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In Mexico, the first attack dates back to 1988, but it was not identified until 2022. This violence remained invisible and minimized, but since then 42 acid attacks against women have been recorded, of which 5 victims died as a result of the attack and its medical complications. We think that families should be educated to eliminate misogyny in families and ensure that women are valued equally as men. We also think that education from childhood, questioning one's own beliefs, challenging stereotypes and gender roles, deconstructing prejudices, reporting, and acting with empathy and compassion are fundamental in a society with gender equity.
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ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot application. In this study, we explore the creation and use of a customized version of ChatGPT designed specifically for patient education, called "Lab Explainer." Lab Explainer aims to simplify and clarify the results of complex laboratory tests for patients, using the sophisticated capabilities of AI in natural language processing; it analyses various laboratory test data and provides clear explanations and contextual information. The approach involved adapting OpenAI's ChatGPT model specifically to analyze laboratory test data. The results suggest that Lab Explainer has the potential to improve understanding by providing an interpretation of laboratory tests to the patient. In conclusion, the Lab Explainer can assist patient education by providing intelligible interpretations of laboratory tests.
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Neutrophils, which constitute the most abundant leukocytes in human blood, emerge as crucial players in the induction of endothelial cell death and the modulation of endothelial cell responses under both physiological and pathological conditions. The hallmark of preeclampsia is endothelial dysfunction induced by systemic inflammation, in which neutrophils, particularly through the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), play a pivotal role in the development and perpetuation of endothelial dysfunction and the hypertensive state. Considering the potential of numerous pharmaceutical agents to attenuate NET formation (NETosis) in preeclampsia, a comprehensive assessment of the extensively studied candidates becomes imperative. This review aims to identify mechanisms associated with the induction and negative regulation of NETs in the context of preeclampsia. We discuss potential drugs to modulate NETosis, such as NF-κß inhibitors, vitamin D, and aspirin, and their association with mutagenicity and genotoxicity. Strong evidence supports the notion that molecules involved in the activation of NETs could serve as promising targets for the treatment of preeclampsia.
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Footprints represent a relevant vestige providing direct information on the biology, locomotion, and behaviour of the individuals who left them. However, the spatiotemporal distribution of hominin footprints is heterogeneous, particularly in North Africa, where no footprint sites were known before the Holocene. This region is important in the evolution of hominins. It notably includes the earliest currently known Homo sapiens (Jebel Irhoud) and the oldest and richest African Middle Stone Age hominin sites. In this fragmented ichnological record, we report the discovery of 85 human footprints on a Late Pleistocene now indurated beach surface of about 2800 m2 at Larache (Northwest coast of Morocco). The wide range of sizes of the footprints suggests that several individuals from different age groups made the tracks while moving landward and seaward across a semi-dissipative bar-trough sandy beach foreshore. A geological investigation and an optically stimulated luminescence dating of a rock sample extracted from the tracksite places this hominin footprint surface at 90.3 ± 7.6 ka (MIS 5, Late Pleistocene). The Larache footprints are, therefore, the oldest attributed to Homo sapiens in Northern Africa and the Southern Mediterranean.
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Hominidae , Animais , Humanos , África do Norte , MarrocosRESUMO
Re. Re.: "Immunothrombotic dysregulation in Chagas disease (CD) and COVID-19: a comparative study of anticoagulation": In the commentary on our paper, Hasslocher-Moreno made the point that indeterminate and digestive forms are not related to thromboembolic events, only thrombogenic alterations occur in CD with cardiopathy, however there is indirect evidence related to thombotic alterations, such as cerebral thrombosis. Our assertion is based on previous data discussed in this letter.
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COVID-19 , Doença de Chagas , Humanos , Doença de Chagas/tratamento farmacológico , Anticoagulantes/farmacologia , Anticoagulantes/uso terapêuticoRESUMO
Hominin footprints were recently discovered at Matalascañas (Huelva; South of Iberian Peninsula). They were dated thanks to a previous study in deposits of the Asperillo cliff to 106 ± 19 ka, Upper Pleistocene, making Neandertals the most likely track-makers. In this paper, we report new Optically Stimulated Luminescence dating that places the hominin footprints surface in the range of 295.8 ± 17 ka (MIS 9-MIS 8 transition, Middle Pleistocene). This new age implies that the possible track-makers are individuals more likely from the Neandertal evolutionary lineage. Regardless of the taxon attributed to the Matalascañas footprints, they supplement the existing partial fossil record for the European Middle Pleistocene Hominins being notably the first palaeoanthropological evidence (hominin skeleton or footprints) from the MIS 9 and MIS 8 transition discovered in the Iberian Peninsula, a moment of climatic evolution from warm to cool. Thus, the Matalascañas footprints represent a crucial record for understanding human occupations in Europe in the Pleistocene.
