Helminth diversity of two anurans: Rhinella marina and Incilius valliceps (Anura: Bufonidae) from lagunas de Yalahau, Yucatán, Mexico

En México, las comunidades de helmintos en anfibios han recibido poca atención. Durante 2005 y 2006, un total de 52 individuos del sapo marino (Rhinella marina) y 54 del sapo de la costa del golfo (Incilius valliceps) fueron recolectados en las lagunas de Yalahau (Yucatán, México) para estudiar dichas comunidades. Para comparar entre sus comunidades, se produjeron curvas de rarefacción y extrapolación basadas en el tamaño de la muestra y se estimó la diversidad usando los números de Hill. Se calcularon los 3 primeros números que se asocian a los estimadores de riqueza y dominancia de especies y se construyeron las curvas de rarefacción y extrapolación respectivas. Los resultados mostraron que con el tamaño de la muestra obtenido se registró la mayor parte de las especies de parásitos en ambos hospederos. Una mayor diversidad de helmintos y número de especies se registraron en R. marina frente a I. valliceps. Sin embargo, la extrapolación mostró que al alcanzar los 50 individuos no hay diferencias estadísticas entre ambas comunidades. Las comunidades de estos anfibios en esta región del trópico se ajustan al patrón descrito en latitudes neárticas. Igualmente, el hábitat que ocupan es un factor importante en la estructuración de sus comunidades helmínticas. ABSTRACT Helminth communities in amphibians in Mexico have received little attention. During 2005 and 2006, we collected a total of 52 individuals of the marine toad (Rhinella marina) and 54 of the southern Gulf Coast toad (Incilius valliceps) in the Lagunas de Yalahau (Yucatán, Mexico), in order to study their helminth communities. We produced rarefaction and extrapolation sample-size-based and coverage-based curves to provide asymptotic diversity estimators based on Hill numbers to compare the communities. We calculated the first 3 Hill numbers, which are associated with estimators of species richness and species dominance. In general, all results showed that the sample size was large enough to register most of the species of parasites present in both host toad species. We found more helminth species and a higher diversity in the R. marina community than that in I. valliceps. However, extrapolation analysis showed that when a sample size of 50 individuals is reached, there are no statistical differences between the helminth communities. Our results suggest that amphibian communities in this part of the tropics follow the same pattern as described for Nearctic latitudes, equally the terrestrial habitat of the hosts is an important factor in the structure of its helminth communities

Antiviral and Antiproliferative Potential of Marine Organisms from the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

[Abstract] Viral infections are one of the main human health problems in recent decades and the cancer remains one of the most lethal diseases worldwide. The development of new antiviral drugs for the treatment of human adenovirus (HAdV) infections continues to be a challenging goal for medicinal chemistry. There is no specific antiviral drug approved to treat infections caused by HAdV so far and the off-label treatments currently available show great variability in their effectiveness. In relation to cancer, most of the available drugs are designed to act on specific targets by altering the activity of involved transporters and genes. Taking into account the high antiviral and antiproliferative activity against tumor cell lines displayed by some marine natural products reported in the literature, sixty five marine organisms were selected: 51 sponges (Porifera), 13 ascidians (Chordata), and 1 gorgonian (Cnidaria), collected from Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, to evaluate their antiviral activity against human adenovirus type 5 (HAdV5) and their anticancer properties against five human tumor cell lines, namely human lung carcinoma (A549), human skin melanoma (A2058), hepatocyte carcinoma (HepG2), breast adenocarcinoma (MCF7), and pancreas carcinoma (MiaPaca-2). Eleven extracts displayed anti-HAdV activity being the organic extracts of Dysidea sp., Agelas citrina, Chondrilla sp., Spongia tubulifera, and Monanchora arbuscula the five most active ones. On the other hand, 24 extracts showed antiproliferative activity against at least one tumor cell line, being the extracts of the ascidian Eudistoma amanitum and the sponge Haliclona (Rhizoniera) curacaoensis the most active ones. This work constitutes the first wide antiviral and antiproliferative screening report of extracts from the marine sponges, ascidians, and a gorgonian collected from the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico.This work was supported by Grants RTI2018-093634-B-C22 and RTC-2016-4611-1 (AEI/FEDER, EU) from the State Agency for Research (AEI) of Spain, both co-funded by the FEDER Programme from the European Union, BLUEBIOLAB (0474_BLUEBIOLAB_1_E), Programme INTERREG V A of Spain-Portugal (POCTEP). The study was also funded by projects GRC2018/039 and Agrupación Estratégica CICA-INIBIC ED431E 2018/03 (Consejería de Educación, Universidad y Formación Profesional de la Junta de Galicia) from the Xunta de Galicia (autonomous government of the region). DP-P received a fellowship from the program National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT) of Mexico and the Secretariat of Research, Innovation and Higher Education (SIIES) of Yucatan (Mexico). Also supported by Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad, Spanish Network for Research in Infectious Diseases (REIPI RD16/0016/0009) – co-financed by “A way to achieve Europe” ERDF, the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Proyectos de Desarrollo Tecnológico en Salud (DTS17/00130 and PI18/01191), and the Spanish Adenovirus Network (AdenoNet, BIO2015/68990-REDT). JS-C is a researcher belonging to the program “Nicolás Monardes” (C-0059-2018), Servicio Andaluz de Salud, Junta de Andalucía, Spain. The antiproliferative studies were financed with internal funds from Fundación MEDINAXunta de Galicia; 0474_BLUEBIOLAB_1_EXunta de Galicia; GRC2018/039Xunta de Galicia; ED431E 2018/03Junta de Andalucía; C-0059-201

