Establishment of triple-negative breast cancer cells based on BMI: A novel model in the correlation between obesity and breast cancer

IntroductionObesity has been associated with an increased risk of biologically aggressive variants in breast cancer. Women with obesity often have tumors diagnosed at later stages of the disease, associated with a poorer prognosis and a different response to treatment. Human cell lines have been derived from specific subtypes of breast cancer and have served to define the cell physiology of corresponding breast cancer subtypes. However, there are no current cell lines for breast cancer specifically derived from patients with different BMIs. The availability of those breast cancer cell lines should allow to describe and unravel functional alterations linked to these comorbidities. MethodsCell cultures were established from tumor explants. Once generated, the triple negative subtype in a patient with obesity and a patient with a normal BMI were chosen for comparison. For cellular characterization, the following assays were conducted: proliferation assays, chemo – sensitivity assays for doxorubicin and paclitaxel, wound healing motility assays, matrix invasion assays, breast cancer cell growth to estradiol by chronic exposure to leptin, induction of endothelial permeability and tumorigenic potential in athymic mice with normo - versus hypercaloric diets with an evaluation of the epithelium – mesenchymal transformation proteins.ResultsTwo different cell lines, were established from patients with breast cancer: DSG-BC1, with a BMI of 21.9 kg/m2 and DSG-BC2, with a BMI of 31.5 kg/m2. In vitro, these two cell lines show differential growth rates, motility, chemosensitivity, vascular permeability, response to leptin with an activation of the JAK2/STAT3/AKT signaling pathway. In vivo, they displayed distinct tumorigenic potential. In particular, DSG-BC2, presented higher tumorigenicity when implanted in mice fed with a hypercaloric diet.DiscussionTo our knowledge, these primary cultures are the first in vitro representation of both breast cancer and obesity. DSG – BC2 presented a more aggressive in vivo and in vitro phenotype. These results support the hypothesis that breast cancer generated in an obese metabolic state may represent a contrasting variant within the same disease. This new model will allow both further comprehension, functional studies and the analysis of altered molecular mechanisms under the comorbidity of obesity and breast cancer

tBHQ Induces a Hormetic Response That Protects L6 Myoblasts against the Toxic Effect of Palmitate

Nutritional status, in particular overweight and obesity, as well as sedentarism and high-fat diet consumption, are important risk factors to develop chronic diseases, which have a higher impact on the elderly’s health. Therefore, these nutritional problems have become a concern to human healthspan and longevity. The fatty acids obtained thru the diet or due to fatty acid synthesis during obesity accumulate within the body generating toxicity and cell death. Fat is not only stored in adipose tissue, but it can also be stored in skeletal muscle. Palmitic acid (PA) has been reported as one of the most important saturated free fatty acids; it is associated to chronic oxidative stress and increased mitochondrial ROS production causing cell death by apoptosis. In skeletal muscle, palmitate has been associated with various pathophysiological consequences, which lead to muscle deterioration during aging and obesity. Since molecules that modify redox state have been proven to prevent cellular damage by inducing a hormetic response, the aim of this study was to evaluate if tert-butylhydroquinone (tBHQ) could activate an antioxidant hormetic response that would be able to protect L6 myoblasts from palmitate toxic effect. Our results provide evidence that tBHQ is able to protect L6 myoblasts against the toxicity induced by sodium palmitate due to a synergistic activation of different signaling pathways such as Nrf2 and NF-κB

The Effects of COVID-19 on Healthcare Workers and Non-Healthcare Workers in Mexico: 14 Months into the Pandemic

Background and Objectives: Healthcare workers (HCWs) play important roles in mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic and are more likely to become infected with COVID-19. Mexico, among other countries, had a high incidence and prevalence of cases and deaths from this disease. Material and Methods: This retrospective study evaluated the clinical characteristics as well as the geographical distribution of cases, deaths, and active cases of COVID-19 in HCWs and non-HCWs using official information from the Ministry of Health of Mexico. Results: A total of 235,343 cases of COVID-19 were reported in healthcare workers, and 2,094,191 cases were reported in non-healthcare workers. A total of 76.0% of cases in healthcare workers occurred in those who were between 25 and 50 years of age, and 71.4% of deaths occurred in those who were 50 to 69 years of age. Among healthcare workers, the most frequent comorbidities were obesity (15.2%), hypertension (10.9%), and diabetes (6.8%). Nurses were the group with the most cases (39.7%), followed by other healthcare workers (30.6%), physicians (26%), and dentists (1.6%). Physicians were the group with the most deaths (46%), followed by other professionals (30%), nurses (19%), and dentists (3%). Conclusion: These findings are likely the result of healthcare workers in Mexico being at a greater risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2

High Molecular Weight ACTH-Precursor Presence in a Metastatic Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor Causing Severe Ectopic Cushing's Syndrome: A Case Report

