Novel human recombinant N-acetylgalactosamine-6-sulfate sulfatase produced in a glyco-engineered Escherichia coli strain.

Mucopolysaccharidosis IVA (MPS IVA) is a lysosomal storage disease caused by mutations in the gene encoding the lysosomal enzyme N-acetylgalactosamine-6-sulfate sulfatase (GALNS), resulting in the accumulation of keratan sulfate (KS) and chondroitin-6-sulfate (C6S). Previously, it was reported the production of an active human recombinant GALNS (rGALNS) in E. coli BL21(DE3). However, this recombinant enzyme was not taken up by HEK293 cells or MPS IVA skin fibroblasts. Here, we leveraged a glyco-engineered E. coli strain to produce a recombinant human GALNS bearing the eukaryotic trimannosyl core N-glycan, Man3GlcNAc2 (rGALNSoptGly). The N-glycosylated GALNS was produced at 100 mL and 1.65 L scales, purified and characterized with respect to pH stability, enzyme kinetic parameters, cell uptake, and KS clearance. The results showed that the addition of trimannosyl core N-glycans enhanced both protein stability and substrate affinity. rGALNSoptGly was capture through a mannose receptor-mediated process. This enzyme was delivered to the lysosome, where it reduced KS storage in human MPS IVA fibroblasts. This study demonstrates the potential of a glyco-engineered E. coli for producing a fully functional GALNS enzyme. It may offer an economic approach for the biosynthesis of a therapeutic glycoprotein that could prove useful for MPS IVA treatment. This strategy could be extended to other lysosomal enzymes that rely on the presence of mannose N-glycans for cell uptake.

Enhanced Photo-excitation and Angular-Momentum Imprint of Gray Excitons in WSe2 Monolayers by Spin-Orbit-Coupled Vector Vortex Beams.

A light beam can be spatially structured in the complex amplitude to possess orbital angular momentum (OAM), which introduces an extra degree of freedom alongside the intrinsic spin angular momentum (SAM) associated with circular polarization. Furthermore, superimposing two such twisted light (TL) beams with distinct SAM and OAM produces a vector vortex beam (VVB) in nonseparable states where not only complex amplitude but also polarization is spatially structured and entangled with each other. In addition to the nonseparability, the SAM and OAM in a VVB are intrinsically coupled by the optical spin-orbit interaction and constitute the profound spin-orbit physics in photonics. In this work, we present a comprehensive theoretical investigation, implemented on the first-principles base, of the intriguing light-matter interaction between VVBs and WSe2 monolayers (WSe2-MLs), one of the best-known and promising two-dimensional (2D) materials in optoelectronics dictated by excitons, encompassing bright exciton (BX) as well as various dark excitons (DXs). One of the key findings of our study is that a substantial enhancement of the photoexcitation of gray excitons (GXs), a type of spin-forbidden DX, in a WSe2-ML can be achieved through the utilization of a 3D-structured TL with the optical spin-orbit interaction. Moreover, we show that a spin-orbit-coupled VVB surprisingly allows for the imprinting of the carried optical information onto GXs in 2D materials, which is robust against the decoherence mechanisms in the materials. This suggests a promising method for deciphering the transferred angular momentum from structured light to excitons.

Enhancing antioxidant properties of CeO2 nanoparticles with Nd3+ doping: structural, biological, and machine learning insights.

The antioxidant capabilities of nanoparticles are contingent upon various factors, including their shape, size, and chemical composition. Herein, novel Nd-doped CeO2 nanoparticles were synthesized and the neodymium content was varied to investigate the synergistic impact on the antioxidant properties of CeO2 nanoparticles. Incorporating Nd3+ induced changes in lattice parameters and significantly altered the morphology from nanoparticles to nanorods. The biological activity of Nd-doped CeO2 was examined against pathogenic bacterial strains, breast cancer cell lines, and antioxidant models. The antibacterial and anticancer activities of nanoparticles were not observed, which could be associated with the Ce3+/Ce4+ ratio. Notably, the incorporation of neodymium improved the antioxidant capacity of CeO2. Machine learning techniques were employed to forecast the antioxidant activity to enhance understanding and predictive capabilities. Among these models, the random forest model exhibited the highest accuracy at 96.35%, establishing it as a robust computational tool for elucidating the biological behavior of Nd-doped CeO2 nanoparticles. This study presents the first exploration of the influence of Nd3+ on the structural, optical, and biological attributes of CeO2, contributing valuable insights and extending the application of machine learning in predicting the therapeutic efficacy of inorganic nanomaterials.