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Hominidae , Homem de Neandertal , Animais , Humanos , Fósseis , Europa (Continente) , LuminescênciaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: The assessment of motor function is vital in post-stroke rehabilitation protocols, and it is imperative to obtain an objective and quantitative measurement of motor function. There are some innovative machine learning algorithms that can be applied in order to automate the assessment of upper extremity motor function. OBJECTIVES: To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of the efficacy of machine learning algorithms for assessing upper limb motor function in post-stroke patients and compare these algorithms to clinical assessment. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The protocol was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) database. The review was carried out according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. The search was performed using 6 electronic databases. The meta-analysis was performed with the data from the correlation coefficients using a random model. RESULTS: The initial search yielded 1626 records, but only 8 studies fully met the eligibility criteria. The studies reported strong and very strong correlations between the algorithms tested and clinical assessment. The meta-analysis revealed a lack of homogeneity (I2 = 85.29%, Q = 48.15), which is attributable to the heterogeneity of the included studies. CONCLUSION: Automated systems using machine learning algorithms could support therapists in assessing upper extremity motor function in post-stroke patients. However, to draw more robust conclusions, methodological designs that minimize the risk of bias and increase the quality of the methodology of future studies are required.
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Transtornos Motores , Reabilitação do Acidente Vascular Cerebral , Acidente Vascular Cerebral , Humanos , Extremidade Superior , Reabilitação do Acidente Vascular Cerebral/métodos , ParesiaRESUMO
Ageing is associated with changes in body composition, such as low muscle mass (sarcopenia), decreased grip strength or physical function (dynapenia), and accumulation of fat mass. When the accumulation of fat mass synergistically accompanies low muscle mass or reduced grip strength, it results in sarcopenic obesity and dynapenic obesity, respectively. These types of obesity contribute to the increased risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality in the elderly, which could increase the damage caused by COVID-19. In this review, we associated factors that could generate a higher risk of COVID-19 complications in dynapenic obesity and sarcopenic obesity. For example, skeletal muscle regulates the expression of inflammatory cytokines and supports metabolic stress in pulmonary disease; hence, the presence of dynapenic obesity or sarcopenic obesity could be related to a poor prognosis in COVID-19 patients.
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COVID-19 , Sarcopenia , Idoso , Composição Corporal , COVID-19/complicações , Força da Mão , Humanos , Força Muscular/fisiologia , Músculo Esquelético , Obesidade/complicações , Sarcopenia/etiologiaRESUMO
Burnout (BO) is a response to prolonged exposure to work-related stressors characterized by emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), and reduced personal accomplishment (PA). The police working environment includes continued critical life-threatening situations, violence, and injuries, among other related factors putting them at high risk of distress. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between Burnout Syndrome and sociodemographic, occupational, and health factors in Mexican police officers. We applied the Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) to 351 active members of the Mexican police workforce. In addition, a specific questionnaire identified the presence of chronic degenerative diseases, hypertension, diabetes, digestive diseases, self-perception of food quality, and hours of sleep. Furthermore, 23.36% of police workforces presented high levels of burnout; 44.16% of police were highly emotionally exhausted, 49.29% had lost empathy with people, and 41.03% presented low personal achievement. Moreover, the worst levels of the syndrome were present in people with a poor self-perceived health status, poor perception of diet quality, without regular mealtimes, bad sleep habits, and elevated Body Mass Index. Data suggest that in Mexican police officers, BO is dimensionally different from all other groups previously studied (DP > EE > PA).
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Esgotamento Profissional , Polícia , Esgotamento Profissional/epidemiologia , Esgotamento Profissional/psicologia , Esgotamento Psicológico , Humanos , Polícia/psicologia , Inquéritos e Questionários , Recursos HumanosRESUMO
SARS-CoV-2 contains certain molecules that are related to the presence of immunothrombosis. Here, we review the pathogen and damage-associated molecular patterns. We also study the imbalance of different molecules participating in immunothrombosis, such as tissue factor, factors of the contact system, histones, and the role of cells, such as endothelial cells, platelets, and neutrophil extracellular traps. Regarding the pathogenetic mechanism, we discuss clinical trials, case-control studies, comparative and translational studies, and observational studies of regulatory or inhibitory molecules, more specifically, extracellular DNA and RNA, histones, sensors for RNA and DNA, as well as heparin and heparinoids. Overall, it appears that a network of cells and molecules identified in this axis is simultaneously but differentially affecting patients at different stages of COVID-19, and this is characterized by endothelial damage, microthrombosis, and inflammation.
