Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy and COVID-19: A Case Report and Literature Review.

BACKGROUND: Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is characterized by transient regional ventricular abnormalities in the absence of coronary artery disease and is reported as a complication of COVID-19. CASE PRESENTATION: It can have a diverse clinical presentation, occasionally resembling an acute coronary syndrome, and progress to acute heart failure and cardiogenic shock, adversely affecting patients' prognosis. A high index of suspicion and a thorough diagnostic approach supported by ancillary studies like echocardiography and coronary angiography is key for an accurate diagnosis and correct medical treatment. Herein, we report a patient with severe COVID-19 who developed Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. CONCLUSION: We also present a detailed literature review regarding the relationship between COVID-19 and Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

The DEAD-Box RNA Helicases of Bacillus subtilis as a Model to Evaluate Genetic Compensation Among Duplicate Genes.

The presence of duplicated genes in organisms is well documented. There is increasing interest in understanding how these genes subfunctionalize and whether functional overlap can explain the fact that some of these genes are dispensable. Bacillus subtilis possesses four DEAD-box RNA helicases (DBRH) genes, cshA, cshB, deaD/yxiN, and yfmL that make a good case to study to what extent they can complement each other despite their subfunctionalization. They possess the highly conserved N-terminal catalytic domain core common to RNA helicases, but different carboxy-terminal ends. All four genes have been shown to have independent functions although all participate in rRNA assembly. None of the B. subtilis DBRH is essential for growth at 37°C, and all single deletion mutants exhibit defective growth at 18°C except for ΔdeaD/yxiN. Evaluation of double mutants did not reveal negative epistasis, suggesting that they do not have overlapping functions. The absence of any one gene distorts the expression pattern of the others, but not in a specific pattern suggestive of compensation. Overexpression of these paralogous genes in the different mutant backgrounds did not result in cross-complementation, further confirming their lack of buffering capability. Since no complementation could be observed among full sized proteins, we evaluated to what extent the superfamily 2 (SF2) helicase core of the smallest DBRH, YfmL, could be functional when hooked to each of the C-terminal end of CshA, CshB, and DeaD/YxiN. None of the different chimeras complemented the different mutants, and instead, all chimeras inhibited the growth of the ΔyfmL mutant, and other combinations were also deleterious. Our findings suggest that the long time divergence between DEAD-box RNA helicase genes has resulted in specialized activities in RNA metabolism and shows that these duplicated genes cannot buffer one another.

Restoring lepidopteran diversity in a tropical dry forest: relative importance of restoration treatment, tree identity and predator pressure.

Tropical dry forests (TDFs) have been widely transformed by human activities worldwide and the ecosystem services they provide are diminishing. There has been an urgent call for conservation and restoration of the degraded lands previously occupied by TDFs. Restoration experiences aim to recover species diversity and ecological functions. Different restoration strategies have been used to maximize plant performance including weeding, planting or using artificial mulching. In this investigation, we evaluated whether different restoration practices influence animal arrival and the reestablishment of biotic interactions. We particularly evaluated lepidopteran larvae diversity and caterpillar predation on plants established under different restoration treatments (mulching, weeding and control) in the Pacific West Coast of México. This study corroborated the importance of plant host identity for lepidopteran presence in a particular area. Lepidopteran diversity and herbivory rates were not affected by the restoration treatment but they were related to tree species. In contrast, caterpillar predation marks were affected by restoration treatment, with a greater number of predation marks in control plots, while caterpillar predation marks among plant species were not significantly different. This study highlights the importance of considering the introduction of high plant species diversity when planning TDF restoration to maximize lepidopteran diversity and ecosystem functioning.

Identification of a new Alcaligenes faecalis strain MOR02 and assessment of its toxicity and pathogenicity to insects.