Ectopic ACTH-secretion causing Cushing's syndrome is unusual and its diagnosis is frequently challenging. The presence of high-molecular-weight precursors throughout pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) translation by these tumors is often not reported. We present the case of a 49-year-old woman with a 3-month history of proximal muscular weakness, skin pigmentation, and weight loss. Upon initial evaluation, she had a full moon face, hirsutism, and a buffalo hump. Laboratory workup showed hyperglycemia, hypokalemia and metabolic alkalosis. ACTH, plasma cortisol, and urinary free cortisol levels were quite elevated. Serum cortisol levels were not suppressed on dexamethasone suppression testing. An octreo-SPECT scan showed enhanced nucleotide uptake in the liver and pancreas. Transendoscopic ultrasound-guided biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of a pancreatic ACTH-secreting neuroendocrine tumor (NET). Surgical excision of both pancreatic and liver lesions was carried out. Western blot analysis of the tumor and metastases revealed the presence of a high-molecular-weight precursor possibly POMC (at 30 kDa) but not ACTH (normally 4.5 kDa). ACTH-precursor secretion is more frequent in ectopic ACTH-secreting tumors compared with other causes of Cushing's syndrome. Hence, the measurement of such ACTH precursors warrants further evaluation, especially in the context of ACTH-dependent hypercortisolism

The Protective Role of Cranberries and Blueberries in Oral Cancer

Background: Oral cancer has a high prevalence worldwide, and this disease is caused by genetic, immunological, and environmental factors. The main risk factors associated with oral cancer are smoking and alcohol. Results: There are various strategies to reduce risk factors, including prevention programs as well as the consumption of an adequate diet that includes phytochemical compounds derived from cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon A.) and blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum L.); these compounds exhibit antitumor properties. Results: The main outcome of this review is as follows: the properties of phytochemicals derived from cranberries were evaluated for protection against risk factors associated with oral cancer. Conclusions: The secondary metabolites of cranberries promote biological effects that provide protection against smoking and alcoholism. An alternative for the prevention of oral cancer can be the consumption of these cranberries and blueberries

What Is the Support for Conspiracy Beliefs About COVID-19 Vaccines in Latin America? A Prospective Exploratory Study in 13 Countries

Conspiracy theories about COVID-19 began to emerge immediately after the first news about the disease and threaten to prolong the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic by limiting people’s willingness of receiving a life-saving vaccine. In this context, this study aimed to explore the variation of conspiracy beliefs regarding COVID-19 and the vaccine against it in 5779 people living in 13 Latin American countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela) according to sociodemographic variables such as gender, age, educational level and source of information about COVID-19. The study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic between September 15 and October 25, 2021. The Spanish-language COVID-19 Vaccine Conspiracy Beliefs Scale (ECCV-COVID) and a sociodemographic survey were used. The results indicate that, in most countries, women, people with a lower educational level and those who receive information about the vaccine and COVID-19 from family/friends are more supportive of conspiracy ideas regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. In the case of age, the results vary by country. The analysis of the responses to each of the questions of the ECCV-COVID reveals that, in general, the countries evaluated are mostly in some degree of disagreement or indecision regarding conspiratorial beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines. The findings could help open further study which could support prevention and treatment efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.Fil: Caycho Rodríguez, Tomás. Universidad Privada del Norte; PerúFil: Ventura León, José. Universidad Privada del Norte; PerúFil: Valencia, Pablo D.. Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala; MéxicoFil: Vilca, Lindsey W.. Universidad Norbert Wiener; PerúFil: Carbajal León, Carlos. Universidad Privada del Norte; PerúFil: Reyes Bossio, Mario. Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas; PerúFil: White, Michael. Universidad Peruana Unión; PerúFil: Rojas Jara, Claudio. Universidad Católica de Maule; ChileFil: Polanco Carrasco, Roberto. Cuadernos de Neuropsicología; ChileFil: Gallegos de San Vicente, Miguel Omar. Universidad Católica de Maule; Chile. Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais; Brasil. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto Rosario de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Educación. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Instituto Rosario de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Educación; ArgentinaFil: Cervigni, Mauricio Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto Rosario de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Educación. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Instituto Rosario de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Educación; Argentina. Universidad Adventista del Plata. Secretaría de Ciencia y Técnica. Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud y del Comportamiento; ArgentinaFil: Martino, Pablo Luis. Universidad Nacional de Rosario; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto Rosario de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Educación. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Instituto Rosario de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Educación; ArgentinaFil: Palacios, Diego Alejandro. Universidad Mariano Gálvez; GuatemalaFil: Moreta Herrera, Rodrigo. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador; EcuadorFil: Samaniego Pinho, Antonio. Universidad Nacional de Asunción; ParaguayFil: Lobos Rivera, Marlon Elías. Universidad Tecnológica de El Salvador; El SalvadorFil: Buschiazzo Figares, Andrés. Centro de Estudios Adlerianos; UruguayFil: Puerta Cortés, Diana Ximena. Universidad de Ibagué; ColombiaFil: Corrales Reyes, Ibraín Enrique. Hospital General Universitario Carlos Manuel de Céspedes; CubaFil: Calderón, Raymundo. Universidad del Valle de México; MéxicoFil: Pinto Tapia, Bismarck. Universidad Catolica Boliviana; BoliviaFil: Arias Gallegos, Walter L.. Universidad Católica San Pablo; PerúFil: Petzold, Olimpia. Université Libre de Bruxelles; Bélgica. Lone Star College-Conroe Center; Estados Unido

