The view of CD4 T-cell-mediated immunity as a balance between distinct lineages of Th1 and Th2 cells has changed dramatically. Identification of the IL-17 family of cytokines and of the fact that IL-23 mediates the expansion of IL-17-producing T cells uncovered a new subset of Th cells designated Th17 cells, which have emerged as a third independent T-cell subset that may play an essential role in protection against certain extracellular pathogens. Moreover, Th17 cells have been extensively analyzed because of their strong association with inflammatory disorders and autoimmune diseases. Also, they appear to be critical for controlling these disorders. Similar to Th1 and Th2 cells, Th17 cells require specific cytokines and transcription factors for their differentiation. Th17 cells have been characterized as one of the major pathogenic Th cell populations underlying the development of many autoimmune diseases, and they are enhanced and stabilized by IL-23. The characteristics of Th17 cells, cytokines, and their sources, as well as their role in infectious and autoimmune diseases, are discussed in this review.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the leading causes of death among men. Genes such as PCA3, PSA, and Fra-1 are suggested to serve as potential tools for the detection of PCa, as they are deregulated during this pathology. A similar event occurs with small non-coding RNAs, called miRNAs, specifically miR-195-5p, miR-133a-3p, and miR-148b-3p, which were analyzed in a Chinese population and suggested to be possible candidates for PCa diagnosis. We evaluated the expression levels of three miRNAs and three genes in tissue samples of PCa and benign prostate disease, such as benign prostatic hyperplasia, or prostatitis, in order to determine their potential as candidates for PCa detection. Our results showed a statistically significant overexpression of 279-fold increase in PSA levels and a 1,012-fold increase in PCA3 levels in PCa patients compared to benign prostate disease patients (p = 0.001 and p = 0.002, respectively). We observed a positive correlation between the expression of miR-148b-3p and the expression of PSA and PCA3 genes, two established biomarkers in PCa. The expression of miR-148b-3p was not related to clinical characteristics, such as age and weight, as observed for the other miRNAs analyzed, suggesting its potential as a biomarker for detection of this pathology.

Reliable national estimations for blindness and vision impairment are fundamental to assessing their burden and developing public health policies. However, no comprehensive analysis is available for Mexico. Therefore, in this observational study we describe the national burden of blindness and vision loss by cause and severity during 2019. Using public data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study 2019, we present national prevalence and years lived with disability (YLDs) counts and crude and age-standardized rates (per 100,000 people) of total, severity- and cause-specific blindness and vision impairment with 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) by sex and age group. In Mexico, the burden of blindness and vision impairment was estimated at 11.01 million (95% UI, 9.25–13.11) prevalent cases and 384.96 thousand (259.57–544.24) YLDs during 2019. Uncorrected presbyopia caused the highest burden (6.06 million cases, 4.36–8.08), whereas severe vision loss and blindness affected 619.40 thousand (539.40–717.73) and 513.84 thousand (450.59–570.98) people, respectively. Near vision loss and refraction disorders caused 78.7% of the cases, whereas neonatal disorders and age-related macular degeneration were among the least frequent. Refraction disorders were the main cause of moderate and severe vision loss (61.44 and 35.43%), and cataracts were the second most frequent cause of blindness (26.73%). Females suffered an overall higher burden of blindness and vision impairment (54.99% and 52.85% of the total cases and YLDs), and people >50 years of age suffered the highest burden, with people between 70 and 74 years being the most affected. Vision loss represents a public health problem in Mexico, with women and older people being the most affected. Although the causes of vision loss contribute differentially to the severity of visual impairment, most of the impairment is avoidable. Consequently, a concerted effort at different levels is needed to alleviate this burden. This study received no funding.

Introduction: Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency is an X-linked recessive disease that causes acute or chronic hemolytic anemia and potentially leads to severe jaundice in response to oxidative agents. This deficiency is the most common human innate error of metabolism, affecting more than 400 million people worldwide. Case presentation: Here, we present the first documented case of kernicterus in Panama, in a glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase-deficient newborn clothed in naphthalene-impregnated garments, resulting in reduced psychomotor development, neurosensory hypoacousia, absence of speech and poor reflex of the pupil to light. Conclusion: Mutational analysis revealed the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase Mediterranean polymorphic variant, which explained the development of kernicterus after exposition of naphthalene. As the use of naphthalene in stored clothes is a common practice, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase testing in neonatal screening could prevent severe clinical consequences.

Pression of miR-148b-3p, miR-145-5p and miR-133a-3p have been reported. Aims: To compare the expression of miR-148b-3p, miR-145-5p and miR-133a-3p in serum samples from female patients with and without breast cancer. Setting and Design: Case control study. Materials and Methods: We quantified the expression by real-time polymerase chain reaction of miR-148b-3p, miR-145-5p, and miR-133a-3p in serum samples from 27 breast cancer (BC) and 17 benign breast tumor patients. Statistical Analysis Used: Comparison between groups with categorical variables was made using the Pearson's Chi-square test. Comparative analysis for continuous variables between two groups was performed using the Student's t-test. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for multigroup comparison, followed by Tukey HSD analysis. Results: The use of contraceptives and a high number of births were identified as risk factors for BC. We observed that miR-145-5p expresses in low levels in BC and positively diagnosed Her2 patients. In addition, BC patients with either ductal carcinoma or positive molecular diagnosis for estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, luminal A, or Her2 negative, presented a decreased expression of miR-133a-3p. Conclusions: We observed an existing association between the molecular characteristics of BC and levels of circulating miR-133a-3p and miR-145-5p, proving the potential role of miRNAs as biomarkers for BC....