Knowledge about the immune responses against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, particularly regarding the function of eosinophils, has been steadily emerging recently. There exists controversy regarding the implications of eosinophils in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)’s pathology. We report a retrospective cohort study including the comparison of leukocyte counts in COVID-19 patients, considering the outcomes of recovery (n = 59) and death (n = 60). Among the different types of leukocytes, the eosinophil counts were those that showed the greatest difference between recovered and deceased patients. Eosinopenia (eosinophil count < 0.01 × 10⁹/L) was more frequently observed in deceased than recovered patients (p = 0.0012). The eosinophil counts more rapidly increased and showed a greater proportion over the course of the disease in the recovered than deceased patients. Furthermore, the estimated survival rate was greater in patients without eosinopenia than in patients with eosinopenia (p = 0.0070) during hospitalization. Importantly, recovered but not deceased patients showed high negative correlations of the eosinophils with the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and neutrophil counts at Day 9 of the onset of clinical symptoms (p ≤ 0.0220). Our analysis suggests that eosinopenia may be associated with unfavorable disease outcomes and that the eosinophils have a beneficial function in COVID-19 patients, probably contributing by controlling the exacerbated inflammation induced by neutrophils.

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer in women, with incidence rates increasing globally in recent years. Therefore, it is important to find new molecules with prognostic and therapeutic value to improve therapeutic response and quality of life. The polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) metabolic pathway participates in various physiological processes, as well as in the development of malignancies. Although aberrancies in the PUFAs metabolic pathway have been implicated in carcinogenesis, the functional and clinical relevance of this pathway has not been well explored in BC. To evaluate the clinical significance of soluble epoxide hydrolase (EPHX2) expression in Mexican patients with BC using tissue microarrays (TMAs) and digital pathology (DP). Immunohistochemical analyses were performed on 11 TMAs with 267 BC samples to quantify this enzyme. Using DP, EPHX2 protein expression was evaluated solely in tumor areas. The association of EPHX2 with overall survival (OS) was detected through bioinformatic analysis in public databases and confirmed in our cohort via Cox regression analysis. Clear nuclear expression of EPHX2 was identified. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves revealed the optimal cutoff point at 2.847062 × 10⁻³ pixels, with sensitivity of 69.2% and specificity of 67%. Stratification based on this cutoff value showed elevated EPHX2 expression in multiple clinicopathological features, including older age and nuclear grade, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) and triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtypes, and recurrence. Kaplan–Meier curves demonstrated how higher nuclear expression of EPHX2 predicts shorter OS. Consistently, multivariate analysis confirmed EPHX2 as an independent predictor of OS, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 3.483 and a 95% confidence interval of 1.804–6.724 (p < 0.001). Our study demonstrates for the first time that nuclear overexpression of EPHX2 is a predictor of poor prognosis in BC patients. The DP approach was instrumental in identifying this significant association. Our study provides valuable insights into the potential clinical utility of EPHX2 as a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target in BC.

Background: Despite advances in treatment over the past 20 years that have significantly improved patient survival in shock conditions, septic shock continues to present numerous questions regarding long-term outcomes, primarily due to its associated metabolic changes.Objective: To evaluate hypoalbuminemia as a predictor of mortality in patients admitted with septic shock to the emergency department, through a review of clinical records from January to September 2023 at Hospital General Regional No. 1 (HGR1) in Michoacán, Mexico.Methods: A retrospective study analyzed patients diagnosed with septic shock between January and September 2023. The study examined admission albumin parameters and mortality, along with sociodemographic variables, comorbidities, mean arterial pressure, lactate levels, and vasopressor use.Results: The study included 130 patients meeting inclusion criteria, with equal gender distribution (50% male, n=65; 50% female, n=65). The predominant age group was over 68 years (35.3%, n=46), followed by 59-68 years (27.6%, n=36). Common comorbidities included systemic arterial hypertension (50.7%, n=66), diabetes mellitus (48.4%, n=63), chronic kidney disease (21.5%, n=28), and neoplasms (19.2%, n=25). Serum albumin levels were distributed as follows: ≥3.5 g/dL (13.8%, n=18), 3.4-3.0 g/dL (20%, n=26), 2.9-2.5 g/dL (24.6%, n=32), and <2.5 g/dL (41.5%, n=54). Among patients with albumin <2.5 g/dL, mortality was 92.5% (n=50), with only 7.4% (n=4) surviving to discharge. Statistical analysis using Pearson's Chi-square showed an asymptotic significance of 0.003 with a likelihood ratio of 0.346.Conclusions: This descriptive study demonstrates that hypoalbuminemia (<2.5 g/dL) is significantly associated with mortality in septic shock patients, with a mortality rate of 92.5%. The findings validate the initial hypothesis that hypoalbuminemia serves as a predictor of mortality in more than 50% of patients with septic shock.

Background. Breast cancer (BC) is the most prevalent neoplasm in the female gender, being also the leading cause of mortality in women worldwide. In Latin American countries such as Mexico, locally advanced and metastatic stages remain prevalent at the time of diagnosis. Factors involved in the progression of BC are highly interdependent elements, where non-modifiable risk factors, such as premenopausal and menopause play a significant role in BC prognosis[SG1] .Methods. Retrospective cohort study that analyzed clinicopathological variables of 292 cases of BC evaluating individual risk within premenopausal and postmenopausal women and probability of survival with a 5-year median follow-up.Results. Our results showed that overall survival (OS) rate for premenopausal and postmenopausal women at 5-years was 88.1% and 92.6%, respectively. Premenopausal showed over 3.6-fold increased risk of recurrence at early stages (p=0.0003), and decreased OS associated to larger tumors (>2 cm) (p=0.0290; HR 4.54; 95%CI 1.58-13.07). In postmenopausal women, we observed a significant effect on OS associated to negative estrogen receptor (ER–) status tumors (p=0.0014; HR 3.71; 95%CI 1.21-11.39), and Triple Negative (TN) subtype (p=0.0021; HR 4.72; 95%CI 1.05-21.28). These findings show differences between cohorts and briefly informs prognosis by menopausal status in a Mexican population-based study, in hopes of improved prevention and detection programmes.

Background: Invasive breast cancer (IBC) is the most prevalent neoplasm and the leading cause of death in women worldwide. Young women under 40 years of age, despite their low incidence, have different clinical-pathological characteristics than older women, giving them a worse prognostic profile. Objective: To determine the association between risk factors associated with MIC in young women in Michoacan. Methods: descriptive, observational, retrospective and cross-sectional study that included 1178 patients < 40 years of age with MIC diagnosed in the period 2015-2022 in a second-level hospital of the IMSS in Michoacán. Sample size at convenience, with database registration, with the use of means, standard deviation, chi-square and Student's t-test, p ≤ 0.05 as an indicator of significance. Registration Number: R-2022-1602-025. Results: of 1178 cases, 12.1% were in young women, who had an increased risk of tumors > 2 cm (p = 0.02, 1.062–2.058), ER–/RP– (p = 0.0067, 1.158–2.501) and triple negative (p = 0.0006; 1.377–5.563). Obesity III was associated with larger tumors (P = 0.0028, 1.051–3.518), advanced TNM stages (P = 0.0445), and greater tissue involvement (T3-T4, P = 0.0301). Conclusions: Breast cancer in young women in Michoacan showed worse prognostic clinical profiles compared to older women.