Source analysis of polyspike and wave complexes in juvenile myoclonic epilepsy

AbstractWe applied dipole modeling and brain distributed source analysis to find current sources comprising spikes and slow waves of polyspike and wave complexes (PSWC) in patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME). The dipoles were localized in frontal, parietal and temporal lobes. The frontal dipoles were clustered in the frontal medial gyrus and fronto-orbital region. A midsagittal frontal current source was observed using brain distributed source analysis in all patients. When the slow wave was analyzed, multiple sources in different cortical regions were detected using dipole modeling and brain distributed analysis. These results show pre-frontal medial current sources corresponding to spikes and many diffuse sources in cortical regions corresponding to wave components of PSWC in patients with JME

An updated list of the Mexican herpetofauna: with a summary of historical and contemporary studies

The growth in our knowledge of the diversity of the herpetofauna of Mexico has occurred over the period of approximately 445 years from the work of Francisco Hernández to that of a broad multinational array of present-day herpetologists. The work of this huge group of people has established Mexico as one of the most significant centers of herpetofaunal biodiversity in the world. This status is the result of a complex orography, in addition to diverse habitats and environments and the biogeographic history of Mexico. The current herpetofauna consists of 1,421 native and introduced species, allocated to 220 genera, and 61 families. This figure is comprised of 1,405 native species and 16 non-native species (as of April 2023). The non-native species include two anurans, 13 squamates, and one turtle. The level of endemism is very high, presently lying at 63%, with this level expected to increase with time. Species richness varies among the 32 federal entities in the country, from a low of 50 in Tlaxcala to a high of 492 in Oaxaca. Amphibian species richness by state-level can be envisioned as comprising three levels of low, medium, and high, with the lowest levels occurring in the Peninsula of Baja California, a group of seven states in north-central and central Mexico, and a group of three states in the Yucatan Peninsula, with the highest levels occupying the southern states of Guerrero, Puebla, Veracruz, Oaxaca, and Chiapas, and the medium level in the remaining states of the country. Reptile species richness also can be allocated to three categories, with the lowest level occupying Baja California Sur, a group of central states, and the states of the Yucatan Peninsula, and the highest level found in a cluster of the states of Veracruz, Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Chiapas. Knowledge of the Mexican herpetofauna will continue to grow with additional studies on systematics, conservation, and the construction of checklists at various levels

Estudio polisomnográfico en pacientes con fibromialgía primaria

La fibromialgía es un padecimiento de etiología desconocida que afecta con mayor frecuencia a las mujeres y se puede presentar en cualquier edad aunque es más frecuente entre el tercero y sexto decenio de la vida. Los pacientes tienen un nivel de melanotonina disminuido durante la noche por lo que tienen alteraciones del sueño pero existen pocos estudios de este problema. Se estudiaron 10 pacientes con este diagnóstico y se realizó poligrafía del sueño encontrándose alteraciones con su mente de la fase I y II a expensas de los lentes mayor número de despertares y sueño no reparador y fatiga duración, así como aumento de la sintomatología dolorosa

Body Composition and Biochemical Parameters of Nutritional Status: Correlation with Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Colorectal Cancer

Up to 60% of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients develop malnutrition, affecting treatment effectiveness, increasing toxicity, postoperative complications, hospital stay, and worsening health-related quality of life (HRQOL). This cross-sectional study analyzed data from 48 women and 65 men with CRC. We correlated scores of the scales from the questionnaires EORTC (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer) Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (QLQ)-C30 and Colorectal Cancer module Colorectal 29 (QLQ-CR29) with patients’ body composition and clinical and biochemical indicators of nutritional status. Results: Scores on quality of life were negatively associated with the lymphocyte count (rP = −0.386) and the fat trunk percentage (rP = −0.349) in the women’s group. Scores on the physical and role functioning were inversely associated with the adiposity percentage (rP = −0.486 and rP = −0.411, respectively). In men, total skeletal muscle mass (SMM) was positively associated with emotional functioning (rP = 0.450); the trunk SMM was negatively related to fatigue (rP = −0.586), nausea and vomiting (rP = −0.469), pain (rP = −0.506), and financial difficulties (rP = −0.475); additionally, serum albumin was positively related to physical, emotional, and social functioning scales (rPs = 0.395, 0.453, and 0.363, respectively) and negatively to fatigue (rP = −0.362), nausea and vomiting (rP = −0.387), and appetite loss (rP = −0.347). Among the men, the reduced SMM and biochemical, nutritional parameters were related to low scores on the EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-CR29 functioning scales. In conclusion, in patients with CRC, malnourishment could have a profound effect on the patients’ functionality and QoL (quality of life)

