Search

Background: Human brucellosis is a global health problem. Mexico is one of the main countries affected; timely diagnosis and serological tests are the basis for detection., Aim: To know the frequency of confirmed cases of brucellosis in different of Family Medicine Units of the Mexican Social Security Institute in the state of Puebla, Mexico., Methods: Cross-sectional study in patients of both genders, adults and pediatrics, with clinical manifestations suggestive of brucellosis; serological tests were performed for the confirmatory diagnosis., Results: Out of a total of 77 patients, 39 (50.6%) were positive, 21 (27.3%) cases coming out of infection, 9 (11.7%) were negative and 8 (10.4%) were defined with immunological memory; of positive cases, 32 (82.1%) were found in the adult group and 30 (76.9%) were female., Conclusion: Around half of samples were confirmed as brucellosis, the clinical manifestations of the patients studied were non-specific, which highlights the importance of laboratory diagnosis.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) genome codifies proteins with oncogenic activity, such as E7. Due to its structural characteristics, the E7 protein may interact with a great variety of cellular proteins. Some of these proteins act as cell-cycle regulators and other proteins function as transcription factors. These interactions play an important role in the induction of mitogenic pathways, in G1/S progression, and the inhibition of cellular differentiation, which increases chromosomal instability. The aim of this study is to describe the interactions of HPV E7 protein with different cellular proteins, and their contribution in the development of cervical cancer.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) refers to a group of viruses which belongs to a larger group, commonly referred to as papillomaviruses. These viruses are taxonomically located in the Papillomaviridae family. Papillomaviruses are small, non-enveloped with a genome of double-stranded DNA and they have affinity for epithelial tissue. Many of them are associated with human infection; they induce benign lesions of the skin (warts) and mucous membranes (condylomas), but they are also associated with some epithelial malignancies, such as cervical cancer and other tumors of the urogenital tract. Papillomaviridae contains 16 genera, which are named with a Greek letter prefix and the termination papillomavirus, e.g., Alphapapillomavirus, Betapapillomavirus, etcetera. From the clinical point of view, human papillomaviruses infecting the genital tract (which are located in the genus Alphapapilomavirus) have been divided into two groups: those of low risk, associated with benign genital warts, and those of high risk, with oncogenic potential, which are the etiological agents of cervical cancer. In this paper we review some relevant aspects of the structure, replication cycle and classification of human papillomaviruses.

Introduction: Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is a parasitic infection caused by the establishment of Taenia solium cysticerci in the central nervous system. The larval stage of the parasite also affects the pig, which is the essential intermediate host for transmission. For this reason, many researchers have focused on identifying protective antigens to prevent swine cysticercosis and interrupt the transmission. These include S3Pvac vaccine antigens. Vaccine is constituted by three protective synthetic peptides: KETc1, KETc12 and GK1. AIM. To evaluate the effect of the vaccine peptides KETc1, KETc12 and GK1 in mononuclear cells of patients with neuro-cysticercosis and healthy individuals., Subjects and Methods: Comparative, prospective, transverse study. We studied the proliferation and cytokine profile induced by the three peptides in mononuclear cells from three patients with active NCC, 16 patients by calcified NCC and 16 healthy subjects., Results: KETc1 induces low levels of proliferation in cells from patients with active and controlled NCC, both in lymphocytes and in monocytes. KETc12 and GK-1 induce positive proliferation levels of monocytes in healthy subjects., Conclusions: KETc1 peptide could be used as an adjuvant in the treatment of patients with active NCC, as induced a Th2 response also GK1 peptide as stimulator of monocyte/macrophage in immunizations with other proteins.

Biological characterization of three natural isolates of the porcine rubulavirus (Mexico). Porcine rubulavirus (PoRV) produces a neurological and reproductive syndrome in pigs called the blue-eye disease, known only from Mexico. Several isolates were grouped by the main symptoms presented during outbreaks: a) neurotropic in piglets, (b) broadly neurotropic in piglets and gonadotropic in adults, and (c) gonadotropic in adults. We studied some biological properties of three strains, which fall in one of each virus group: La Piedad Michoacán (LPM) and Producci6n Animal Cerdos 1 (PAC1) and 3 (PAC3), respectively. The analyzed viral properties are mainly related with the trans-membrane hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) and fusion (F) proteins, such as cytopathic effect, hemolysis, hemagglutinating (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) activities. In the infection assays PAC1 strain presented the highest fusogenicity level; however, the most cytolytic strain was PAC3. In addition, HA and NA activities and viral genome of PAC3 strain was detected in supernatants during cell infection earlier than in the other two strains, which shows that PAC3 virions release from the host cell earlier than LPM and PAC1. Experimental determination in purified viruses shows that PAC3 presented a higher HA and NA activities; however, PAC1 shows other interesting properties, such as a high thermostability of HN and differences about substrate profile respect to LPM and PAC3. Our data suggest that NA activity is associated with the virulence of RVP.