8-OxoG-Dependent Regulation of Global Protein Responses Leads to Mutagenesis and Stress Survival in Bacillus subtilis.

The guanine oxidized (GO) system of Bacillus subtilis, composed of the YtkD (MutT), MutM and MutY proteins, counteracts the cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of the oxidized nucleobase 8-OxoG. Here, we report that in growing B. subtilis cells, the genetic inactivation of GO system potentiated mutagenesis (HPM), and subsequent hyperresistance, contributes to the damaging effects of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) (HPHR). The mechanism(s) that connect the accumulation of the mutagenic lesion 8-OxoG with the ability of B. subtilis to evolve and survive the noxious effects of oxidative stress were dissected. Genetic and biochemical evidence indicated that the synthesis of KatA was exacerbated, in a PerR-independent manner, and the transcriptional coupling repair factor, Mfd, contributed to HPHR and HPM of the ΔGO strain. Moreover, these phenotypes are associated with wider pleiotropic effects, as revealed by a global proteome analysis. The inactivation of the GO system results in the upregulated production of KatA, and it reprograms the synthesis of the proteins involved in distinct types of cellular stress; this has a direct impact on (i) cysteine catabolism, (ii) the synthesis of iron-sulfur clusters, (iii) the reorganization of cell wall architecture, (iv) the activation of AhpC/AhpF-independent organic peroxide resistance, and (v) increased resistance to transcription-acting antibiotics. Therefore, to contend with the cytotoxic and genotoxic effects derived from the accumulation of 8-OxoG, B. subtilis activates the synthesis of proteins belonging to transcriptional regulons that respond to a wide, diverse range of cell stressors.

Perfil de Inteligencia Espiritual en estudiantes peruanos de Ciencias de la Salud / Spiritual Intelligence Profile in Peruvian Health Sciences Students

Introducción: Los estudiantes de ciencias de la salud tienen el deber de cuidar la salud humana, por tanto, se debe garantizar una formación humanística basada en el desarrollo y cultivo de la Inteligencia Espiritual. Objetivo: Conocer el perfil de Inteligencia Espiritual y sus factores asociados en estudiantes peruanos de ciencias de la salud. Método: Estudio transversal, que incluyó 418 estudiantes de las carreras de enfermería, medicina, odontología, obstetricia y farmacia, seleccionados de manera aleatoria. Mediante una encuesta virtual se recogieron variables socioeducativas y religiosas-espirituales; el perfil de Inteligencia Espiritual fue valorado con la Escala de Inteligencia Espiritual en la Practica Sanitaria. Se realizó un análisis descriptivo y multivariado mediante modelos lineales generalizados de la familia Poisson para evaluar ciertos factores asociados al perfil saludable de Inteligencia Espiritual. Resultados: De los participantes el 21,1% mantienen un perfil saludable de Inteligencia Espiritual; asimismo en la dimensión Vivencia Espiritual en la Práctica (14,1%), Pensamiento Existencial (18,9%), Consciencia Trascendental (15,3%). Se asociaron a mayor perfil saludable de Inteligencia Espiritual, el considerarse una persona espiritual (RPa = 4,77; IC95%: 1,98-11,4) y practicar la oración diaria (RPa = 3,02; IC95%: 1,54-5,92) y de manera semanal (RPa = 2,30; IC95%: 1,12-4,72). No obstante, se identificaron diversas variables que presentaron asociación no ajustada con el perfil saludable de Inteligencia Espiritual. Conclusiones: La proporción de estudiantes de ciencias de la salud con un perfil saludable de Inteligencia Espiritual, es baja; existen ciertos factores asociados modificables que podrían mejorar la Inteligencia Espiritual. (AU)

Introduction: Health science students have a duty to care for human health; therefore, it is necessary to ensure a humanistic education based on the development and cultivation of Spiritual Intelligence.Objective: To know the Spiritual Intelligence profile and its associated factors in Peruvian health science students.Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted, including 418 randomly selected students from nursing, medicine, dentistry, obstetrics, and pharmacy programs. A virtual survey was used to collect socio-educational and religious-spiritual variables. The profile of Spiritual Intelligence was assessed using the Spiritual Intelligence in Healthcare Practice Scale. Descriptive and multivariate analyses were performed using generalized linear models of the Poisson family to evaluate certain factors associated with a healthy profile of Spiritual Intelligence.Results: 21.1% of participants maintain a healthy profile of Spiritual Intelligence; also, in the dimensions of Spiritual Experience in Practice (14.1%), Existential Thinking (18.9%), Transcendental Awareness (15.3%). Considering oneself a spiritual person (RPa = 4.77; 95% CI: 1.98-11.4) and daily prayer practice (RPa = 3.02; 95% CI: 1.54-5.92) and weekly (RPa = 2.30; 95% CI: 1.12-4.72) were associated with a higher healthy profile of Spiritual Intelligence. However, several variables were identified that presented an unadjusted association with a healthy profile of Spiritual Intelligence.Conclusions: The proportion of health science students with a healthy profile of Spiritual Intelligence is low; there are certain modifiable associated factors that could enhance Spiritual Intelligence. (AU)

Maternal cardiac disease and perinatal outcomes in a single tertiary care center.

