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Abstract Objective Neurofilament heavy‐chain gene (NEFH) variants are associated with multiple neurodegenerative diseases, however, their relationship with ALS has not been robustly explored. Still, NEFH is commonly included in genetic screening panels worldwide. We therefore aimed to determine if NEFH variants modify ALS risk. Methods Genetic data of 11,130 people with ALS and 7,416 controls from the literature and Project MinE were analysed. We performed meta‐analyses of published case–control studies reporting NEFH variants, and variant analysis of NEFH in Project MinE whole‐genome sequencing data. Results Fixed‐effects meta‐analysis found that rare (MAF

The ecology of macrofauna on the sandy bottom of oceanic islands in the tropics has rarely been studied. The present study was conducted at Isla del Coco, Costa Rica, a tropical oceanic island, to determine how the soft-bottom macrofauna assemblages vary along different levels of ocean exposure and their associated environmental conditions. The macrofauna was collected from five grabs at each of the 27 stations (between 3 and 75 m deep) in April 2010. The broad-scale pattern consists of a gradual increase in the complexity of assemblages (taxonomical or feeding guilds in the sediment) from the inner part to the outside of the bays. The leading determinant of this pattern was the interplay between ocean exposure and sediment variation with depth that produces habitat heterogeneity. The main taxa responsible for differences between ocean exposure zones were the polychaetes Westheidesyllis heterocirrata and Magelona californica, the filter-feeding bivalve Gouldia californica, and the predatory isopod Eurydice caudata. Coarse bottoms had more mobile predators and suspension feeders, whereas passive suspension feeders or subsurface deposit feeders dominated fine sands. The deeper stations were dominated by organisms feeding actively on particles from the water or on the sediment surface. Moreover, more feeding guilds were found in deeper waters. Additionally, at the small-scale view (grabs within each station), macrofauna composition evidences a mosaic pattern, mainly at the inner and middle of the bays, caused by biological or environmental disturbances.

Abstract The evaluation of diagnostic systems is pivotal for ensuring the deployment of high-quality solutions, especially given the pronounced context-sensitivity of certain systems, particularly in fields such as biomedicine. Of notable importance are predictive models where the target variable can encompass multiple values (multiclass), especially when these classes exhibit substantial frequency disparities (imbalance). In this study, we introduce the Imbalanced Multiclass Classification Performance (IMCP) curve, specifically designed for multiclass datasets (unlike the ROC curve), and characterized by its resilience to class distribution variations (in contrast to accuracy or F $$_\beta$$ β -score). Moreover, the IMCP curve facilitates individual performance assessment for each class within the diagnostic system, shedding light on the confidence associated with each prediction—an aspect of particular significance in medical diagnosis. Empirical experiments conducted with real-world data in a multiclass context (involving 35 types of tumors) featuring a high level of imbalance demonstrate that both the IMCP curve and the area under the IMCP curve serve as excellent indicators of classification quality.

Fire plays a critical role in nutrient cycling and species diversity but also causes severe disturbances to ecosystems. Despite remote sensing has emerged as a valuable tool to study wildfires, a lack of information regarding post-fire dynamics still remains for certain regions. This study investigated the post-fire dynamics of four burned sites in the temperate forest of Chihuahua, northern Mexico from 2009 to 2017, based on the variability of spectral indices under varied topographic conditions of aspects and slopes. The Normalized Difference Vegetation index (NDVI), Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI), Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR), and Normalized Difference Water index (NDWI) were utilized to assess vegetation recovery on the burned sites. One-way ANOVAs and Tukey´s tests were performed to evaluate separately the effects of aspect and slope on the indices’ variability (p < 0.05). In general, the NDVI measured the highest values of the burned sites along the evaluated lapse while the NDWI indicated the lowest measures. Results indicated significant effects of aspect on NDVI and SAVI (p < 0.05), while slope significantly influenced the four evaluated indices (p < 0.05).That in turn showed northern aspects and steeper slopes to have the highest post-fire vegetation recoveries. Furthermore, aspect only affected the bi-annual variability of SAVI (p < 0.05). However, the NBR and NDWI showed higher magnitudes of change among periods than the SAVI (i. e., recovery and non-recovery). Besides registering a continuous recovery of the burned sites from the wildfire events to 2015, this study revealed the NDVI and SAVI as the most useful spectral indices for assessing post-fire vegetation dynamics in the region. Besides aspect and slope, future studies could focus on the inclusion of additional indicators to more effectively assess post-fire ecosystem dynamics in northern Mexico.