Unraveling the Complex Interactions: Machine Learning Approaches to Predict Bacterial Survival against ZnO and Lanthanum-Doped ZnO Nanoparticles.

The rise in antibiotic-resistant bacteria is a global health challenge. Due to their unique properties, metal oxide nanoparticles show promise in addressing this issue. However, optimizing these properties requires a deep understanding of complex interactions. This study incorporated data-driven machine learning to predict bacterial survival against lanthanum-doped ZnO nanoparticles. The effect of incorporation of lanthanum ions on ZnO was analyzed. Even with high lanthanum concentration, no significant variations in structural, morphological, and optical properties were observed. The antibacterial activity of La-doped ZnO nanoparticles against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria was qualitatively and quantitatively evaluated. Nanoparticles induce 60%, 95%, and 55% bacterial death against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus, respectively. Algorithms such as Multilayer Perceptron, K-Nearest Neighbors, Gradient Boosting, and Extremely Random Trees were used to predict the bacterial survival percentage. Extremely Random Trees performed the best among these models with 95.08% accuracy. A feature relevance analysis extracted the most significant attributes to predict the bacterial survival percentage. Lanthanum content and particle size were irrelevant, despite what can be assumed. This approach offers a promising avenue for developing effective and tailored strategies to reduce the time and cost of developing antimicrobial nanoparticles.

Lanthanide-Doped ZnO Nanoparticles: Unraveling Their Role in Cytotoxicity, Antioxidant Capacity, and Nanotoxicology.

This study used a sonochemical synthesis method to prepare (La, Sm)-doped ZnO nanoparticles (NPs). The effect of incorporating these lanthanide elements on the structural, optical, and morphological properties of ZnO-NPs was analyzed. The cytotoxicity and the reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation capacity of ZnO-NPs were evaluated against breast (MCF7) and colon (HT29) cancer cell lines. Their antioxidant activity was analyzed using a DPPH assay, and their toxicity towards Artemia salina nauplii was also evaluated. The results revealed that treatment with NPs resulted in the death of 10.559-42.546% and 18.230-38.643% of MCF7 and HT29 cells, respectively. This effect was attributed to the ability of NPs to downregulate ROS formation within the two cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. In the DPPH assay, treatment with (La, Sm)-doped ZnO-NPs inhibited the generation of free radicals at IC50 values ranging from 3.898 to 126.948 µg/mL. Against A. salina nauplii, the synthesized NPs did not cause death nor induce morphological changes at the tested concentrations. A series of machine learning (ML) models were used to predict the biological performance of (La, Sm)-doped ZnO-NPs. Among the designed ML models, the gradient boosting model resulted in the greatest mean absolute error (MAE) (MAE 9.027, R2 = 0.86). The data generated in this work provide innovative insights into the influence of La and Sm on the structural arrangement and chemical features of ZnO-NPs, together with their cytotoxicity, antioxidant activity, and in vivo toxicity.

Mathematical Optimization Strategy for Effectiveness Profile Estimation in Two-Dose Vaccines and Its Use in Designing Improved Vaccination Strategies Focused on Pandemic Containment.

Since late 2019, most efforts to control the COVID-19 pandemic have focused on developing vaccines. By mid-2020, some vaccines fulfilled international regulations for their application. However, these vaccines have shown a decline in effectiveness several weeks after the last dose, highlighting the need to optimize vaccine administration due to supply chain limitations. While methods exist to prioritize population groups for vaccination, there is a lack of research on how to optimally define the time between doses when two-dose vaccines are administrated to such groups. Under such conditions, modeling the real effect of each vaccine on the population is critical. Even though several efforts have been made to characterize vaccine effectiveness profiles, none of these initiatives enable characterization of the individual effect of each dose. Thus, this paper presents a novel methodology for estimating the vaccine effectiveness profile. It addresses the vaccine characterization problem by considering a deconvolution of relevant data profiles, treating them as an optimization process. The results of this approach enabled the independent estimation of the effectiveness profiles for the first and second vaccine doses and their use to find sweet spots for designing efficient vaccination strategies. Our methodology can enable a more effective and efficient contemporary response against the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as for any other disease in the future.

