Tactile Hallucinations: Presenting Symptom of Schizophrenia

Although previous reports about tactile hallucinations of sexual content suggesting Schizophrenia are known2, this disorder has been characterized mostly by hallucinations of visual/auditory content. At Schizophrenia presentation these two types of hallucinations are the prominent features. This report describes a patient who had no previous psychiatric symptoms and for whom tactile hallucinations were the presenting symptom of Schizophrenia

Promoción y protección de los derechos humanos de mujeres que viven con VIH. Su impacto en la calidad de vida

La presente investigación invita al análisis y reflexión en torno a las estrategias implementadas y/o las omisiones del gobierno mexicano en la protección y promoción de los derechos de las de las mujeres que viven con VIH, y a la manera en que éstas han impactado en su calidad de vida

MEXICAN WILD LUPINES AS A SOURCE OF QUINOLIZIDINE ALKALOIDS OF ECONOMIC POTENTIAL

Quinolizidine alkaloids such as lupanine,13-hydroxylupanine, multiflorine, angustifoline and sparteine, which are present inthe species of the genus Lupinus, have beenreported to have biopesticide and pharmacological activities. The aim of this studywas to quantify the content and variationof the individual alkaloids in seeds of L.mexicanus, L. exaltatus, L. montanus andL. stipulatus collected in different states ofMexico. Lupanine was the major (5.05 ±0.37 mg/g) alkaloid found in L. mexicanus,whereas sparteine was the main alkaloidpresent in L. montanus (3.97 ± 0.49 mg/g).Conversely, L. stipulatus contained onlysmall quantities of lupanine and sparteine(0.1 ± 0.002 and 0.04 ± 0.01 mg/g, respectively). Angustifoline was detected only in L.montanus, but in a very low amount (0.048± 0.03). The results of this study indicatethat L. mexicanus and L. montanus can beconsidered as important sources of lupanine and sparteine for their use as natural pesticide or pharmacological agents.Los alcaloides quinolizidinicos lupanina,13-hidroxilupanina, multiflorina, angustifolina y esparteina, presentes en el géneroLupinus poseen actividades bioplagiciday farmacológica. El objetivo del presenteestudio fue cuantificar el contenido y variación de los alcaloides mencionados ensemillas de L. mexicanus, L. exaltatus, L.montanus y L. stipulatus, colectados endiferentes estados de México. La lupaninafue el principal (5.05 ± 0.37mg /g) alcaloideencontrado en L. mexicanus, mientras que laesparteína fue el mayor alcaloide presente en L. montanus (3.97 ± 0.49 mg/g). Sinembargo, en L. stipulatus se encontraron pequeñas cantidades de lupanina y esparteína(0.1 ± 0.002 y 0.04 ± 0.01 mg/g, respectivamente). La angustifolina sólo se detectóen bajos niveles en L. montanus (0.048 ±0.03). Los resultados de este estudio indicanque L. mexicanus y L. montanus pueden serconsiderados como una fuente importantede lupanina y esparteína, los cuales puedenser utilizados como pesticidas o hipoglucé-micos naturales

Catatonia: Clinical overview of the diagnosis, treatment, and clinical challenges

Catatonia is a syndrome that has been associated with several mental illness disorders but that has also presented as a result of other medical conditions. Schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders such as mania and depression are known to be associated with catatonia; however, several case reports have been published of certain medical conditions inducing catatonia, including hypo-natremia, cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, and liver transplantation. Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome and anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis are also prominent causes of catatonia. Patients taking benzodiazepines or clozapine are also at risk of developing catatonia following the withdrawal of these medications—it is speculated that the prolonged use of these medications increases gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) activity and that discontinuation may increase excitatory neurotrans-mission, leading to catatonia. The treatment of catatonia often involves the use of benzodiazepines, such as lorazepam, that can be used in combination therapy with antipsychotics. Definitive treatment may be found with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Aberrant neuronal activity in different motor pathways, defective neurotransmitter regulation, and impaired oligodendrocyte function have all been proposed as the pathophysiology behind catatonia. There are many clinical challenges that come with catatonia and, as early treatment is associated with better outcomes, it becomes imperative to understand these challenges. The purpose of this manuscript is to provide an overview of these challenges and to look at clinical studies regarding the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of as well as the complications and risk factors associated with catatonia

Assisted evolution enables HIV-1 to overcome a high trim5α-imposed genetic barrier to rhesus macaque tropism

Diversification of antiretroviral factors during host evolution has erected formidable barriers to cross-species retrovirus transmission. This phenomenon likely protects humans from infection by many modern retroviruses, but it has also impaired the development of primate models of HIV-1 infection. Indeed, rhesus macaques are resistant to HIV-1, in part due to restriction imposed by the TRIM5α protein (rhTRIM5α). Initially, we attempted to derive rhTRIM5α-resistant HIV-1 strains using two strategies. First, HIV-1 was passaged in engineered human cells expressing rhTRIM5α. Second, a library of randomly mutagenized capsid protein (CA) sequences was screened for mutations that reduced rhTRIM5α sensitivity. Both approaches identified several individual mutations in CA that reduced rhTRIM5α sensitivity. However, neither approach yielded mutants that were fully resistant, perhaps because the locations of the mutations suggested that TRIM5α recognizes multiple determinants on the capsid surface. Moreover, even though additive effects of various CA mutations on HIV-1 resistance to rhTRIM5α were observed, combinations that gave full resistance were highly detrimental to fitness. Therefore, we employed an 'assisted evolution' approach in which individual CA mutations that reduced rhTRIM5α sensitivity without fitness penalties were randomly assorted in a library of viral clones containing synthetic CA sequences. Subsequent passage of the viral library in rhTRIM5α-expressing cells resulted in the selection of individual viral species that were fully fit and resistant to rhTRIM5α. These viruses encoded combinations of five mutations in CA that conferred complete or near complete resistance to the disruptive effects of rhTRIM5α on incoming viral cores, by abolishing recognition of the viral capsid. Importantly, HIV-1 variants encoding these CA substitutions and SIVmac239 Vif replicated efficiently in primary rhesus macaque lymphocytes. These findings demonstrate that rhTRIM5α is difficult to but not impossible to evade, and doing so should facilitate the development of primate models of HIV-1 infection