Phase Angle and Nutritional Status: The Impact on Survival and Health-Related Quality of Life in Locally Advanced Uterine Cervical Cancer

The phase angle, an indicator of muscle mass status and membrane cell integrity, has been associated with low survival, poorer clinical outcomes, and worse quality of life among cancer patients, but information on women with uterine cervical cancer (UCCa) is scarce. In this prospective study, we used a bioelectrical impedance analyzer to obtain the PA of 65 women with UCCa. We compared the health-related quality of life and inflammatory and nutritional indicators between low PA and normal PA. The mean age was 52 ± 13. The low PA and normal PA groups differed in terms of the C-reactive protein (15.8 ± 19.6 versus 6.82 ± 5.02, p = 0.022), glucose (125.39 ± 88.19 versus 88.78 ± 23.08, p = 0.021), albumin (3.9 ± 0.39 versus 4.37 ± 0.30, p = 0.000), EORTC QLQ-C30 loss of appetite symptom scale score (33.33 (0.0–100.00) versus 0.0 (0.0–0.0), p = 0.005), and EORTC QLQ-CX24 menopausal symptoms scale score (0.0 (0.0–33.33) versus 0.0 (0.0–100.0), p = 0.03). The main finding of the present study is the interaction between PA and obesity as critical cofactors in the UCCa adeno and adenosquamous histologic variants, to a greater extent than cervical squamous cell carcinoma

Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection Induces BCSFB Disruption but No BBB Disruption In Vivo: Implications in the Pathophysiology of Tuberculous Meningitis

Central nervous system (CNS) tuberculosis is the most lethal and devastating form among the diseases caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The mechanisms by which M. tuberculosis bacilli enter the CNS are still unclear. However, the BBB and the BCSFB have been proposed as possible routes of access into the brain. We previously reported that certain strains of M. tuberculosis possess an enhanced ability to cause secondary CNS infection in a mouse model of progressive pulmonary tuberculosis. Here, we evaluated the morphostructural and molecular integrity of CNS barriers. For this purpose, we analyzed through transmission electron microscopy the ultrastructure of brain parenchymal microvessels and choroid plexus epithelium from animals infected with two mycobacterial strains. Additionally, we determined the expression of junctional proteins and cytokines by immunological techniques. The results showed that the presence of M. tuberculosis induced disruption of the BCSFB but no disruption of the BBB, and that the severity of such damage was related to the strain used, suggesting that variations in the ability to cause CNS disease among distinct strains of bacteria may also be linked to their capacity to cause direct or indirect disruption of these barriers. Understanding the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in CNS tuberculosis may facilitate the establishment of new biomarkers and therapeutic targets

Adipocytokines and Insulin Resistance: Their Role as Benign Breast Disease and Breast Cancer Risk Factors in a High-Prevalence Overweight-Obesity Group of Women over 40 Years Old

Insulin levels, adipocytokines, and inflammatory mediators trigger benign breast disease (BBD) and breast cancer (BC). The relationship between serum adipocytokines levels, overweight-obesity, metabolic disturbs, and BC is unclear. Methods: To analyze the serum levels of the adipocytokines, insulin, and the HOMA IR in women without breast disease, with BBD or BC, and the role of these as risk factors for benign breast disease or breast cancer. Results: Adipsin values > 0.91 and visfatin levels > 1.18 ng/mL represent a risk factor to develop BBD in NBD lean women (OR = 18; and OR = 12). Data in overweight-obese women groups confirm the observation due to insulin levels > 2.6 mU/mL and HOMA IR > 0.78, with OR = 60.2 and 18, respectively; adipsin OR = 26.4, visfatin OR = 12. Breast cancer risk showed a similar behavior: Adipsin risk, adjusted by insulin and visfatin OR = 56 or HOMA IR and visfatin OR = 22.7. Conclusion: Adipose tissue is crucial for premalignant and malignant tissue transformation in women with overweight-obesity. The adipocyte–breast epithelium interaction could trigger a malignant transformation in a continuum, starting with BBD as premalignant disease, especially in overweight-obese women