Among the main arboviruses affecting public health in tropical regions are dengue, zika, and chikungunya, transmitted mainly by mosquitoes of the Aedes genus, especially Aedes aegypti. In recent years, outbreaks have posed major challenges to global health, highlighting the need for integrated and innovative strategies for their control and prevention. Prevention strategies include the elimination of vectors and avoiding mosquito bites; this can be achieved through the use of bioinsecticides and repellents based on plant phytochemicals, as they offer sustainable, ecological, and low-cost alternatives. Mexico has a variety of plants from which both extracts and essential oils have been obtained which have demonstrated significant efficacy in repelling and/or killing insect vectors. This review examines the current knowledge on plant species found in Mexico which are promising options concerning synthetic compounds in terms of their repellent and insecticidal properties against mosquitoes of the genus Aedes and that are friendly to the environment and health.
The 5-HT1A and 5-HT7 receptors play a key role in regulating cognitive processes and have been widely linked to the pathophysiology of depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia—disorders often associated with memory impairment. Recently, interest has grown in understanding how the coexpression of these receptors contributes to cognitive decline. This review explores the individual roles of 5-HT1A and 5-HT7 receptors, as well as their coexpression, in memory regulation. The heterodimerization of these receptors at both pre- and postsynaptic levels, along with their colocalization in serotonergic, glutamatergic, GABAergic, and dopaminergic neurons, adds to the complexity of this interaction and may help explain the paradoxical effects of selective serotonergic drugs (agonists and antagonists). These findings underscore the need for further research into the 5-HT1A and 5-HT7 receptor relationship in cognitive decline through diverse approaches, including targeted gene silencing, electrophysiology, and cell culture studies.
The current contribution aimed to evaluate the capacity of the naive Bayes classifier to predict the progression of dengue fever to severe infection in children based on a defined set of clinical conditions and laboratory parameters. This case-control study was conducted by reviewing patient files in two public hospitals in an endemic area in Mexico. All 99 qualifying files showed a confirmed diagnosis of dengue. The 32 cases consisted of patients who entered the intensive care unit, while the 67 control patients did not require intensive care. The naive Bayes classifier could identify factors predictive of severe dengue, evidenced by 78% sensitivity, 91% specificity, a positive predictive value of 8.7, a negative predictive value of 0.24, and a global yield of 0.69. The factors that exhibited the greatest predictive capacity in the model were seven clinical conditions (tachycardia, respiratory failure, cold hands and feet, capillary leak leading to the escape of blood plasma, dyspnea, and alterations in consciousness) and three laboratory parameters (hypoalbuminemia, hypoproteinemia, and leukocytosis). Thus, the present model showed a predictive and adaptive capacity in a small pediatric population. It also identified attributes (i.e., hypoalbuminemia and hypoproteinemia) that may strengthen the WHO criteria for predicting progression to severe dengue.
The latest advances in basic and clinical research on the main components of the platelet serotonergic system are presently reviewed. These components consist of serotonin (5-HT), enzymes that participate in 5-HT metabolism, the serotonin transporter (SERT), and 5-HT1A, 5-HT2A, 5-HT3, and 5-HT4 receptors (each with their corresponding mechanism of intracellular transduction). An additional focus is on related biomarkers or drugs for the diagnosis or treatment of the pathophysiology of diverse disorders such as depression, anxiety, hemorrhagic dengue, coagulopathy generated by COVID-19, myocardial infarction, and preeclampsia. The drugs analyzed include serotonin reuptake inhibitors and serotonergic drugs that act on 5-HT receptors. Through the platelet serotonergic system, serotonergic drugs not only interact with the central nervous system but also may participate in coagulation, vascular permeability, and peripheral vascular resistance, which has many implications. Finally, perspectives are offered for future research on biomarkers and new therapeutic targets.
Dengue is one of the major health problems in the state of Chiapas. Consequently, spatial information on the distribution of the disease can optimize directed control strategies. Therefore, this study aimed to develop and validate a simple Bayesian prediction spatial model for the state of Chiapas, Mexico. This is an ecological study that uses data from a range of sources. Dengue cases occurred from January to August 2019. The data analysis used the spatial correlation of dengue cases (DCs), which was calculated with the Moran index statistic, and a generalized linear spatial model (GLSM) within a Bayesian framework, which was considered to model the spatial distribution of DCs in the state of Chiapas. We selected the climatological, geographic, and sociodemographic variables related to the study area. A prediction of the model on Chiapas maps was carried out based on the places where the cases were registered. We find a spatial correlation of 0.115 between neighboring municipalities using the Moran index. The variables that have an effect on the number of confirmed cases of dengue are the maximum temperature ( ; : ), rainfall ( ), and altitude (
Background: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a multifactorial disorder driven by tightly interconnected metabolic, inflammatory, and lipid dysregulation pathways. Glycyrrhetinic acid, a pentacyclic triterpenoid derived from Glycyrrhiza species, has demonstrated anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective activities in previous experimental studies. Objectives: This study aimed to systematically investigate the potential molecular targets and signaling pathways of glycyrrhetinic acid in MASLD using an integrated network pharmacology and molecular docking strategy. Methods: Predicted protein targets of glycyrrhetinic acid and MASLD-associated genes were collected from public databases. A protein–protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed, and hub genes were identified using the maximal clique centrality algorithm in Cytoscape. Functional annotation was performed through Gene Ontology and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses. Molecular docking simulations were subsequently conducted to assess the binding affinity of glycyrrhetinic acid with biologically prioritized targets derived from the network analysis. Results: Intersection analysis identified 26 shared targets between glycyrrhetinic acid and MASLD. PPI network analysis highlighted IL6, TNFα, AKT1, and PPARγ as central hub genes. Functional enrichment indicated that these targets were mainly involved in NF-κB, TNFα, and PI3K–Akt signaling pathways. Molecular docking results revealed favorable predicted binding affinities, with glycyrrhetinic acid exhibiting the strongest binding toward PPARγ among the evaluated targets. Conclusions: This integrative in silico analysis suggests that glycyrrhetinic acid may interact with multiple MASLD-related targets involved in inflammatory and metabolic regulation. These findings provide a computational framework for target prioritization and support further experimental investigations to elucidate the pharmacological relevance of glycyrrhetinic acid in MASLD.