Cross-cultural invariance of the Spanish version of the COVID-19 Assessment Scorecard to measure the perception of government actions against COVID-19 in Latin America

Objectives: The present study aimed to evaluate the measurement invariance of a general measure of the perception of governmental responses to COVID-|19 (COVID-SCORE-10) in the general population of 13 Latin American countries. Methods: A total of 5780 individuals from 13 Latin American and Caribbean countries selected by non-probabilistic snowball sampling participated. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed and the alignment method was used to evaluate invariance. Additionally, a graded response model was used for the assessment of item characteristics. Results: The results indicate that there is approximate measurement invariance of the COVID-SCORE-10 among the participating countries. Furthermore, IRT results suggest that the COVID-SCORE-10 measures with good psychometric ability a broad spectrum of the construct assessed, especially around average levels. Comparison of COVID-SCORE-10 scores indicated that participants from Cuba, Uruguay and El Salvador had the most positive perceptions of government actions to address the pandemic. Thus, the underlying construct of perception of government actions was equivalent in all countries. Conclusion: The results show the importance of initially establishing the fundamental measurement properties and MI before inferring the cross-cultural universality of the construct to be measured.Fil: Caycho Rodríguez, Tomás. Universidad Cientifica del Sur;Fil: Valencia, Pablo D.. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Ventura León, José. Universidad Privada del Norte; PerúFil: Carbajal León, Carlos. Universidad Norbert Wiener; PerúFil: Vilca, Lindsey W.. Universidad Norbert Wiener; PerúFil: Reyes Bossio, Mario. Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas; PerúFil: Delgado Campusano, Mariel. Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas; PerúFil: Yupanqui Lorenzo, Daniel E.. Universidad de Ciencias y Humanidades; PerúFil: Paredes Angeles, Rubí. Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia;Fil: Rojas Jara, Claudio. Universidad Católica de Maule; ChileFil: Gallegos de San Vicente, Miguel Omar. Universidad Católica de Maule; Chile. Universidad Nacional de Rosario; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais; BrasilFil: Cervigni, Mauricio Alejandro. Universidad Nacional de Rosario; Argentina. Universidad Adventista del Plata; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Martino, Pablo Luis. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Psicología. Departamento Formación Basica. Laboratorio de Ciencias de Comportamiento; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Psicología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Polanco Carrasco, Roberto. Cuadernos de Neuropsicología; ChileFil: Palacios, Diego Alejandro. Universidad Mariano Gálvez; GuatemalaFil: Moreta-Herrera, Rodrigo. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador; EcuadorFil: Samaniego Pinho, Antonio. Universidad Nacional de Asunción; ParaguayFil: Lobos Rivera, Marlon Elías. Universidad Tecnológica de El Salvador; El SalvadorFil: Buschiazzo Figares, Andrés. Instituto Alfred Adler Uruguay; UruguayFil: Puerta Cortés, Diana Ximena. Universidad de Ibagué; ColombiaFil: Corrales Reyes, Ibraín Enrique. Hospital General Universitario Carlos Manuel de Céspedes; CubaFil: Calderón, Raymundo. Colegio Estatal de Psicólogos En Intervención de Jalisco A.c. Guadalajara; MéxicoFil: Arias Gallegos, Walter L.. Universidad Católica San Pablo; PerúFil: Petzold, Olimpia. Lone Star College; Estados UnidosFil: Vergara, Ibeth. Universidad Latina de Panamá; PanamáFil: Vega, Diego. Universidad Latina de Costa Rica; Costa RicaFil: Barria Asenjo, Nicol A.. Universidad de Los Lagos; ChileFil: Schulmeyer, Marion K.. Universidad Privada de Santa Cruz de la Sierra; BoliviaFil: Urrutia Rios, Hassell Tatiana. Asociación Nicaragüense para el desarrollo de la psicología; NicaraguaFil: Lira Lira, Arelly Esther. Asociación Nicaragüense para el desarrollo de la psicología; Nicaragu

Pandemic Grief and Suicidal Ideation in Latin American Countries: A Network Analysis

This study aimed to characterize the network structure of pandemic grief symptoms and suicidal ideation in 2174 people from eight Latin American countries. Pandemic grief and suicidal ideation were measured using the Pandemic Grief Scale and a single item, respectively. Network analysis provides an in-depth characterization of symptom-symptom interactions within mental disorders. The results indicated that, “desire to die,” “apathy” and “absence of sense of life” are the most central symptoms in a pandemic grief symptom network; therefore, these symptoms could be focal elements for preventive and treatment efforts. Suicidal ideation, the wish to die, and the absence of meaning in life had the strongest relationship. In general, the network structure did not differ among the participating countries. It identifies specific symptoms within the network that may increase the likelihood of their co-occurrence and is useful at the therapeutic level.Revisión por pare