Search Results (33)

Background/Objectives: The increasing prevalence of diabetes underscores the urgent need for non-invasive, rapid, and cost-effective diagnostic alternatives. This study presents a breath-based multiclass diabetes classification system leveraging only three gas sensors (CO, alcohol, and acetone) to analyze exhaled breath composition. Methods: Breath samples were collected from 58 participants (22 healthy, 7 prediabetic, and 29 diabetic), with blood glucose levels serving as the reference metric. To enhance classification performance, we introduced a novel biomarker, the alcohol-to-acetone ratio, through a feature engineering approach. Class imbalance was addressed using the Synthetic Minority Over-Sampling Technique (SMOTE), ensuring a balanced dataset for model training. A nested cross-validation framework with 3 outer and 3 inner folds was implemented. Multiple machine learning classifiers were evaluated, with Random Forest and Gradient Boosting emerging as the top-performing models. Results: An ensemble combining both yielded the highest overall performance, achieving an average accuracy of 98.86%, precision of 99.07%, recall of 98.81% and F1 score of 98.87%. These findings highlight the potential of gas sensor-based breath analysis as a highly accurate, scalable, and non-invasive method for diabetes screening. Conclusions: The proposed system offers a promising alternative to blood-based diagnostic approaches, paving the way for real-world applications in point-of-care diagnostics and continuous health monitoring. Full article

In the present work, we explored the dynamics of single kinks, kink–anti-kink pairs and bound states in the prototypical fractional Klein–Gordon example of the sine-Gordon equation. In particular, we modified the order $\beta$ of the temporal derivative to that of a Caputo fractional type and found that, for $1<\beta <2$, this imposes a dissipative dynamical behavior on the coherent structures. We also examined the variation of a fractional Riesz order $\alpha$ on the spatial derivative. Here, depending on whether this order was below or above the harmonic value $\alpha =2$, we found, respectively, monotonically attracting kinks, or non-monotonic and potentially attracting or repelling kinks, with a saddle equilibrium separating the two. Finally, we also explored the interplay of the two derivatives, when both Caputo temporal and Riesz spatial derivatives are involved. Full article

Variations in plant genotypes and phenotypes are expressed in ways that lead to the development of defensive abilities against herbivory. Induced defenses are mechanisms that affect herbivore insect preferences and performance. We evaluated the performance of resistant and susceptible phenotypes of Bauhinia brevipes (Fabaceae) against attacks by the gall-inducing insect Schizomyia macrocapillata (Diptera). We hypothesized that there is a positive relationship between resistance to S. macrocapillata and host plant performance because resistance can have a high adaptive value. We evaluated plant architecture, nutritional leaf quality, leaf fluctuating asymmetry, and reproductive capacity between phenotypes. Plant performance was evaluated at three ontogenetic stages: seed, seedling, and juvenile. Overall, there were no differences in vegetative and reproductive performance or asymmetry between the resistant and susceptible mature plants. We found no relationship between leaf nutritional quality and resistance to S. macrocapillata. Plant performance was consistent across ontogeny for both phenotypes, except for five variables. Contrary to our expectations, the susceptible plants performed equally well or better than the resistant plants, suggesting that tolerance and overcompensation to herbivory in B. brevipes may be mediated by induced defense. Our study highlights the importance of multiple layers of plant defense against herbivory, where plant tolerance acts as a secondary barrier in plants susceptible to gall-inducing insects. Full article

According to the Pan American Health Organization, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, claiming an estimated 17.9 million lives each year. This paper presents a systematic review to highlight the use of IoT, IoMT, and machine learning to detect, predict, or monitor cardiovascular disease. We had a final sample of 164 high-impact journal papers, focusing on two categories: cardiovascular disease detection using IoT/IoMT technologies and cardiovascular disease using machine learning techniques. For the first category, we found 82 proposals, while for the second, we found 85 proposals. The research highlights list of IoT/IoMT technologies, machine learning techniques, datasets, and the most discussed cardiovascular diseases. Neural networks have been popularly used, achieving an accuracy of over 90%, followed by random forest, XGBoost, k-NN, and SVM. Based on the results, we conclude that IoT/IoMT technologies can predict cardiovascular diseases in real time, ensemble techniques obtained one of the best performances in the accuracy metric, and hypertension and arrhythmia were the most discussed diseases. Finally, we identified the lack of public data as one of the main obstacles for machine learning approaches for cardiovascular disease prediction. Full article

Porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) is an intestinal disease caused by the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) and affects Mexico’s swine industry. Despite the disease initially being described in Mexico in 2013, there has been no research into the virus’s seroepidemiology carried out in Mexico. Thus, the goal of this study was to develop an indirect ELISA (iELISA) based on a recombinant N-terminal domain truncated spike (S) protein (rNTD-S) of PEDV to evaluate serum obtained from different pig-producing states in Mexico. A total of 1054 sera were collected from pig farms, slaughterhouses, and backyard production in the states of Aguascalientes, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Morelos, Queretaro, Sinaloa, and Veracruz between 2019 and 2021. The rNTD-S protein was expressed in E. coli BL21 (DE3) cells. Negative and positive serum samples used in the iELISA were previously tested by Western blot. According to our findings, 61.66% of the serum samples (650/1054) were positive, with Jalisco having the highest percentage of positive samples, at a rate of 21.44% (226/1054). This is the first seroepidemiology study of PEDV carried out in Mexico, revealing that the virus is still circulating since the initial outbreak; furthermore, it provides an overview of PEDV’s spread and high level of persistence across the country’s key swine-producing states. Full article

In recent decades, the worldwide production of microalgae has been carried out on an industrial scale. In recent years, the market for natural products has grown because of changes in consumer preferences for more natural products. The objective of this study was to demonstrate the hepatoprotective capacity of fucoxanthin extract obtained from an industrial culture of the microalgae Phaeodactylum tricornutum (Culture Collection of Alga and Protists in Scotland). The microalga was grown in an artificial and natural seawater mixture (1:9), using Walne’s culture medium in columns and raceway photobioreactors (RWP) inside a greenhouse. The carotenoid content in the tested systems continued to increase from day 5 of the culture, when the stationary phase was reached. The final biomass powder contained 4.9 mg (2.59%) of pure fucoxanthin. The possible hepatoprotective activity of fucoxanthin was then studied in the HepG2 cell line for 24 h in culture, and compared with the cytotoxicity of methotrexate (MTX). In conclusion, the active ingredient showed hepatoprotective activity against MTX in the human hepatocyte cell line HEPG-2 at a concentration of 0.25 mg/mL. The current results also suggest that it has beneficial properties for liver health and is a suitable ingredient for all types of nutraceutical products. Full article

The fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) have a crucial role in the pathogenesis of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA); however, its precise mechanisms remain partially unknown. The involvement of the fibroblast in activating adjuvant-induced arthritis (AA) has not been previously reported. The objective was to describe the participation of footpads’ fibroblasts in the critical initial process that drives the AA onset. Wistar rats were injected with Complete Freund’s Adjuvant (CFA) or saline solution in the hind paws’ footpads and euthanized at 24 or 48 h for genetic and histological analyses. Microarrays revealed the differentially expressed genes between the groups. The CFA dysregulated RA-linked biological processes at both times. Genes of MAPK, Jak-STAT, HIF, PI3K-Akt, TLR, TNF, and NF-κB signaling pathways were altered 24 h before the arrival of immune cells (CD4, CD8, and CD68). Key markers TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, NFκB, MEK-1, JAK3, Enolase, and VEGF were immunodetected in fibroblast in CFA-injected footpads at 24 h but not in the control group. Moreover, fibroblasts in the CFA inoculation site overexpressed cadherin-11, which is linked to the migration and invasion ability of RA-FLS. Our study shows that CFA induced a pathological phenotype in the fibroblast of the inoculation site at very early AA stages from 24 h, suggesting a prominent role in arthritis activation processes. Full article