We report the isolation of a bacterium from Galleria mellonella larva and its identification using genome sequencing and phylogenomic analysis. This bacterium was named Alcaligenes faecalis strain MOR02. Microscopic analyses revealed that the bacteria are located in the esophagus and intestine of the nematodes Steinernema feltiae, S. carpocapsae, and H. bacteriophora. Using G. mellonella larvae as a model, when the larvae were injected with 24,000 CFU in their hemocoel, more than 96% mortality was achieved after 24 h. Additionally, toxicity assays determined that 1 µg of supernatant extract from A. faecalis MOR02 killed more than 70% G. mellonella larvae 96 h after injection. A correlation of experimental data with sequence genome analyses was also performed. We discovered genes that encode proteins and enzymes that are related to pathogenicity, toxicity, and host/environment interactions that may be responsible for the observed phenotypic characteristics. Our data demonstrates that the bacteria are able to use different strategies to colonize nematodes and kill insects to their own benefit. However, there remains an extensive group of unidentified microorganisms that could be participating in the infection process. Additionally, a nematode-bacterium association could be established probably as a strategy of dispersion and colonization.

Embarazo después de inseminación artificial en esterilidad por eyaculación retrógrada: comunicación de un caso / Pregnancy after of insemination artificial in infertity for retrograde eyaculation

Se presenta un caso de esterilidad masculina por eyacualción retrógrada causada por cirugía: orquidectomía unilateral seguida de linfadenectomía para aórtica, como tratamiento de tumor maligno mixto de células germinales. Se practicó inseminación artificial homóloga, con semen obtenido de la orina después de masturbación, lográndose embarazo con producto vivo. Se hace una breve revisión de la literatura sobre el tema

Encefalitis equina venezolana: manifestaciones clínicas iniciales / Encephalitis equine venezolana manifestation clinics initials

Se revisaron, brevemente, 135 casos de encefalitis equina venezolana. Más del 45 por ciento de los pacientes (63), presentaron la tríada: fiebre, cefalea, vómito. Noventa y nueve casos tuvieron cefalea. Ciento veinte casos tuvieron fiebre. Las convulsiones fueron más frecuentes en los niños. La incidencia de casos fue igual para ambos sexos. El 80 por ciento de los casos (109) estuvo en edades comprendidas entre 0 y 20 años

Informe sobre hallazgos en algunas investigaciones de laboratorio en encefalitis equina venezolana / Report on finding; in somes reseachs of laboratory in encephalitis equine venezolane

En pacientes con encefalitis equina venezolana se estudiaron 20 muestras de sangre y 20 de líquido cefalo-raquídeo, determinándose en ambas. transaminasas oxalacéticas y piruvicas, dehidrogenasa láctica y proteínas por fraccionamiento electroforético. estas últimas en sólo 10 casos de LCR. Se determinó también calcio y ceruloplasmina en suero. En la sangre: en 12 casos se obtuvieron cifras bajas de calcio. En 3 casos se hallaron valores altos de ceruloplasmina. En 6 casos se o0bservaron cifras altas para la TGO. No se hallaron alteraciones para la TGP. ni para la dehidrogenasa láctica. 17 casos mostraron hipoproteinemia. 8 casos presentaron anormalidades en una u otra fracción globulínica. En el LCR: en 4 casos se observó aumento de la TGO y en 6 casos aumento de la dehidrogenasa láctica. No se hallaron alteraciones para la TGP. En las muestras hubo inversión del índice albúmino-globulínico, con marcado aumento de las globulinas beta y disminución de las albúminas

Encefalitis venezolana: cifra de leucocitos: manifestaciones clínicas iniciales / Venezuelan encephalitis: white, blood cells count: early clinical manifestation

Se determina, durante una epidemia de encefalitis venezolana, la cantidad de leucocitos por milímetro cúbico, en veinte pacientes. El 75 por ciento de ellos estuvo dentro de los límites normales bajos. El hecho de que el 90 por ciento de la casuística está por debajo de la media normal, nos hace pensar que en la muestra que hemos estudiado de encefalitis venezolana, hay más tendencia al descenso que al aumento del número de leucocitos. Se considera la clínica preponderante en veinte pacientes de encefalitis venezolana, durante una epidemia, y se encuentra que fiebre, cefalea, trastornos del sueño y raquialgia, constituyen, en esta muestra, la tetrada característica