1
|
Flor-Unda O, Casa B, Fuentes M, Solorzano S, Narvaez-Espinoza F, Acosta-Vargas P. Exoskeletons: Contribution to Occupational Health and Safety. Bioengineering (Basel) 2023; 10:1039. [PMID: 37760141 PMCID: PMC10647659 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering10091039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2023] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
This review aims to characterize the current landscape of exoskeletons designed to promote medical care and occupational safety in industrial settings. Extensive exploration of scientific databases spanning industries, health, and medicine informs the classification of exoskeletons according to their distinctive attributes and specific footholds on the human physique. Within the scope of this review, a comprehensive analysis is presented, contextualizing the integration of exoskeletons based on different work activities. The reviewers extracted the most relevant articles published between 2008 and 2023 from IEEE, Proquest, PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, and other databases. In this review, the PRISMA-ScR checklist was used, and a Cohen's kappa coefficient of 0.642 was applied, implying moderate agreement among the reviewers; 75 primary studies were extracted from a total of 344. The future of exoskeletons in contributing to occupational health and safety will depend on continued collaboration between researchers, designers, healthcare professionals, and industries. With the continued development of technologies and an increasing understanding of how these devices interact with the human body, exoskeletons will likely remain valuable for improving working conditions and safety in various work environments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Omar Flor-Unda
- Ingeniería Industrial, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170125, Ecuador;
| | - Bregith Casa
- Ingeniería en Diseño Industrial, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito 170125, Ecuador; (B.C.); (M.F.)
| | - Mauricio Fuentes
- Ingeniería en Diseño Industrial, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito 170125, Ecuador; (B.C.); (M.F.)
| | - Santiago Solorzano
- Unidad de Innovación Tecnológica, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170125, Ecuador;
| | | | - Patricia Acosta-Vargas
- Ingeniería Industrial, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170125, Ecuador;
- Intelligent and Interactive Systems Laboratory, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170125, Ecuador
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Kuschel K, Carrasco R, Idrovo-Aguirre BJ, Duran C, Contreras-Reyes JE. Preparing Cities for Future Pandemics: Unraveling the Influence of Urban and Housing Variables on COVID-19 Incidence in Santiago de Chile. Healthcare (Basel) 2023; 11:2259. [PMID: 37628457 PMCID: PMC10454338 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare11162259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
In this study, we analyzed how urban, housing, and socioeconomic variables are related to COVID-19 incidence. As such, we have analyzed these variables along with demographic, education, employment, and COVID-19 data from 32 communes in Santiago de Chile between March and August of 2020, before the release of the vaccines. The results of our Principal Component Analysis (PCA) confirmed that those communes with more economic, social, organizational, and infrastructural resources were overall less affected by COVID-19. As the dimensions affecting COVID-19 are based on structural variables, this study discusses to what extent our cities can be prepared for the next pandemic. Recommendations for local decision-makers in controlling illegal immigration and investing in housing and urban parks are drawn.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katherina Kuschel
- CENTRUM Católica Graduate Business School, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Lima 15073, Peru;
| | - Raúl Carrasco
- Núcleo de Investigación en Data Science, Facultad de Ingeniería y Negocios, Universidad de Las Américas, Santiago 3981000, Chile
| | - Byron J. Idrovo-Aguirre
- Escuela de Negocios, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Universidad Adolfo Ibañez, Santiago 7941169, Chile;
- Gerencia de Estudios y Políticas Públicas, Cámara Chilena de la Construcción, Santiago 7560860, Chile
| | - Claudia Duran
- Departamento de Ingeniería Industrial, Universidad Tecnológica Metropolitana, Santiago 7800002, Chile
| | - Javier E. Contreras-Reyes
- Instituto de Estadística, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso 2360102, Chile;
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Acosta-Vargas P, Flor O, Salvador-Acosta B, Suárez-Carreño F, Santórum M, Solorzano S, Salvador-Ullauri L. Inertial Sensors for Hip Arthroplasty Rehabilitation: A Scoping Review. Sensors (Basel) 2023; 23:s23115048. [PMID: 37299775 DOI: 10.3390/s23115048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 04/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The objective of this scoping review is to characterize the current panorama of inertia sensors for the rehabilitation of hip arthroplasty. In this context, the most widely used sensors are IMUs, which combine accelerometers and gyroscopes to measure acceleration and angular velocity in three axes. We found that data collected by the IMU sensors are used to analyze and detect any deviation from the normal to measure