Affinity Predictions.

Binding affinity prediction by means of computer simulation has been increasingly incorporated in drug discovery projects. Its wide application, however, is limited by the prediction accuracy of the free energy calculations. The main error sources are force fields used to describe molecular interactions and incomplete sampling of the configurational space. Organic host-guest systems have been used to address force field quality because they share similar interactions found in ligands and receptors, and their rigidity facilitates configurational sampling. Here, we test the binding free energy prediction accuracy for 14 guests with an aromatic or adamantane core and the CB7 host using molecular electron density derived nonbonded force field parameters. We developed a computational workflow written in Python to derive atomic charges and Lennard-Jones parameters with the Minimal Basis Iterative Stockholder method using the polarized electron density of several configurations of each guest in the bound and unbound states. The resulting nonbonded force field parameters improve binding affinity prediction, especially for guests with an adamantane core in which repulsive exchange and dispersion interactions to the host dominate.