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Background: Social determinants have played a role in COVID-19 outcomes and vaccination has improved these and impacted on inflammatory response, we therefore sought to investigate the association between vaccination and inflammatory response with COVID-19 mortality in a Mexican population with high marginalization during the Omicron wave. Methods: Prospective, longitudinal, single-center study in a setting of high marginalization conducted during the Omicron wave, from January to November 2022. Clinical and laboratory data were collected during admission and patients were followed until discharge or death. Patients were grouped according to outcome (survival and non-survival), and by complete (2 or more doses) and incomplete vaccination status for comparison. Results: 118 patients were included, 54% (64/118) male, with a median age 63 years and 86% (102/118) with self-reported comorbidities. Mortality was 42%. 58% (68/118) had complete vaccination. There was a 64% risk reduction for all-cause in-hospital mortality of having complete vaccination, hazard ratio 0.36, (95% CI 0.18-0.71, p = 0.004) in the proportional hazards Cox regression test. Survivor group arrived earlier to medical care and had higher SpO2 on admission, and for inflammatory response, had lower levels of Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, C-reactive protein, and D-dimer at admission. In the longitudinal measurement, only D-dimer showed significant differences between groups according to survival. Conclusion: In a highly marginalized Mexican population, complete vaccination has a protective effect against COVID-19 all-cause in-hospital mortality compared with incomplete or no vaccination. However, mortality in this population during the Omicron wave is high. Socio-economic inequalities may play an important role in COVID-19 outcomes.

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We reported a case of heterotopic twin pregnancy in a unicornuate uterus with a non-communicating rudimentary horn with survival of both fetuses. The diagnosis was made late at 28 weeks of gestation, with suspicion raised by ultrasound and confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). During hospitalization, obstetric ultrasound with color Doppler was performed every 2 days to assess fetal well-being and myometrial thickness, which was determined by measurements of the uterine wall at the accessory horn. Elective cesarean section was performed at 33 + 5 weeks of gestation. Delivery started with the fetus in the rudimentary horn, with subsequent extraction of the fetus in the unicornate uterus. Three-dimensional virtual reconstruction allowed a spatial view of the both uterus and fetuses with better understanding of the obstetrical condition by the parents and interactive discussion by the multidisciplinary medical team.

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BACKGROUND: The characteristics of synovial fluid (SF) in geriatric patients differ from those in younger patients. In Mexico, epidemiologic data on the incidence of different rheumatic diseases in geriatric patients are scarce. OBJECTIVE: To describe the physical characteristics of geriatric SF and the prevalence of crystals in knee and other joint aspirates from patients with previously diagnosed joint disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was performed with a baseline of 517 SF samples between 2011 and 2023. White blood cell count was performed by Neubauer chamber and crystals were identified by polarized light microscopy. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed and prevalence was reported as a percentage. RESULTS: The mean age of the adults was 73.5±5.0 years, 54.4% were women and 45.6% were men. The mean SF volume was 6.3±9.5mL in older adults and 15.3±24.9mL in those younger than 65 years. The mean viscosity in older adults was 9.5±4.5mm and the mean leukocyte count was 7352±16,402leukocytes/mm3. Seventy percent of the older adults' SFs were referred to the laboratory for osteoarthritis (OA), with lower proportions for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (14.6%) and gout (5.1%). Of the crystals observed in the geriatric population, 14.6% corresponded to monosodium urate crystals (CUM) and 18.9% to calcium pyrophosphate crystals (CPP). CONCLUSIONS: The characteristics of LS in older adults were smaller volume, increased viscosity, and non-inflammatory. The main diagnoses were OA, RA, and gout. The crystal content of the SF of the geriatric population corresponded mainly to CPP.

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The inadequate management of organic waste and excessive use of plastic containers cause damage to the environment; therefore, different studies have been carried out to obtain new biomaterials from agricultural subproducts. The objective of this work was to evaluate the feasibility of using the pectin extracted from the peel of Passiflora tripartita var. mollissima (PT), characterizing its type and viability for the production of edible biodegradable films. In addition, films of two thicknesses (23.45 ± 3.02 µm and 53.34 ± 2.28 µm) were prepared. The results indicated that PT is an excellent raw material for the extraction of pectin, with high yields (23.02 ± 0.02%), high galacturonic acid content (65.43 ± 2.241%), neutral sugars (ribose, xylose, glucose) and a high degree of esterification (76.93 ± 1.65%), classifying it as a high-methoxy pectin. Regarding the films, they were malleable and flexible, with a water vapor permeability from 2.57 × 10-10 ± 0.046 to 0.13 × 10-10 ± 0.029 g/s mPa according to thickness, being similar to other Passiflora varieties of edible films. The pectin extraction yield from PT makes this fruit a promising material for pectin production and its chemical composition a valuable additive for the food and pharmaceutical industries.