the position and movement of the hip joint. The main functions of inertial sensors are to measure various aspects of training, such as speed, acceleration, and body orientation. The reviewers extracted the most relevant articles published between 2010 and 2023 in the ACM Digital Library, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Web of Science. In this scoping review, the PRISMA-ScR checklist was used, and a Cohen's kappa coefficient of 0.4866 was applied, implying moderate agreement between reviewers; 23 primary studies were extracted from a total of 681. In the future, it will be an excellent challenge for experts in inertial sensors with medical applications to provide access codes for other researchers, which will be one of the most critical trends in the advancement of applications of portable inertial sensors for biomechanics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Acosta-Vargas
- Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170125, Ecuador
- Intelligent and Interactive Systems Laboratory, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170125, Ecuador
- Facultad de Tecnologías de Información, Universidad Latina de Costa Rica, San José 11501, Costa Rica
| | - Omar Flor
- Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170125, Ecuador
| | - Belén Salvador-Acosta
- Intelligent and Interactive Systems Laboratory, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170125, Ecuador
- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170125, Ecuador
| | | | - Marco Santórum
- Departamento de Informática y Ciencias de la Computación, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito 170525, Ecuador
| | - Santiago Solorzano
- Intelligent and Interactive Systems Laboratory, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170125, Ecuador
| | - Luis Salvador-Ullauri
- Department of Software and Computing Systems, University of Alicante, 03690 Alicante, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Bastidas-Caldes C, Cisneros-Vásquez E, Zambrano A, Mosquera-Maza A, Calero-Cáceres W, Rey J, Yamamoto Y, Yamamoto M, Calvopiña M, de Waard JH. Co-Harboring of Beta-Lactamases and mcr-1 Genes in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae from Healthy Carriers and Backyard Animals in Rural Communities in Ecuador. Antibiotics (Basel) 2023; 12:antibiotics12050856. [PMID: 37237759 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics12050856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2023] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Few studies have addressed drug resistance of Enterobacterales in rural communities in developing countries. This study aimed to determine the coexistence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) and carbapenemase genes in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae strains carrying the mcr-1 gene in rural communities in Ecuador from healthy humans and their backyard animals. Sixty-two strains, thirty E. coli and thirty-two K. pneumoniae strains carrying the mcr-1 gene were selected from a previous study. PCR were performed for the presence of ESBLs and carbapenemase genes. The strains were further characterized, and the genetic relationship was studied with multi-locus sequencing typing (MLST) of seven housekeeping genes. Fifty-nine of the sixty-two mcr-1 isolates (95%) harbored at least on β-lactam resistance gene. The most prevalent ESBL genes were the blaTEM genes (present in in 80% of the E. coli strains) and the blaSHV gene (present in 84% of the K. pneumoniae strains). MSLT analysis revealed 28 different sequence types (ST); 15 for E. coli and 12 for K. pneumoniae, with most ST never described in humans and animals. The coexistence of mcr-1 and β-lactams resistant genes in E. coli and K. pneumoniae strains is alarming and threatens the efficacy of last-resort antibiotics. Our findings highlight backyard animals as a reservoir of mcr-1/β-lactams resistant genes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Bastidas-Caldes
- One Health Research Group, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas, Biotecnología, Universidad de las Américas, Quito 170124, Ecuador
| | - Emily Cisneros-Vásquez
- One Health Research Group, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas, Biotecnología, Universidad de las Américas, Quito 170124, Ecuador
| | - Antonella Zambrano
- One Health Research Group, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas, Biotecnología, Universidad de las Américas, Quito 170124, Ecuador
| | | | - William Calero-Cáceres
- UTA RAM One Health, Department of Food and Biotechnology Science and Engineering, Universidad Técnica de Ambato, Ambato 180103, Ecuador
| | - Joaquín Rey
- Unidad de Patología Infecciosa y Epidemiología, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain
| | - Yoshimasa Yamamoto
- The United Graduate School of Drug Discovery and Medical Information Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu 501-1193, Japan
| | - Mayumi Yamamoto
- Health Administration Center, Gifu University, Gifu 501-1193, Japan
| | - Manuel Calvopiña
- One Health Research Group, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de las Américas, Quito 170124, Ecuador
| | - Jacobus H de Waard
- One Health Research Group, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de las Américas, Quito 170124, Ecuador