OBJECTIVE: Maternal mortality in the U.S. has increased, with a substantial contribution from maternal cardiac disease. As a result of improved childhood survival, more women with congenital heart disease are reaching reproductive age leading to a growing high-risk obstetric population. We sought to determine the obstetrical and neonatal outcomes of women with maternal cardiac disease, including acquired cardiovascular disease and congenital heart disease. METHODS: We studied a retrospective cohort study of women that delivered from 2008 to 2013 (N = 9026). Singleton pregnancies without preexisting conditions were established as the unexposed group for this study. Maternal and neonatal outcomes were compared between the unexposed group (N = 7277) and women exposed to maternal (acquired or congenital) cardiac disease (N = 139) as well as only congenital heart disease (N = 85). Statistical comparisons used univariate/multivariable logistic and linear regression analysis controlling for confounders with p < .05 and 95% confidence intervals indicating statistical significance. RESULTS: Pregnancies complicated by maternal cardiac disease were associated with increased odds of preterm birth (<34 weeks, <37 weeks), intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), need for assisted vaginal delivery, maternal ICU admission, and prolonged maternal hospitalization (>7 d). Neonatal outcomes including small for gestational age and Apgar score <7 at 5 min were increased in the pregnancies complicated by maternal cardiac disease. When pregnancies complicated by congenital heart disease were analyzed as a sub-group of the cohort, the results were similar. There were increased odds of preterm birth (<37 weeks), early-term delivery, need for assisted vaginal delivery, and prolonged hospitalization. Neonatal outcomes were only significant for small for gestational age. CONCLUSION: We observed that in a select cohort of pregnancies complicated by maternal cardiac diseases (acquired or congenital), there were significant increases of adverse perinatal outcomes. Therefore, a multidisciplinary approach including maternal-fetal medicine specialists, cardiologists, obstetric anesthesia, and dedicated ancillary support is imperative for optimal care of this high-risk obstetrics population.

Comparison of sporulation and germination conditions for Clostridium perfringens type A and G strains.

Clostridium perfringens is a spore forming, anaerobic, Gram-positive bacterium that causes a range of diseases in humans and animals. C. perfringens forms spores, structures that are derived from the vegetative cell under conditions of nutrient deprivation and that allows survival under harsh environmental conditions. To return to vegetative growth, C. perfringens spores must germinate when conditions are favorable. Previous work in analyzing C. perfringens spore germination has produced strain-specific results. Hence, we analyzed the requirements for spore formation and germination in seven different C. perfringens strains. Our data showed that C. perfringens sporulation conditions are strain-specific, but germination responses are homogenous in all strains tested. C. perfringens spores can germinate using two distinct pathways. The first germination pathway (the amino acid-only pathway or AA) requires L-alanine, L-phenylalanine, and sodium ions (Na+) as co-germinants. L-arginine is not a required germinant but potentiates germination. The AA pathway is inhibited by aromatic amino acids and potassium ions (K+). Bicarbonate (HCO3-), on the other hand, bypasses potassium-mediated inhibition of C. perfringens spore germination through the AA pathway. The second germination pathway (the bile salt / amino acid pathway or BA) is more promiscuous and is activated by several bile salts and amino acids. In contrast to the AA pathway, the BA pathway is insensitive to Na+, although it can be activated by either K+ or HCO3-. We hypothesize that some C. perfringens strains may have evolved these two distinct germination pathways to ensure spore response to different host environments.

Effect of vitamin D supplementation on cerebral blood flow in male patients with adrenoleukodystrophy.

One-third of boys with X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) develop inflammatory demyelinating lesions, typically at the splenium. These lesions share similarities with multiple sclerosis, including cerebral hypoperfusion and links to vitamin D insufficiency. We hypothesized that increasing vitamin D levels would increase cerebral blood flow (CBF) in ALD boys. We conducted an exploratory analysis of vitamin D supplementation and CBF using all available data from participants enrolled in a recent single-arm interventional study of vitamin D supplementation in boys with ALD. We measured whole brain and splenium CBF using arterial spin labeling (ASL) from three study time points (baseline, 6 months, and 12 months). We used linear generalized estimating equations to evaluate CBF changes between time points and to test for an association between CBF and vitamin D. ASL data were available for 16 participants, aged 2-22 years. Mean vitamin D levels increased by 72.7% (p < .001) after 6 months and 88.6% (p < .01) after 12 months. Relative to baseline measures, mean CBF of the whole brain (6 months: +2.5%, p = .57; 12 months: +6.1%, p = .18) and splenium (6 months: +1.2%, p = .80; 12 months: +7.4%, p = .058) were not significantly changed. Vitamin D levels were positively correlated with CBF in the splenium (slope = .59, p < .001). In this exploratory analysis, we observed a correlation between vitamin D levels and splenial CBF in ALD boys. We confirm the feasibility of measuring CBF in this brain region and population, but further work is needed to establish a causal role for vitamin D in modulating CBF.

