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Chronic endemic regional hydroarsenicism (CERHA) is a global issue that affects over 200 million people exposed to arsenic (As) in drinking water. This includes 1.75 million individuals residing in La Comarca Lagunera, a region in north-central Mexico. Arsenic levels in this region typically exceeds the WHO guideline of 10 µg L-1. Biochemical alterations related to the human As metabolism may increase the risk of overweight and obesity (O&O), type 2 diabetes (T2D), and hypertension (AHT). In our study, we investigated the role of As in drinking water as a risk factor for these metabolic diseases. We focused on populations with historically moderate (San Pedro) and low (Lerdo) drinking water As levels and people with no historical evidence of As water contamination. The exposure assessment to As was based on measurements of the drinking water (medians 67.2, 21.0, 4.3 µg L-1) and urinary As concentrations in women (9.4, 5.3, 0.8 µg L-1) and men (18.1, 4.8, 1.0 µg L-1). A significant correlation between As in drinking water and urine evidenced the As exposure in the population (R2 = 0.72). Adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals evidenced higher chances of being diagnosed with T2D (1.7, 1.2-2.0) and AHT (1.8, 1.7-1.9) in individuals living in San Pedro than those in Lerdo. Still, there was no significant association with obesity. Individuals living in CERHA towns were found to have a higher risk of obesity (1.3-1.9), T2D (1.5 to 3.3), and AHT (1.4 to 2.4) compared to those residing in non-CERHA towns. Finally, obesity is more probable in women [inverse of OR and 95%CI 0.4 (0.2-0.7)] compared to men, while men is more likely to be diagnosed with T2D [OR = 2.0 (1.4-2.3)] and AHT [OR = 2.0 (1.5-2.3)] than women, independently of the municipality.

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Objetivo: Determinar los factores asociados al inicio de las actividades sexuales en adolescentes de los centros educativos de Cushcanday-Agallpampa y San Isidro-Otuzco. Material y métodos: Entre septiembre de 2021 y marzo de 2022, se realizó un estudio observacional, analítico transversal en 265 escolares del nivel secundario de los centros educativos de Cushcanday-Agallpampa y San Isidro-Otuzco que cumplieron los criterios de inclusión aplicando como instrumento la encuesta sobre sexualidad. Resultados: 129 hombres y 126 mujeres. Con una edad media de 15.41 años. Con un 11% que ha iniciado su vida sexual. El factor de riesgo asociado de mayor peso para el inicio de la vida sexual es la nomofobia con un OR de 22.55 (IC = 5.24 - 96.97), seguido del analfabetismo, con un OR de 6.41 (IC = 1.22 - 6.74). La visita de páginas web sin contenido erótico es un factor protector para la coitarquia. Conclusiones: 1 de cada 10 adolescentes de la zona rural Cushcanday-Agallpampa y San Isidro-Otuzco-La Libertad ha iniciado su vida sexual. La nomofobia moderada en la adolescencia incrementa 22 veces el riesgo de tener relaciones sexuales. Los hijos de padres analfabeto tienen 6.41 veces mayor probabilidad de iniciar las relaciones sexuales en la adolescencia.

Objective: To determine the factors associated with the beginning of sexual activities in adolescents from the educational centers of Cushcanday-Agallpampa and San Isidro-Otuzco. Material and methods: Between September 2021 and March 2022, an observational, cross-sectional analytical study was carried out in 265 secondary school students from the educational centers of CushcandayAgallpampa and San Isidro-Otuzco who met the inclusion criteria applying as an instrument the sexuality survey. Results: 129 men and 126 women with an average age of 15.41 years. With 11% who have started their sexual life. The risk factor associated with the greatest weight for the beginning of sexual life is nomophobia with an OR of 22.55 (CI = 5.24 - 96.97), followed by illiteracy, with an OR of 6.41 (CI = 1.22 - 6.74). Visiting web pages without erotic content is a protective factor for coitarche. Conclusions: 1 out of every 10 adolescents in the rural area Cushcanday-Agallpampa and San Isidro-Otuzco-La Libertad has started their sexual life. Moderate level nomophobia in adolescence increases the risk of having sexual intercourse by 22 times. Children of illiterate parents are 6.41 times more likely to start sexual relations in adolescence.