Antimicrobial Diterpene Alkaloids from an Agelas citrina Sponge Collected in the Yucatán Peninsula

[Abstract] Three new diterpene alkaloids, (+)-8-epiagelasine T (1), (+)-10-epiagelasine B (2), and (+)-12-hydroxyagelasidine C (3), along with three known compounds, (+)-ent-agelasine F (4), (+)-agelasine B (5), and (+)-agelasidine C (6), were isolated from the sponge Agelas citrina, collected on the coasts of the Yucatán Peninsula (Mexico). Their chemical structures were elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy, HRESIMS techniques, and a comparison with literature data. Although the synthesis of (+)-ent-agelasine F (4) has been previously reported, this is the first time that it was isolated as a natural product. The evaluation of the antimicrobial activity against the Gram-positive pathogens Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Enterococcus faecalis showed that all of them were active, with (+)-10-epiagelasine B (2) being the most active compound with an MIC in the range of 1–8 µg/mL. On the other hand, the Gram-negative pathogenes Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella pneumoniae were also evaluated, and only (+)-agelasine B (5) showed a moderate antibacterial activity with a MIC value of 16 μg/mL.This work was supported by grants RTI2018-093634-B-C22 from the State Agency for Research (AEI) of Spain, cofunded by the FEDER Programme from the European Union (MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/FEDER) and BLUEBIOLAB (0474_BLUEBIOLAB_1_E), Programme INTERREG V A of Spain-Portugal (POCTEP). This work was supported by Projects PI17/01482 and PI20/01212 awarded to AB, all within in the National Plan for Scientific Research, Development and Technological Innovation 2017–2020 and funded by the ISCIII—General Subdirection of Assessment and Promotion of the Research-European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) “A way of making Europe”. The work was also supported by CIBERINFEC (CIBER de Enfermedades Infecciosas). The study was also funded by project IN607D 2021/12 (GAIN-Agencia Gallega de Innovación—Consellería de Economía, Emprego e Industria) awarded to AB. The study was also funded by projects GRC2018/039 from Xunta de Galicia. Dawrin Pech-Puch received his postdoctoral fellowship from the National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT) of Mexico. This work was supported by the Max Planck Society and the DFG (Gr1211/19-1)/CAPES 418729698 projectXunta de Galicia; IN607D 2021/12Xunta de Galicia; GRC2018/039Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft = German Research Foundation; Gr1211/19-1Brasil. Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES); 41872969

Efectividad de 5-fluoruracilo y vinorelbina en pacientes multitratadas por cáncer de mama metastásico

Objetivo. Evaluar la actividad y toxicidad de fluoruracilo en infusión continua y vinorelbina en segunda o tercera línea de tratamiento del cáncer de mama metastásico (CMM). Método y pacientes. En este estudio fase II se incluyeron 24 pacientes que habían recibido doxorrubicina y/o paclitaxel. Se administró 5-fluoruracilo a 1g/m2/día en infusión continua por 3 días y vinorelbina a 30 mg/m2 D1 cada 21 días por 6 ciclos. Resultados. Las respuestas globales observadas fueron del 37,5% (12,5% respuestas completas). El período libre de enfermedad se calculó una media de 6,33 ± 8,12 meses (IC 95% de 3,43 meses). Se observó toxicidad en el 12,5% de las pacientes y no se registró toxicidad grave ni muertes relacionadas a tratamiento. Conclusión. El 5-fluoruracilo/vinorelbina a las dosis administradas es un esquema efectivo en pacientes con CMM multitratadas, con un bajo perfil de toxicidad y costo

Effect of rowing on mobility, functionality, and quality of life in women with and without breast cancer: a 4-month intervention