Hemiurid digeneans conspecific with Stomachicola muraenesocis Yamaguti, 1934 (the type species of the genus Stomachicola Yamaguti, 1934) were collected from the stomach of the daggertooth pike conger Muraenesox cinereus (Forsskål) off the Persian Gulf of Iran. This study aimed to provide a detailed characterization of Stom. muraenesocis, including measurements, illustrations and scanning electron microscopy (s.e.m.) representations. Comparisons with the original and previous descriptions revealed morphological and metrical variations in several features (i.e. body size and shape, arrangement of reproductive organs, soma to ecsoma length ratio, position of genital opening, number of vitelline tubules and extension of uterine coils) between Stom. muraenesocis from different hosts and localities. This study presents the first molecular sequence data associated with the small (18S) and large (28S) subunit nuclear ribosomal RNA genes (rDNA) for Stom. muraenesocis. Phylogenetic analyses of the 18S dataset placed Stom. muraenesocis as sister lineage to a clade formed of a group of species of Lecithaster Lühe, 1901 (Lecithasteridae Odhner, 1905). In contrast, phylogenetic analyses based on the 28S consistently recovered a sister relationship between Stom. muraenesocis and representatives of the Hemiuridae Looss, 1899. Further comprehensive phylogenetically based classification in light of morphology and taxonomic history of the Hemiuridae and Lecithasteridae is required to infer phylogenetic affinities and historical biogeography of Stomachicola. A comprehensive list of previously reported species of Stomachicola together with their associated hosts, localities and morphometric data is provided.

Antecedentes: El COVID persistente se define como la persistencia de síntomas de COVID-19 después de cuatro semanas de cursar con un cuadro agudo, según la definición más reciente de los Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Se estima que existen 65 millones de personas afectadas por esta entidad, aunque algunos reportes indican 200 millones. Objetivo: Caracterizar a la población afectada por COVID persistente en México. Material y métodos: Se incluyeron pacientes mayores de 18 años que consintieron responder a una encuesta en línea y que cumplían los criterios de COVID persistente. Resultados: Se incluyeron los datos de 203 sujetos. Se identificó que 138 (68.0 %) contestaron ser del sexo femenino, con una media de edad de 41.8 años; 29.6 % presentó enfermedad grave y 70.4 %, enfermedad leve a moderada; 89.7 % había recibido vacunas previas para COVID-19: 6.9 %, una dosis; 31.5 %, dos dosis; y 51.2 %, tres o más dosis. Los principales factores de riesgo fueron diabetes, sobrepeso u obesidad e hipertensión arterial sistémica. El principal síntoma reportado fue fatiga, seguido de otras manifestaciones neuropsiquiátricas. Conclusión: Es importante caracterizar a la población para generar protocolos de diagnóstico y tratamiento.

Abstract Background Alactic base excess (ABE) is a novel biomarker that estimates the renal capability of handling acid–base alterations during the sepsis. Hence, the aim of this study was to evaluate the use of ABE to predict the renal replacement therapy (RRT) in patients with septic shock. Methods A total of 164 patients admitted to the intensive care units with a diagnosis of septic shock according to the third international consensus on sepsis and septic shock (Sepsis-3) were included. This study was retrospective, single center, and conducted between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2020. The individuals were stratified in patients who did [n = 68] or did not [n = 96] receive the RRT. The diagnostic performed of the variables for the classification into patients who required RRT was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis and area under curve (AUC) was calculated. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to identify risk factors for RRT. Results The median age of the patients was 59 years and female sex (51.8%) predominated. ABE (odds ratio [OR] 1.2270, [95% confidence interval [CI] 1.0453–1.4403], p = 0.0124) and urea (OR 1.0114, [95% CI 1.0053–1.0176], p = 0.0002) were associated with risk of RRT. HCO3− (OR 0.6967, [95% CI 0.5771–0.8410], p = 0.0002) was a protective factor of RRT. ABE (AUC = 0.649, p 75 mg/dL, respectively. Conclusion Although HCO3− is associated with low risk, ABE and urea are independent risk factors for RRT in the patients with septic shock.