Ammonium loss microbiologically mediated by Fe(III) and Mn(IV) reduction along a coastal lagoon system.

Anaerobic ammonium oxidation, associated with both iron (Feammox) and manganese (Mnammox) reduction, is a microbial nitrogen (N) removal mechanism recently identified in natural ecosystems. Nevertheless, the spatial distributions of these non-canonical Anammox (NC-Anammox) pathways and their environmental drivers in subtidal coastal sediments are still unknown. Here, we determined the potential NC-Anammox rates and abundance of dissimilatory metal-reducing bacteria (Acidomicrobiaceae A6 and Geobacteraceae) at different horizons (0-20 cm at 5 cm intervals) of subtidal coastal sediments using the 15N isotope-tracing technique and molecular analyses. Sediments were collected across three sectors (inlet, transition, and inner) in a coastal lagoon system (Bahia de San Quintin, Mexico) dominated by seagrass meadows. The positive relationship between 30N2 production rates and dissimilatory Fe and Mn reduction provided evidence for Feammox's and Mnammox's co-occurrence. N loss through NC-Anammox was detected in subtidal sediments, with potential rates of 0.07-0.62 µg N g-1 day-1. NC-Anammox process in vegetated sediments tended to be higher than those in adjacent unvegetated ones. NC-Anammox rates showed a subsurface peak (between 5 and 15 cm) in the vegetated sediments but decreased consistently with depth in the adjacent bare bottoms. Thus, the presence/absence of seagrasses and sediment characteristics, particularly the availability of organic carbon and microbiologically reducible Fe(III) and Mn(IV), affected the abundance of dissimilatory metal-reducing bacteria, which mediated NC-Anammox activity and the associated N removal. An annual loss of 32.31 ± 3.57 t N was estimated to be associated with Feammox and Mnammox within the investigated area, accounting for 2.8-4.7% of the gross total import of reactive N from the ocean into the Bahia de San Quintin. Taken as a whole, this study reveals the distribution patterns and controlling factors of the NC-Anammox pathways along a coastal lagoon system. It improves our understanding of the coupling between N and trace metal cycles in coastal environments.

Intra-urban variability of long-term exposure to PM2.5 and NO2 in five cities in Colombia.

Rapidly urbanizing cities in Latin America experience high levels of air pollution which are known risk factors for population health. However, the estimates of long-term exposure to air pollution are scarce in the region. We developed intraurban land use regression (LUR) models to map long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in the five largest cities in Colombia. We conducted air pollution measurement campaigns using gravimetric PM2.5 and passive NO2 sensors for 2 weeks during both the dry and rainy seasons in 2021 in the cities of Barranquilla, Bucaramanga, Bogotá, Cali, and Medellín, and combined these data with geospatial and meteorological variables. Annual models were developed using multivariable spatial regression models. The city annual PM2.5 mean concentrations measured ranged between 12.32 and 15.99 µg/m3 while NO2 concentrations ranged between 24.92 and 49.15 µg/m3. The PM2.5 annual models explained 82% of the variance (R2) in Medellín, 77% in Bucaramanga, 73% in Barranquilla, 70% in Cali, and 44% in Bogotá. The NO2 models explained 65% of the variance in Bucaramanga, 57% in Medellín, 44% in Cali, 40% in Bogotá, and 30% in Barranquilla. Most of the predictor variables included in the models were a combination of specific land use characteristics and roadway variables. Cross-validation suggests that PM2.5 outperformed NO2 models. The developed models can be used as exposure estimate in epidemiological studies, as input in hybrid models to improve personal exposure assessment, and for policy evaluation.

Elevated parkinsonism pathological markers in dopaminergic neurons with developmental exposure to atrazine.