Purpose: Of the different modalities of rowing, dragon boat training is the most analyzed in breast cancer (BC). However, other types of boats, such as the felucca, use different biomechanical techniques, which have not been studied in the scientific literature. Consequently, in this study, we sought to determine the benefits of felucca rowing on the physical, psychological, and emotional well-being of patients with BC and healthy persons. Methods: A pre- and post-intervention, single-arm study without a control group with a 4-month intervention was carried out in Spain in 2019. The study sample included six women with BC and 15 healthy women. The following questionnaires were administered before and after the intervention: Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH), Constant-Murley score (CMS), and the European Quality of Life 5 Dimensions (EQ-5D, rate your health today). Differences were determined before and after the intervention using the paired t test. Results: Significant differences (p < 0.05) were found in the results of all the questionnaires for the women with BC and for the healthy women: DASH (- 13.8 BC and - 6.7 healthy), CMS (+ 12.0 BC and 9.2 healthy), and EQ-5D (+ 8.5 BC and 10.5 healthy). Conclusion: Felucca rowing showed benefits in health and quality of life in both women with BC and healthy women. In future studies with controlled design, values regarding clinical relevance, such as effect sizes/confidence intervals, are needed to corroborate our results

Marine Organisms from the Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico) as a Potential Natural Source of Antibacterial Compounds

[Abstract] A total of 51 sponges (Porifera) and 13 ascidians (Chordata) were collected on the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico) and extracted with organic solvents. The resulting extracts were screened for antibacterial activity against four multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial pathogens: the Gram-negative Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and the Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of the organic extracts of each marine organism were determined using a broth microdilution assay. Extracts of eight of the species, in particular the Agelas citrina and Haliclona (Rhizoniera) curacaoensis, displayed activity against some of the pathogens tested. Some of the extracts showed similar MIC values to known antibiotics such as penicillins and aminoglycosides. This study is the first to carry out antimicrobial screening of extracts of marine sponges and ascidians collected from the Yucatan Peninsula. Bioassay-guided fractionation of the active extracts from the sponges Amphimedon compressa and A. citrina displayed, as a preliminary result, that an inseparable mixture of halitoxins and amphitoxins and (-)-agelasine B, respectively, are the major compounds responsible for their corresponding antibacterial activities. This is the first report of the antimicrobial activity of halitoxins and amphitoxins against major multidrug-resistant human pathogens. The promising antibacterial activities detected in this study indicate the coast of Yucatan Peninsula as a potential source of a great variety of marine organisms worthy of further research.This work was supported by Grants RTI2018-093634-B-C22 (AEI/FEDER, EU) from the State Agency for Research (AEI) of Spain, co-funded by the FEDER Programme from the European Union, by projects PI15/00860 and PI18/00501 to GB and PI14/00059 and PI17/01482 to AB (Instituto de Salud Carlos III) and BLUEBIOLAB (0474_BLUEBIOLAB_1_E), Programme INTERREG V A of Spain-Portugal (POCTEP). The study was also funded by projects IN607A 2016/22 (GAIN- Agencia Gallega de Innovación - Consellería de Economía, Emprego e Industria) and GRC2018/039 and Agrupación Estratégica CICA-INIBIC ED431E 2018/03 (Consellería de Educación, Universidades e Formación Profesional) from the Xunta de Galicia (autonomous government of the region). Support was also provided by Planes Nacionales de I+D+i 2013-2016 and ISCIII, Subdirección General de Redes y Centros de Investigación Cooperativa, Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Spanish Network for Research in Infectious Diseases (REIPI RD16/0016/006) co-financed by European Development Regional Fund "A way to achieve Europe" and the operative program Intelligent Growth 2014-2020. J.C.V.U. was financially supported by the pFIS Programme (FI18/00315), M.M.G. was financially supported by a Clara Roy grant (SEIMC) and C.L.M. by IN606A-2019/029. D.P.P. received a fellowship from the program National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT) of Mexico and the Secretariat of Research, Innovation and Higher Education (SIIES) of Yucatan (Mexico)Xunta de Galicia; 0474_BLUEBIOLAB_1_EXunta de Galicia; IN607A 2016/22Xunta de Galicia; GRC2018/039Xunta de Galicia; ED431E 2018/03Xunta de Galicia; IN606A-2019/02

Effect of a nutritional intervention on the intestinal microbiota of vertically HIV-infected children: The pediabiota study

