Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is a non‑receptor tyrosine kinase that is expressed in most human cell types (example: Epithelial cells, fibroblasts and endothelial), it serves a key role in the control of cell survival, proliferation and motility. The abnormal expression of FAK has been associated with poor prognosis in cancer, including ovarian cancer. However, although FAK isoforms with specific molecular and functional properties have been characterized, there are a limited number of published studies that examine FAK isoforms in ovarian cancer. The aim of the present study was to analyze the expression level of FAK and its isoforms in ovarian cancer. The expression of FAK kinase and focal adhesion targeting (FAT) domains was determined with immunohistochemistry in healthy ovary, and serous and mucinous cystadenoma, borderline tumor and carcinoma samples. Additionally, the expression of FAK and its isoforms were investigated in three ovarian cancer‑derived cell lines with western blotting and reverse transcription‑semi‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction. An increased expression of FAK kinase domain was determined in serous tumor samples and was associated with advancement of the lesion. FAK kinase domain expression was moderate‑to‑low in mucinous tumor samples. The expression of the FAK FAT domain in tumor samples was reduced, compared with healthy ovary samples; however, the FAT domain was localized to the cellular nucleus. Expression of alternative transcripts FAK0, FAK28,6 and FAK28 was determined in all three cell lines investigated. In conclusion, FAK kinase and FAT domains are differentially expressed among ovarian tumor types. These results indicated the presence of at least two isoforms of FAK (FAK and the putative FAK‑related non‑kinase) in tumor tissue, which is supported by the cells producing at least three FAK alternative transcripts. These results may support the use of FAK and its isoforms as biomarkers for ovarian cancer.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a global public health issue requiring early and accurate diagnosis. The loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay is a promising alternative recommended by the WHO for the initial diagnosis of pulmonary TB, particularly in resource-limited settings. This study evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of a commercial LAMP assay for TB detection using 198 samples from different countries including Mexico. The LAMP assay results were compared to the results of standard tests: AFB smear microscopy, cell culture, and Xpert PCR. Across all samples, LAMP showed a sensitivity of 96.20% and a specificity of 84.61%. When compared specifically to “true positives” and “true negatives” (defined by the consistency across the standard tests), LAMP demonstrated 100% sensitivity and 92.30% specificity. For context, the sensitivity of AFB smear microscopy against the culture and Xpert tests was 79.04%. A significant finding was that the LAMP test detected a high percentage (92.5%) of samples found positive by the culture and Xpert tests but negative by the AFB smear, highlighting its ability to identify cases missed by traditional microscopy. This study concluded that the LAMP assay is a sensitive and specific tool for TB diagnosis with potential for rapid and accurate diagnosis, especially in resource-limited areas.

FAM20C (family with sequence similarity 20, member C) is a serine/threonine-specific protein kinase that is ubiquitously expressed and mainly associated with biomineralization and phosphatemia regulation. It is mostly known due to pathogenic variants causing its deficiency, which results in Raine syndrome (RNS), a sclerosing bone dysplasia with hypophosphatemia. The phenotype is recognized by the skeletal features, which are related to hypophosphorylation of different FAM20C bone-target proteins. However, FAM20C has many targets, including brain proteins and the cerebrospinal fluid phosphoproteome. Individuals with RNS can have developmental delay, intellectual disability, seizures, and structural brain defects, but little is known about FAM20C brain-target-protein dysregulation or about a potential pathogenesis associated with neurologic features. In order to identify the potential FAM20C actions on the brain, an in silico analysis was conducted. Structural and functional defects reported in RNS were described; FAM20C targets and interactors were identified, including their brain expression. Gene ontology of molecular processes, function, and components was completed for these targets, as well as for potential involved signaling pathways and diseases. The BioGRID and Human Protein Atlas databases, the Gorilla tool, and the PANTHER and DisGeNET databases were used. Results show that genes with high expression in the brain are involved in cholesterol and lipoprotein processes, plus axo-dendritic transport and the neuron part. These results could highlight some proteins involved in the neurologic pathogenesis of RNS.