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Sevilla ME, Garcia MD, Perez-Castillo Y, Armijos-Jaramillo V, Casado S, Vizuete K, Debut A, Cerda-Mejía L. Degradation of PET Bottles by an Engineered Ideonella sakaiensis PETase. Polymers (Basel) 2023; 15:polym15071779. [PMID: 37050393 PMCID: PMC10098701 DOI: 10.3390/polym15071779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Extensive plastic production has become a serious environmental and health problem due to the lack of efficient treatment of plastic waste. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is one of the most used polymers and is accumulating in landfills or elsewhere in nature at alarming rates. In recent years, enzymatic degradation of PET by Ideonella sakaiensis PETase (IsPETase), a cutinase-like enzyme, has emerged as a promising strategy to completely depolymerize this polymer into its building blocks. Here, inspired by the architecture of cutinases and lipases homologous to IsPETase and using 3D structure information of the enzyme, we rationally designed three mutations in IsPETase active site for enhancing its PET-degrading activity. In particular, the S238Y mutant, located nearby the catalytic triad, showed a degradation activity increased by 3.3-fold in comparison to the wild-type enzyme. Importantly, this structural modification favoured the function of the enzyme in breaking down highly crystallized (~31%) PET, which is found in commercial soft drink bottles. In addition, microscopical analysis of enzyme-treated PET samples showed that IsPETase acts better when the smooth surface of highly crystalline PET is altered by mechanical stress. These results represent important progress in the accomplishment of a sustainable and complete degradation of PET pollution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Eduarda Sevilla
- Facultad de Ciencia e Ingeniería en Alimentos y Biotecnología, Universidad Técnica de Ambato, Ambato 180216, Ecuador
| | - Mario D Garcia
- Facultad de Ciencia e Ingeniería en Alimentos y Biotecnología, Universidad Técnica de Ambato, Ambato 180216, Ecuador
| | - Yunierkis Perez-Castillo
- Área de Ciencias Aplicadas, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170125, Ecuador
- Grupo de Bio-Quimioinformática, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170125, Ecuador
| | - Vinicio Armijos-Jaramillo
- Grupo de Bio-Quimioinformática, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170125, Ecuador
- Ingeniería en Biotecnología, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170125, Ecuador
| | - Santiago Casado
- Facultad de Ciencia e Ingeniería en Alimentos y Biotecnología, Universidad Técnica de Ambato, Ambato 180216, Ecuador
| | - Karla Vizuete
- Centro de Nanociencia y Nanotecnología, Universidad de Las Fuerzas Armadas ESPE, Sangolquí 171103, Ecuador
| | - Alexis Debut
- Centro de Nanociencia y Nanotecnología, Universidad de Las Fuerzas Armadas ESPE, Sangolquí 171103, Ecuador
- Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida y Agricultura, Universidad de Las Fuerzas Armadas ESPE, Sangolquí 171103, Ecuador
| | - Liliana Cerda-Mejía
- Facultad de Ciencia e Ingeniería en Alimentos y Biotecnología, Universidad Técnica de Ambato, Ambato 180216, Ecuador
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Calvopiña M, Romero-Alvarez D, Vasconez E, Valverde-Muñoz G, Trueba G, Garcia-Bereguiain MA, Orlando SA. Leptospirosis in Ecuador: Current Status and Future Prospects. Trop Med Infect Dis 2023; 8:tropicalmed8040202. [PMID: 37104328 PMCID: PMC10141158 DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed8040202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Revised: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The location of Ecuador-an equatorial nation-favors the multiplication and dispersal of the Leptospira genus both on the Pacific Coast and in the Amazon tropical ecoregions. Nevertheless, leptospirosis epidemiology has not been fully addressed, even though the disease has been recognized as a significant public health problem in the country. The purpose of this literature review is to update knowledge on the epidemiology and geographical distribution of Leptospira spp. and leptospirosis in Ecuador to target future research and develop a national control strategy. A retrospective literature search using five international, regional, and national databases on Leptospira and leptospirosis including humans, animals, and environmental isolations of the bacteria and the disease incidence in Ecuador published between 1919 and 2022 (103 years) with no restriction on language or publication date was performed. We found and analyzed 47 publications including 22 of humans, 19 of animals, and two of the environments; three of these covered more than one of these topics, and one covered all three (i.e., One Health). Most (60%) of the studies were conducted in the Coastal ecoregion. Twenty-four (51%) were published in international journals, and 27 (57%) were in Spanish. A total of 7342 human and 6314 other animal cases were studied. Leptospirosis was a frequent cause of acute undifferentiated febrile illness in the Coast and Amazon and was associated with rainfall. All three major clusters of Leptospira-pathogenic, intermediate, and saprophytic-were identified from both healthy and febrile humans, the environment, and animals; moreover, nine species and 29 serovars were recorded over the three Ecuadorian ecoregions. Leptospira infections were diagnosed in livestock, companion, and wild animals from the Amazon and the Coast regions along with sea lions from the Galápagos Islands. Microscopic-agglutination test was