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Alarminas , COVID-19/virologia , SARS-CoV-2 , Tromboinflamação/virologia , Trombose/virologia , Enzima de Conversão de Angiotensina 2/metabolismo , Animais , Coagulação Sanguínea , Plaquetas/virologia , COVID-19/complicações , DNA/metabolismo , Armadilhas Extracelulares , Heparina/metabolismo , Histonas/metabolismo , Humanos , Camundongos , Neuropilina-1/metabolismo , RNA/metabolismo , Transdução de Sinais , Trombina/metabolismo , Tromboplastina/metabolismo , Trombose/complicaçõesRESUMO
Numerous repositioned drugs have been sought to decrease the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection. It is known that among its physicochemical properties, Ursodeoxycholic Acid (UDCA) has a reduction in surface tension and cholesterol solubilization, it has also been used to treat cholesterol gallstones and viral hepatitis. In this study, molecular docking was performed with the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein and UDCA. In order to confirm this interaction, we used Molecular Dynamics (MD) in "SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein-UDCA". Using another system, we also simulated MD with six UDCA residues around the Spike protein at random, naming this "SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein-6UDCA". Finally, we evaluated the possible interaction between UDCA and different types of membranes, considering the possible membrane conformation of SARS-CoV-2, this was named "SARS-CoV-2 membrane-UDCA". In the "SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein-UDCA", we found that UDCA exhibits affinity towards the central region of the Spike protein structure of - 386.35 kcal/mol, in a region with 3 alpha helices, which comprises residues from K986 to C1032 of each monomer. MD confirmed that UDCA remains attached and occasionally forms hydrogen bonds with residues R995 and T998. In the presence of UDCA, we observed that the distances between residues atoms OG1 and CG2 of T998 in the monomers A, B, and C in the prefusion state do not change and remain at 5.93 ± 0.62 and 7.78 ± 0.51 Å, respectively, compared to the post-fusion state. Next, in "SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein-6UDCA", the three UDCA showed affinity towards different regions of the Spike protein, but only one of them remained bound to the region between the region's heptad repeat 1 and heptad repeat 2 (HR1 and HR2) for 375 ps of the trajectory. The RMSD of monomer C was the smallest of the three monomers with a value of 2.89 ± 0.32, likewise, the smallest RMSF was also of the monomer C (2.25 ± 056). In addition, in the simulation of "SARS-CoV-2 membrane-UDCA", UDCA had a higher affinity toward the virion-like membrane; where three of the four residues remained attached once they were close (5 Å, to the centre of mass) to the membrane by 30 ns. However, only one of them remained attached to the plasma-like membrane and this was in a cluster of cholesterol molecules. We have shown that UDCA interacts in two distinct regions of Spike protein sequences. In addition, UDCA tends to stay bound to the membrane, which could potentially reduce the internalization of SARS-CoV-2 in the host cell.
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Antivirais/metabolismo , Reposicionamento de Medicamentos/métodos , Bicamadas Lipídicas/metabolismo , Simulação de Acoplamento Molecular/métodos , Fosfolipídeos/metabolismo , Glicoproteína da Espícula de Coronavírus/metabolismo , Ácido Ursodesoxicólico/metabolismo , Antivirais/química , COVID-19/metabolismo , COVID-19/virologia , Humanos , Ligação de Hidrogênio , Fusão de Membrana , Simulação de Dinâmica Molecular , Ligação Proteica , Conformação Proteica em alfa-Hélice , SARS-CoV-2/metabolismo , Glicoproteína da Espícula de Coronavírus/química , Ácido Ursodesoxicólico/química , Vírion/metabolismoRESUMO
Chagas and COVID-19 are diseases caused by Trypanosoma cruzi and SARS-CoV-2, respectively. These diseases present very different etiological agents despite showing similarities such as susceptibility/risk factors, pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), recognition of glycosaminoglycans, inflammation, vascular leakage hypercoagulability, microthrombosis, and endotheliopathy; all of which suggest, in part, treatments with similar principles. Here, both diseases are compared, focusing mainly on the characteristics related to dysregulated immunothrombosis. Given the in-depth investigation of molecules and mechanisms related to microthrombosis in COVID-19, it is necessary to reconsider a prompt treatment of Chagas disease with oral anticoagulants.
