Summary: Background: The progression and distribution of SARS-CoV-2 is unknown because typically only symptomatic individuals are diagnosed. Aim: We evaluated the seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 in blood donors in Nuevo Leon, Mexico as a strategy for asymptomatic case detection of COVID-19 and epidemic progression. Methods/Materials: We tested 1968 blood donors that attended two regional donation centers in Northeast Mexico from January 1 ^st to August 30, 2020, to identify anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG by chemiluminescent immunoassay. Additionally, routine tests for donors including Brucella, Chagas, HCV, VDRL, HIV-1, and HBsAg identification were performed. Results: We found 77 donors reactive for anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG (seroprevalence 3.99%) and none of them had reported recent COVID-19 symptoms. Donors aged 18 to 49 years (89.5%) were more likely to be seropositive compared to those aged 50 years or older (10.5%) (P<0.001). Prevalence of antibodies increased each epidemiological (EPI) week, parallel to the report of confirmed cases by RT-PCR, identifying the highest prevalence between EPI week 33 and 35 (10.2% to 19%). The metropolitan area of Monterrey recorded the highest number of cases. Routine tests showed that the prevalence of anti-Brucella was 0.13%, anti-HCV 0.5%, anti-HIV-1-2 0.14%, HBsAg 0.16%, Chagas 0.48% and syphilis 1.06%. Conclusions: There is a growing trend of seroprevalence over time, parallel to the constantly increasing epidemic curve in our region and it was higher under 49 years of age associated with asymptomatic infection in donors from the Nuevo Leon area. Detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 in blood donors is a potential tool for tracking the progression and identifying population exposure during the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak.

Background and Objectives: Interpreting acid–base disorders is challenging, particularly in complex or mixed cases. Given the growing potential of large language models (LLMs) to assist in cognitively demanding tasks, this study evaluated their performance in interpreting arterial blood gas (ABG) results. Materials and Methods: In this single-center retrospective study, 200 ABG datasets were curated to include 40 cases in each of five diagnostic categories: metabolic acidosis, respiratory acidosis, metabolic alkalosis, respiratory alkalosis, and no acid–base disorder. Three medical students, each assigned to one LLM (ChatGPT GPT-4o, Copilot GPT-4, or Gemini 1.5-flash/2.5-flash), perform ABG interpretation using two evaluation methods: interpretation (LLM-I) and interpretation with supervision model (LLM-S). Two clinical pathologists independently performed the conventional evaluation to serve as the reference standard. Results: Agreement for identifying the primary acid–base (APD) disorder was strong across all approaches (Cohen’s κ ≥ 0.88). For identifying both primary and secondary disorders regardless of order (APSD), LLM-I showed moderate agreement (ChatGPT κ = 0.65, Copilot κ = 0.61, Gemini κ = 0.62), whereas LLM-S achieved strong agreement (ChatGPT κ = 0.91, Copilot κ = 0.81, Gemini κ = 0.81). Conclusions: LLM-assisted ABG interpretation demonstrates strong concordance with expert interpretation in detecting primary acid–base disorders. These tools may enhance the understanding of acid–base disorders while reducing calculation-related errors among medical students.

Introduction/objectives To compare chloroquine (CQ) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) retinopathy prevalence, risk factors, severity, and patterns in a cohort of Hispanic patients with rheumatic diseases in Mexico. Methods Retrospective, cross-sectional study of patients with rheumatic diseases treated with CQ/HCQ who underwent retinopathy screening (from 2014 to 2019) with macular spectral domain optical coherence tomography and automated visual field tests. The most recent screening report was included to define the presence or absence of retinopathy. Results A total of 571 patients were recruited; 27 were excluded due to missing reports. A total of 544 patients were analyzed, 26% (140/544) used CQ, and 74% (404/544) HCQ. Mean age at treatment initiation was 44.9 ± 15.8 years; 95% were female. Retinopathy prevalence was higher with CQ (19%) than HCQ (2%) (P < 0.001). This was consistent in those using antimalarials < 5 years (CQ: 8.5% vs. HCQ: 1.8%; P < 0.007) and those using antimalarials ≥ 5 years (CQ: 33% vs. HCQ: 2.4%; P < 0.001). CQ patients had more years of use at retinopathy diagnosis than HCQ patients (9.0 ± 4.3 vs. 5.1 ± 3.3, P < 0.023). Parafoveal retinopathy pattern was most frequent in patients using CQ (81%) and HCQ (100%), with no isolated perifoveal pattern. Most patients with retinopathy (59%) had a severe grade. In multivariable regression model, CQ was associated with higher odds of retinopathy compared with HCQ (OR, 12.03; 95% CI 4.41–35.74; P < 0.001). Observed independent risk factors for retinopathy were older age at treatment initiation (OR, 1.04; 95% CI 1.00–1.08; P = 0.029) and years of antimalarial use (OR, 1.18; 95% CI 1.09–1.28; P < 0.001). Conclusion CQ poses a higher risk of antimalarial retinopathy than HCQ. Older age at treatment initiation and duration of use were independent risk factors. Parafoveal was the most frequent retinopathy pattern. Key Points • Antimalarial retinopathy prevalence is significantly higher with chloroquine (19%) than with hydroxychloroquine (2%). • Chloroquine use is associated with significantly higher odds of retinopathy compared with hydroxychloroquine (OR, 12.03; 95% CI 4.41–35.74; P < 0.001). • An older age at treatment initiation (OR, 1.04; 95% CI 1.00–1.08; P = 0.029) and years of antimalarial use (OR, 1.18; 95% CI 1.09–1.28; P < 0.001) are independent risk factors for chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine retinopathy. • The most frequently observed antimalarial retinopathy pattern in this cohort of rheumatic patients in Mexico was the parafoveal (85%), with no cases of perifoveal pattern.

La satisfacción laboral y el clima organizacional son variables ligadas al bienestar de las personas en su lugar de trabajo, lo que impacta directamente en su desempeño, el objetivo de este trabajo es conocer la relación entre la satisfacción laboral y el clima organizacional de los trabajadores de un laboratorio clínico. Los métodos que utilizamos son el estudio transversal, descriptivo y cuantitativo. Muestra de 64 trabajadores. El clima organizacional y la satisfacción laboral se midieron con instrumentos con cinco indicadores cada uno y respuestas en escala tipo Likert. El análisis estadístico se realizó mediante correlación canónica de la respuesta promedio en cada indicador. La relación de la dimensión canónica de la satisfacción laboral relacionada con el clima organizacional con variables de edad, antigüedad, cargo y turno se evaluó mediante regresión logística y ordinal. Se encontró correlación en el primer par canónico (ρ=0,88, p<0,001). Los indicadores más importantes fueron objetivos de la institución, relaciones interpersonales y calidad en el trabajo para el clima organizacional, y satisfacción con la relación con los superiores, satisfacción con el reconocimiento y satisfacción con las condiciones físicas en el trabajo. Se encuentra diferencia en la satisfacción laboral asociada al clima organizacional en el turno (p=0,01) y puesto (p=0,01). En conclusión, existe una correlación estadísticamente significativa entre los indicadores de las variables satisfacción laboral y clima organizacional.