Atrazine (ATZ) is one of the most used herbicides in the US and a known endocrine disruptor. ATZ is frequently detected in drinking water, especially in Midwestern regions of the United States, exceeding the EPA regulation of maximum contamination level (MCL) of 3 ppb. Epidemiology studies have suggested an association between ATZ exposure and neurodegeneration. Less, however, is known about the neurotoxic mechanism of ATZ, particularly for exposures at a developmental stage. Here, we exposed floor plate progenitors (FPPs) derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) to low concentrations of ATZ at 0.3 and 3 ppb for two days followed by differentiation into dopaminergic (DA) neurons in ATZ-free medium. We then examined the morphology, activity, pathological protein aggregation, and transcriptomic changes of differentiated DA neurons. We observed significant decrease in the complexity of neurite network, increase of neuronal activity, and elevated tau- and α-synuclein (aSyn) pathologies after ATZ exposure. The ATZ-induced neuronal changes observed here align with pathological characteristics in Parkinson's disease (PD). Transcriptomic analysis further corroborates our findings; and collectively provides a strong evidence base that low-concentration ATZ exposure during development can elicit increased risk of neurodegeneration.

Factores psicosocioculturales relacionados con la formación técnica o profesional del personal de enfermería en Tlaxcala, México / Psychosociocultural factors related to the technical or professional training of nursing staff in Tlaxcala, México

Introducción: las demandas actuales en el cuidado de los pacientes ameritan cambios curriculares en la formación del personal de enfermería y su relación con los factores socioculturales. Objetivo: identificar y describir los factores psico-socioculturales que se relacionan con la formación técnica o profesional del personal de enfermería en Tlaxcala. Metodología: se realizó un estudio transversal descriptivo en el Hospital General de Zona No. 1, con personal de enfermería en cursos de formación técnico o profesional, seleccionados de manera no probabilística. Variables: edad, sexo, factores psico-socioculturales. Análisis con frecuencias, porcentajes y medidas de dispersión. Resultados: de un total de 51 enfermeras, la edad promedio es de 46.4 ± 8.9 años y 44% son enfermeras generales. Los factores referidos por el personal son: nivel de preparatoria (98%), nivel técnico (46%), estudios de licenciatura (84%), problemas económicos (48%), apoyo familiar (82%), enfermedad (8%), trabajo y estudio (20%), cambio de residencia (10%), interés (94%), vocación (100%), escuela de procedencia (94%), rendimiento escolar (8%), programa académico (88%), forma de trabajo (10%), técnicas docentes (10%), carga académica (14%), ambiente académico (84%), reglamento escolar (2%) y prácticas (4%). Conclusiones: el género se relaciona con la formación de nivel licenciatura y la edad con el nivel técnico, nivel licenciatura, trabajo y estudio, y carga académica; el estado civil con el interés por estudiar; y la religión con el apoyo docente.

Abstract Introduction: Current demands in patient care warrant curricular changes in the training of nursing personnel and their relationship with sociocultural factors. Objective: Identify and describe the Psychosocial Cultural factors that are related to the technical or professional training of nursing staff in Tlaxcala. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out at the General Hospital of Zone No. 1, with nursing staff in technical or professional training courses, selected in a non-probabilistic manner. Variables: age, sex, Psychosociocultural factors. Analysis with frequencies, percentages and dispersion measures. Results: Of a total of 51 nurses, the average age is 46.4 ± 8.9 years and 44% are general nurses. The factors referred to by the staff are: high school level (98%), technical level (46%), bachelor's studies (84%), economic problems (48%), family support (82%), illness (8%), work and study (20%), change of residence (10%), interest (94%), vocation (100%), school of origin (94%), school performance (8%), academic program (88%), form of work (10%), teaching techniques (10%), academic load (14%), academic environment (84%), school regulations (2%) and practices (4%). Conclusions: Gender is related to bachelor's level training and age to technical level, bachelor's level, work and study, and academic load; marital status with interest in studying; and religion with teaching support.

The standardized extract of Centella asiatica L. Urb attenuates the convulsant effect induced by lithium/pilocarpine without affecting biochemical and haematological parameters in rats.

