The metabolic syndrome includes changes in blood glucose levels, arterial hypertension, triglycerides, dyslipidemia and central obesity. Countless reports have described the correlation between the metabolic syndrome and cognitive impairment. However, only a few reports have assessed cognitive impairment associated with the metabolic syndrome in animals of both sexes. For this purpose, Sprague‐Dawley male and female rats were fed either with a hypercaloric diet as model of the metabolic syndrome or with a standard chow diet as controls. Subsequently, spatial learning and memory (Morris water maze) as well as short‐ and long‐term memory (passive avoidance task) were evaluated. Body weight, blood pressure, triglycerides, and total cholesterol significantly increased (F(1, 36) = 94.89, p < .001) in rats fed with hypercaloric diet compared to control rats. Furthermore, cognitive impairment was observed in spatial learning and spatial memory on male rats but not on female rats fed with hypercaloric diet. In addition, a long‐term memory impairment was observed in both groups fed with hypercaloric diet in comparison to their respective control group (F(1, 32) = 10.61, p = .0027). Immunohistochemistry results showed no changes in the number of positive cells for NeuN, GFAP and Ox‐42. In males fed with a hypercaloric diet, a decrease in testosterone levels was observed, whereas estradiol levels decreased in females when compared with their respective control group (p < .0001). In this MetS animal model, metabolic and cognitive differences were observed in males and females, which demonstrates that sex hormones play a significant role in metabolic regulation and neuroprotection related to the CA1 region of the hippocampus.

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Metabolic syndrome (MetS) contributes to the spread of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus type 2, and neurodegenerative diseases. Evaluation of sex- and hormone-dependent changes in body weight, blood pressure, blood lipids, oxidative stress markers, and alterations in different types of memory in Sprague–Dawley rats fed with a high fat and high fructose (HFHF) diet were evaluated. After 12 weeks of feeding the male and female rats with HFHF, body weight gain, increase in blood pressure, and generation of dyslipidemia compared to the animals fed with chow diet were observed. Regarding memory, it was noted that gonadectomy reverted the effects of HFHF in the 24 h novel object recognition task and in spatial learning/memory analyzed through Morris water maze, males being more affected than females. Nevertheless, gonadectomy did not revert long-term memory impairment in the passive avoidance task induced by HFHF nor in male or female rats. On the other hand, sex-hormone–diet interaction was observed in the plasma concentration of malondialdehyde and nitric oxide. These results suggest that the changes observed in the memory and learning of MetS animals are sex- and hormone-dependent and correlate to an increase in oxidative stress.

Introducción: El aumento o la reducción del arco longitudinal medial (ALM) puede afectar funciones esenciales en la biomecánica del pie, con repercusiones en la salud a largo plazo. El objetivo del presente estudio fue determinar la altura del ALM en niños de 3 a 6 años, a través de cinco métodos de análisis de huella para el diagnóstico de pie plano. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio observacional transversal con 367 niños de 3 a 6 años en un municipio del Estado de México. Se llevó a cabo una evaluación postural completa, plantoscopía por medio de la clasificación de Viladot y análisis de la huella en pedigrafía, calculando la altura del ALM mediante el ángulo de Clarke (AC), el índice de Staheli (IS), el índice de Chippaux-Smirak (ICS) y el ángulo gamma (Aγ). Resultados: La prevalencia de pie plano utilizando el podoscopio fue del 57.7%. Mediante los ángulos y los índices, la prevalencia fue del 86.9% por IS, del 83.3% por ICS, del 95.9% por AC y del 22.3% por Aγ. El Aγ fue menos sensible para la detección de pie plano en comparación con el ICS, el IS y el AC. Conclusiones: De acuerdo con los resultados del presente estudio, se propone utilizar métodos de análisis de huella para el diagnóstico de pie plano, además de la valoración clásica con el podoscopio. Se recomienda incluir el diagnóstico y la vigilancia del pie plano en la consulta del niño sano, ya que desde edades tempranas puede detectarse la tendencia en la arquitectura podálica.

Estrogen receptor modulators are compounds of interest because of their estrogenic agonistic/antagonistic effects and tissue specificity. These compounds have many clinical applications, particularly for breast cancer treatment and osteoporosis in postmenopausal women, as well as for the treatment of climacteric symptoms. Similar to estrogens, neuroprotective effects of estrogen receptor modulators have been described in different models. However, the mechanisms of action of these compounds in the central nervous system have not been fully described. We conducted a systematic search to investigate the effects of estrogen receptor modulators in the central nervous system, focusing on the modulation of cytoskeletal proteins. We found that raloxifene, tamoxifen, and tibolone modulate some cytoskeletal proteins such as tau, microtuble-associated protein 1 (MAP1), MAP2, neurofilament 38 (NF38) by different mechanisms of action and at different levels: neuronal microfilaments, intermediate filaments, and microtubule-associated proteins. Finally, we emphasize the importance of the study of these compounds in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases since they present the benefits of estrogens without their side effects.