Protection of the DNA from Selected Species of Five Kingdoms in Nature by Ba(II), Sr(II), and Ca(II) Silica-Carbonates: Implications about Biogenicity and Evolving from Prebiotic Chemistry to Biological Chemistry.

The origin of life on Earth is associated with the Precambrian era, in which the existence of a large diversity of microbial fossils has been demonstrated. Notwithstanding, despite existing evidence of the emergence of life many unsolved questions remain. The first question could be as follows: Which was the inorganic structure that allowed isolation and conservation of the first biomolecules in the existing reduced conditions of the primigenial era? Minerals have been postulated as the ones in charge of protecting theses biomolecules against the external environment. There are calcium, barium, or strontium silica-carbonates, called biomorphs, which we propose as being one of the first inorganic structures in which biomolecules were protected from the external medium. Biomorphs are structures with different biological morphologies that are not formed by cells, but by nanocrystals; some of their morphologies resemble the microfossils found in Precambrian cherts. Even though biomorphs are unknown structures in the geological registry, their similarity with some biological forms, including some Apex fossils, could suggest them as the first "inorganic scaffold" where the first biomolecules became concentrated, conserved, aligned, and duplicated to give rise to the pioneering cell. However, it has not been documented whether biomorphs could have been the primary structures that conserved biomolecules in the Precambrian era. To attain a better understanding on whether biomorphs could have been the inorganic scaffold that existed in the primigenial Earth, the aim of this contribution is to synthesize calcium, barium, and strontium biomorphs in the presence of genomic DNA from organisms of the five kingdoms in conditions emulating the atmosphere of the Precambrian era and that CO2 concentration in conditions emulating current atmospheric conditions. Our results showed, for the first time, the formation of the kerogen signal, which is a marker of biogenicity in fossils, in the biomorphs grown in the presence of DNA. We also found the DNA to be internalized into the structure of biomorphs.

Prevalencia de gérmenes con multi resistencia antibiótica en bacteriemia asociada a neutropenia febril en pacientes oncológicos hospitalizados. Un estudio de centro único / Prevalence of germs with multi antibiotic resistance in bacteremia associated with febrile neutropenia in hospitalized cancer patients. A single-center study

Introducción: El cáncer en el año 2020 provoco 1,4 millones de muertes, el 47% en personas menores de 65 años de edad,la neutropenia febril en el paciente oncológico aumenta los casos de infecciones graves, incrementando la morbimortalidad cuando no se ha empezado un tratamiento de oportuno. El objetivo del presente estudio fue describir una población con esta patología en un centro de referencia regional. Metodología: Este estudio transversal, se realizó en el Instituto Oncológico Nacional "Dr. Juan Tanca Marengo", Sociedad de Lucha contra el Cáncer, Solca Guayaquil, período enero 2020-junio 2021, con una muestra no probabilística, de pacientes con neoplasias, neutropenias y cultivos positivos. Se registraron variables demográficas, clínicas, de laboratorio. Se utiliza estadística descriptiva invariada. Resultados: Se analizan 126casos, de edad promedio 55 años, el 50.8% fue de sexo femenino; el 88.1 % ingresó con neutropenia febril; la estancia hospitalaria promedio fue de 7 días. La Escherichia coli fue el microorganismo más frecuente con el 17.5 %, seguido por Klebsiella neumonía en el 9.5 %, Enterobacteria aerógenas y Pseudomonas eruginosa en el 4.8 %. El 70.2 % de las bacterias aisladas presentó resistencia bacteriana, el 47 % fueron bacterias betalactamasa de espectro ampliado (BLEA), el 40 % fue betalactamasa de espectro extendido (BLEE), y el 5 % productor de carbapenémicas (KPC), el 57.5 % con resistencia bacteriana tuvo una estancia hospitalaria mayor a 7 días Conclusión: El principal microorganismo fue Escherichia coli y la resistencia mayormente la tuvieron las bacterias betalactamasa de espectro ampliado positiva; permitiendo conocer la epidemiología local del perfil microbiológico y su relación con los pacientes oncológicos con neutropenia febril