BACKGROUND: Status epilepticus (SE) is a type of epileptic activity characterized by a failure of the inhibitory mechanisms that limit seizures, which are mainly regulated by the GABAergic system. This imbalance increases glutamatergic neurotransmission and consequently produces epileptic activity. It is also associated with oxidative stress due to an imbalance between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidant defences. Unfortunately, long-term treatment with anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) may produce hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, and haematological alterations. In this way, some secondary metabolites of plants have been used to ameliorate the deterioration of nervous system disorders through their antioxidant properties, in addition to their anticonvulsant effects. An example is Centella asiatica, a plant noted to have a reputed neuroprotective effect related to its antioxidant activity. However, similar to conventional drugs, natural molecules may produce side effects when consumed in high doses, which could occur with Centella asiatica. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the effect of a standardized extract of Centella asiatica L. Urb with tested anticonvulsant activity on biochemical and haematological parameters in rats subjected to lithium/pilocarpine-induced seizures. METHODS: Twenty-eight adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups (n = 7 each): vehicle (purified water), Centella asiatica (200 and 400 mg/kg), and carbamazepine (CBZ) (300 mg/kg) as a pharmacological control of anticonvulsant activity. Treatments were administered orally every 24 h for 35 consecutive days. On Day 36, SE was induced using the lithium/pilocarpine model (3 mEq/kg, i.p. and 30 mg/kg s.c., respectively), and the behavioural and biochemical effects were evaluated. RESULTS: Centella asiatica 400 mg/kg increased the latency to the first generalized seizure and SE onset and significantly reduced the time to the first generalized seizure compared to values in the vehicle group. Biochemical parameters, i.e., haematic cytometry, blood chemistry, and liver function tests, showed no significant differences among the different treatments. CONCLUSION: The dose of Centella asiatica that produces anticonvulsant activity in the lithium/pilocarpine model devoid of hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, and alterations in haematological parameters suggests that the standardized extract of this plant could be of utility in the development of new safe therapies for the treatment of convulsions associated with epilepsy.

Investigation of Metal Toxicity on Microalgae Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Hipersaline Zooplankter Artemia salina, and Jellyfish Aurelia aurita.

The escalating global anthropogenic activities associated with industrial development have led to the increased introduction of heavy metals (HMs) into marine environments through effluents. This study aimed to assess the toxicity of three HMs (Cr, Cu, and Cd) on organisms spanning different trophic levels: Phaeodactylum tricornutum (a primary producer), Artemia salina (a primary consumer), and Aurelia aurita (a secondary consumer). The EC50 values obtained revealed varying relative toxicities for the tested organisms. Phaeodactylum tricornutum exhibited the highest sensitivity to Cu, followed by Cd and Cr, while Artemia salina displayed the highest sensitivity to Cr, followed by Cu and Cd. A. aurita, on the other hand, demonstrated the highest sensitivity to Cu, followed by Cr and Cd. This experimental investigation further supported previous studies that have suggested A. aurita as a suitable model organism for ecotoxicity testing. Our experiments encompassed sublethal endpoints, such as pulsation frequency, acute effects, and mortality, highlighting different levels of sensitivity among the organisms.

Pre-differentiation GenX exposure induced neurotoxicity in human dopaminergic-like neurons.

GenX, also known as hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA) was introduced as a safer alternative to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in 2009. After nearly two decades of applications there are increasing safety concerns about GenX due to its association with various organ damages. Few studies, however, have systematically assessed the molecular neurotoxicity of low-dose GenX exposure. Here, we evaluated the effects of pre-differentiation exposure of GenX on dopaminergic (DA) -like neurons using SH-SY5Y cell line; and assessed changes in epigenome, mitochondrion, and neuronal characteristics. Low dose GenX exposure at 0.4 and 4 µg/L prior to differentiation induced persistent changes in nuclear morphology and chromatin arrangements, manifested specifically in the facultative repressive marker H3K27me3. We also observed impaired neuronal network, increased calcium activity along with alterations in Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and α-Synuclein (αSyn) after prior exposure to GenX. Collectively, our results identified neurotoxicity of low-dose GenX exposure in human DA-like neurons following a developmental exposure scheme. The observed changes in neuronal characteristics suggest GenX as a potential neurotoxin and risk factor for Parkinson's disease.

