Urolithiasis (UL) involves the formation of stones in different parts of the urinary tract. UL is a health problem, and its prevalence has increased considerably in developing countries. Several regions use plants in traditional medicine as an alternative in the treatment or prevention of UL. Mexico has known about the role of traditional medicine in the management of urinary stones. Mexican traditional medicine uses plants such as Argemone mexicana L., Berberis trifoliata Hartw. ex Lindl., Costus mexicanus Liebm, Chenopodium album L., Ammi visnaga (L.) Lam., Eysenhardtia polystachya (Ortega) Sarg., Selaginella lepidophylla (Hook. & Grev.) Spring, and Taraxacum officinale L. These plants contain different bioactive compounds, including polyphenols, flavonoids, phytosterols, saponins, furanochromones, alkaloids, and terpenoids, which could be effective in preventing the process of stone formation. Evidence suggests that their beneficial effects might be associated with litholytic, antispasmodic, and diuretic activities, as well as an inhibitory effect on crystallization, nucleation, and aggregation of crystals. The molecular mechanisms involving these effects could be related to antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties. Thus, the review aims to summarize the preclinical evidence, bioactive compounds, and molecular mechanisms of the plants used in Mexican traditional medicine for the management of UL.

Background. Activation of the immune system response is associated with the generation of oxidative stress (OS). Several alterations are involved in OS, such as excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and decreased antioxidant activity, which together lead to an imbalance in redox status. The role of OS during SARS‐CoV‐2 infection is not fully understood. The aim of this study was to determine OS biomarkers and assess their usefulness as a predictor of mortality in COVID‐19 patients. Methods. Baseline characteristics and serum samples were collected from hospitalized COVID‐19 patients and compared with healthy controls. The serum OS biomarkers, including malondialdehyde (MDA) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC), were assessed by spectrophotometric and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) methods, respectively. Results. A total of 152 individuals were analyzed (COVID‐19 patients vs. healthy controls). Compared with healthy controls (n = 76), patients infected with SARS‐CoV‐2 (n = 76) presented higher levels of MDA (p < 0.001) and decreased TAC (p < 0.001). A total of 37 (49%) patients with COVID‐19 died. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) estimated that the combination of the OS biomarkers (MDA+TAC) (AUC = 0.6394, p = 0.037) was a significant predictor of mortality. A higher level of MDA was associated with mortality (HR, 1.05, 95% CI, 1.00–1.10, p = 0.045). Conclusion. This study concludes that OS is increased in patients with COVID‐19 and is associated with mortality. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence of the expression of OS biomarkers and their association with mortality among the Mexican population.

Excessive adipose tissue can lead to metabolic abnormalities resulting in lipid alteration and oxidative stress (OS) status. The lipid accumulation product (LAP) index is a biomarker that indicates central lipid accumulation and has been proposed as an accurate and independent indicator of risk for several cardiometabolic related conditions. There is a lack of information about the possible association of LAP and OS biomarkers. Therefore, this work aimed to investigate the relationship between LAP and OS biomarkers in adults. A cross-sectional study was performed in 250 subjects attending the Hospital Regional de Alta Especialidad de la Península de Yucatán. Anthropometrical and clinical parameters were measured. The serum oxidative biomarkers such as malondialdehyde (MDA) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were evaluated by spectrophotometry and by the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), respectively. A positive and significant correlation between serum levels of MDA and LAP (r = 0.162, p = 0.010) was observed. This relationship was stronger in women (r = 0.189, p = 0.013) than in men. The association between them remained significant after adjusting for confounders (r = 0.23, p < 0.001). A cutoff of LAP of 73.73 predicts high levels of MDA in women aged between 40 and 59. LAP index was associated with OS biomarkers in women and men from Yucatan, Mexico. Therefore, the elevation of the LAP index could identify an imbalance in the redox status.

Introducción: El estrés académico generado como respuesta a las demandas del ámbito educativo se ha relacionado con alteraciones en la alimentación y el incremento del riesgo de exceso de peso. Objetivo: Analizar la asociación entre el nivel de estrés académico, el consumo de energía y ciertos nutrimentos en estudiantes de maestría de una universidad pública. Metodología: Estudio analítico, observacional y transversal. La muestra de la población de los estudiantes se realizó a conveniencia (n= 15). Los criterios de inclusión fueron hombre o mujer, 20 a 50 años y cursando la maestría. Se excluyeron mujeres embarazadas. Se determinó el nivel de estrés académico con el inventario SISCO y la evaluación nutrimental con recordatorio de 24 horas. Las diferencias se evaluaron con prueba de U de Mann-Whitney y correlaciones con prueba de Spearman. Resultados: El 73.3 % de estudiantes presentó un nivel de estrés académico moderado. No se observaron diferencias entre nivel de estrés académico y la evaluación nutrimental. Existe una relación directa entre nivel de estrés con consumo de vitamina B6 (r= 0.467, p= 0.041) y ácido pantoténico (r= 0.517, p= 0.029). Discusión y Conclusiones: Existe controversia acerca de la relación entre nivel de estrés académico y hábitos alimentarios. No se encontró ninguna asociación entre el nivel de estrés académico y la ingesta energética, pero sí asociación directa con el consumo de vitamina B6 y ácido pantoténico. Es importante considerar la evaluación nutrimental por parte de un profesional de la salud por el nivel de estrés de la población evaluada.

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most frequent cancer types in Mexico. The primary method used as a treatment is surgical resection. The role of surgery in increasing survival is controversial. This study aimed to determine whether surgical resection increases the survival of patients with GC in a Mexican population. Methods: A systematic review of literature searches (Evidence-based MEDLINE/PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and SciELO) and meta-analysis were performed based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis criteria. The published articles from 2000 to the current time were divided into cross-sectional and randomized studies. The inclusion criteria were survival, surgical resections, patients treated in Mexico, and primary GC. The effect estimation was calculated using the risk ratio (RR). The random-effects model and a confidence interval (CI) of 95% were used. Results: The RR of the pooled studies was 1.09 (95% CI, 0.71–1.67). RR of 0.82 (95% CI, 0.63–1.07) was obtained in cross-sectional studies, and randomized studies showed a RR of 2.08 (95% CI, 0.25–17.07). Conclusion: This work is the first systematic study that assesses the role of surgery on the survival of patients with GC in the Mexican population, the results showed that surgical resection did not improve survival in patients with GC.

La enfermedad del nodo es una patología del ritmo cardiaco poco común con una incidencia de 0.03%, que se presenta principalmente en adultos mayores (media de 68 años)1. Está causado por envejecimiento del nodo sinusal o secundaria a una alteración que condicione afección del nodo. Consta de 5 variantes identificadas: bradicardia sinusal, bloqueo sinuauricular, paro sinusal, síndrome de taquicardia-bradicardia (STB) y otros trastornos asociados al seno enfermo. La variante menos frecuente es el STB, la cual puede producir un amplio espectro clínico que va desde las palpitaciones, disnea en reposo, sincope e inclusive desarrollar fibrilación auricular (FA), predisponente al desarrollo de embolias sistémicas, envejecimiento del nodo sinusal o secundario a una alteración patológica del nodo13. Actualmente no existe un consenso sobre la definición electrocardiográfica de esta, generando un problema en el diagnóstico y el manejo terapéutico.