During pregnancy, there is a state of immune tolerance that predisposes them to viral infection, causing maternal-fetal vulnerability to the adverse effects of COVID-19. Bacterial coinfections significantly increase the mortality rate for COVID-19. However, it is known that all drugs, including antibiotics, will enter the fetal circulation in a variable degree despite the role of the placenta as a protective barrier and can cause teratogenesis or other malformations depending on the timing of exposure to the drug. Also, it is important to consider the impact of the indiscriminate use of antibiotics during pregnancy can alter both the maternal and fetal-neonatal microbiota, generating future repercussions in both. In the present study, the literature for treating bacterial coinfections in pregnant women with COVID-19 is reviewed. In turn, we present the findings in 50 pregnant women hospitalized diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 without previous treatment with antibiotics; moreover, a bacteriological culture of sample types was performed. Seven pregnant women had coinfection with Staphylococcus haemolyticus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus agalactiae, Escherichia coli ESBL +, biotype 1 and 2, Acinetobacter jahnsonii, Enterococcus faecium, and Clostridium difficile. When performing the antibiogram, resistance to multiple drugs was found, such as macrolides, aminoglycosides, sulfa, dihydrofolate reductase inhibitors, beta-lactams, etc. The purpose of this study was to generate more scientific evidence on the better use of antibiotics in these patients. Because of this, it is important to perform an antibiogram to prevent abuse of empirical antibiotic treatment with antibiotics in pregnant women diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2.

Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) affects women more than men and consequently has been associated with menopause. Tibolone (TIB) has been used as a hormone replacement therapy to alleviate climacteric symptoms. Neuroprotective effects of TIB have also been reported in some animal models. Objective: This study aimed to assess the effect of TIB on memory and Aβ peptides and tau protein content in the hippocampus and cerebellum of transgenic 3xTgAD ovariectomized mice. Methods: Three-month-old female mice were ovariectomized. Ten days after surgery, animals were divided into four groups: wild-type (WT)+vehicle; WT+TIB (1 mg/kg); 3xTgAD+vehicle; and 3xTgAD+TIB (1 mg/kg). TIB was administered for three months, and memory was evaluated using the object-in-context recognition task. Subsequently, animals were decapitated, and the hippocampus and cerebellum were dissected. Using commercial ELISA kits, these brain structures were homogenized in a PBS buffer for quantifying Aβ 40 and Aβ 42 and phosphorylated and total tau. Results A long-term memory deficit was observed in the 3xTgAD+vehicle group. In contrast, TIB treatment improved long-term memory in the 3xTgAD+TIB group than those treated with vehicle (p <  0.05). Furthermore, TIB treatment decreased Aβ and tau content in the hippocampus of 3xTgAD mice compared to vehicle-treated groups (p <  0.05). No significant changes were observed in the cerebellum. Conclusion: Chronic treatment with TIB showed neuroprotective effects and delayed AD neuropathology in the 3xTgAD mice. Our results support hormone replacement therapy with TIB in menopausal women for neuroprotection.

Malnutrition is a public health problem in developing countries, affecting the child population, which favors the appearance of infections such as oral candidiasis. In Mexico, information on the presence of oral colonization by Candida spp. in asymptomatic children is scarce. The present study aimed to determine the presence of Candida spp. in the oral cavity of asymptomatic preschool Mexican children and its association with their nutritional status. A sample of oral mucosa was obtained using a sterile swab and then inoculated in Sabouraud dextrose agar with antibiotics, and the yeast growth was phenotypically identified. The anthropometric profile of children was performed based on the guidelines of the International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry. In addition, eating habits were investigated. The possible associations between the variables were determined through the chi-square test (IC95%, p < 0.05) (GraphPad Prism 8.0). Among the 743 assessed children (403 boys and 340 girls), the average age was 4.6 years, and the average nutritional status was normal (53.7%), followed by undernutrition (28.4%), overweight (12.4%) and obesity (5.5%). In 52 children, Candida was isolated, and the identified species were C. albicans (87.8%), C. glabrata (11.5%), C. krusei (5.8%) and C. parapsilosis (1.9%). The frequency of colonization was greater in males of six years (69.23%). There was no significant association between the colonization by Candida spp. and the nutritional status; however, a relation was observed with a high intake of simple carbohydrates.