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Anticoagulantes/uso terapêutico , COVID-19/patologia , Doença de Chagas/patologia , Heparitina Sulfato/uso terapêutico , Trombose/tratamento farmacológico , Trombose/patologia , Plaquetas/imunologia , COVID-19/imunologia , Doença de Chagas/imunologia , Ativação do Complemento/imunologia , Endotélio/patologia , Humanos , Moléculas com Motivos Associados a Patógenos/imunologia , Ativação Plaquetária/imunologia , SARS-CoV-2/imunologia , Trypanosoma cruzi/imunologiaRESUMO
Background: Patients in intensive care units with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) frequently present acid-base abnormalities and coagulability disorders, which complicate their condition.Objective: To identify protonation through in silico simulations of molecules involved in the process of coagulation in standard laboratory tests.Materials and methods: Ten patients with TBI were selected from the intensive care unit in addition to ten "healthy control subjects", and another nine patients as "disease control subjects"; the latter being a comparative group, corresponding to subjects with diabetes mellitus 2 (DM2). Fibrinogen, FVII, FVIII, FIX, FX, and D-dimer in the presence of acidification were evaluated in 20 healthy subjects in order to compare clinical results with molecular dynamics (MD), and to explain proton interactions and coagulation molecules.Results: The TBI group presented a slight, non-significant increase in D-dimer; but this was not present in "disease control subjects". Levels of fibrinogen, FVII, FIX, FX, and D-dimer were affected in the presence of acidification. We observed that various specific residues of coagulation factors "trap" ions.Conclusion: Protonation of tissue factor and factor VIIa may favor anticoagulant mechanisms, and protonation does not affect ligand binding sites of GPIIb/IIIa (PAC1) suggesting other causes for the low affinity to PAC1.
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Lesões Encefálicas Traumáticas , Prótons , Coagulação Sanguínea , Lesões Encefálicas Traumáticas/complicações , Humanos , Simulação de Dinâmica MolecularRESUMO
Here, we report the recent discovery of 87 Neandertal footprints on the Southwest of the Iberian Peninsula (Doñana shoreline, Spain) located on an upper Pleistocene aeolian littoral setting (about 106 ± 19 kyr). Morphometric comparisons, high resolution digital photogrammetric 3D models and detailed sedimentary analysis have been provided to characterized the footprints and the palaeoenvironment. The footprints were impressed in the shoreline of a hypersaline swamped area related to benthic microbial mats, close to the coastline. They have a rounded heel, a longitudinal arch, relatively short toes, and adducted hallux, and represent the oldest upper Pleistocene record of Neandertal footprints in the world. Among these 87 footprints, 31 are longitudinally complete and measure from 14 to 29 cm. The calculated statures range from 104 to 188 cm, with half of the data between 130 and 150 cm. The wide range of sizes of the footprints suggests the existence of a social group integrated by individuals of different age classes but dominated, however, by non-adult individuals. The footprints, which are outside the flooded area are oriented perpendicular to the shoreline. These 87 footprints reinforce the ecological scenario of Neandertal groups established in coastal areas.
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BACKGROUND: Retinopathy is the most common microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus. It is the leading cause of blindness among working-aged people in developed countries. The use of telemedicine in the screening system has enabled the application of large-scale population-based programs for early retinopathy detection in diabetic patients. However, the need to support ophthalmologists with other trained personnel remains a barrier to broadening its implementation. METHODS: Automatic diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy was carried out through the analysis of retinal photographs using the 2iRetinex software. We compared the categorical diagnoses of absence/presence of retinopathy issued by family physicians (PCP) with the same categories provided by the algorithm (ALG). The agreed diagnosis of three specialist ophthalmologists is used as the reference standard (OPH). RESULTS: There were 653 of 3520 patients diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy (DR). Diabetic retinopathy threatening to vision (STDR) was found in 82 patients (2.3%). Diagnostic sensitivity for STDR was 94% (ALG) and 95% (PCP). No patient with proliferating or severe DR was misdiagnosed in both strategies. The k-value of the agreement between the ALG and OPH was 0.5462, while between PCP and OPH was 0.5251 (p = 0.4291). CONCLUSIONS: The diagnostic capacity of 2iRetinex operating under normal clinical conditions is comparable to screening physicians.
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The genomic sequences of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) worldwide are publicly available and are derived from studies due to the increase in the number of cases. The importance of study of mutations is related to the possible virulence and diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2. To identify circulating mutations present in SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequences in Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala to find out if the same strain spread to the south, and analyze the specificity of the primers used for diagnosis in these samples. Twenty three complete SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequences, available in the GISAID database from May 8 to September 11, 2020 were analyzed and aligned versus the genomic sequence reported in Wuhan, China (NC_045512.2), using Clustal Omega. Open reading frames were translated using the ExPASy Translate Tool and UCSF Chimera (v.1.12) for amino acid substitutions analysis. Finally, the sequences were aligned versus primers used in the diagnosis of COVID-19. One hundred and eighty seven distinct variants were identified, of which 102 are missense, 66 synonymous and 19 noncoding. P4715L and P5828L substitutions in replicase polyprotein were found, as well as D614G in spike protein and L84S in ORF8 in Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala. The primers design by CDC of United States showed a positive E value. The genomic sequences of SARS-CoV-2 in Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala present similar mutations related to a virulent strain of greater infectivity, which could mean a greater capacity for inclusion in the host genome and be related to an increased spread of the virus in these countries, furthermore, its diagnosis would be affected.