Rectal cancer (RC) is one of the most common malignant neoplasms, and cancer stem cells (CSCs) of the intestinal tract have been implicated in its origin. The oncofetal protein OCT4 has been linked to neoplastic processes, but its role and clinical significance in RC are unknown. This study investigates the expression of the stem cell marker OCT4 related to clinical-pathological characteristics and its clinical significance in RC patients. The expression level of stem cell marker OCT4 was analyzed in 22 primary rectal tumors by western blot. The association between OCT4 protein expression and the clinical-pathological features of tumors was evaluated by χ² test and Fisher’s exact test. We demonstrated that the expression of the stem cell marker OCT4 was observed in tumor tissue but not adjacent non-tumor tissue. High expression of the stem cell marker OCT4 was significantly associated with histological differentiation grade (p = 0.039), tumor invasion level (p = 0.004), lymph node involvement (p = 0.044), tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage (p = 0.002), and clinical stage (p = 0.021). These findings suggest that high OCT4 expression is associated with a more aggressive RC phenotype, with a greater likelihood of progression and metastasis. These results shed light on the importance of targeting this CSC marker to attenuate RC progression.

Since early May 2022, numerous cases of Monkeypox (Mpox) have been reported globally in non-endemic areas. However, despite numerous reports worldwide, the epidemiological and genomic information related to the 2022 multi-country outbreak remains scarce in South America. By late June 2022, the first Mpox cases were detected in Colombia. Cartagena is a Colombian Caribbean city with high domestic and international connectivity, and, therefore, is vulnerable to the introduction of the Monkeypox virus (MPXV). This report provides an in-depth description of the epidemiological, clinical, and virological characteristics of the first four cases detected in Cartagena including three cases with no history of recent travel and one imported case. Using various laboratory tools based on PCR, next-generation sequencing, and viral isolation and quantification methods, the MPXV clade IIB was detected and isolated. Importantly, infectious viral particles were identified in lesion swabs collected from all cases and in oropharyngeal swabs collected from two cases. Blood samples tested negative using PCR and isolation. In summary, our work contributes complete genomic, clinical, and epidemiological information that will be useful for a number of studies going forward, and it also documents local information that contributes to our understanding of Mpox at the local level.

: In Colombia, human leishmaniasis is endemic in rural areas, with increasing reports of outbreaks and cases in urban areas. Cartagena, an urban city in the Colombian Caribbean with a wildland-urban interface, faced its first local cases between 2011 and 2015. Despite reports, visceral leishmaniasis (VL) remains neglected and understudied and almost devoid of active surveillance. Here we report the epidemiological and molecular surveillance of Leishmania species in humans, domestic dogs, and sandflies at the wildland interface in two poverty-stricken neighborhoods of Cartagena. In October 2021, we conducted a surveillance study in the El Toril and La Quinta neighborhoods. Blood samples were collected from 150 healthy humans and 77 domestic dogs for Leishmania species testing by using molecular tools. Five human samples (3.3%) tested positive for Leishmania, one case in El Toril and four cases in La Quinta. The Leishmania donovani complex was detected in three human samples, and all dog samples tested negative for Leishmania. CDC light traps placed for three consecutive days in peridomiciliary areas of the Leishmania-positive case in El Toril allowed the capture of seven females of Lutzomyia dubitans, but none tested positive for Leishmania. Multiple attempts to conduct entomological surveillance in La Quinta were unsuccessful because of non-study-related issues. Our findings contribute to the characterization of the epidemiology of VL in Cartagena, revealing possible neglected cryptic infections in two neighborhoods with an urban-wildland interface.