Looking for Crumbs in the Obesity Forest: Anti-obesity Interventions and Obesity-Associated Cardiometabolic Traits in the Mexican Population. History and Systematic Review With Meta-Analyses

Mexicans and Mexican Americans share culture, genetic background, and predisposition for chronic complications associated with obesity and diabetes making imperative efficacious treatments and prevention. Obesity has been treated for centuries focused-on weight loss while other treatments on associated conditions like gout, diabetes (T2D), and hypertriglyceridemia. To date, there is no systematic review that synthesizes the origin of obesity clinics in Mexico and the efforts to investigate treatments for obesity tested by randomized clinical trials (RCT). We conducted systematic searches in Pubmed, Scopus, and Web of Science to retrieve anti-obesity RCT through 2019 and without an inferior temporal limit. The systematic review included RCT of anti-obesity treatments in the Mexican adult population, covering alternative medicine, pharmacological, nutritional, behavioral, and surgical interventions reporting metabolism-associated traits such as BMI, weight, waist circumference, triglycerides, glucose, among others. Only the studies with at least 3 months of treatment were included in the meta-analyses in order to reduce placebo effects. We found 634 entries, after removal of duplicates and screening the studies based on eligibility criteria, we analyzed 43 national, and 2 multinational-collaborative studies. Most of the national studies had small sample sizes, and the implemented strategies do not have replications in the population. The nutrition/behavioral interventions were difficult to blind, and most studies have medium-to-high risk of bias. Nutritional/behavioral interventions and medications showed effects on BMI, waist circumference, and blood pressure. Simple measures like pure water instead of sweet beverages decrease triglycerides and systolic blood pressure. Dark chocolate showed the highest effect for BMI and high blood pressure, and treatment with insulin increased weight in those with T2D. The study of obesity in Mexico has been on-going for more than four decades, the interest on RCT just increased until this millennium, but with small sample sizes and lack of replication. The interventions affect different cardiometabolic associated traits, which should be analyzed in detail in the population living near the Mexico-U.S. border; therefore, bi-national collaboration is desirable to disentangle the cultural effects on this population\u27s treatment response

"Help! I Need Somebody": Music as a Global Resource for Obtaining Wellbeing Goals in Times of Crisis.

Music can reduce stress and anxiety, enhance positive mood, and facilitate social bonding. However, little is known about the role of music and related personal or cultural (individualistic vs. collectivistic) variables in maintaining wellbeing during times of stress and social isolation as imposed by the COVID-19 crisis. In an online questionnaire, administered in 11 countries (Argentina, Brazil, China, Colombia, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, the UK, and USA, N = 5,619), participants rated the relevance of wellbeing goals during the pandemic, and the effectiveness of different activities in obtaining these goals. Music was found to be the most effective activity for three out of five wellbeing goals: enjoyment, venting negative emotions, and self-connection. For diversion, music was equally good as entertainment, while it was second best to create a sense of togetherness, after socialization. This result was evident across different countries and gender, with minor effects of age on specific goals, and a clear effect of the importance of music in people's lives. Cultural effects were generally small and surfaced mainly in the use of music to obtain a sense of togetherness. Interestingly, culture moderated the use of negatively valenced and nostalgic music for those higher in distress

"Help! I Need Somebody": Music as a Global Resource for Obtaining Wellbeing Goals in Times of Crisis

Music can reduce stress and anxiety, enhance positive mood, and facilitate social bonding. However, little is known about the role of music and related personal or cultural (individualistic vs. collectivistic) variables in maintaining wellbeing during times of stress and social isolation as imposed by the COVID-19 crisis. In an online questionnaire, administered in 11 countries (Argentina, Brazil, China, Colombia, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, the UK, and USA, N = 5,619), participants rated the relevance of wellbeing goals during the pandemic, and the effectiveness of different activities in obtaining these goals. Music was found to be the most effective activity for three out of five wellbeing goals: enjoyment, venting negative emotions, and self-connection. For diversion, music was equally good as entertainment, while it was second best to create a sense of togetherness, after socialization. This result was evident across different countries and gender, with minor effects of age on specific goals, and a clear effect of the importance of music in people's lives. Cultural effects were generally small and surfaced mainly in the use of music to obtain a sense of togetherness. Interestingly, culture moderated the use of negatively valenced and nostalgic music for those higher in distress.Laboratorio para el Estudio de la Experiencia Musica

El epigenoma circulante [The circulating epigenome]