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BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Findings on the role of diet in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) pathogenesis are inconsistent. There are few studies on the dietary habits of pregnant women with NAFLD. Our primary aim was to compare the dietary intakes of pregnant women with and without NAFLD. METHODS: This case-control study recruited 60 women (26-34 weeks' gestation) with recently diagnosed gestational diabetes (GDM) before any treatment was implemented. At recruitment, all participants underwent B-mode hepatic ultrasound. We included 30 women with sonographic NAFLD (cases) and 30 women without NAFLD (controls) matched for age, skin color, and pre-pregnancy body mass index. We assessed participants' dietary intakes in the last six months using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Mann-Whitney´s test was used to compare differences in median macro and micronutrient intakes between cases and controls. RESULTS: Total median daily energy (1965.1 × 1949.2 calories) and lipid (25.1% × 28.3%) intakes were similar in women with and without NAFLD and fell within recommended ranges. Participants with NAFLD reported significantly higher median daily intakes of carbohydrates (59.4% × 53.1% p = 0.003), and significantly lower protein (15.6% × 17.0% p = 0.005), fiber (10.7 × 13.3 g/day p = 0.010), and vitamin C (151.8 × 192.6 mg/day p = 0.008) intakes than those without NAFLD. CONCLUSIONS: Pregnant women with NAFLD ingest more carbohydrates and less protein, fiber, and vitamin C than those without NAFLD. Our findings contribute to understanding the role of diet in the development of NAFLD in pregnant women.

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Zero-export photovoltaic systems are an option to transition to Smart Grids. They decarbonize the sector without affecting third parties. This paper proposes the analysis of a zero-export PVS with a green hydrogen generation and storage system. This configuration is feasible to apply by any self-generation entity; it allows the user to increase their resilience and independence from the electrical network. The technical issue is simplified because the grid supplies no power. The main challenge is finding an economic balance between the savings in electricity billing, proportional to the local electricity rate, and the complete system's investment, operation, and maintenance expenses. This manuscript presents the effects of the power sizing on the efficacy of economic savings in billing (ηSaving) and the effects of the cost reduction on the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) and a discounted payback period (DPP) based on net present value. In addition, this study established an analytical relationship between LCOE and DPP. The designed methodology proposes to size and selects systems to use and store green hydrogen from the zero-export photovoltaic system. The input data in the case study are obtained experimentally from the Autonomous University of the State of Quintana Roo, located on Mexico's southern border. The maximum power of the load is LPmax = 500 kW, and the average power is LPmean = 250 kW; the tariff of the electricity network operator has hourly conditions for a medium voltage demand. A suggested semi-empirical equation allows for determining the efficiency of the fuel cell and electrolyzer as a function of the local operating conditions and the nominal power of the components. The analytical strategy, the energy balance equations, and the identity functions that delimit the operating conditions are detailed to be generalized to other case studies. The results are obtained by a computer code programmed in C++ language. According to our boundary conditions, results show no significant savings generated by the installation of the hydrogen system when the zero-export photovoltaic system Power ≤ LPmax and DPP ≤ 20 years is possible only with LCOE ≤ 0.1 $/kWh. Specifically for the Mexico University case study, zero-export photovoltaic system cost must be less than 310 $/kW, fuel cell cost less than 395 $/kW, and electrolyzer cost less than 460 $/kW.

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Archaeological cobs from Paredones and Huaca Prieta (Peru) represent some of the oldest maize known to date, yet they present relevant phenotypic traits corresponding to domesticated maize. This contrasts with the earliest Mexican macro-specimens from Guila Naquitz and San Marcos, which are phenotypically intermediate for these traits, even though they date more recently in time. To gain insights into the origins of ancient Peruvian maize, we sequenced DNA from three Paredones specimens dating ~6700-5000 calibrated years before present (BP), conducting comparative analyses with two teosinte subspecies (Zea mays ssp. mexicana and parviglumis) and extant maize, that include highland and lowland landraces from Mesoamerica and South America. We show that Paredones maize originated from the same domestication event as Mexican maize and was domesticated by ~6700 BP, implying rapid dispersal followed by improvement. Paredones maize shows no relevant gene flow from mexicana, smaller than that observed in teosinte parviglumis. Thus, Paredones samples represent the only maize without confounding mexicana variation found to date. It also harbors significantly fewer alleles previously found to be adaptive to highlands, but not of alleles adaptive to lowlands, supporting a lowland migration route. Our overall results imply that Paredones maize originated in Mesoamerica, arrived in Peru without mexicana introgression through a rapid lowland migration route, and underwent improvements in both Mesoamerica and South America.

