Background. To know the current status of the epidemiological and geographic distribution of tuberculosis and its complication meningeal tuberculosis in Mexico, this work analyzes national surveillance data (ten years) issued by the General Directorate of Epidemiology (GDE).Methods. An observational and retrospective analysis of monthly and annual reports of pulmonary and meningeal tuberculosis cases from January 2007 to December 2017 was performed on the annual reports issued by the GDE in Mexico. The number of cases and incidence were classified by year, state, age group, gender, and seasons.Results. A national case distribution map of pulmonary and meningeal tuberculosis incidence was generated. During this period, a total of 184,003 and 3,388 cases were reported with a median of 16,727.5 and 308 cases per year for pulmonary and meningeal tuberculosis diseases, respectively. The number of cases and incidence of pulmonary and meningeal tuberculosis per year showed that male gender presented a continuous increase in both parameters. The geographic analysis of the distribution of cases of tuberculosis showed that states like Guerrero, Tabasco, and Veracruz presented higher means of tuberculosis cases during this period. Northern states had the highest number of cases in the country compared to other states. In Mexico, pulmonary tuberculosis and meningeal tuberculosis are seasonal. Interestingly, cases of meningeal tuberculosis show an increase during October and November (autumn).Conclusions. In Mexico, during the years 2007–2017, there has been an increase in the proportion of male TB patients. It remains necessary to implement strategies to detect TB in the adult population, especially among men, because tuberculosis could be difficult to recognize in an early stage in the population, and the appearance of resistant strains can cause an increase in the incidence of the disease.

Background: The use of convalescent plasma (CP) has been considered for its immunological mechanisms that could benefit patients in moderate and severe stages of COVID-19. This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of the use of donor CP for COVID-19. Material and methods: A double-blind, randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted from May to October 2020. Thirty-nine participants with moderate (II) and severe (III) stages of COVID-19 confirmed by RT-PCR were included. The study randomization rate was set at 3:1. CPs were chosen for application with a neutralizing antibody titer of ≥1:32. Results: We observed a significantly lower 21-day post-transfusion mortality HR: 0.17 (95.0% CI [0.07–0.45, p < 0.001]) in the group receiving CP compared with the control group; protective units (PU) in the group receiving convalescent plasma after seven days were significantly higher (512 (32–16,384) vs. 96 (32–256), p = 0.01); the PAO₂/FIO₂ index showed a significant improvement in the group receiving CP (251.01 (109.4) vs. 109.2 (62.4), p < 0.001, in the control group). Conclusion: CP is safe and effective, as it decreased mortality in the CP group compared with the control group.

Lipoproteins are specialized particles involved in the transport and distribution of hydrophobic lipids, as cholesterol and triglycerides, throughout the body. The lipoproteins exhibit a basic spherical shape as complexes of lipids and proteins, and these latter are known as apolipoproteins. Initially, the proteins associated with lipoproteins were recognized as integral or peripheral proteins that only maintain the dynamics and metabolism of lipoproteins. However, there exist many studies on different lipoproteins evidencing that the quantity and type of apolipoproteins and lipoprotein-associated proteins are diverse and could be associated with different lipoprotein function outcomes. Here, we summarized recent processes in the determination of apolipoproteins and lipoprotein-associated proteins profiles through a proteomic approach, analyzing the major methods available and are used to achieve this. We also discuss the relevance of these lipoproteomic analyses on the human disease outcomes.

One of the priority lines of action to contain the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was vaccination programs for healthcare workers. However, with the emergence of highly contagious strains, such as the Omicron variant, it was necessary to know the serological status of health personnel to make decisions for the application of reinforcements. The aim of this work was to determine the seroprevalence against SARS-CoV-2 in healthcare workers in a Mexican hospital after six months of the administration of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine (two doses, 4 weeks apart) and to investigate the association between comorbidities, response to the vaccine, and reinfections. Neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 were determined using ELISA assays for 262 employees of Hospital Juárez de México with and without a history of COVID-19. A beta regression analysis was performed to study the associated comorbidities and their relationship with the levels of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. Finally, an epidemiological follow-up was carried out to detect reinfections in this population. A significant difference in SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence was observed in workers with a history of COVID-19 prior to vaccination compared to those without a history of the disease (MD: 0.961 and SD: 0.049; <0.001). Beta regression showed that workers with a history of COVID-19 have greater protection compared to those without a history of the infection. Neutralizing antibodies were found to be decreased in alcoholic and diabetic subjects (80.1%). Notably, eight cases of Omicron reinfections were identified, and gender and obesity were associated with the presence of reinfections (6.41 OR; 95% BCa CI: 1.15, 105.0). The response to the vaccine was influenced by the history of SARS-CoV-2 infection and associated comorbidities. The above highlights the importance of prioritizing this segment of the population for reinforcements in periods of less than one year to guarantee their effectiveness against new variants.

In Mexico, urogenital gonorrhea (UG) is one of the main sexually transmitted diseases notifiable by health systems around the world. Epidemiological data on sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in Mexico indicated that UG was “under control” until 2017. However, international epidemiological reports indicate the increase in incidence due to several factors, including an increase during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. These factors suggest that this phenomenon may occur in developing countries, including Mexico. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze national surveillance data on UG from 2003–2019 and the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. An epidemiological study of cases and incidence of UG (2003–2020) was performed in the annual reports issued by the General Directorate Epidemiology in Mexico. Cases and incidence were classified and analyzed by year, sex, age group, and seasons (by temperature). Distribution of UG was carried out using heat maps for the whole country. Ultimately, a seasonal and correlation analysis was performed for UG cases versus temperature. The results showed that the distribution of cases and incidence by sex showed that there was no variation over 14 years. From 2016 onward, a significant increase in UG was observed before the pandemic. During the first year of the pandemic, a significant increase was observed in females aged 24–44 years. A heterogeneous distribution of UG was identified; however, border states were ranked among the top states with elevated incidences and cases. Lastly, the occurrence of UG was associated with temperature, related to summer. The information presented is intended to be useful to promote prevention and to contribute to visualize the distribution of UG over the last 18 years for decision making, and to show one of the consequences of the collapse of epidemiological surveillance of UG during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Advances in the knowledge of the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 allowed the survival of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units. However, due to the clinical characteristics of severe patients, they resulted in the appearance of colonization events. Therefore, we speculate that strains of Candida spp. isolated from COVID-19 patients have virulent genetic and phenotypic backgrounds involved in clinical worsening of patients. The aim of this work was to virutype Candida spp. strains isolated from colonized COVID-19 patients, analyze their genomic diversity, and establish clonal dispersion in care areas. The virulent potential of Candida spp. strains isolated from colonized COVID-19 patients was determined through adhesion tests and the search for genes involved with adherence and invasion. Clonal association was done by analysis of intergenic spacer regions. Six species of Candida were involved as colonizing pathogens in COVID-19 patients. The genotype analysis revealed the presence of adherent and invasive backgrounds. The distribution of clones was identified in the COVID-19 care areas, where C. albicans was the predominant species. Evidence shows that Candida spp. have the necessary genetic tools to be able colonize the lungs, and could be a possible causal agent of coinfections in COVID-19 patients. The detection of dispersion of opportunistic pathogens can be unnoticed by classical epidemiology. Epidemiological surveillance against opportunistic fungal pathogens in COVID-19 patients is an immediate need, since the findings presented demonstrate the potential virulence of Candida spp.