In troduction:Cancer in 2020 caused 1.4 million deaths, 47% in people under 65 years of age, febrile neu-tropenia in cancer patientsincreases cases of serious infections, increasing morbidity and mortality when Timely treatment has not been started. The objective of the present study was to describe a pop-ulation with this pathology in a regional reference center.Met hodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the National Oncology Institute "Dr. Juan Tanca Marengo," Society for the Fight Against Cancer, Solca-Guayaquil, period January 2020-June 2021, with a non-probabilistic sample of patients with neoplasms, neutropenia, and positive cultures. Demo-graphic, clinical, and laboratory variables were recorded. Univariate descriptive statistics are used.R esults: 126 cases were analyzed, with an average age of 55 years; 50.8% were female; 88.1% were admitted with febrile neutropenia; the average hospital stay was seven days. Escherichia coli was the most frequent microorganism with 17.5%, followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae in 9.5%, Enterobacter aerogenes, and Pseudomonas aureginosa in 4.8%. 70.2% of the isolated bacteria presented bacterial resistance, 47% were extendedspectrum beta-lactamase bacteria (ESBL), 40% were extended-spectrum betalactamase (ESBL), and 5% produced carbapenemases (KPC), 57.5% with bacterial resistance had a hospital stay greater than seven days.C o nclusion: The main microorganism was Escherichia coli, and resistance was primarily found in ex-tended-spectrum beta-lactamase-positive bacteria, allowing us to know the local epidemiology of the microbiological profile and its relationship with cancer patients with febrile neutropenia

Costo social de las muertes prematuras por COVID-19 en el Perú / Social cost of premature deaths due to COVID-19 in Peru

Introducción: El costo humano de la pandemia por COVID-19 es significativo, pero el verdadero impacto aún es incierto. Objetivo: Determinar los años de vida potencial perdidos y el costo social por fallecimiento como consecuencia de la enfermedad COVID-19 en la población peruana. Material y Métodos: Se realizó un estudio observacional y descriptivo, mediante el análisis secundario de los fallecimientos por COVID-19 en el Perú entre el 01 de enero del 2020 y el 31 de julio del 2021, reportados por el Ministerio de Salud del Perú. Resultados: Durante el año 2020 se perdieron 926 343,5 años de vida en el Perú; sin embargo, entre el 01 de enero y el 31 de julio del 2021 ya se habían perdido 1 116 553,1 años. Desde el inicio de la pandemia hasta el 31 de julio del 2021, el costo social por fallecimientos a consecuencia de COVID-19 ha ascendido a USD 18 807 942 464,6. Conclusión. La pandemia por COVID-19 ha ocasionado elevada pérdida de años potenciales de vida y alto costo social, principalmente en los territorios urbanos con mayor desarrollo económico.

Background:The human cost of the COVID-19 pandemic is significant, but the true impact is still uncertain. OBJECTIVE: To determine the years of potential life lost and the social cost of death due to the COVID-19 disease in the Peruvian population. : An Material and Methods observational and descriptive study was carried out, through the secondary analysis of deaths due to COVID-19 in Peru between January 1, 2020, and July 31, 2021, reported by the Ministry of Health of Peru.: During Results2020, 926,343.5 years of life were lost in Peru; however, between January 1 and July 31, 2021, 1,116,553.1 years had already been lost. From the start of the pandemic until July 31, 2021, the social cost of deaths due to COVID-19 has amounted to USD 18,807,942,464.6.. The ConclusionCOVID-19 pandemic has caused a high loss of potential years of life and high social cost, mainly in urban territories with higher economic development.

Drug resistance phenotypes and genotypes in Mexico in representative gram-negative species: Results from the infivar network.

AIM: This report presents phenotypic and genetic data on the prevalence and characteristics of extended-spectrum ß-lactamases (ESBLs) and representative carbapenemases-producing Gram-negative species in Mexico. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 52 centers participated, 43 hospital-based laboratories and 9 external laboratories. The distribution of antimicrobial resistance data for Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter cloacae complex, Acinetobacter baumannii complex, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in selected clinical specimens from January 1 to March 31, 2020 was analyzed using the WHONET 5.6 platform. The following clinical isolates recovered from selected specimens were included: carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, ESBL or carbapenem-resistant E. coli, and K. pneumoniae, carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii complex, and P. aeruginosa. Strains were genotyped to detect ESBL and/or carbapenemase-encoding genes. RESULTS: Among blood isolates, A. baumannii complex showed more than 68% resistance for all antibiotics tested, and among Enterobacteria, E. cloacae complex showed higher resistance to carbapenems. A. baumannii complex showed a higher resistance pattern for respiratory specimens, with only amikacin having a resistance lower than 70%. Among K. pneumoniae isolates, blaTEM, blaSHV, and blaCTX were detected in 68.79%, 72.3%, and 91.9% of isolates, respectively. Among E. coli isolates, blaTEM, blaSHV, and blaCTX were detected in 20.8%, 4.53%, and 85.7% isolates, respectively. For both species, the most frequent genotype was blaCTX-M-15. Among Enterobacteriaceae, the most frequently detected carbapenemase-encoding gene was blaNDM-1 (81.5%), followed by blaOXA-232 (14.8%) and blaoxa-181(7.4%), in A. baumannii was blaOXA-24 (76%) and in P. aeruginosa, was blaIMP (25.3%), followed by blaGES and blaVIM (13.1% each). CONCLUSION: Our study reports that NDM-1 is the most frequent carbapenemase-encoding gene in Mexico in Enterobacteriaceae with the circulation of the oxacillinase genes 181 and 232. KPC, in contrast to other countries in Latin America and the USA, is a rare occurrence. Additionally, a high circulation of ESBL blaCTX-M-15 exists in both E. coli and K. pneumoniae.

