Extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing E. coli has become an important global problem for the public health sector. This study aims to investigate the E. coli antimicrobial resistance profile among living food-producing animals in Tamaulipas, Mexico. A total of 200 fecal samples were collected from bovines, pigs, chickens and sheep. A total of 5.0% of the strains were phenotypically confirmed as ESBL producers. A high percentage of phenotypic antimicrobial resistance was observed against gentamicin (93.3%), tetracycline (86.6%) and streptomycin (83.3%). The gentamicin-resistant strains showed MDR, distributed among 27 resistance patterns to different antimicrobials. The antimicrobial resistance gene tet(A) was detected in 73.3% of isolates, aadA1 in 60.0% and sul2 in 43.3% of strains. The bla_CTX-M gene was found in 23.3% of strains. The virulence gene hlyA was detected in 43.3% of isolates; stx1 and stx2 were not detected in any strain. The phylotyping indicated that the isolates belonged to groups A (33.3%), B1 (16.6%), B2 (40.0%) and D (10.0%). These results show that food-producing animals might be a reservoir of ESBL-producing bacteria and may play a role in their spread.

Giardia lamblia (G. lamblia) is the main causative agent of diarrhea worldwide, affecting children and adults alike; in the former, it can be lethal, and in the latter a strong cause of morbidity. Despite being considered a predominant disease in low-income and developing countries, current migratory flows have caused an increase in giardiasis cases in high-income countries. Currently, there is a wide variety of chemotherapeutic treatments to combat this parasitosis, most of which have potentially serious side effects, such as genotoxic, carcinogenic, and teratogenic. The necessity to create novel treatments and discover new therapeutic targets to fight against this illness is evident. The current review centers around the controversial nucleolus of G. lamblia, providing a historical perspective that traces its apparent absence to the present evidence supporting its existence as a subnuclear compartment in this organism. Additionally, possible examples of ncRNAs and proteins ubiquitous to the nucleolus that can be used as targets of different therapeutic strategies are discussed. Finally, some examples of drugs under research that could be effective against G. lamblia are described.

Alopecia Areata (AA) is a multifactorial, dermatological disease characterized by non-scarring hair loss. Alterations in candidate genes, such as HR (Hairless), could represent a risk factor for its development. The aim of this study was to search for and analyze variants in exons 3, 15 and 17 of the HR gene in Mexican patients with AA. A total of 30 samples from both AA patients and healthy donors were analyzed in this study. Exons were amplified and sequenced using the Sanger method. Descriptive statistics and χ2 tests were used in the analysis of clinical–demographic characteristics and the comparison of allelic/genotypical frequencies between groups, respectively. The effect on protein function for the non-synonymous variants was determined with three bioinformatics servers. Three gene variants were identified in the HR gene of the evaluated patients. The benign polymorphism c.1010G > A p.(Gly337Asp) (rs12675375) had been previously reported, whereas the variants c.750G > A p.(Gln250Gln) and c.3215T > A (Val1072AGlu) have not been described in other world populations. Both non-synonymous variants proved to be significant (p ≤ 0.05). The variant c.3215T > A p.(Val1072Glu) is of particular interest due to its deleterious effect on the structure and function of the protein; therefore, it could be considered a risk factor for the development of AA.

HOX genes have been associated with carcinogenesis. However, the molecular mechanism by which tumors are generated remains unclear. The HOXC13 and HOXD13 genes are of interest for their involvement in the development of genitourinary structures. The aim of this first study in the Mexican population was to search for and analyze variants in the coding region of the HOXC13 and HOXD13 genes in women with cervical cancer. Samples from Mexican women with cervical cancer and healthy women were sequenced (50/50). Allelic and genotypic frequencies were compared between groups. The functional impact of the proteins was determined with two bioinformatics servers (SIFT and PolyPhen-2), and the oncogenic potential of the identified nonsynonymous variants was determined using the CGI server. We identified five unreported gene variants: c.895C>A p.(Leu299Ile) and c.777C>T p.(Arg259Arg) in the HOXC13 gene and c.128T>A p.(Phe43Tyr), c.204G>A p.(Ala68Ala), and c.267G>A p.(Ser89Ser) in the HOXD13 gene. In this study, we suggest that the non-synonymous variants c.895C>A p.(Leu299Ile) and c.128T>A p.(Phe43Tyr) could represent a risk factor for the development of the disease, although additional studies in larger patient populations and in different ethnic groups are needed in order to support the results observed.

Coronavirus 19 (COVID-19), es una enfermedad viral prevalente y diseminada a nivel mundial, considerada una pandemia con alta tasa de mortalidad. A la fecha no existen estudios que describan la influencia de las variables asociadas a la enfermedad en el estado fronterizo de Tamaulipas, México. El objetivo del presente estudio fue evaluar y analizar las características, complicaciones, tasas de letalidad y factores de riesgo asociados a mortalidad en paciente positivos a COVID-19 en el estado de Tamaulipas, a un año de la emergencia local. Se utilizó la frecuencia de casos observados en relación a características, complicaciones y comorbilidades para estimar prevalencias y tasas de letalidad. Se ajustó un modelo de regresión logística multivariada para estimar los factores de riesgo significativos y se utilizaron curvas de supervivencia de Kaplan-Meier para describir las comorbilidades más importantes. Los análisis indicaron una mayor infección en pacientes en edad productiva, con una probabilidad significativa de muerte a partir de los 40 años, más evidente en pacientes masculinos. Los riesgos asociados a la hospitalización, como intubación endotraqueal y neumonía, son factores muy importantes. Las comorbilidades con alta prevalencia (diabetes, hipertensión y obesidad) y enfermedad renal crónica (ERC) están asociados significativamente (P < 0.01) a mayor mortalidad por COVID-19 en pacientes positivos. El presente estudio demostró algunos patrones generales de prevalencia y tasas de letalidad por COVID-19, por lo que se sugieren particularidades en los factores asociados a mortalidad en la población de Tamaulipas que requieren atención en sus grupos vulnerables, sobre todo en posibles casos de rebrotes de la enfermedad.