Resumen Desde el descubrimiento de los ácidos nucleicos en circulación sanguínea humana por Mandel y Métais en 1948, se ha demostrado la presencia del ADN y ARN circulantes (ANcir) en los distintos fluidos corporales tanto de plantas como animales. En humanos, esta presencia extracelular de ácidos nucleicos ocurre en personas sanas o con distintas condiciones clínicas. Por otro lado, la epigenética hace referencia tanto a los cambios heredables en la actividad y expresión génica (en la progenie de células o individuos), así como a las alteraciones estables de largo plazo en el potencial transcripcional de una célula que no necesariamente son heredables. Mientras tanto, el estudio del epigenoma implica la descripción completa de las modificaciones químicas tanto del DNA como de las histonas a lo largo del genoma, así como a los transcritos no codificantes (ncRNA), los cuales conforman una red de regulación que modula la estructura de la cromatina y la función del genoma, generando patrones de expresión particulares a cada tipo celular, mecanismo mediante el cual los genes establecen sus efectos fenotípicos involucrando interacciones adaptativas con el ambiente. El epigenoma circulante se observa mediante el análisis en los fluidos corporales de las modificaciones al DNA e histonas, así como de los ncRNA, que de manera individual o conjunta participan en la regulación de la expresión de transcritos, tanto codificantes como no codificantes. En este capítulo se sintetiza el conocimiento de los ANcir en distintas condiciones clínicas y del epigenoma circulante, incluyendo diversos abordajes de su investigación en condiciones complejas: cáncer, embarazo, trasplante de órganos, trastornos neurodegenerativos, enfermedades cardiovasculares, enfermedades metabólicas, entre otras. Además, se presenta por primera vez el concepto del exoepigenoma: el estudio del efecto regulatorio de los ácidos nucleicos y proteínas exógenas sobre la expresión de genes blancos ajenos, como un mecanismo de comunicación celular sistémico e inter-organísmico. La función y biología de este mecanismo de regulación exoepigenómico requieren de mayor estudio, en particular, para el abordaje de condiciones normales y patológicas desde una perspectiva ecológico-evolutiva compleja. Abstract Since the discovery of nucleic acids in human blood circulation by Mandel and Métais in 1948, the presence of circulating DNA and RNA (CNAs) in body fluids of both plants and animals has been demonstrated. In humans, this extracellular presence of nucleic acids occurs in healthy people and in those with clinical conditions. On the other hand, epigenetics refers to both heritable changes in gene activity and expression (in the progeny of cells or individuals), as well as long-term stable alterations in the transcriptional potential of a cell that are not necessarily heritable. Meanwhile, the study of the epigenome involves the complete description of the chemical modifications of both DNA and histones throughout the genome, as well as non-coding transcripts (ncRNA), which form a regulatory network that modulates chromatin structure and genome function, generating expression patterns particular to each cell type, a mechanism by which genes establish their phenotypic effects involving adaptive interactions with the environment. The circulating epigenome is observed through the analysis in body fluids of modifications to DNA and histones, as well as ncRNA, which individually or jointly participate in the regulation of transcriptional expression, both coding and non-coding. This chapter synthesizes the knowledge of CNAs in different clinical conditions and of the circulating epigenome, including various research approaches in complex conditions: cancer, pregnancy, organ transplantation, neurodegenerative disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and metabolic diseases, among others. In addition, the concept of the exoepigenome is presented for the first time, which refers to the study of the regulatory role of exogenous nucleic acids and proteins on the expression of foreign target genes, as a systemic and inter-organismic cellular communication mechanism. The function and biology of this exoepigenomic regulatory mechanism require further study, particularly, to address normal and pathological conditions from a complex ecological-evolutionary perspective

Authors in the age of language-generation AI: to be or not to be, that is… the question?

Recently, the GPT-3 language model developed by OpenAI, ChatGPT, has generated a great stir in both academic and general communities. As the use of AI in scientific writing increases, it is important to understand the advantages and limitations of ChatGPT and its potential impact on the research and publishing process. It is important to discuss the benefits of using ChatGPT, the ethical concerns surrounding its use, and the practical considerations for incorporating it into scientific writing. With a deeper understanding of ChatGPT and its capabilities, researchers and authors will be able to make informed decisions about the role of AI in their works

Transferencia Horizontal de Genes (THG)

Martínez-Ezquerro, J. D. (2010) Consecuencias de la transferencia horizontal de genes en la evolución genómica eucarionte (Licenciatura) Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, doi: 10.31237/osf.io/2du4

AI healthcare applications beyond ChatGPT

There are several potential applications of generative AIs beyond ChatGPT in healthcare domains: health administration, medical education, medical research, medical support, public health, remote medicine, personalized medicine, patient engagement, social medicine, and diagnostics. ChatGPT and similar conversational AIs are not specifically trained as medical chatbots and are still in early stages of development. Continuous improvements are expected, including integration with reputable sources and the development of language models with an emphasis on citation and medical applications. The accuracy and reliability of these technologies must be continually assessed before their full integration into the medical ecosystem. These applications require the development of corresponding guidelines and safeguards for the ethical use of domain-specific AIs. The use of these technologies must be guided by human expertise and judgment until their risks are mitigated and ethical considerations are ensured for their use in healthcare

Búsqueda y recuperación de la literatura científica

En sentido amplio, investigar involucra cualquier búsqueda y recopilación sistemática y pertinente de datos, información y hechos, así como su análisis, para aumentar el conocimiento sobre un tema determinado. Un aspecto fundamental durante el proceso de investigación involucra el conocimiento y dominio práctico de la literatura científica (alfabetización informacional). En este capítulo se presentan las principales bases de datos de la literatura académica que contienen datos relevantes a las áreas de la salud y biomédicas. Además, presentamos estrategias de búsqueda bibliográfica para facilitar su adquisición cotidiana, sistemática, reproducible y precisa, que nos permita realizar investigaciones profundas y generar nuevo conocimiento. Martínez-Ezquerro JD, Rendón-Macías ME (2021) “Búsqueda y recuperación de la literatura científica” en: (coord. Miguel Ángel Villasís-Keever, Mario Enrique Rendón-Macías) Guía práctica para la elaboración de protocolos de investigación clínica (24-39). Ciudad de México: Sociedad Mexicana de Pediatría, 250p. (ISBN 978-607-7545-07-1), doi: https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/y4ne