Transcriptional coupling and repair of 8-OxoG activate a RecA-dependent checkpoint that controls the onset of sporulation in Bacillus subtilis.

During sporulation Bacillus subtilis Mfd couples transcription to nucleotide excision repair (NER) to eliminate DNA distorting lesions. Here, we report a significant decline in sporulation following Mfd disruption, which was manifested in the absence of external DNA-damage suggesting that spontaneous lesions activate the function of Mfd for an efficient sporogenesis. Accordingly, a dramatic decline in sporulation efficiency took place in a B. subtilis strain lacking Mfd and the repair/prevention guanine oxidized (GO) system (hereafter, the ∆GO system), composed by YtkD, MutM and MutY. Furthermore, the simultaneous absence of Mfd and the GO system, (i) sensitized sporulating cells to H2O2, and (ii) elicited spontaneous and oxygen radical-induced rifampin-resistance (Rifr) mutagenesis. Epifluorescence (EF), confocal and transmission electron (TEM) microscopy analyses, showed a decreased ability of ∆GO ∆mfd strain to sporulate and to develop the typical morphologies of sporulating cells. Remarkably, disruption of sda, sirA and disA partially, restored the sporulation efficiency of the strain deficient for Mfd and the ∆GO system; complete restoration occurred in the RecA- background. Overall, our results unveil a novel Mfd mechanism of transcription-coupled-repair (TCR) elicited by 8-OxoG which converges in the activation of a RecA-dependent checkpoint event that control the onset of sporulation in B. subtilis.

Factores asociados al maltrato físico en menores de cinco años de edad perpetrado por sus progenitoras / Factors Associated with Physical Mistreatment against Children under the Age of Five and Performed by their Mothers

Introducción: El castigo físico en contra del niño dentro del seno familiar y ejercido por la madre es un problema de salud pública en América Latina. Objetivo: Determinar los factores asociados al maltrato físico en menores de cinco años de edad perpetrado por sus madres. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio observacional basado en el análisis secundario de los datos de la Encuesta Nacional de Salud y Demografía (ENDES), 2017. La muestra estuvo conformada por 13 565 niños menores de cinco años. Se calculó el chi cuadrado y el valor de p, así como el odds ratio crudo (ORc) y su intervalo de confianza al 95 por ciento. Resultados: Existió menor riesgo de maltrato en los niños menores de cinco años que resideían en la selva, cuando el esposo o conviviente de la madre vivía en la casa y cuando existía violencia psicológica o física en contra de la mujer. Existió mayor riesgo de maltrato físico cuando las madres hablaban aymara u otra lengua indígena/originaria, cuando la pareja tenía instrucción secundaria o superior o cuando la mujer agredía a su pareja. Conclusiones: La violencia física contra el niño menor de cinco años resultó más probable cuando la madre estaba expuesta a situaciones estresantes, posiblemente mediadas por las condiciones de vulnerabilidad económica o pobreza que vive, sobre todo cuando tenía raíces indígenas y residía en la costa, todo esto exacerbado por la incapacidad para la solución de problemas que, finalmente, derivan en violencia, incluso contra el esposo o conviviente(AU)

Introduction: Physical punishment against the child within the family and performed by her or his mother is a public health concern in Latin America. Objective: To determine the factors associated with physical mistreatment in children under five years of age performed by their mothers. Methods: We carried out an observational study based on the secondary analysis of the data from the 2017 National Survey of Health and Demography (ENDES, as it stands in Spanish for Encuesta Nacional de Salud y Demografía). The sample consisted of 13,565 children under the age of five. Chi square and the P value were calculated, together with the crude odds ratio (ORc) and its 95 percent confidence interval. Results: There was a lower risk of mistreatment in children under the age of five who lived in the jungle, when the mother's husband or partner lived in the house and when there was psychological or physical violence against the woman. There was an increased risk of physical abuse when the mothers spoke Aymara or another indigenous or native language, when the couple had secondary or higher education, or when the woman attacked her partner. Conclusions: Physical violence against children under five years of age was more likely when the mother was exposed to stressful situations, possibly mediated by the conditions of economic vulnerability or poverty that she lives through, especially when she had indigenous roots and lived on the coast, all this exacerbated by the inability to solve problems that ultimately lead to violence, even against the husband or partner(AU)

Novel Biochemical Properties and Physiological Role of the Flavin Mononucleotide Oxidoreductase YhdA from Bacillus subtilis.

