Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease that produces non-scarring hair loss around the body. Gene variants of the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA4) gene, a negative regulator of T-cell response, have been associated with a predisposition to autoimmune diseases in different populations; however, the involvement of these genetic variants in the development of AA is controversial. The present study evaluated the potential association of two CTLA4 gene variants with alopecia areata in a Mexican population. We genotyped +49AG (rs231775) and CT60 (rs3087243) variants in 50 AA patients and 100 healthy control participants through PCR-RFLP. No statistical difference was observed for either of the gene variants regarding allele or genotype frequencies between AA patients and the controls when the parameters of family/personal history of autoimmune diseases or gender were considered (p>0.05). Small sample size of patients and the data were obtained from Northeast Mexico population. The genetic variants rs231775 and rs3087243 of the CTLA4 gene are not a risk factor for the development of alopecia areata in the analyzed Mexican population.

Vitiligo is characterized by an autoimmune response targeting melanocytes, thus resulting in skin depigmentation. There are several genetic components involved in the development of vitiligo, of which various gene polymorphisms are currently considered as risk factors. For example, the CTLA4 (T-lymphocyte antigen 4) +49A/G (rs231775) and CT60 (rs3087243) gene variants have been associated with a predisposition for autoimmune diseases in different populations; however, their involvement in the development of vitiligo remains controversial. We evaluated the association between vitiligo and the CTLA4 +49A/G (rs231775) and CT60 (rs3087243) gene variants in a Mexican population. A total of 116 vitiligo patients and 117 control subjects from northeast Mexico were included in the study and analyzed through PCR-RFLP to determine whether there is an association between vitiligo and CTLA4 +49A/G (rs231775) and CT60 (rs3087243) gene variants. No statistical difference was observed for both gene polymorphisms between vitiligo patients and controls (p > 0.05). Otherwise, vitiligo activity, family history of vitiligo, personal history of autoimmune diseases, or sex did not show any difference (p > 0.05). As suggested by the analysis of a northeastern Mexican population, the CTLA4 +49A/G (rs231775) and CT60 (rs3087243) gene variants do not constitute a risk factor in the development of vitiligo.

Cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide, creating an urgent need for innovative, scalable, and cost-effective therapeutic strategies. Monoclonal antibodies have transformed modern oncology by enabling highly specific targeting of tumor-associated antigens and immune checkpoint pathways. However, their production in conventional mammalian cell systems remains expensive and requires extensive infrastructure. Plant molecular bioengineering has emerged as a promising alternative platform for the production of recombinant biopharmaceuticals, offering advantages such as rapid scalability, reduced manufacturing costs, biosafety, and flexible expression systems. This review summarizes recent developments in the production of plant-based anticancer biologics, with particular emphasis on therapeutic monoclonal antibodies and immune checkpoint inhibitors. The review includes plant-derived antibodies targeting HER2, PD-1, and PD-L1, which have demonstrated structural integrity, antigen-binding capacity, and biological activity comparable to those of their mammalian-derived counterparts. In this study, we performed a comparative computational structural analysis of trastuzumab and pembrolizumab using experimentally determined antibody structures as references and computationally modeled plant-associated Fc glycoforms, with particular emphasis on Fc N-glycosylation and glycan solvent accessibility. Overall, advances in synthetic biology, precision glycoengineering, and controlled cultivation technologies highlight the potential of plant biofactories as promising platforms for the development of next-generation, affordable, and globally accessible cancer immunotherapies.

Las personas neurodivergentes y pertenecientes a la comunidad LGBTQ+ están incluidas en el ámbito académico y laboral, donde son víctimas de discriminación. El objetivo de este estudio fue censar a la comunidad neurodivergente y a la comunidad LGBTQ+ en la Facultad de Medicina Unidad Saltillo (FMUS), mediante una encuesta que considera información demográfica, una escala de bienestar subjetivo y una escala de percepción social para conocer la opinión de la población general respecto a estas comunidades en cuanto al correcto desempeño de la medicina y la presencia de inconvenientes con recibir atención médica por parte de personas neurodivergentes y/o LGBTQ+. Se realizó un estudio observacional, transversal y descriptivo, a través de encuesta. Se realizó un análisis descriptivo y de asociación de los datos considerando p ≤ 0.05. Según los resultados, el 19.5 % de los estudiantes FMUS son neurodivergentes, y 28.1 % se identifica como LGBTQ+. Además, se presentó una relación entre personas neurodivergentes y pertenecer a la comunidad LGBTQ+. En cuanto a la percepción social, las actitudes prejuiciosas son menores en la FMUS que en la población general. En conclusión, ambas poblaciones están presentes en la FMUS, donde son mejor aceptados.