A Novel Approach to Obtain Vaccine Effectiveness Continuous Profiles. Example Case: COVID-19 in Elderly Mexicans.

Population-wide vaccination is the most promising long-term COVID-19 disease management strategy. However, the protection offered by the currently available COVID-19 vaccines wanes over time, requiring boosters to be periodically given, which represents an unattainable challenge, especially if it is necessary to apply several doses per year. Therefore, it is essential to design strategies that contribute to maximizing the control of the pandemic with the available vaccines. Achieving this objective requires knowing, as precisely and accurately as possible, the changes in vaccine effectiveness over time in each population group, considering the eventual dependence on age, sex, etc. Thus, the present work proposes a novel approach to calculating realistic effectiveness profiles against symptomatic disease. In addition, this strategy can be adapted to estimate realistic effectiveness profiles against hospitalizations or deaths. All such time-dependent profiles allow the design of improved vaccination schedules, where each dose can be administrated to the population groups so that the fulfillment of the containment objectives is maximized. As a practical example for this analysis, vaccination against COVID-19 in Mexico was considered. However, this methodology can be applied to other countries' data or to characterize future vaccines with time-dependent effectiveness values. Since this strategy uses aggregated observational data collected from massive databases, assumptions about the data validity and the course of the studied epidemic could eventually be necessary.

Microalgae as Raw Materials for Aquafeeds: Growth Kinetics and Improvement Strategies of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Production.

Studies have shown that ancient cultures used microalgae as food for centuries. Currently, scientific reports highlight the value of nutritional composition of microalgae and their ability to accumulate polyunsaturated fatty acids at certain operational conditions. These characteristics are gaining increasing interest for the aquaculture industry which is searching for cost-effective replacements for fish meal and oil because these commodities are one of the most significant operational expenses and their dependency has become a bottleneck for their sustainable development of the aquaculture industry. This review is aimed at highlighting the use of microalgae as polyunsaturated fatty acid source in aquaculture feed formulations, despite their scarce production at industrial scale. Moreover, this document includes several approaches to improve microalgae production and to increase the content of polyunsaturated fatty acids with emphasis in the accumulation of DHA, EPA, and ARA. Furthermore, the document compiles several studies which prove microalgae-based aquafeeds for marine and freshwater species. Finally, the study explores the aspects that intervene in production kinetics and improvement strategies with possibilities for upscaling and facing main challenges of using microalgae in the commercial production of aquafeeds.

Integrated surveillance strategy to support the prevention of neural tube defects through food fortification with folic acid: the experience of Costa Rica.

PURPOSE: (1) To describe how Costa Rica implemented an integrated surveillance strategy of folate deficiency, neural tube defects (NTDs) prevalence, NTDs-associated infant mortality rate (NTDs-IMR), and folic acid food fortification (FAFF), to support with evidence NTDs prevention policies; (2) to disseminate updated data from monitoring programs. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional analysis, using the databases of national surveillance systems for NTDs outcomes to compare NTDs-prevalence and NTDs-IMR observed in the pre-fortification (1987-1998) and post-fortification (2010-2020) periods. In addition, using data from FAFF monitoring program (2010-2020), means of folic acid concentration (mg/kg) and folic acid daily intake (µg/day) were calculated for each fortified food (corn and wheat flour, rice and milk), as well as its contribution to folic acid estimated average requirement (EAR). RESULTS: After FAFF Costa Rica showed a decrease of 84% in folic acid deficiency in women of childbearing age, as well as a 53% decrease in the prevalence of NTDs, falling from 11.82/10,000 to 5.52/10,000 livebirths. In addition, there was a 76% reduction in the NTDs-IMR from 77.01/100,000 to 18.66/100,000 livebirths. Between 2010 and 2020, all fortified foods provided an average contribution of 119% of the EAR of folic acid in the population. CONCLUSION: To reduce NTD risk, an integrated surveillance strategy is essential not only to base prevention strategies on evidence, but also to demonstrate their impact and improve interventions over time. The experience in Costa Rica provides evidence that this type of surveillance is feasible to be implemented in developing countries.