Abstract Myxozoans are a unique group of microscopic parasites that infect mainly fishes. These extremely reduced cnidarians are highly diverse and globally distributed in freshwater and marine habitats. Myxozoan diversity dimension is unknown in Mexico, a territory of an extraordinary biological diversity. This study aimed to explore, for the first time, myxozoan parasite diversity from fishes of the Neotropical region of Mexico. We performed a large morphological and molecular screening using host tissues of 22 ornamental and food fish species captured from different localities of Veracruz, Oaxaca and Chiapas. Myxozoan infections were detected in 90% of the fish species, 65% of them had 1 or 2 and 35% had 3 and up to 8 myxozoan species. Forty-one putative new species were identified using SSU rDNA phylogenetic analyses, belonging to two main lineages: polychaete-infecting (5 species) and oligochaete-infecting (36 species) myxozoans; from those we describe 4 new species: Myxidium zapotecus sp. n., Zschokkella guelaguetza sp. n., Ellipsomyxa papantla sp. n. and Myxobolus zoqueus sp. n. Myxozoan detection increased up to 6 × using molecular screening, which represents 3.7 × more species detected than by microscopy. This study demonstrated that Neotropical fishes from Mexico are hosts of a multitude of myxozoans, representing a source of emerging diseases with large implications for economic and conservation reasons.

Black gobies (Gobius niger) from the Finnish Archipelago, Baltic Sea, were screened for helminth infections in summer 2020. Helminths were identified morphologically and/or molecularly. Altogether 26 novel sequences were generated and analysed using maximum likelihood estimation. Morphological and phylogenetic analyses based on mitochondrial genes revealed the presence of 8 species belonging to the Digenea (Diplostomum mergi Lineage 3), Cestoda (Bothriocephalus scorpii), Nematoda (Contracaecum rudolphii A, Cucullanus sp. and Hysterothylacium aduncum), and Acanthocephala (a putative new species of Corynosoma, Corynosoma semerme and Neoechinorhynchus sp.). Phylogenetic and comparative sequence analyses revealed that the putative new acanthocephalan species is closely related to C. neostrumosum described from the Caspian seal, Pusa caspica, in the Caspian Sea. The black goby represents a new host record for four parasite species (Diplostomum mergi Lineage 3, Contracaecum rudolphii A, Corynosoma semerme and Corynosoma sp.). The Finnish Archipelago is a novel locality record for three species (Corynosoma sp., Diplostomum mergi Lineage 3 and Bothriocephalus scorpii).

Membrane proteins are the main targets of therapeutic drugs and most of them are glycosylated. Glycans play pivotal roles in several biological processes, and glycosylation changes are a well-established hallmark of several types of cancer, including pancreatic cancer, that contribute to tumor growth. Mucin-4 (MUC-4) is a membrane glycoprotein which is associated with pancreatic cancer and metastasis, and it has been targeted as a promising vaccine candidate. In this study, Surface Plasmon Resonance Microscopy (SPRM) was implemented to study complex influences of the native N-glycan cellular environment on binding interactions to the MUC-4 receptor as this is currently the only commercially available label-free technique with high enough sensitivity and resolution to measure binding kinetics and heterogeneity on single cells. Such unique capability enables for a more accurate understanding of the "true" binding interactions on human cancer cells without disrupting the native environment of the target MUC-4 receptor. Removal of N-linked glycans in pancreatic cancer cells using PNGase F exposed heterogeneity in Concanavalin (Con A) binding by revealing three new binding populations with higher affinities than the glycosylated control cells. Anti-MUC-4 binding interactions of enzymatically N-linked deglycosylated pancreatic cancer cells produced a 25x faster association and 37x higher affinity relative to the glycosylated control cells. Lastly, four interaction modes were observed for Helix Pomatia Agglutinin (HPA) binding to the glycosylated control cells, but shifted and increased in activity upon removal of N-linked glycans. These results identified predominant interaction modes of glycan and MUC-4 in pancreatic cancer cells, the kinetics of their binding interactions were quantified, and the influence of N-linked glycans in MUC-4 binding interactions was revealed.

Statistical measures of complexity hold significant potential for applications in D-dimensional finite fermion systems, spanning from the quantification of the internal disorder of atoms and molecules to the information–theoretical analysis of chemical reactions. This potential will be shown in hydrogenic systems by means of the monotone complexity measures of Cramér–Rao, Fisher–Shannon and LMC(Lopez-Ruiz, Mancini, Calbet)–Rényi types. These quantities are shown to be analytically determined from first principles, i.e., explicitly in terms of the space dimensionality D, the nuclear charge and the hyperquantum numbers, which characterize the system’ states. Then, they are applied to several relevant classes of particular states with emphasis on the quasi-spherical and the highly excited Rydberg states, obtaining compact and physically transparent expressions. This is possible because of the use of powerful techniques of approximation theory and orthogonal polynomials, asymptotics and generalized hypergeometric functions.

