3,385 research outputs found
Dietary squalene increases high density lipoprotein-cholesterol and paraoxonase 1 and decreases oxidative stress in mice
Background and Purpose: Squalene, the main hydrocarbon in the unsaponifiable fraction of virgin olive oil, is involved in cholesterol synthesis and it has been reported to own antiatherosclerotic and antiesteatosic effects. However, the squalene’s role on lipid plasma parameters and the influence of genotype on this effect need to be addressed.
Experimental Approaches: Three male mouse models (wild-type, Apoa1- and Apoe- deficient) were fed chow semisynthetic diets enriched in squalene to provide a dose of 1 g/kg during 11 weeks. After this period, their plasma parameters and lipoprotein profiles were analyzed.
Key Results: Squalene administration at a dose of 1 g/kg showed decreased reactive oxygen species in lipoprotein fractions independently of the animal background and caused an specific increase in high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol levels, accompanied by an increase in phosphatidylcholine and paraoxonase 1 and no changes in apolipoproteins A1 and A4 in wild-type mice. In these mice, the cholesterol increase was due to its esterified form and associated with an increased hepatic expression of Lcat. These effects were not observed in absence of apolipoprotein A1. The increases in HDL- paraoxonase 1 were translated into decreased plasma malondialdehyde levels depending on the presence of Apolipoprotein A1.
Conclusions and Implications: Dietary squalene promotes changes in HDL- cholesterol and paraoxonase 1 and decreases reactive oxygen species in lipoproteins and plasma malondialdehyde levels, providing new benefits of its intake that might contribute to explain the properties of virgin olive oil, although the phenotype related to apolipoproteins A1 and E may be particularly relevant
Epidemiological aspects of facial trauma in a third level hospital in Mexico
Background: Facial trauma is common in early adulthood and may require complex surgery and even high mortality.
Methods: Retrospective, cross-sectional study at the Hospital General de México during the period from January 2018 to December 2021. Patients with a diagnosis of fracture of the facial region, who had a complete clinical record, of any age, were included. Patients who did not comply with the treatment in the hospital unit, with incomplete clinical records, were excluded. Through non-probability sampling, a sample of 156 patients was formed. The descriptive data analysis was carried out by calculating frequencies and percentages for the qualitative variables. For the quantitative variables, measures of central tendency and dispersion were calculated according to the distribution of the variables (mean and standard deviation). for variables with normal distribution and median with interquartile range for variables with non-normal distribution).
Results: 156 patients were included, the male sex predominated (89.7%), the age group from 21 to 30 years (35.3%), the injury mechanism of aggression by a third party (54.5%). Facial fractures occurred in the following descending order: orbit (64.7%), zygoma (41.7% n=65), mandibular (23.1% n=36), nasal (22.4% n=35), maxilla (21.8% n=34), NOE (4.5% n=7), Le Fort (3.8% n=6), and palate (3.8% n=6). Within orbital fractures, the most frequently affected region was the orbital floor (42.3%). The patients with orbital fracture were mostly men (88.1% versus 11.9%). The highest frequency of these fractures was between the ages of 21 and 30 (38.6%). Surgical treatment of fractures in general was established in 44.9%, performing open reduction and internal fixation of fractures in 41.0%.
