Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

Catalina Toro-Peréz Julio Fierrro-Morales, Sergio Coronado, Tatiana Roa, eds. Minería, territorio y conflicto en Colombia. Bogotá: Universidad Nacional de Colombia, 2012. 510 pp.

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La justicia transicional en perspectiva comparada : Centroamérica y México

El libro centra sus ensayos sobre las secuelas dejadas por la violencia política en las sociedades centroamericanas. Se enfoca además en las medidas tomadas por diferentes actores para lidiar con el pasado (o para tratar de obviarlo), y en el impacto que han tenido estas medidas. Contribuye a la reflexión comparativa acerca del avance, las contradicciones y las limitaciones de la justicia transicional en Centroamérica. Los capítulos que se incluyen en el libro poseen una gran solidez académica. Los datos y análisis que ofrecen representan un paso muy importante para los estudios comparados de la subregión y examinan el tema desde diferentes enfoques, disciplinas, metodologías y espacios.Trabajo realizado con el apoyo del Programa UNAM DGAPA-PAPIIT IN400614Libro

The &beta;2-Subunit (AMOG) of Human Na+, K+-ATPase Is a Homophilic Adhesion Molecule

The &beta;2 subunit of Na+, K+-ATPase was originally identified as the adhesion molecule on glia (AMOG) that mediates the adhesion of astrocytes to neurons in the central nervous system and that is implicated in the regulation of neurite outgrowth and neuronal migration. While &beta;1 isoform have been shown to trans-interact in a species-specific mode with the &beta;1 subunit on the epithelial neighboring cell, the &beta;2 subunit has been shown to act as a recognition molecule on the glia. Nevertheless, none of the works have identified the binding partner of &beta;2 or described its adhesion mechanism. Until now, the interactions pronounced for &beta;2/AMOG are heterophilic cis-interactions. In the present report we designed experiments that would clarify whether &beta;2 is a cell&ndash;cell homophilic adhesion molecule. For this purpose, we performed protein docking analysis, cell&ndash;cell aggregation, and protein&ndash;protein interaction assays. We observed that the glycosylated extracellular domain of &beta;2/AMOG can make an energetically stable trans-interacting dimer. We show that CHO (Chinese Hamster Ovary) fibroblasts transfected with the human &beta;2 subunit become more adhesive and make large aggregates. The treatment with Tunicamycin in vivo reduced cell aggregation, suggesting the participation of N-glycans in that process. Protein&ndash;protein interaction assay in vivo with MDCK (Madin-Darby canine kidney) or CHO cells expressing a recombinant &beta;2 subunit show that the &beta;2 subunits on the cell surface of the transfected cell lines interact with each other. Overall, our results suggest that the human &beta;2 subunit can form trans-dimers between neighboring cells when expressed in non-astrocytic cells, such as fibroblasts (CHO) and epithelial cells (MDCK)

Rapid decrease in titer and breadth of neutralizing anti-HCV antibodies in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients who achieved SVR

The main targets for neutralizing anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies (HCV-nAbs) are the E1 and E2 envelope glycoproteins. We have studied the characteristics of HCV-nAbs through a retrospective study involving 29 HIV/HCV-coinfected patients who achieved sustained virological response (SVR) with peg-IFNα + ribavirin anti-HCV therapy. Plasma samples at baseline and week 24 after SVR were used to perform neutralization assays against five JFH1-based HCV recombinant viruses coding for E1 and E2 from genotypes 1a (H77), 1b (J4), 2a (JFH1), 3a (S52) and 4a (ED43). At baseline, the majority of plasma samples neutralized 1a, 1b, 2a, and 4a, but not 3a, genotypes. Twenty-four weeks following SVR, most neutralizing titers declined substantially. Furthermore, titers against 3a and 2a were not detected in many patients. Plasma samples with high HCV-nAb titers neutralized all genotypes, and the highest titers at the starting point correlated with the highest titers at week 24 after SVR. In conclusion, high titers of broad-spectrum HCV-nAbs were detected in HIV/HCV-coinfected individuals, however, those titers declined soon after SVR