The plant we know today as maize or corn began its story 9,000 years ago in modern-day Mexico, when farmers of the Balsas River basin started to carefully breed its ancestor, the wild grass teosinte parviglumis. Recent discoveries suggest the crop may have started to travel to South America before its domestication was fully complete, leading to a complex history of semi-tamed lineages evolving in parallel in different regions. For example, 5,300-year-old corn specimens found in Tehuacán, in central Mexico, still genetically and morphologically resemble teosinte. Meanwhile, cobs harvested about 6,700 to 5,000 years ago on the northern coast of Peru ­ 3800km away from where maize was first domesticated ­ look like the ones we know today. Vallebueno-Estrada et al. aimed to explore the evolutionary history of this Peruvian maize, which was discovered at the archaeological coastal site of Paredones. To do so, they extracted and sequenced its genetic information, and compared these sequences with those from modern varieties of lowland and highland maize, as well as from teosinte parviglumis and teosinte mexicana. The analyses showed that the ancestor of the Paredones maize emerged from teosinte parviglumis like any other lineage, but that it was already domesticated when it started to spread South; by the time it was present in Peru 6,700 years ago, it was genetically closer to modern-day crops. This early departure is consistent with the fact that the Paredones specimens lacked teosinte mexicana genetic variants; this highland relative of lowland parviglumis is believed to have interbred with maize lineages from Central America more recently, when these were brought to higher altitudes. The presence of genetic marks tailored to low-elevation regions suggested that the Paredones maize lineage migrated through a coastal corridor connecting Central and South America, arriving in northern Peru about 2,500 years after first arising from teosinte parviglumis in Central America around 9,000 years ago. Under the care of rapidly developing Central Andean societies, the crop then evolved to adapt to its local conditions. Maize today has spread to all continents besides Antarctica; we produce more of it than wheat, rice or any other grain. How our modern varieties will adapt to the environmental constraints brought by climate change remains unclear. By peering into the history of maize, Vallebueno-Estrada et al. hope to find genetic variations which could inform new breeding strategies that improve the future of this crop.

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La obesidad es una patología de importancia a nivel mundial porque conlleva a una alta carga de mortalidad y morbilidad. El balón intragástrico representa una técnica no quirúrgica empleada cada vez con más frecuencia para lograr pérdida de peso. Si bien, este se considera un método seguro, se han reportado algunas complicaciones desde náuseas y vómitos, hasta eventos adversos graves, tales como perforación. La pancreatitis aguda constituye una complicación muy rara del balón intragástrico y se atribuye su efecto a la compresión directa que ejerce sobre el páncreas. Presentamos el caso de una paciente mujer de 21 años, quien después de 7 meses de colocación de balón intragástrico, cursó con dolor abdominal, náuseas y vómitos, asociados a elevación de enzimas pancreáticas. Se hizo diagnóstico de pancreatitis aguda y se corroboró compresión de la cola del páncreas mediante estudio tomográfico. Se decidió retiro del balón mediante endoscopía, cursando luego con evolución favorable.

Obesity is a pathology of importance worldwide because it leads to a high burden of mortality and morbidity. The intragastric balloon represents a non-surgical technique used more and more frequently to achieve weight loss. Although this is considered a safe method, some complications have been reported, from nausea and vomiting to serious adverse events, such as perforation. Acute pancreatitis is a very rare complication of the intragastric balloon, and its effect is attributed to the direct compression it exerts on the pancreas. We present the case of a 21-year-old female patient who, after 7 months of intragastric balloon placement, developed abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting, associated with elevated pancreatic enzymes. A diagnosis of acute pancreatitis was made and compression of the tail of the pancreas was confirmed by tomographic study. It was decided to remove the balloon by endoscopy, which then progressed favorably.

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The extracellular vesicles (EVs) in a tumoral microenvironment can exert different functions by transferring their content, which has been poorly described in cervical cancer. Here, we tried to clarify the proteomic content of these EVs, comparing those derived from cancerous HPV (+) keratinocytes (HeLa) versus those derived from normal HPV (-) keratinocytes (HaCaT). We performed a quantitative proteomic analysis, using LC-MS/MS, of the EVs from HeLa and HaCaT cell lines. The up- and downregulated proteins in the EVs from the HeLa cell line were established, along with the cellular component, molecular function, biological processes, and signaling pathways in which they participate. The biological processes with the highest number of upregulated proteins are cell adhesion, proteolysis, lipid metabolic process, and immune system processes. Interestingly, three of the top five signaling pathways with more up- and downregulated proteins are part of the immune response. Due to their content, we can infer that EVs can have a significant role in migration, invasion, metastasis, and the activation or suppression of immune system cells in cancer.

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