the diagnostic tool most widely used. Three reviews covering national data on outpatients and inpatients determined the varied annual incidence and mortality rate, with males being more commonly affected. No human cases have been reported in the Galápagos Islands. Genomic sequences of three pathogenic Leptospira were reported. No studies on clinical ground, antibiotic resistance, or treatment were reported, nor were control programs or clinical-practice guidelines found. The published literature demonstrated that leptospirosis was and still is an endemic disease with active transmission in the four geoclimatic regions of Ecuador including the Galápagos Islands. Animal infections, distributed in mainland and insular Ecuador, pose a significant health risk for humans. Nationwide epidemiological surveys-encouraging more research on the fauna and environment with appropriate sampling design on risk factors for human and animal leptospirosis, Leptospira genotyping, increased laboratory capability, and readily available official data-are required to improve our understanding of transmission patterns and to develop effective national intervention strategies with the intention of applying One Health approaches.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Calvopiña
- One Health Research Group, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Las Américas (UDLA), Quito 170124, Ecuador
| | - Daniel Romero-Alvarez
- One Health Research Group, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Las Américas (UDLA), Quito 170124, Ecuador
- Biodiversity Institute and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
| | - Eduardo Vasconez
- One Health Research Group, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Las Américas (UDLA), Quito 170124, Ecuador
| | - Gabriela Valverde-Muñoz
- Proyecto de Fortalecimiento de la Atención Integral de Personas con Discapacidad, Ministerio de Salud Pública, Quito 170702, Ecuador
| | - Gabriel Trueba
- Institute of Microbiology, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito 170901, Ecuador
| | - Miguel Angel Garcia-Bereguiain
- One Health Research Group, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Las Américas (UDLA), Quito 170124, Ecuador
- Universidad Latinoamerica de Costa Rica, San Jose 11501, Costa Rica
| | - Solon Alberto Orlando
- Instituto Nacional de Investigación en Salud Pública INSPI, Quito 3961, Ecuador
- Universidad Espíritu Santo, Guayaquil 092301, Ecuador
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Guevara-Terán M, Padilla-Arias K, Beltrán-Novoa A, González-Paramás AM, Giampieri F, Battino M, Vásquez-Castillo W, Fernandez-Soto P, Tejera E, Alvarez-Suarez JM. Influence of Altitudes and Development Stages on the Chemical Composition, Antioxidant, and Antimicrobial Capacity of the Wild Andean Blueberry ( Vaccinium floribundum Kunth). Molecules 2022; 27:7525. [PMID: 36364359 PMCID: PMC9657399 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27217525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Revised: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The chemical composition and biological capacities of berries depend on environmental parameters, maturity, and location. The Andean blueberry (Vaccinium floribundum Kunth), also known as mortiño, presents a unique combination of several phytochemicals, which play a synergistic role in its characterization as a functional food. We aimed to expose the possible variations that exist in the profile of the phenolic compounds as well as the antioxidant and antimicrobial capacity of the wild Andean blueberry with respect to three ripeness stages and two different altitudes. We found that polyphenols are the predominant compounds in the berry during the early ripeness stage and are the main bioactive compounds that give rise to the antioxidant capacity and inhibition effect on the growth of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Moreover, the accumulation of ascorbic acid, free amino acids, and anthocyanins increases as the ripening process progresses, and they were the main bioactive compounds in the ripe berry. The latter compounds influence the production of the typical bluish or reddish coloration of ripe blueberries. In addition, it was determined that environmental conditions at high altitudes could have a positive influence in all cases. Overall, our data provide evidence regarding the high functional value of the wild Andean blueberry.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mabel Guevara-Terán
- Grupo de Bioquimioinformática, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170125, Ecuador
- Grupo de Investigación en Polifenoles, Campus Miguel de Unamuno, Universidad de Salamanca, 37008 Salamanca, Spain
| | | | - Andrea Beltrán-Novoa
- Departamento de Química Analítica, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko, Unibertsitatea (UPV/EHU), 48940 Bilbao, Spain
| | - Ana M González-Paramás
- Grupo de Investigación en Polifenoles, Campus Miguel de Unamuno, Universidad de Salamanca, 37008 Salamanca, Spain
| | - Francesca Giampieri
- Research Group on Food, Nutritional Biochemistry and Health, Universidad Europea del Atlántico, 39011 Santander, Spain
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 2254, Saudi Arabia
| | - Maurizio Battino
- Research Group on Food, Nutritional Biochemistry and Health, Universidad Europea del Atlántico, 39011 Santander, Spain
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60121 Ancona, Italy