Lifestyle modifications in preclinical Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) could delay the ongoing pathogenic immune processes and potentially prevent its onset. Physical exercise (PE) benefits RA patients; however, its impact in reducing the risk of developing RA has scarcely been studied. The objective was to describe the effects of low-intensity PE applied at the disease’s preclinical phase on the joints of DBA/1 mice with collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). Twelve mice with CIA were randomly distributed into two groups: the CIA-Ex group, which undertook treadmill PE, and the CIA-NoEx, which was not exercised. The effects of PE were evaluated through clinical, histological, transcriptomics, and immunodetection analyses in the mice’s hind paws. The CIA-Ex group showed lower joint inflammation and damage and a decreased expression of RA-related genes (Tnf Il2, Il10, Il12a, IL23a, and Tgfb1) and signaling pathways (Cytokines, Chemokines, JAK-STAT, MAPK, NF-kappa B, TNF, and TGF-beta). TNF-α expression was decreased by PE in the inflamed joints. Low-intensity PE in pre-arthritic CIA reduced the severity through joint down-expression of proinflammatory genes and proteins. Knowledge on the underlying mechanisms of PE in preclinical arthritis and its impact on reducing the risk of developing RA is still needed. Full article

In the present work, the total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoids content (TFC), antioxidant activity, and phenolic profile from pulp (PU) and peel (PE) extracts obtained from the ciricote (Cordia dodecandra A. DC.) fruit by ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) in immature (IM), semimature (SM), and mature (MM) stages were investigated. The effect of the diameter of the ultrasonic probe in the IM stage was also evaluated. The TPC and antioxidant activity in IM fruit extracts by UAE increased up to 11.01 and 23.82 times, respectively, compared to the maceration method. The main phenolic compounds in the PE of IM fruit identified by UPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS were quantified as caffeic acid, rutin, and rosmarinic acid, distributed as 45.82, 41.45, and 12.72%, respectively. The PE extracts of IM fruit obtained with the 3 mm diameter probe had 1.27, 2.44, and 1.37 times the TPC (19.93 ± 0.28 mg GAE (Gallic equivalents) g⁻¹ dw), TFC (34.85 ± 4.99 mg RE (Rutin equivalents) g⁻¹ dw), and antioxidant activity (122.09 ± 17.09 µTE (Trolox equivalents) g⁻¹ (DPPH)), respectively, compared to those obtained with a 13 mm diameter probe. The results obtained suggest the use of the ciricote native fruit as a source of bioactive compounds, directly as fresh fruit or processed, thus helping to increase its production and consumption. Full article

A high-risk pregnancy is one in which pathological problems or abnormal conditions are latent during pregnancy and childbirth, increasing dangers to the mother’s or the infant’s health. Based on international standards and studies, most of the harms and risks to both the mother and the infant can be detected, treated, and prevented through proper pregnancy monitoring, as well as through appropriate and timely diagnosis. In this paper, we present the analysis, design, development, and usability assessment of a telemonitoring system focused on the remote monitoring and control of pregnancy in women suffering from hypertension, diabetes, or high-risk pregnancy. Our system is composed of two mobile web applications. One of these is designed for the medical area, allowing remote monitoring of the patient’s pregnancy, and the other one is directed towards the patient, who enters the alarm symptom data, hypertension data, diabetes data, and clinical analyses, allowing the detection of a risk situation on time. Furthermore, we performed a usability assessment of our system based on a laboratory study with seven doctors and seven patients to evaluate the users’ satisfaction. Our telemonitoring system shows a satisfactory/favorable opinion from the users’ perspectives based on the obtained results. Full article

The formation of N-sulfonyl-1-aryloxy acrylimidate is described, for the first time, from a consecutive process, which involves a CuAAC reaction, a ketenimine formation and subsequent rearrangement between an aryl propargyl ether and a sulfonyl azide. The structure of this newly synthesized compound was analyzed by NMR spectra and unambiguously established by X-ray analysis. In addition, theoretical calculations, which included a Hirshfeld surface, FMO, QTAIM and NCI indices analysis, corroborated the formation of π-π stacking interactions among aromatic rings, as well as C-H···O interactions between vinyl hydrogens with ketone carbonyl oxygen. Full article