Cr(VI) is mutagenic and teratogenic and considered an environmental pollutant of increasing concern. The use of microbial enzymes that convert this ion into its less toxic reduced insoluble form, Cr(III), represents a valuable bioremediation strategy. In this study, we examined the Bacillus subtilis YhdA enzyme, which belongs to the family of NADPH-dependent flavin mononucleotide oxide reductases and possesses azo-reductase activity as a factor that upon overexpression confers protection on B. subtilis from the cytotoxic effects promoted by Cr(VI) and counteracts the mutagenic effects of the reactive oxygen species (ROS)-promoted lesion 8-OxoG. Further, our in vitro assays unveiled catalytic and biochemical properties of biotechnological relevance in YhdA; a pure recombinant His10-YhdA protein efficiently catalyzed the reduction of Cr(VI) employing NADPH as a cofactor. The activity of the pure oxidoreductase YhdA was optimal at 30°C and at pH 7.5 and displayed Km and Vmax values of 7.26 mM and 26.8 µmol·min-1·mg-1 for Cr(VI), respectively. Therefore, YhdA can be used for efficient bioremediation of Cr(VI) and counteracts the cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of oxygen radicals induced by intracellular factors and those generated during reduction of hexavalent chromium.IMPORTANCE Here, we report that the bacterial flavin mononucleotide/NADPH-dependent oxidoreductase YhdA, widely distributed among Gram-positive bacilli, conferred protection to cells from the cytotoxic effects of Cr(VI) and prevented the hypermutagenesis exhibited by a MutT/MutM/MutY-deficient strain. Additionally, a purified recombinant His10-YhdA protein displayed a strong NADPH-dependent chromate reductase activity. Therefore, we postulate that in bacterial cells, YhdA counteracts the cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of intracellular and extracellular inducers of oxygen radicals, including those caused by hexavalent chromium.

Acquisition of skin characteristics by Monte Carlo modeling and evolutionary setting of parameters.

BACKGROUND: In this paper, we present the intelligent system to characterize optically human skin; our proposal is a non-invasive way to obtain some parameters of the skin such as the concentration of hemoglobin, water percentages, and thickness of the layers of the skin. MATERIAL AND METHODS: To achieve the objective of this work, we used an experimental technique called diffuse reflectance spectrophotometry and numerical calculations, such as the Monte Carlo method and the evolutionary algorithm Evonorm. RESULTS: Five case studies were performed. In the first two cases with the Monte Carlo method, a simulated diffuse reflectance was obtained with proposed parameters in order to compare the parameters obtained by the evolutionary algorithm and the proposed parameters. In the rest of the cases, an experimental diffuse reflectance obtained from volunteers was used. CONCLUSIONS: Numerical modeling was presented to non-invasively detect some parameters of the skin such as hemoglobin concentration, water percentages, and the thickness of the epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis. It was proposed to use evolutionary algorithms for being robust methods for the optimization of complex problems with a reasonable computational cost.

Pregnancy in teenagers with heart disease / Embarazo en pacientes adolescentes con cardiopatía

Abstract The prevalence of pregnancy in adolescent women is high in Mexico and represents a public health problem. The pregnant teenager with heart disease has a high probability of complications during pregnancy and the delivery, which carries a risk of death of both the mother and the product. In many cases the pregnancy should have been avoided, planned or interrupted, however the majority at this age is vulnerable and although certain cases must be interrupted by their high risk of maternal-fetal death, prevention and legal aspects should be considered. In some cases the woman wants a pregnancy although her health condition does not allow it, but there are options of adoption or recourse to a surrogate belly. In response to this growing social problem, the National Cardiology Institute Ignacio Chávez and National Institute of Perinatology, with the coordination of Ministry of Health in Mexico, started a pregnancy prevention module within a clinic of follow-up of cardiopathy and pregnancy. This review raises the global problem in our country that occupies the first place in pregnancies in adolescents, with more than 400,000 pregnancies a year and the form of immediate response in a multidisciplinary way.

Resumen La prevalencia de embarazo en mujeres adolescentes es muy alta en México, y representa un problema de salud pública. La adolescente embarazada con cardiopatía tiene altas posibilidades de complicaciones durante el embarazo y su resolución, lo que pone en riesgo la vida tanto de la madre como del producto. En muchos casos el embarazo debió ser evitado, planeado o interrumpido, sin embargo la mayoría a esta edad es vulnerable y si bien ciertos casos deben ser interrumpidos por su alto riesgo de muerte materno-fetal, es fundamental considerar la prevención y los aspectos legales. En algunos casos la mujer desea un embarazo aunque su condición de salud no se lo permite, pero existen opciones de adopción o recurrir a un vientre subrogado. Atendiendo este problema social cada vez más creciente, el Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, en coordinación con la Comisión Coordinadora de la Secretaría de Salud y el Instituto Nacional de Perinatología, echaron a andar un módulo de prevención de embarazo dentro de una clínica de seguimiento de cardiopatía y embarazo. Esta revisión plantea el problema global en nuestro país, que ocupa el primer lugar en embarazos en adolescentes, con más de 400 mil embarazos al año y la forma de dar respuesta inmediata de manera multidisciplinaria.

