Lactoferrin in the Battle against Intestinal Parasites: A Review

Lactoferrin is an iron-binding glycoprotein of the innate immune system, which is present in some mammalian fluids and secreted into the mucosae; it is also produced by the secondary granules of the polymorphonuclear neutrophils and secreted at infection sites. Lactoferricins (Lfcins) are peptides derived from the N-terminus of Lf. Lf avoids the iron availability to parasites in the body fluids due to its high avidity for iron, maintaining together with transferrin the free-iron concentration in about 10−18 M, which is too low to support the pathogenic invader survival. Intestinal parasitic diseases affect people worldwide, mainly in developing countries with poor hygienic conditions; for example, parasites such as Entamoeba histolytica, Giardia intestinalis, and Cryptosporidium parvum infect the human intestine when are orally ingested as cysts. Human and bovine Lf have been found parasiticidal in experiments in vitro and in animal models. Interestingly, Lf synergizes with metronidazole, the main drug used against E. histolytica and G. intestinalis. The aim of this chapter is to show the benefits of using Lf and Lfcins against intestinal parasitic diseases

Case report: Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children associated with COVID-19, macrophage activation syndrome, and incomplete Kawasaki disease

BackgroundMultisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), is a severe complication of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), characterized by persistent fever, systemic inflammatory response, and organ failure. MIS-C with a history of COVID-19 may share clinical features with other well-defined syndromes such as macrophage activation syndrome, Kawasaki disease, hemophagocytic syndrome and toxic shock syndrome.Case 1An 11-year-old male with a history of hypothyroidism and precocious puberty with positive antibody test for COVID-19 was admitted for fever, poor general condition, severe respiratory distress, refractory shock, and multiple organ failure. His laboratory examination showed elevated inflammatory parameters, and bone marrow aspirate showed hemophagocytosis.Case 2A 13-year-old male with a history of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and cognitive delay presented clinical manifestations of Kawasaki disease, fever, conjunctival congestion, exanthema, and hyperemia in oral mucosa, tongue, and genitals, with refractory shock and multiple organ failure. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and antibodies for COVID-19 were negative, inflammation parameters were elevated, and bone marrow aspirate showed hemophagocytosis. Patients required intensive care with invasive mechanical ventilation, vasopressor support, intravenous gamma globulin, systemic corticosteroids, low molecular weight heparin, antibiotics, and monoclonal antibodies and, patient 2 required renal replacement therapy.ConclusionsMultisystemic inflammatory syndrome in children can have atypical manifestations, and identifying them early is very important for the timely treatment and prognosis of patients

The anticancer activity of bovine lactoferrin is reduced by deglycosylation and it follows a different pathway in cervix and colon cancer cells

Bovine lactoferrin (bLF) is a glycosylated protein with purported beneficial properties. The aim of this work was to determine the role of bLF glycosylation in the adhesion, internalization, and growth inhibition of cancer cells. The viability of cervix (HeLa) and colon (Caco-2) cancer cells (MTT assay and epifluorescence microscopy) was inhibited by bLF, while deglycosylated bLF (bLFdeg) had no effect. Adhesion to cell surfaces was quantified by immunofluorescence assay and showed that bLF was able to bind more efficiently to both cell lines than bLFdeg. Microscopic observations indicated that bLF glycosylation favored bLF binding to epithelial cells and that it was endocytosed through caveolin-1-mediated internalization. In addition, the mechanism of action of bLF on cancer cell proliferation was investigated by determining the amount of phosphorylated intermediates of signaling pathways such as epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and protein kinase B (known as Akt). Chemoluminescence immunoassay of phosphorylated intermediates showed that bLF inhibited Akt phosphorylation, consistent with its growth inhibiting activity. This assay also indicated that the bLF receptor/signaling pathways may be different in the two cell lines, Caco-2 and HeLa. This work confirmed the effect of glycosylated bLF in inhibiting cancer cell growth and that glycosylation is required for optimal surface adhesion, internalization, and inhibition of the ERK/Akt pathway of cell proliferation through glycosylated cell surface receptors.The project was supported by Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, grant RTI2018-097982-B-I00, Grant PID2022-136874OB-C33 funded by MCIN/AEI/doi.org/10.13039/501100011033, Severo Ochoa Accreditation CEX2021-001189-S and Generalitat Valenciana grant Prometeo CIPROM_2021_082. Ramirez-Sánchez, D.A. was recipient of a PhD scholarship from CONACyT MEXICO (Ref. 291250) and she was supported by a grant of the Fundación Carolina-SEGIB, Spain.With funding from the Spanish government through the ‘Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence’ accreditation (CEX 2021-001189-S)Peer reviewe

Internet y vacunas: análisis de su uso por padres de familia, sus percepciones y asociaciones

A pesar de que la vacunación representa una de las estrategias preventivas más efectivas en salud pública, su aplicación siempre ha generado cierto escepticismo..

