Objective: To evaluate the effect of an educational campaign for reducing the breeding places of Aedes aegypti, the principal vector of dengue; and to compare its effects with the ones obtained by spraying of malathion at ultralow volume. Design: Randomised community trial. Setting: Colima city, in the State of Colima, Mexico. Participants: Householders of 187 houses, randomly selected from the west sector of the city. Data: In each house, an entomological survey was done, as well as one for knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP), before the intervention and six months after. The intervention consisted of educational campaign alone (47 houses); malathion spraying at ultra low volume alone (46 houses); both treatments simultaneously (49 houses) and no intervention, or control group (45 houses). Main results: The global average of the positive containers by house (C+/C) was reduced from 0.97 to 0.77. A two way analysis of variance showed that this reduction was more apparent in the houses that received educational campaign (F=8.4, p<0.005) with relation to the ones that received malathion spraying (F=0.38, p>0.5), while the combination of both treatments demonstrated a discrete negative interaction (F=6.52, p<0.05). These effects were independent of climatic changes and level of knowledge about dengue, as the KAP indicator did not show any significant changes in any group (F=1.14, p>0.1). Conclusion:The results indicated that the educational campaign reduced the A aegypti breeding places more effectively than the use of chemicals spraying, and that the combination of both treatments can reduce its efficiency, possibly because of the false expectancy of protection that spraying creates. The KAP surveys seemed to have very limited value in evaluating quantitatively the programmes of eradication of the dengue vector.

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Background:Matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) is an enzyme with proteolytic activity on matrix proteins, particularly basement membrane constituents. A single nucleotide polymorphism C>T transition at –1306 displayed a strong association with several cancers. Our study investigated whether or not the MMP-2 –1306C>T polymorphism contributed to the development of breast cancer (BC) in a Mexican population. Methods: 90 patients with BC and 96 control subjects were analyzed to detect MMP-2 –1306C>T polymorphism. Results: The frequency of MMP-2 CC genotype was significantly higher in BC patients when compared with the control group (OR 2.15; 95% CI 1.1–4.1). MMP-2 CC genotype frequency was more pronounced in younger subjects (≤50 years) at diagnosis (OR 2.66; 95% CI 1.04–6.96). Conclusion: The data suggest that MMP-2 –1306C>T polymorphism strongly contributes to the development of BC in the population studied, especially among women 50 years old and younger.

Domestic violence, particularly verbal or sexual, is strongly associated with suicidal behavior in adolescents and should be considered in suicide prevention programs.

Chagas' disease, which is caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is a significant public health problem in the Americas. Its clinical presentation varies significantly in different geographic regions. Using experimental infection in mice, we studied the pathologic changes in lungs in the acute phase of the disease caused by three Mexican isolates of T. cruzi. Clusters of parasites and inflammatory reactions were found in the walls of conducting airways and pulmonary vessels. Inflammation was more intense in the small vessels. Although the parasites were not found in the alveolar walls, severe pathologic changes in these structure were observed and included alveolar wall thickening and inflammatory infiltration. Furthermore, serous liquid, fibrin fibers, hyaline membranes, and erythrocytes were found in the alveolar spaces. The pathomorphologic changes observed in the infected mice are consistent with pneumonitis.

Flaviviruses (FVs) are a very heterogeneous group of viruses that includes viruses capable of infecting insects and/or vertebrates. Different human-disease-causing FVs are disseminated by mosquitoes, and therefore, the search for FV in these insects has recently been proposed in order to evaluate their potential transmission in a given community. An entomological survey was carried out in Colima (the hyperendemic dengue fever transmission zone in Mexico) to collect culicidae in urban and wild areas. No human-pathogenic FVs were found, but sequences related to a potentially novel strain of cell fusing agent virus (CFAV) were detected in Stegomyia (Aedes) aegypti mosquitoes.

Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is currently the main public health problem worldwide. The administration of neutral electrolyzed saline, a solution that contains reactive species of chlorine and oxygen (ROS), may be an effective therapeutic alternative due to its immunomodulating characteristics, in systemic inflammation control, as well as in immune response improvement, promoting control of the viral infection. The present study evaluated the efficacy of treatment with intravenous and/or nebulized neutral electrolyzed saline combined with usual medical care versus usual medical care alone, in ambulatory patients with COVID-19.Methods: A prospective, 2-arm, parallel group, randomized, open-label, phase I-II clinical trial included 39 patients in the control group (usual medical care alone) and 45 patients in the experimental group (usual medical care + intravenous and/or nebulized electrolyzed saline, with dose escalation). Two aspects were evaluated during the twenty-day follow-up: i) the number of patients with disease progression (hospitalization or death); and ii) the Patient Acceptable Symptom State (PASS), a single-question outcome that determines patient well-being thresholds for pain and function. Biochemical and hematologic parameters, as well as adverse effects, were evaluated in the experimental group. Results: The experimental treatment decreased the risk for hospitalization by 92% (adjusted RR=0.08, 95% CI: 0.01-0.50, P=0.007), with a 43-fold increase in the probability of achieving an acceptable symptom state on day 5 (adjusted RR= 42.96, 95% CI: 9.22-200.0, P<0.001). Intravenous + nebulized administration was better than nebulized administration alone, but nebulized administration was better than usual medical care alone. Clinical improvement correlated with a decrease in C-reactive protein, and aberrant monocytes and an increase of lymphocytes, and platelets. Cortisol and testosterone levels were also evaluated, observing a decrease in cortisol levels and an increment of testosterone-cortisol ratio, on days 2 and 4. Conclusions: The experimental treatment produced no serious adverse effects. In conclusion, intravenous and/or nebulized neutral electrolyzed saline importantly reduced the symptomatology and risk of progression (hospitalization and death), in ambulatory patients with COVID-19.Trial registration: Cuban Public Registry of Clinical Trials (RPCEC) Database RPCEC00000309. Registered: 05. May 2020. https://rpcec.sld.cu/en/trials/RPCEC00000309-En

Meclofenamic acid was shown to be a potential antineoplastic agent for both androgen-dependent and androgen-independent prostate cancer.