The Evolution of Antimicrobial Resistance in Mexico During the Last Decade: Results from the INVIFAR Group.

Background: Surveillance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) requires an international approach with national and local strategies. Our aim was to summarize a retrospective 10-year report of antibiotic resistance of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria in Mexico. Methods: A total of 46 centers from 22 states of Mexico participated. Databases of AMR from January 2009 to December 2018 were included for most species. The 10-year period was divided into five 2-year periods. Results: For Staphylococcus aureus, a decrease in resistance in all specimens was observed for erythromycin and oxacillin (p < 0.0001 for each). For Enterobacter spp., resistance to meropenem increased for urine specimens (p = 0.0042). For Klebsiella spp., increased drug resistance in specimens collected from blood was observed for trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, gentamicin, tobramycin (p < 0.0001 for each), meropenem (p = 0.0014), and aztreonam (p = 0.0030). For Acinetobacter baumannii complex, high drug resistance was detected for almost all antibiotics, including carbapenems, except for tobramycin, which showed decreased resistance for urine, respiratory, and blood isolates (p < 0.0001 for each), and for amikacin, which showed a decrease in resistance in urine specimens (p = 0.0002). An increase in resistance to cefepime was found for urine, respiratory, and blood specimens (p < 0.0001 for each). For Pseudomonas aeruginosa, aztreonam resistance increased for isolates recovered from blood (p = 0.0001). Conclusion: This laboratory-based surveillance of antibiotic resistance shows that resistance is increasing for some antibiotics in different bacterial species in Mexico and highlights the need for continuous monitoring of antibiotic resistance.

Pregnancy in teenagers with heart disease.

The prevalence of pregnancy in adolescent women is high in Mexico and represents a public health problem. The pregnant teenager with heart disease has a high probability of complications during pregnancy and the delivery, which carries a risk of death of both the mother and the product. In many cases the pregnancy should have been avoided, planned or interrupted, however the majority at this age is vulnerable and although certain cases must be interrupted by their high risk of maternal-fetal death, prevention and legal aspects should be considered. In some cases the woman wants a pregnancy although her health condition does not allow it, but there are options of adoption or recourse to a surrogate belly. In response to this growing social problem, the National Cardiology Institute Ignacio Chávez and National Institute of Perinatology, with the coordination of Ministry of Health in Mexico, started a pregnancy prevention module within a clinic of follow-up of cardiopathy and pregnancy. This review raises the global problem in our country that occupies the first place in pregnancies in adolescents, with more than 400,000 pregnancies a year and the form of immediate response in a multidisciplinary way.

La prevalencia de embarazo en mujeres adolescentes es muy alta en México, y representa un problema de salud pública. La adolescente embarazada con cardiopatía tiene altas posibilidades de complicaciones durante el embarazo y su resolución, lo que pone en riesgo la vida tanto de la madre como del producto. En muchos casos el embarazo debió ser evitado, planeado o interrumpido, sin embargo la mayoría a esta edad es vulnerable y si bien ciertos casos deben ser interrumpidos por su alto riesgo de muerte materno-fetal, es fundamental considerar la prevención y los aspectos legales. En algunos casos la mujer desea un embarazo aunque su condición de salud no se lo permite, pero existen opciones de adopción o recurrir a un vientre subrogado. Atendiendo este problema social cada vez más creciente, el Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, en coordinación con la Comisión Coordinadora de la Secretaría de Salud y el Instituto Nacional de Perinatología, echaron a andar un módulo de prevención de embarazo dentro de una clínica de seguimiento de cardiopatía y embarazo. Esta revisión plantea el problema global en nuestro país, que ocupa el primer lugar en embarazos en adolescentes, con más de 400 mil embarazos al año y la forma de dar respuesta inmediata de manera multidisciplinaria.

Roles of Bacillus subtilis RecA, Nucleotide Excision Repair, and Translesion Synthesis Polymerases in Counteracting Cr(VI)-Promoted DNA Damage.