Balance de líquidos y lesión renal aguda en el choque séptico

Introducción: En el paciente con choque séptico, la administración excesiva de líquidos puede incrementar la morbilidad y mortalidad. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la asociación entre el balance de líquidos, la lesión renal aguda y la mortalidad en pacientes con choque séptico. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio de casos y controles en una unidad de terapia intensiva pediátrica. Se comparó el balance de líquidos en las primeras 72 h y la presencia de lesión renal aguda en pacientes con diagnóstico de choque séptico que fallecieron contra pacientes que sobrevivieron a la misma patología. Se realizó un análisis univariado y multivariado. Resultados: Se incluyeron 45 casos y 45 controles en el análisis. La mortalidad se asoció con riesgo pediátrico de mortalidad (PRISM) ≥ 26 puntos (RM 7.5, IC 95% 2.8-18.7; p = 0.000), disfunción orgánica logística pediátrica (PELOD) ≥ 24 puntos (RM 11.0, IC 95% 4.1-29.4; p = 0.000), creatinina ≥ 0.65 mg/dl (RM 5.6, IC 95% 2.2-13.9; p = 0.000), lactato ≥ 2.5 mmol/l (RM 2.5, IC 95% 1.1-5.9; p = 0.033), SvO2  9% en 72 h (RM 4.3, IC 95% 1.6-11.7; p = 0.003), lesión renal aguda (RM 5.7, IC 95% 2.2-15.1; p = 0.000). En el modelo multivariado, PRISM ≥ 26 y PELOD ≥ 24 puntos permanecieron significativas. Conclusiones: En los pacientes que fallecieron por choque séptico, el modelo multivariado mostró una asociación con PRISM ≥26 y PELOD ≥24 y una tendencia hacia la asociación con SvO2 9%

Binding and Endocytosis of Bovine Hololactoferrin by the Parasite Entamoeba histolytica

Entamoeba histolytica is a human parasite that requires iron (Fe) for its metabolic function and virulence. Bovine lactoferrin (B-Lf) and its peptides can be found in the digestive tract after dairy products are ingested. The aim of this study was to compare virulent trophozoites recently isolated from hamster liver abscesses with nonvirulent trophozoites maintained for more than 30 years in cultures in vitro regarding their interaction with iron-charged B-Lf (B-holo-Lf). We performed growth kinetics analyses of trophozoites in B-holo-Lf and throughout several consecutive transfers. The virulent parasites showed higher growth and tolerance to iron than nonvirulent parasites. Both amoeba variants specifically bound B-holo-Lf with a similar Kd. However, averages of 9.45 × 105 and 6.65 × 106 binding sites/cell were found for B-holo-Lf in nonvirulent and virulent amoebae, respectively. Virulent amoebae bound more efficiently to human and bovine holo-Lf, human holo-transferrin, and human and bovine hemoglobin than nonvirulent amoebae. Virulent amoebae showed two types of B-holo-Lf binding proteins. Although both amoebae endocytosed this glycoprotein through clathrin-coated vesicles, the virulent amoebae also endocytosed B-holo-Lf through a cholesterol-dependent mechanism. Both amoeba variants secreted cysteine proteases cleaving B-holo-Lf. These data demonstrate that the B-Lf endocytosis is more efficient in virulent amoebae

Concordancia entre procedimientos diagnósticos invasivos para la infección por Helicobacter pylori en adultos

Objetivo. Comparar la concordancia entre cultivo, histología y prueba rápida de la ureasa para el diagnóstico de infección por Helicobacter pylori, así como la relación de hallazgos histopatológicos y frecuencia de positividad entre dichos procedimientos diagnósticos. Material y métodos. Estudio de pruebas diagnósticas. Población de sujetos con endoscopía digestiva y toma de muestras gástricas antrales en un hospital de especialidades en México. Se realizó prueba rápida de la ureasa (una muestra), histología (dos muestras) y cultivo (dos muestras). Análisis estadístico con coeficiente de Kappa. Resultados. Se estudiaron 108 sujetos: 28 (25.9%) hombres y 80 (74.1%) mujeres; la edad promedio fue 49.1 (DE 15.1) años. El coeficiente de Kappa fue 0.729 y 0.377 entre cultivo con histología y prueba rápida de la ureasa respectivamente; asimismo, el coeficiente de Kappa fue 0.565 entre histologíay  prueba rápida de la ureasa. Conclusiones. La fuerza de concordancia fue mayor entre histología con cultivo y la prueba rápida de la ureasa, por lo cual la histología es lo más recomendable en la práctica clínica para la detección de la infección por Helicobacter pylori

Surveillance of Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli strains isolated from diarrhea cases from children, adults and elderly at northwest of Mexico

Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) strains are a main cause of gastrointestinal disease in developing countries. In this study we report the epidemiologic surveillance in a four-year period (January 2011 to December 2014) of DEC strains causing acute diarrhea throughout the Sinaloa State, Mexico. DEC strains were isolated from outpatients of all ages with acute diarrhea (N=1,037). Specific DEC pathotypes were identified by PCR-amplification of genes encoding virulence factors. The adhesion phenotype and antibiotic resistance were also investigated. DEC strains were detected in 23.3% (242/1037) of cases. The most frequently DEC strain isolated was EAEC (12.2%), 126/242 followed by EPEC (5.1%), 53/242, ETEC (4.3%), 43/242 DAEC (1.4%), 15/242, STEC (0.3%), 3/242 and EIEC (0.2%), 2/242. EHEC strains were not detected. Overall DEC strains were more prevalent in children ≤ 2 years of age with EPEC strains the most common of DEC pathotypes. While 65% of EAEC strains were classified as typical variant based on the aggregative adherence to in vitro cultures of HEp-2 cells, a high proportion of EPEC strains was classified as atypical strains. EAEC, EPEC, ETEC and DAEC strains were distributed in the north, central and south regions of Sinaloa state. Among all DEC strains, >90% were resistant to at least one commonly prescribed antibiotic. Strains were commonly resistant to first-line antibiotics such as tetracycline, ampicillin and sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim. Furthermore, more than 80% of DEC isolates were multi-drug resistant and EPEC and DAEC were the categories with major proportion of this feature. In conclusion, in nearly one out of four cases of acute diarrhea in Northwestern Mexico a multi-drug resistant DEC strain was isolated, in these cases EAEC was the most prevalent (52%) pathotype