Conclusions: The most frequent facial fractures are: orbit, zygoma, and mandibular; they mainly affect the male sex in the second decade of life, they are produced mainly by aggressions to third parties. The management of facial fractures is predominantly surgical, through open reduction and internal fixation
Antimicrobial activity of Bursera morelensis ramírez essential oil
Background: Bursera morelensis, known as “Aceitillo”, is an endemic tree of Mexico. Infusions made from the bark of this species have been used for the treatment of skin infections and for their wound healing properties. In this work, we present the results of a phytochemical and antimicrobial investigation of the essential oil of B. morelensis.Materials and Methods: The essential oil was obtained by a steam distillation method and analyzed using GC-MS. The antibacterial and antifungal activities were evaluated.Results: GC-MS of the essential oil demonstrated the presence of 28 compounds. The principal compound of the essential oil was α-Phellandrene (32.69%). The essential oil had antibacterial activity against Gram positive and negative strains. The most sensitive strains were S. pneumoniae, V. cholerae (cc) and E. coli (MIC 0.125 mg/mL, MBC 0.25 mg/mL). The essential oil was bactericidal for V. cholera (cc). The essential oil inhibited all the filamentous fungi. F. monilifome (IC50 = 2.27 mg/mL) was the most sensitive fungal strain.Conclusions: This work provides evidence that confirms the antimicrobial activity of the B. morelensis essential oil and this is a scientific support about of traditional uses of this species.Keywords: Essential oil; Medicinal plants; Tehuacan-Cuicatlan Valley; Burseraceae; Burser
In silico selection and in vitro evaluation of new molecules that inhibit the adhesion of Streptococcus mutans through Antigen I/II
Streptococcus mutans is the main early colonizing cariogenic bacteria because it recognizes salivary pellicle receptors. The Antigen I/II of S. mutans is one of the most important adhesins in this process, is involved in the adhesion to the tooth surface and the bacterial co-aggregation in the early stage of biofilm formation. However, this protein has not been used as a target in a virtual strategy search for inhibitors. Based on the predicted binding affinities, drug-like properties and toxicity, molecules were selected and evaluated for their ability to reduce S. mutans adhesion. A virtual screening of 883,551 molecules was conducted, cytotoxicity analysis on fibroblast cells, S. mutans adhesion studies, scanning electron microscopy analysis for bacterial integrity and molecular dynamics simulation were also performed. We have found three molecules (ZI-187, ZI-939, ZI-906) without cytotoxic activity, which inhibited about 90% the adhesion of S. mutans to polystyrene microplates. Molecular dynamic simulation by 300 nanoseconds showed stability of the interaction between ZI-187 and Ag I/II (PDB: 3IPK). This work provides new molecules that targets Ag I/II and have the capacity to inhibit in vitro the S. mutans adhesion on polystyrene microplates
The Large Aperture GRB Observatory
The Large Aperture GRB Observatory (LAGO) is aiming at the detection of the
high energy (around 100 GeV) component of Gamma Ray Bursts, using the single
particle technique in arrays of Water Cherenkov Detectors (WCD) in high
mountain sites (Chacaltaya, Bolivia, 5300 m a.s.l., Pico Espejo, Venezuela,
4750 m a.s.l., Sierra Negra, Mexico, 4650 m a.s.l). WCD at high altitude offer
a unique possibility of detecting low gamma fluxes in the 10 GeV - 1 TeV range.
The status of the Observatory and data collected from 2007 to date will be
presented.Comment: 4 pages, proceeding of 31st ICRC 200
Water Cherenkov Detectors response to a Gamma Ray Burst in the Large Aperture GRB Observatory
In order to characterise the behaviour of Water Cherenkov Detectors (WCD)
under a sudden increase of 1 GeV - 1 TeV background photons from a Gamma Ray
Burst (GRB), simulations were conducted and compared to data acquired by the
WCD of the Large Aperture GRB Observatory (LAGO). The LAGO operates arrays of
WCD at high altitude to detect GRBs using the single particle technique. The
LAGO sensitivity to GRBs is derived from the reported simulations of the gamma
initiated particle showers in the atmosphere and the WCD response to
secondaries.Comment: 5 pages, proceeding of the 31st ICRC 200
In Silico Selection and In Vitro Evaluation of New Molecules That Inhibit the Adhesion of <i>Streptococcus mutants</i> through Antigen I/II