Bacteria deploy global programs of gene expression, including components of the SOS response, to counteract the cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of environmental DNA-damaging factors. Here we report that genetic damage promoted by hexavalent chromium elicited the SOS response in Bacillus subtilis, as evidenced by the induction of transcriptional uvrA-lacZ, recA-lacZ, and P recA-gfp fusions. Accordingly, B. subtilis strains deficient in homologous recombination (RecA) and nucleotide excision repair (NER) (UvrA), components of the SOS response, were significantly more sensitive to Cr(VI) treatment than were cells of the wild-type strain. These results strongly suggest that Cr(VI) induces the formation in growing B. subtilis cells of cytotoxic and genotoxic bulky DNA lesions that are processed by RecA and/or the NER pathways. In agreement with this notion, Cr(VI) significantly increased the formation of DNA-protein cross-links (DPCs) and induced mutagenesis in recA- and uvrA-deficient B. subtilis strains, through a pathway that required YqjH/YqjW-mediated translesion synthesis. We conclude that Cr(VI) promotes mutagenesis and cell death in B. subtilis by a mechanism that involves the formation of DPCs and that such deleterious effects are counteracted by both the NER and homologous recombination pathways, belonging to the RecA-dependent SOS system.IMPORTANCE It has been shown that, following permeation of cell barriers, Cr(VI) kills B. subtilis cells following a mechanism of reactive oxygen species-promoted DNA damage, which is counteracted by the guanine oxidized repair system. Here we report a distinct mechanism of Cr(VI)-promoted DNA damage that involves production of DPCs capable of eliciting the bacterial SOS response. We also report that the NER and homologous recombination (RecA) repair pathways, as well as low-fidelity DNA polymerases, counteract this metal-induced mechanism of killing in B. subtilis Hence, our results contribute to an understanding of how environmental pollutants activate global programs of gene expression that allow bacteria to contend with the cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of heavy metals.

Violencia extrema contra la mujer y feminicidio en el Perú / Extreme violence against women and femicide in Peru

Objetivo: Determinar la incidencia de violencia extrema contra la mujer y feminicidio así como algunos factores riesgo en el Perú. Métodos: Investigación observacional de datos secundarios (2009-2015) del Ministerio de la Mujer y Poblaciones Vulnerables de Perú. Con el programa Microsoft Excell® se calculó la tasa bruta de violencia extrema contra la mujer y de feminicidio por año y por territorio, así como el riesgo de violencia extrema contra la mujer y el riesgo de feminicidio por territorio, año, mes, vínculo, escenario y área. Resultados: En el período 2009-2015, la tasa de violencia extrema contra la mujer aumentó. Tacna (RT= 2,673; IC 95 por ciento= 2,111-3,384), tuvo el mayor riesgo de feminicidio, mientras que Madre de Dios (RT= 2,475; IC 95 por ciento= 1,462-4,188) tuvo el mayor riesgo de violencia extrema contra la mujer. Este riesgo existió en mayor cuantía en enero (RT=1,204; IC 95 por ciento=1,019-1,422) y el mayor riesgo de feminicidio en noviembre (RT=1,463; IC 95 por ciento=1,173-1,826) y enero (RT=1,280; IC 95 por ciento= 1,014-1,616). Existió mayor riesgo que la violencia extrema contra la mujer culmine en feminicidio cuando el agresor es desconocido (ORc= 11,950; IC 95 por ciento= 6,752-23,510), es conocido (ORc= 2,644; IC 95 por ciento= 1,736-4,094) o es un familiar (ORc=1,614; IC 95 por ciento= 1,078-2,433), en un escenario no íntimo (ORc=5,522; IC 95 por ciento=3,611-8,629), en el área rural (ORc=1,692; IC 95 por ciento=1,136-2,525) o urbana-marginal (ORc=1,678; IC 95 por ciento=1,057-2,673). Conclusiones: La incidencia de violencia extrema contra la mujer ha aumentado. El riesgo de feminicidio es mayor en el mes de noviembre, en el área rural y urbana-marginal, en un escenario no íntimo y cuando la violencia extrema contra la mujer no es perpetrada por la pareja o ex-pareja(AU)

Objective: To determine the incidence of extreme violence against women (EVAW) and femicide; and some risk factors in Peru. Methods: Observational research of secondary data (2009-2015) from the Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations of Peru. MS Excell® program was used to calculate the gross rate of extreme violence against women and femicide by territory, year, month, bond, scenario, and area. Results: In the period 2009-2015, the rate of extreme violence against women has increased. Tacna (RT=2,673; IC 95 percent=2,111-3,384) had the highest rate of femicide´s risk, and Madre de Dios (RT=2,475; IC 95 percent= 1,462-4,188) had the highest risk of extreme violence against women. There was greater risk of extreme violence against women in January (RT=1.204, IC95 percent=1.019-1.422) and femicide´s risk in November (RT=1.463, IC95 percent=1.173-1.826) and January (RT=1.280, IC95 percent=1.014-1.616). Extreme violence against women is more likely to end in femicide when the aggressor is unknown (ORc= 11.950; IC 95 percent=6.572-23.510), when is an acquaintance (ORc=2,644; IC 95 percvent=1,736-4,094) or a relative (ORc= 1,614; IC 95 percent= 1,078-2,433), in a non-intimate place (ORc= 5,522; IC 95 percent= 3,611-8,629), in the rural area (ORc= 1,692; IC 95 percent= 1,136-2,525), or in the marginal urban area (ORc=1,678; IC 95 percent= 1,057-2,673). Conclusions: Extreme violence against women's incidence has increased. The risk of femicide is higher in November, in the rural and marginal urban areas, in a non-intimate scenario, and when the extreme violence against women is not perpetrated by the partner or ex-partner(AU)