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BACKGROUND: Transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is the standard of treatment for patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis (AE) and intermediate or high surgical risk. The use of conscious sedation (CS) could reduce complications and allow an early discharge of these patients. AIM: To report our experience with TAVI under conscious sedation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Review of medical records of 15 patients aged 79 ± 6 years (53% women) undergoing a transfemoral TAVI implant under conscious sedation. RESULTS: The indications for the procedure were severe AE in 13 patients and biological prosthetic dysfunction in two. The mean Thoracic Surgeons predicted risk of mortality score was 7.3. The valves used were Edwards Sapien 3 in three patients, Medtronic Evolut in five, Boston Acurate Neo in four and Meril Myval in three. A successful implant was achieved in all cases and there were no hospital mortality or pacemaker requirements. One patient had a stroke, and one patient had a vascular access complication. Early discharge (< 72 h) was achieved in 80% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: TAVI under conscious sedation was a safe procedure and associated with a complication rate similar to previous reports, allowing for an early hospital discharge in most patients.

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Cross-population applicability of osteological and dental methods is a known issue in forensic anthropology, but very little is known about whether differences between populations are due to ancestry, environment effects, or even the statistical approach utilized for developing the methods. This study wishes to add to the discussion of population-specificity of dental age estimation methods and examine the impact of their statistical basis on their accuracy and precision. These parameters were estimated by testing 12 different dental age estimation techniques on a sample of 182 panoramic radiographs of children between the ages of 6 and 15 years (110 girls and 72 boys) from the city of Mérida in Yucatán, México. None of the 12 methods selected is based on Mexican samples. Dental maturation was scored following and methods tested employed two dental scoring schemes: Moorrees, Fanning, and Hunt's (MFH) 13-/14-stage system and Demirjian's 8-stage system. Results show that methods derived from more geographically specific groups do not fare better or worse than methods developed on more diverse and inclusive international samples, even if no methods specific to Mexicans were tested. While some of the methods performed very well, and they were not based on a Mexican sample, this suggests that population-specific dental age estimation methods may be relatively unimportant or that population differences in dental maturation are very small. Other issues seemed to have a greater impact on accuracy and precision, such as age dependency, inclusion of the third molar in age assessments, age truncation and age heaping in reference samples, the dental scoring scheme used, and how predicted age is calculated mathematically. As such, findings in this study suggest that validation tests of age estimation methods may not be a useful or reliable means to assess population differences and that these differences need to be more systematically assessed if an argument is to be made for the increased accuracy and precision of population-specific methods. The statistical basis of dental prediction methods seems to have a more significant role in their accuracy and precision outside of their reference sample.

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Hyaluronic acid (HA) and gelatin (Gel) are major components of the extracellular matrix of different tissues, and thus are largely appealing for the construction of hybrid hydrogels to combine the favorable characteristics of each biopolymer, such as the gel adhesiveness of Gel and the better mechanical strength of HA, respectively. However, despite previous studies conducted so far, the relationship between composition and scaffold structure and physico-chemical properties has not been completely and systematically established. In this work, pure and hybrid hydrogels of methacroyl-modified HA (HAMA) and Gel (GelMA) were prepared by UV photopolymerization and an extensive characterization was done to elucidate such correlations. Methacrylation degrees of ca. 40% and 11% for GelMA and HAMA, respectively, were obtained, which allows to improve the hydrogels' mechanical properties. Hybrid GelMA/HAMA hydrogels were stiffer, with elastic modulus up to ca. 30 kPa, and porous (up to 91%) compared with pure GelMA ones at similar GelMA concentrations thanks to the interaction between HAMA and GelMA chains in the polymeric matrix. The progressive presence of HAMA gave rise to scaffolds with more disorganized, stiffer, and less porous structures owing to the net increase of mass in the hydrogel compositions. HAMA also made hybrid hydrogels more swellable and resistant to collagenase biodegradation. Hence, the suitable choice of polymeric composition allows to regulate the hydrogels´ physical properties to look for the most optimal characteristics required for the intended tissue engineering application.