Streptococcus mutans is the main early colonizing cariogenic bacteria because it recognizes salivary pellicle receptors. The Antigen I/II (Ag I/II) of S. mutans is among the most important adhesins in this process, and is involved in the adhesion to the tooth surface and the bacterial co-aggregation in the early stage of biofilm formation. However, this protein has not been used as a target in a virtual strategy search for inhibitors. Based on the predicted binding affinities, drug-like properties and toxicity, molecules were selected and evaluated for their ability to reduce S. mutans adhesion. A virtual screening of 883,551 molecules was conducted; cytotoxicity analysis on fibroblast cells, S. mutans adhesion studies, scanning electron microscopy analysis for bacterial integrity and molecular dynamics simulation were also performed. We found three molecules ZINC19835187 (ZI-187), ZINC19924939 (ZI-939) and ZINC19924906 (ZI-906) without cytotoxic activity, which inhibited about 90% the adhesion of S. mutans to polystyrene microplates. Molecular dynamic simulation by 300 nanoseconds showed stability of the interaction between ZI-187 and Ag I/II (PDB: 3IPK). This work provides new molecules that targets Ag I/II and have the capacity to inhibit in vitro the S. mutans adhesion on polystyrene microplates
The psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on physicians in Puerto Rico: a cross-sectional study after the second wave in 2021
IntroductionHealth care providers faced a challenge with the emergence of COVID-19 and its rapid spread. Early studies measuring the psychological impact of COVID-19 on the general population found high levels of anxiety and sleep disorders. The primary goal of this project was to assess the psychological impact of COVID-19 on physicians in Puerto Rico.Materials and methodsA cross-sectional study of physicians in Puerto Rico was conducted anonymously and electronically from February 2021 through April 2021. The electronic survey included socio-demographic data and 4 self-administered assessment tools (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, Perceived Stress Scale-10, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and COVID-19 Organizational Support) for anxiety, perceived stress, sleep disturbances, and organizational support during the COVID-19 pandemic.ResultsA total of 145 physicians completed the survey, with a female predominance of 53.5% and a majority practicing in the San Juan metropolitan area (50.3%). Mild anxiety symptoms were reported in 26.9% of physicians, and 33.8% had moderate to severe anxiety symptoms. Moderate to high perceived stress was found in 69.9% of participants, and women reported statistically significantly higher levels of anxiety symptoms (8.84 ± 5.99; p = 0.037) and stress (19.0 ± 6.94, p = 0.001). The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index reported 67.9% of physicians with global scores associated with poor sleep quality. Assessment of perceived organizational support found a high perception of work support (65.7%) but low perception of personal support (43.4%) and risk support (30.3%). A correlation analysis found a negative correlation for work and personal support, but a positive correlation for risk support, all statistically significant.ConclusionCOVID-19 had a lasting psychological impact in health care providers in Puerto Rico a year after the beginning of the pandemic. Our data supports the importance of organizational support and its correlation with the development of anxiety. It is thus essential to develop strategies to identify individuals at risk of experiencing psychological disturbances and to provide effective support for medical professionals during medical emergencies for their well-being and optimal delivery of patient care
All-particle cosmic ray energy spectrum measured by the HAWC experiment from 10 to 500 TeV
We report on the measurement of the all-particle cosmic ray energy spectrum
with the High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) Observatory in the energy range
10 to 500 TeV. HAWC is a ground based air-shower array deployed on the slopes
of Volcan Sierra Negra in the state of Puebla, Mexico, and is sensitive to
gamma rays and cosmic rays at TeV energies. The data used in this work were
taken from 234 days between June 2016 to February 2017. The primary cosmic-ray
energy is determined with a maximum likelihood approach using the particle
density as a function of distance to the shower core. Introducing quality cuts
to isolate events with shower cores landing on the array, the reconstructed
energy distribution is unfolded iteratively. The measured all-particle spectrum
is consistent with a broken power law with an index of prior to
a break at ) TeV, followed by an index of . The
spectrum also respresents a single measurement that spans the energy range
between direct detection and ground based experiments. As a verification of the
detector response, the energy scale and angular resolution are validated by
observation of the cosmic ray Moon shadow's dependence on energy.Comment: 16 pages, 11 figures, 4 tables, submission to Physical Review
- …