Potencial de recuperación de residuos sólidos domésticos dispuestos en un relleno sanitario

Conocer las cantidades y tipos de residuos sólidos domésticos (RSD) que son depositados en el relleno sanitario, brinda la posibilidad de proponer opciones sustentables para su aprovechamiento. Los residuos de cualquier localidad manejados de forma apropiada se pueden convertir en insumos de algún otro proceso. El objetivo de este estudio fue cuantificar los componentes de los RSD susceptibles de ser reciclados, depositados en el relleno sanitario de la ciudad de Ensenada (Baja California, México), para ser valorizados en el mercado de los reciclables. En promedio se podrían comercializar semanalmente 643.67 toneladas de residuos alimenticios para composta, 389.45 toneladas de papel y cartón, 217.55 toneladas de plástico, 78.81 toneladas de vidrio, 37.20 toneladas de metales y 8.11 toneladas de aluminio. Se obtendría en total un aproximado de MXP $911,224.18 (USD$ 71,693.48) por la comercialización de los principales reciclables

Conformational adaptation of Asian macaque TRIMCyp directs lineage specific antiviral activity

TRIMCyps are anti-retroviral proteins that have arisen independently in New World and Old World primates. All TRIMCyps comprise a CypA domain fused to the tripartite domains of TRIM5α but they have distinct lentiviral specificities, conferring HIV-1 restriction in New World owl monkeys and HIV-2 restriction in Old World rhesus macaques. Here we provide evidence that Asian macaque TRIMCyps have acquired changes that switch restriction specificity between different lentiviral lineages, resulting in species-specific alleles that target different viruses. Structural, thermodynamic and viral restriction analysis suggests that a single mutation in the Cyp domain, R69H, occurred early in macaque TRIMCyp evolution, expanding restriction specificity to the lentiviral lineages found in African green monkeys, sooty mangabeys and chimpanzees. Subsequent mutations have enhanced restriction to particular viruses but at the cost of broad specificity. We reveal how specificity is altered by a scaffold mutation, E143K, that modifies surface electrostatics and propagates conformational changes into the active site. Our results suggest that lentiviruses may have been important pathogens in Asian macaques despite the fact that there are no reported lentiviral infections in current macaque populations

Btla signaling in conventional and regulatory lymphocytes coordinately tempers humoral immunity in the intestinal mucosa

The Btla inhibitory receptor limits innate and adaptive immune responses, both preventing the development of autoimmune disease and restraining anti-viral and anti-tumor responses. It remains unclear how the functions of Btla in diverse lymphocytes contribute to immunoregulation. Here, we show that Btla inhibits activation of genes regulating metabolism and cytokine signaling, including Il6 and Hif1a, indicating a regulatory role in humoral immunity. Within mucosal Peyer\u27s patches, we find T-cell-expressed Btla-regulated Tfh cells, while Btla in T or B cells regulates GC B cell numbers. Treg-expressed Btla is required for cell-intrinsic Treg homeostasis that subsequently controls GC B cells. Loss of Btla in lymphocytes results in increased IgA bound to intestinal bacteria, correlating with altered microbial homeostasis and elevations in commensal and pathogenic bacteria. Together our studies provide important insights into how Btla functions as a checkpoint in diverse conventional and regulatory lymphocyte subsets to influence systemic immune responses

Boletín NUESTRA AMÉRICA XXI - Desafíos y alternativas, num.67, Mayo 2022

Una excelente iniciativa del Grupo de Trabajo Crisis y economía mundial, coordinado por María Josefina Morales, Julio Gambina y Gabriela Roffinelli

Evidence for Restriction of Ancient Primate Gammaretroviruses by APOBEC3 but Not TRIM5α Proteins

Because of evolutionary pressures imposed through episodic colonization by retroviruses, many mammals express factors, such as TRIM5α and APOBEC3 proteins, that directly restrict retroviral replication. TRIM5 and APOBEC restriction factors are most often studied in the context of modern primate lentiviruses, but it is likely that ancient retroviruses imposed the selective pressure that is evident in primate TRIM5 and APOBEC3 genes. Moreover, these antiretroviral factors have been shown to act against a variety of retroviruses, including gammaretroviruses. Endogenous retroviruses can provide a ‘fossil record’ of extinct retroviruses and perhaps evidence of ancient TRIM5 and APOBEC3 antiviral activity. Here, we investigate whether TRIM5 and APOBEC3 proteins restricted the replication of two groups of gammaretroviruses that were endogenized in the past few million years. These endogenous retroviruses appear quite widespread in the genomes of old world primates but failed to colonize the human germline. Our analyses suggest that TRIM5α proteins did not pose a major barrier to the cross-species transmission of these two families of gammaretroviruses, and did not contribute to their extinction. However, we uncovered extensive evidence for inactivation of ancient gammaretroviruses through the action of APOBEC3 cytidine deaminases. Interestingly, the identities of the cytidine deaminases responsible for inactivation appear to have varied in both a virus and host species–dependent manner. Overall, sequence analyses and reconstitution of ancient retroviruses from remnants that have been preserved in the genomes of modern organisms offer the opportunity to probe and potentially explain the evolutionary history of host defenses against retroviruses