Long-term monitoring programs of species at risk are efficacious tools to assess population changes, evaluate conservation strategies, and improve management practices to ensure populations reach levels at which they can fulfill their ecological roles. For sea turtles, annual nesting beach surveys are the most accessible method to estimating the population abundance and reproductive output, especially when these are done in primary nesting sites. However, little data exist on the long-term assessment of these parameters. Here, we present the trends of the nest abundance, female size, hatching, and emergence success of hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) and green (Chelonia mydas) turtles at key nesting beaches in the southern Gulf of Mexico over 31 years (from 1990 to 2021). The nest abundance showed an increasing trend in both species as a result of the sustained protection and conservation effort, but there was no significant temporal trend in the annual female size, clutch size, hatching, and emergence success. However, these indicators showed decreasing mean values over the last decade and should be closely monitored. We suggest these decreases link to the combined effects of ocean warming and anthropogenic pressures affecting the sea turtle foraging grounds. Aside from protecting key nesting sites, protecting and restoring crucial foraging habitats should be an immediate priority requiring international cooperation. Full article

Knowledge absorptive capacity (ACAP) is a key dynamic capability that boosts business innovation, particularly in developing economies. However, scarce studies focus on ACAP and technological innovation (TI) in the context of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Therefore, this study aims to examine the effects of two different types of knowledge absorptive capacities to generate TI in the context of the Mexican manufacturing industry and determine whether realized absorptive capacity (RACAP) mediates the relationship between potential absorptive capacity (PACAP) and TI. This analysis was carried out through an empirical study of predictive type and quantitative approach. A survey-type questionnaire was randomly applied to a sample of 249 SMEs. The survey confers 200 managers’ opinions on the manufacturing industry in Mexico. The outcomes obtained through the variance-based structural equations (PLS-SEM) approach revealed that PACAP significantly influences RACAP, whereas, RACAP does impact TI and has a full mediating effect on the relationship between PACAP and TI. Nevertheless, although the significant direct effect of PACAP on TI is not verified, this research demonstrated the significant indirect effect of PACAP on TI. The findings reveal important implications for managers and decision-makers who must direct their strategies and ensure that the external knowledge acquired is assimilated by their employees so that PACAP will result in the transformation and exploitation of the internal and external knowledge acquired (RACAP), converting it into new products and processes. Full article

Hypobaric hypoxia is a condition that occurs at high altitudes (>2500 m) where the partial pressure of gases, particularly oxygen (PO₂), decreases. This condition triggers several physiological and molecular responses. One of the principal responses is pulmonary vascular contraction, which seeks to optimize gas exchange under this condition, known as hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV); however, when this physiological response is exacerbated, it contributes to the development of high-altitude pulmonary hypertension (HAPH). Increased levels of zinc (Zn²⁺) and oxidative stress (known as the “ROS hypothesis”) have been demonstrated in the vasoconstriction process. Therefore, the aim of this review is to determine the relationship between molecular pathways associated with altered Zn²⁺ levels and oxidative stress in HPV in hypobaric hypoxic conditions. The results indicate an increased level of Zn²⁺, which is related to increasing mitochondrial ROS (mtROS), alterations in nitric oxide (NO), metallothionein (MT), zinc-regulated, iron-regulated transporter-like protein (ZIP), and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase-induced protein kinase C epsilon (PKCε) activation in the development of HPV. In conclusion, there is an association between elevated Zn²⁺ levels and oxidative stress in HPV under different models of hypoxia, which contribute to understanding the molecular mechanism involved in HPV to prevent the development of HAPH. Full article

Marfan Syndrome (MFS) is an autosomal dominant condition caused by variants in the fibrillin-1 (FBN1) gene. Cardinal features of MFS include ectopia lentis (EL), musculoskeletal features and aortic root aneurysm and dissection. Although dissection of the ascending aorta is the main cause of mortality in MFS, the clinical course differs considerably in age of onset and severity, even among individuals who share the same causative variant, suggesting the existence of additional genetic variants that modify the severity of the cardiovascular phenotype in MFS. We recruited MFS patients and classified them into severe (n = 8) or mild aortic phenotype (n = 14) according to age of presentation of the first aorta-related incident. We used Exome Sequencing to identify the genetic variants associated with the severity of aortic manifestations and we performed linkage analysis where suitable. We found five genes associated with severe aortic phenotype and three genes that could be protective for this phenotype in MFS. These genes regulate components of the extracellular matrix, TGFβ pathway and other signaling pathways that are involved in the maintenance of the ECM or angiogenesis. Further studies will be required to understand the functional effect of these variants and explore novel, personalized risk management and, potentially, therapies for these patients. Full article