Background: HIV continues to be a public health concern in Mexico and Latin America due to an increase in new infections, despite a decrease being observed globally. Treatment adherence is a pillar for achieving viral suppression. It prevents the spread of the disease at a community level and improves the quality and survival of people living with HIV. Thus, it is important to implement strategies to achieve sustained treatment adherence. Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a mobile health (mHealth) intervention based on SMS text messages to increase antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence for HIV-positive adults. Methods: A randomized controlled trial was performed at the Hospital Civil de Guadalajara – Fray Antonio Alcalde on HIV-positive adults who had initiated ART. The mHealth intervention included the use of SMS text messages as a reminder system for upcoming medical examinations and ART resupply to increase adherence. This intervention was provided to 40 participants for a 6-month period. A control group (n=40) received medical attention by the standard protocol used in the hospital. Intervention effectiveness was assessed by quantifying CD4+ T cells and viral load, as well as a self-report of adherence by the patient. Results: The intervention group had greater adherence to ART than the control group (96% vs 92%; P<.001). In addition, the intervention group had better clinical characteristics, including a lower viral load (141 copies/mL vs 2413 copies/mL; P<.001) and a trend toward higher CD4+ T cells counts (399 cells/μL vs 290 cells/μL; P=.15). Conclusions: These results show that an mHealth intervention significantly improves ART adherence. Implementing mHealth programs could enhance the commitment of HIV-positive adults to their treatment.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune inflammatory joint disease with complex pathogenesis associated with cytokine dysregulation. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) plays a role in systemic inflammation and joint destruction in RA and could be associated with the secretion of other immune-modulatory cytokines such as IL-25, IL-31, and IL-33. For the above, our main aim was to evaluate the IL-25, IL-31, and IL-33 secretion from recombinant human MIF (rhMIF)-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of RA patients. The rhMIF and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) plus rhMIF stimuli promote the secretion of IL-25, IL-31, and IL-33 (p < 0.05) from PBMC of RA patients. The study groups, the different stimuli, and the interaction between both showed a statistically significant effect on the secretion of IL-25 (p < 0.05) and IL-31 (p < 0.01). The study of the effect of the RA patient treatments and their interaction with the effect of stimuli did not show an interaction between them. In conclusion, our study generates new evidence for the role of MIF in the secretion of IL-25, IL-31, and IL-33 and its immunomodulatory effect on RA.

One of the micronutrients that has attracted the most attention in relation to COVID-19 is vitamin D. Although several factors affect its sufficiency; it has been argued that an optimal diet can ensure the intake of micronutrients with effects on immune response. Therefore, in this work we aimed to evaluate the food intake quality of SARS-CoV-2 positive Mexican patients and some of the common factors related to vitamin D deficiency. We conducted a cross-sectional study in 40 SARS-CoV-2 positive patients. Serum samples and clinical parameters were collected. Micronutrient intake and food intake quality were assessed with a 24-h dietary recall and the Mini-ECCA v.2, respectively. Thirty-eight percent of the sample had a healthy food intake. The median 25(OH)D concentration was 22.7 ng/mL. A considerable insufficient intake of micronutrients with immunomodulatory effects such as vitamin D (p < 0.0001), vitamin E (p < 0.0001), and zinc (p < 0.0001) was shown. Patients with 25(OH)D sufficiency, defined as a concentration >30 ng/mL, had better food intake quality (p = 0.02) and an intense physical activity (p = 0.03). In conclusion, a better level of food intake quality and intense physical activity are associated with 25(OH)D sufficiency in SARS-CoV-2 positive Mexican patients.

Background: Adherence to antiretroviral therapy is a critical component in achieving viral suppression in people living with HIV in addition to increasing overall quality of life. Several indirect methods have been used to measure adherence including the Simplified Medication Adherence Questionnaire (SMAQ). Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the reliability and validity of the SMAQ in men living with HIV/AIDS attending a Mexican national hospital. Methods: A cross-sectional analytical design study was carried out in a Mexican National Hospital in Jalisco, including men aged >18 years with at least 3 months of antiretroviral treatment, excluding those with cognitive difficulties in answering the survey. A minimum sample size was calculated to detect the contribution of the variables within the model. The analysis included descriptive tests, confirmatory factor analysis, reliability and validity assessment, correlation between adherence and viral load, and association between viral load and adherence. Results: The final analysis included a total of 260 patients with a mean age of 43 (SD 12) years and an average of 8.97 (SD 6.33) years on antiretroviral treatment. The SMAQ showed sufficient structural validity (comparative fit index=1, root-mean-square error of approximation=0, 90% CI 0-0.085) with satisfactory factor loadings on most questions except item 2 (Do you always take your medication at the prescribed time?). The reliability of the scale is acceptable (Cronbach α=0.702, ω=0.718). Adherence correlated with viral load significantly but not with recent TCD4 lymphocyte levels. Patients classified as adherent were three times more likely to be undetectable than nonadherent patients (odds ratio 3.31, 95% CI 1.13-9.64, P=.04). Conclusions: The SMAQ represents an adequate tool to assess adherence in men living with HIV in the Mexican context, this will contribute to this study and compression of adherence to establish future intervention programs.

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a persistent public health challenge in Mexico, particularly in large urban settings marked by social heterogeneity. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients diagnosed with tuberculosis and treated at a tertiary-level hospital in Guadalajara, Mexico, between 2020 and 2023. Unfavorable treatment outcomes were defined as treatment failure, loss to follow-up, or death. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors independently associated with unfavorable outcomes. Spatial analyses, including Kernel Density Estimation, Global Moran’s I, Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA), and Getis–Ord Gi*, were applied to explore the geographic distribution of unfavorable outcomes. Unfavorable tuberculosis treatment outcomes among patients treated at a tertiary-level hospital were not randomly distributed in space. Spatial epidemiological methods provided complementary, exploratory insights beyond individual-level clinical factors, highlighting geographic patterns that may inform place-sensitive public health interventions and strengthen routine tuberculosis surveillance, without implying causal inference.

Background. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). It is estimated that more than half of new infections are transmitted by asymptomatic people; therefore, the isolation of symptomatic people is not enough to control the spread of the disease. Methods. A total of 171 unvaccinated young adults (1835years) from Sonora, Mexico, who underwent a structured survey to identify prior COVID-19 infections, were included in this study. A qualitative determination of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in serum was performed by lateral flow immunoassay (Certum IgG/IgM Rapid Test cassette kit) and neutralizing antibodies were also determined (GenScript cPass assay). Results. A total of 36 people reported a history of COVID-19 infection, and 135 reported no history of COVID-19. In contrast, 49.6 (67/135) of individuals who had not reported a previous SARS-CoV-2 infection were seropositive to the rapid anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody test, and 48.1 (65/135) of them had neutralizing antibodies. Conclusions. These results suggest that in young adults, SARS-CoV-2 infections could be asymptomatic in a high percentage of individuals, which could contribute in part to the slow control of the current pandemic due to the large number of asymptomatic cases that are contagious and that could be a silent spread of the virus.