Bacterial incidence and drug resistance from pathogens recovered from blood, cerebrospinal and pleural fluids in 2019-2020. Results of the Invifar network.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance is a global concern. Analysis of sterile fluids is essential because microorganisms are defined as significant in most cases. Blood, cerebrospinal, and pleural fluids are frequently received in the microbiology lab because they are associated with considerable rates of morbi-mortality. Knowledge of epidemiology in these samples is needed to choose proper empirical treatments due to the importance of reducing selection pressure. Methods: We used retrospective laboratory data of blood, CSF, and pleural fluid collected from patients in Mexico between 2019 and 2020. Each laboratory identified the strains and tested susceptibility using its routine methods. For Streptococcus pneumoniae, a comparative analysis was performed with data from the broth microdilution method. Results: Forty-five centers participated in the study, with 30,746 clinical isolates from blood, 2,429 from pleural fluid, and 2,275 from CSF. For blood and CSF, Staphylococcus epidermidis was the most frequent. For blood, among gram negatives, the most frequent was Escherichia coli. Among Enterobacterales, 9.8% of K. pneumoniae were carbapenem-resistant. For S. pneumoniae, similar resistance percentages were observed for levofloxacin, cefotaxime, and vancomycin. For CSF, the most frequent gram-negative was E. coli. In Acinetobacter baumannii, carbapenem resistance was 71.4%. The most frequent species detected for pleural fluid was E. coli; in A. baumannii, carbapenem resistance was 96.3%. Conclusion: Gram-negative bacteria, with E. coli most prevalent, are frequently recovered from CSF, blood, and pleural fluid. In S. pneumoniae, the routine, conventional methods showed good agreement in detecting resistance percentages for erythromycin, levofloxacin, and vancomycin.

Repeatability, Reproducibility, and Concurrent Validity of a Stethoscope and Health App System for the Quantification of Breath Rate in Healthy Adults: Repeatability and Validity Study.

BACKGROUND: Apps for smartphones that can measure the breathing rate easily can be downloaded. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to demonstrate agreement in measuring breath rates between the stethoscope and Breath Counter health app. METHODS: We performed a repeatability study with 56 healthy volunteers. The patient's demographic data and breathing rates per minute were collected. Breathing rates were measured via two methods: (1) using a stethoscope placed in the upper area of the right lung and (2) a Breath Counter app developed by Vadion on a Samsung Fold smartphone. RESULTS: This study demonstrated high repeatability and validity with respect to the breathing rate parameter of healthy adults using the aforementioned 2 systems. Intrasession repeatability measure using the intraclass correlation coefficient was >0.962, indicating excellent repeatability. Moreover, the intraclass correlation coefficient between methods was 0.793, indicating good repeatability, and coefficients of variation of method errors values were 1.83% with very low values in terms of other repeatability parameters. We found significant correlation coefficients and no systematic differences between the app and stethoscope methods. CONCLUSIONS: The app method may be attractive to individuals who require repeatability in a recreational setting.

Intraurban Geographic and Socioeconomic Inequalities of Mortality in Four Cities in Colombia.

Mortality inequalities have been described across Latin American countries, but less is known about inequalities within cities, where most populations live. We aimed to identify geographic and socioeconomic inequalities in mortality within the urban areas of four main cities in Colombia. We analyzed mortality due to non-violent causes of diseases in adults between 2015 and 2019 using census sectors as unit of analysis in Barranquilla, Bogotá, Cali, and Medellín. We calculated smoothed Bayesian mortality rates as main health outcomes and used concentration indexes (CInd) for assessing inequalities using the multidimensional poverty index (MPI) as the socioeconomic measure. Moran eigenvector spatial filters were calculated to capture the spatial patterns of mortality and then used in multivariable models of the association between mortality rates and quintiles of MPI. Social inequalities were evident but not consistent across cities. The most disadvantaged groups showed the highest mortality rates in Cali. Geographic inequalities in mortality rates, regardless of the adults and poverty distribution, were identified in each city, suggesting that other social, environmental, or individual conditions are impacting the spatial distribution of mortality rates within the four cities.