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Background: Transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is the standard of treatment for patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis (AE) and intermediate or high surgical risk. The use of conscious sedation (CS) could reduce complications and allow an early discharge of these patients. Aim: To report our experience with TAVI under conscious sedation. Material and Methods: Review of medical records of 15 patients aged 79 ± 6 years (53% women) undergoing a transfemoral TAVI implant under conscious sedation. Results: The indications for the procedure were severe AE in 13 patients and biological prosthetic dysfunction in two. The mean Thoracic Surgeons predicted risk of mortality score was 7.3. The valves used were Edwards Sapien 3 in three patients, Medtronic Evolut in five, Boston Acurate Neo in four and Meril Myval in three. A successful implant was achieved in all cases and there were no hospital mortality or pacemaker requirements. One patient had a stroke, and one patient had a vascular access complication. Early discharge (< 72 h) was achieved in 80% of patients. Conclusions: TAVI under conscious sedation was a safe procedure and associated with a complication rate similar to previous reports, allowing for an early hospital discharge in most patients.

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OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the predictive and prognostic value of total tumor load (TTL) in sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) in patients with infiltrating breast cancer after neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NST). METHODS: This retrospective multicenter study used data from a Spanish Sentinel Lymph Node database. Patients underwent intraoperative SLN biopsy after NST. TTL was determined from whole nodes using a one-step nucleic acid amplification (OSNA) assay and defined as the total sum of CK19 mRNA copies in all positive SLNs. Cox-regression models identified independent predictive variables, which were incorporated into a nomogram to predict axillary non-SLN metastasis, and identified prognostic variables for incorporation into a disease-free survival (DFS) prognostic score. RESULTS: A total of 314 patients were included; most had no lymph node involvement prior to NST (cN0; 75.0% of patients). Most received chemotherapy with or without biologic therapy (91.7%), and 81 patients had a pathologic complete response. TTL was predictive of non-SLN involvement (area under the concentration curve = 0.87), and at a cut-off of 15,000 copies/µL had a negative predictive value of 90.5%. Nomogram parameters included log (TTL + 1), maximum tumor diameter and study-defined NST response. TTL was prognostic of disease recurrence and DFS at a cut-off of 25,000 copies/µL. After a 5-year follow-up, DFS was higher in patients with ≤ 25,000 copies/µL than those with > 25,000 (89.9% vs. 70.0%; p = 0.0017). CONCLUSIONS: TTL > 15,000 mRNA copies/µL was predictive of non-SLN involvement and TTL > 25,000 mRNA copies/µL was associated with a higher risk of disease recurrence in breast cancer patients who had received NST.

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PURPOSE: To study the control graphs applicability for the geometric uncertainties of VMAT treatments in prostate cancer patients, and their use to verify the hypothesis of the data obtained randomness, to apply the margins of Van Herk expression. MATERIAL AND METHODS: During the first 5 days of treatment, and then once a week, a Kv CBCT was performed, compared with the simulation CT and adjusted the displacements, to determine the inter-fraction errors. Immediately after radiation therapy, another CBCT was performed (for intra-fraction errors). With these data, the X, R position control charts have been made. The patients, not maintained the deviations within the charts control limits, were called "anomalies". Then, we compared the deviations and margins calculated with the van Herk expression for all patients and for those without anomalies. RESULTS: The margins determined show appreciable differences if there were calculated for the total set of patients or for the set of them without anomalies in the control charts. For the overall set of patients, the lateral, longitudinal, and vertical margins were 0.45 cm, 0.52 cm, 0.56 cm, while for the set of patients without anomalies were 0.29 cm, 0.35 cm, and 0.38 cm. CONCLUSIONS: The use of control charts allows tracking geometric deviations both inter and intra-fraction, variability real-time control and to detect situations in which it can change for non-random reasons, and require immediate investigation. Maintaining geometric deviations in the control state decreases the margins needed to administer a high dose to CTV in a high percentage of cancer prostate patients.