This article belongs to the Special Issue Role of Prebiotics and Probiotics in Health and Disease.[Aims]: The gut microbiota exerts a critical influence in the immune system. The gut microbiota of human virus immunodeficiency (HIV)-infected children remains barely explored. We aimed to characterize the fecal microbiota in vertically HIV-infected children and to explore the effects of its modulation with a symbiotic nutritional intervention.[Methods]: A pilot, double blind, randomized placebo-controlled study including HIV-infected children who were randomized to receive a nutritional supplementation including prebiotics and probiotics or placebo for four weeks. HIV-uninfected siblings were recruited as controls. The V3–V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene was sequenced in fecal samples.[Results]: 22 HIV-infected children on antiretroviral therapy (ART) and with viral load (VL) <50/mL completed the follow-up period. Mean age was 11.4 ± 3.4 years, eight (32%) were male. Their microbiota showed reduced alpha diversity compared to controls and distinct beta diversity at the genus level (Adonis p = 0.042). Patients showed decreased abundance of commensals Faecalibacterium and an increase in Prevotella, Akkermansia and Escherichia. The nutritional intervention shaped the microbiota towards the control group, without a clear directionality.[Conclusions]: Vertical HIV infection is characterized by changes in gut microbiota structure, distinct at the compositional level from the findings reported in adults. A short nutritional intervention attenuated bacterial dysbiosis, without clear changes at the community level.[Summary]: In a group of 24 vertically HIV-infected children, in comparison to 11 uninfected controls, intestinal dysbiosis was observed despite effective ART. Although not fully effective to restore the microbiota, a short intervention with pre/probiotics attenuated bacterial dysbiosis.This work was funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Acción Estratégica en Salud (PI13/0422, ICI14/00207, PI17/01283, and PI18/00042) and by an agreement between the Instituto de Salud Carlos III and the Fundación Asociación Española contra el Cáncer within the ERANET TRANSCAN-2 program, grant number AC17/00022. CoRISpe is integrated in the Spanish AIDS Research Network (RIS), supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Grant nº RD06/0006/0034 and nº RD06/0006/0035). TS was funded by a 2014 Research Fellowship Award from the European Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases (ESPID) and is now funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation- Instituto de Salud Carlos III and Fondos FEDER (Contratos Juan Rodés R16/00021). Nutricion Médica NM, SL, manufactured and packaged the nutritional product under investigation.Peer reviewe

Lo glocal y el turismo. Nuevos paradigmas de interpretación.

El estudio del turismo se realiza desde múltiples escalas y enfoques, este libro aborda muchos temas que es necesario discutir desde diversas perspectivas; es el caso de la reflexión sobre la propia disciplina y sus conceptos, así como los asuntos específicos referidos al impacto territorial, los tipos de turismo, las cuestiones ambientales, el tema de la pobreza, la competitividad, las políticas públicas, el papel de las universidades, las áreas naturales protegidas, la sustentabilidad, la cultura, el desarrollo, la seguridad, todos temas centrales documentados y expuestos con originalidad y dominio del asunto. Lo multiescalar es básico para la comprensión del sistema turístico, sistema formado de procesos globales, regionales y locales. El eje de discusión del libro es lo glocal, esa interacción entre lo nacional y local con lo global

Treatment with tocilizumab or corticosteroids for COVID-19 patients with hyperinflammatory state: a multicentre cohort study (SAM-COVID-19)

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the association between tocilizumab or corticosteroids and the risk of intubation or death in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) with a hyperinflammatory state according to clinical and laboratory parameters. Methods: A cohort study was performed in 60 Spanish hospitals including 778 patients with COVID-19 and clinical and laboratory data indicative of a hyperinflammatory state. Treatment was mainly with tocilizumab, an intermediate-high dose of corticosteroids (IHDC), a pulse dose of corticosteroids (PDC), combination therapy, or no treatment. Primary outcome was intubation or death; follow-up was 21 days. Propensity score-adjusted estimations using Cox regression (logistic regression if needed) were calculated. Propensity scores were used as confounders, matching variables and for the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTWs). Results: In all, 88, 117, 78 and 151 patients treated with tocilizumab, IHDC, PDC, and combination therapy, respectively, were compared with 344 untreated patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 10 (11.4%), 27 (23.1%), 12 (15.4%), 40 (25.6%) and 69 (21.1%), respectively. The IPTW-based hazard ratios (odds ratio for combination therapy) for the primary endpoint were 0.32 (95%CI 0.22-0.47; p < 0.001) for tocilizumab, 0.82 (0.71-1.30; p 0.82) for IHDC, 0.61 (0.43-0.86; p 0.006) for PDC, and 1.17 (0.86-1.58; p 0.30) for combination therapy. Other applications of the propensity score provided similar results, but were not significant for PDC. Tocilizumab was also associated with lower hazard of death alone in IPTW analysis (0.07; 0.02-0.17; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Tocilizumab might be useful in COVID-19 patients with a hyperinflammatory state and should be prioritized for randomized trials in this situatio