Liver cirrhosis causes include alcoholism, viral infections (hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV)), alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD), and metabolic dysfunction associated with steatotic liver disease (MASLD), among others. Cirrhosis frequency has increased in recent years, with a prevalence of 1395 cases per 100,000 and a mortality rate of 18 per 100,000, which corresponded to 1,472,000 deaths during 2017. In Mexico, liver disease is a public health problem since it was associated to 41,890 deaths in 2022, including liver cirrhosis (>25,000) and ALD (14,927). This represents 114 daily deaths due to these causes, and corresponds to the 4th or 5th place of all causes. The global prevalence of MASLD is estimated to affect 25% of the world's population, while in the pediatric population it could be higher. In Mexican population it is more prevalent since estimations were around 41.3% in 2023. Alcohol consumption, a global health issue due to its high prevalence and associated morbidities, is associated to ALD in 32.9%, with a mortality rate of 23.9%, primarily due to liver-related causes. In Mexico, ALD is present in 23% of all cirrhosis cases, already surpassed by hepatitis B cases in 2009. HCV and HBV frequencies changed due to programs implementing screening detection, vaccines and direct-acting antivirals during the last years. A switch of causes has occurred, increasing MASLD and diminishing viral causes. Efficient performed liver transplantation has grown as a response to increasing cirrhosis cases, including recent authorized centers. These efforts are necessary, whereas preventive strategies should be implemented according to leading causes.

The detection of coronavirus disease 2019 cases represents a significant challenge at the epidemiological level. Limitations exist in effectively detecting asymptomatic cases, achieving good follow‑up in hospitals without the infrastructure for reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR (RT‑qPCR) or in difficult‑to‑access areas and developing methods with the need for less invasive sampling procedures. Therefore, the present study evaluated the performance of the direct reverse transcription loop‑mediated isothermal amplification (RT‑LAMP) test for detecting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) in the saliva and nasal samples of asymptomatic individuals belonging to the university population. In addition, this test was also assessed for effectiveness in symptomatic individuals referred from a hospital with poor infrastructure in molecular biology and located outside the urban area. The RT‑LAMP assay was compared with the results obtained from the RT‑qPCR nasopharyngeal swab test, where the diagnosis was confirmed by lateral flow immunoassay test for rapid antigen detection. A total of 128 samples were analyzed, of which 43% were symptomatic positive individuals, 25% were asymptomatic positive individuals and 32% were SARS‑CoV2‑negative control individuals. Among positive individuals, no differences were found between the Cq values determined by RT‑qPCR. A sensitivity of 96.5% and a specificity of 97.6% was reported for the detection of SARS‑CoV‑2 in symptomatic individuals by salivary and nasal RT‑LAMP, as well as a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 97.6% for the detection of SARS‑CoV‑2 in asymptomatic individuals. These findings indicated that performance of the direct RT‑LAMP test using saliva and nasal samples has high sensitivity and specificity, which in turn suggest that it is a viable and reliable alternative for use in epidemiological monitoring.

Los instrumentos de intervención (I-I) son un auxiliar en investigaciones educativas y didácticas, pues aportan información específica para entender el entorno analizado y buscan áreas de oportunidad que permitan obtener el mayor beneficio para los integrantes del entorno intervenido. Los I-I se fortalecen de grandes investigadores como Vygotsky, quien describió la interacción y el propósito que tienen los I-I, pues una de sus características es buscar la asociación entre conceptos relacionados entre sí. Por lo tanto, los I-I consideran que la interacción social es un motor del desarrollo del pensamiento y el aprendizaje colaborativo, donde las interacciones en los entornos sociales, educativos o terapéuticos pueden ser identificadas para compilar información valiosa. Esto permite comprender los entornos complejos por medio de herramientas que los describan de manera particular. Por ejemplo, las redes semánticas, que proporcionan información entre ideas, conceptos e interacciones.