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Resumen: Introducción: Las luxaciones anteriores de hombro ocurren en > 90% de las inestabilidades de hombro, la principal causa es traumática, describiéndose dos principales lesiones en esta patología: la lesión de Bankart y la de Hill-Sachs, existiendo una tasa de recurrencia similar en la reparación quirúrgica abierta y con ventaja de la cirugía artroscópica de realizar incisiones pequeñas, menor pérdida del rango de movimiento, menor riesgo de daño del músculo subescapular, retorno más rápido a las actividades diarias y mayor satisfacción de los pacientes. Objetivo: Valorar la funcionabilidad, movilidad y estabilidad postquirúrgica del hombro de los pacientes sometidos a tratamiento con dos técnicas artroscópicas: reparación de lesión de Bankart pura versus reparación Bankart + remplissage. Material y métodos: Se revisaron expedientes clínicos, se valoraron pacientes con inestabilidad de hombro y con lesiones de Hill-Sachs y Bankart; con un total de 21 pacientes postquirúrgicos se realizaron exploraciones físicas para valoración de los arcos de movimiento y aplicación de escalas funcionales de Rowe y Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index, con el fin de medir la estabilidad postquirúrgica. Resultados: No hubo recurrencia de luxación con ninguna de las dos técnicas, se observó mayor satisfacción en el grupo de remplissage; sin embargo, la limitación del arco de movimiento es mayor. Conclusión: Ambas técnicas artroscópicas fueron capaces de restaurar la función, disminuir el dolor y satisfacer en su mayoría a los pacientes de nuestra serie de casos en el seguimiento a corto y mediano plazo.

Abstract: Background: Anterior shoulder dislocation occurs in more than 90% of the time, the main cause is traumatic, describing two main lesions in this pathology: Bankart's and Hill-Sachs's injury, the recurrence rate is not similar in open repair and with a possible advantage of arthroscopic surgery with less loss of movement range, lower risk of subscapular muscle damage, faster return to daily activities and increased patient satisfaction. Objective: Assessing functionality, mobility and stability of the shoulder in patients treated: arthroscopic Bankart repair versus arthroscopic Bankart repair + remplissage. Methods: Clinical records of patients with shoulder instability were reviewed Hill-Sachs and Bankart lesions were doumented; 21 post-surgical patients and were physically examined to evaluate the range of motion, Rowe functional scales and Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index were used. 13 months of follow up as an average. Results: There was no recurrence of dislocation with either technique, greater satisfaction was observed in the remplissage group; however, the limitation of the motion arc is greater. Conclusion: Both groups reduce instability, control pain and mostly satisfy patients in the 13-month follow-up.

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Several surveys have been conducted in Nicaragua between 1996 and 2015 confirming the presence of high levels of arsenic (>10 µg/L). In this paper, these peer-reviewed (n = 2) and non-peer reviewed sources (n = 14) have been combined to provide an extensive overview of the arsenic contamination of drinking water sources in Nicaragua. So far, arsenic contamination has been detected in over 80 rural communities located in 34 municipalities of the country and arsenic poisoning has been identified in at least six of those communities. The source of arsenic contamination in Nicaragua is probably volcanic in origin, both from volcanic rocks and geothermal fluids which are distributed across the country. Arsenic may have directly entered into the groundwater by geothermally-influenced water bodies, or indirectly by reductive dissolution or alkali desorption, depending on the local geochemical conditions.

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