Introducción: Los factores reproductivos se asocian con cáncer de mama. Actualmente se estudia el comportamiento según subtipos moleculares. Objetivo: Establecer la prevalencia de estos subtipos y su asociación con factores reproductivos en mujeres atendidas en centros del nororiente colombiano. Método: Estudio observacional de corte transversal, en mujeres con cáncer de mama subtipos luminales y HER2 durante 2012-2021. Se indagaron variables sociodemográficas, factores reproductivos y estadio tumoral. Resultados: En total, 347 pacientes cumplieron criterios de elegibilidad, correspondiendo a luminal A el 49,8% (intervalo de confianza del 95% [IC95%]: 44,5-55,1), a luminal B el 29,1% (IC95%: 24,3-33,9) y a HER2 el 15,5% (IC95%: 11,7-19,4). Las mujeres con tumores de mama luminal B tenían más riesgo de tener estadios localmente avanzados (odds ratio [OR]: 1,83; IC95%: 1,11-3,01; p = 0,02). Agrupando los subtipos luminales frente a HER2 se encontró que el 40,72% de las pacientes con subtipos luminales no habían lactado, frente al 69,71% con HER2 (diferencia estadísticamente significativa a favor de luminal A; OR: 1,91; IC95%: 1,02-3,53; p = 0,041). Conclusiones: La prevalencia de tumores luminales es del 84,5%. Existe asociación diferencial entre el antecedente de lactancia materna y la aparición de subtipos luminales, es decir, las mujeres que no lactaron se corresponden con mayor frecuencia con HER2. No se estableció asociación con otros factores estudiados.

Abstract Background Endometrioid Stromal Sarcomas are an infrequent group of mesenchymal tumors that we must take into account in the differential diagnosis despite representing only 0.2% of tumors of the female genital tract, as they can go unnoticed until advanced stages. Case presentation Fifty-fourth year-old woman referred from the Urology department due to incidental finding of adnexal mass in MRI during examination after renoureteral colic, in the case of a 50 mm solid cystic mass in LE. MT were within the normal range, and the CT scan observed this mass in contact with the left ureter. The surgery was completed with hysterectomy and contralateral adnexectomy without incident and chemotherapy treatment was not added. The pathological result was ovarian tissue with low-grade endometrial sarcoma. Currently, after two years of follow-up, the patient remains stable without any recurrence of disease. Conclusions Endometrioid stromal sarcomas are rare tumors that originate in the endometrial stroma, the ovarian location being rare. Management lies in surgical treatment, and adjuvant therapy is sometimes necessary in advanced stages.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic caused a health crisis worldwide that ended up affecting the daily lives of university students. Considering prevention strategies for contagion and decreased physical activity, altered perceptions of body image were seen that may negatively disrupt their eating habits. Methods: Our cross-sectional survey-based study (N=180) had the objective to determine the association between body image perception and the risk of eating disorders in university students during the pandemic. We surveyed male and female university students aged 18-35 years using the Montero Anatomical Models questionnaire and the Eating Attitude Test-26 (EAT-26) as instruments. Results: Most of the university students were female (67.8%) with an average age of 22.8±3.9 years. 51.1% perceived themselves as overweight and 53.9% were at low risk of an eating disorder. This mainly affected women (47.5%), the 21-30 age group (43.2%), and those who perceived themselves as underweight (58.9%) or obese (50%). Likewise, we found differences in body image perception between genders (p=0.009), and no association was found between body image and eating disorders (p=0.661). Conclusion: Even though most university students perceived themselves as overweight, they had a low risk of an eating disorder. Considering the influence that body image perception has on their lifestyle, it is necessary to promote healthy eating habits and self-esteem strategies to prevent the appearance of eating disorders due to body dissatisfaction in the context of the “new normal”.

Nowadays, cardiac transplant is considered the most efficient treatment to better the prognosis in patients with last stage cardiac insufficiency that is impossible to obtain through regular medical and/or surgical treatments. We report the case of the first cardiac transplant performed at the General Hospital of Mexico “Dr. Eduardo Liceaga,” we describe the patient’s and donor’s characteristics, pre- and post-surgical management, immunosuppressive therapy, cardiac rehabilitation, and patient follow-up. As well as the multidisciplinary approach necessary to achieve a successful result.