- International Research Center for Food Nutrition and Safety, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
| | | | | | - Eduardo Tejera
- Grupo de Bioquimioinformática, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170125, Ecuador
| | - José M Alvarez-Suarez
- Departamento de Ingeniería en Alimentos, Colegio de Ciencias e Ingenierías, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito 170901, Ecuador
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Figueroa S, Freire-Paspuel B, Vega-Mariño P, Velez A, Cruz M, Cardenas WB, Garcia-Bereguiain MA. High sensitivity-low cost detection of SARS-CoV-2 by two steps end point RT-PCR with agarose gel electrophoresis visualization. Sci Rep 2021; 11:21658. [PMID: 34737323 PMCID: PMC8568942 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-00900-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
More than one year since Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak, the gold standard technique for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) detection is still the RT-qPCR. This is a limitation to increase testing capacities, particularly at developing countries, as expensive reagents and equipment are required. We developed a two steps end point RT-PCR reaction with SARS-CoV-2 Nucleocapsid (N) gene and Ribonuclease P (RNase P) specific primers where viral amplicons were verified by agarose gel electrophoresis. We carried out a clinical performance and analytical sensitivity evaluation for this two-steps end point RT-PCR method with 242 nasopharyngeal samples using the CDC RT-qPCR protocol as a gold standard technique. With a specificity of 95.8%, a sensitivity of 95.1%, and a limit of detection of 20 viral RNA copies/uL, this two steps end point RT-PCR assay is an affordable and reliable method for SARS-CoV-2 detection. This protocol would allow to extend COVID-19 diagnosis to basic molecular biology laboratories with a potential positive impact in surveillance programs at developing countries.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Solange Figueroa
- One Health Research Group, Universidad de Las Americas, Quito, Ecuador
| | | | - Patricio Vega-Mariño
- Agencia de Regulación y Control de la Bioseguridad y Cuarentena para Galápagos, Puerto Ayora, Ecuador
| | - Alberto Velez
- Agencia de Regulación y Control de la Bioseguridad y Cuarentena para Galápagos, Puerto Ayora, Ecuador
| | - Marilyn Cruz
- Agencia de Regulación y Control de la Bioseguridad y Cuarentena para Galápagos, Puerto Ayora, Ecuador
| | - Washington B Cardenas
- Laboratorio para Investigaciones Biomédicas, Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, Guayaquil, Ecuador
| | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
Castejón-Vega B, Giampieri F, Alvarez-Suarez JM. Nutraceutical Compounds Targeting Inflammasomes in Human Diseases. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E4829. [PMID: 32650482 PMCID: PMC7402342 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21144829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2020] [Revised: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The macromolecular complex known as "inflammasome" is defined as an intracellular multi-protein complex composed of a sensor receptor (PRR), an adaptor protein and an effector enzyme (caspase-1), which oligomerize when they sense danger, such as how the NLR family, AIM-2 and RIG-1 receptors protect the body against danger via cytokine secretion. Within the NLR members, NLRP3 is the most widely known and studied inflammasome and has been linked to many diseases. Nowadays, people's interest in their lifestyles and nutritional habits is increasing, mainly due to the large number of diseases that seem to be related to both. The term "nutraceutical" has recently emerged as a hybrid term between "nutrition" and "pharmacological" and it refers to a wide range of bioactive compounds contained in food with relevant effects on human health. The relationship between these compounds and diseases based on inflammatory processes has been widely exposed and the compounds stand out as an alternative to the pathological consequences that inflammatory processes may have, beyond their defense and repair action. Against this backdrop, here we review the results of studies using several nutraceutical compounds in common diseases associated with the inflammation and activation of the NLRP3 inflammasomes complex. In general, it was found that there is a wide range of nutraceuticals with effects through different molecular pathways that affect the activation of the inflammasome complex, with positive effects mainly in cardiovascular, neurological diseases, cancer and type 2 diabetes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Castejón-Vega
- Research Laboratory, Oral Medicine Department, University of Sevilla, 41009 Sevilla, Spain;
| | - Francesca Giampieri
- Nutrition and Food Science Group, Department of Analytical and Food Chemistry, CITACA, CACTI, University of Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain;
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche Specialistiche ed Odontostomatologiche (DISCO)-Sez, Biochimica, Facoltà di Medicina, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60131 Ancona, Italy
- College of Food Science and Technology, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
| | - José M. Alvarez-Suarez
- Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas (FICA), AgroScience & Food Research Group, Universidad de Las Américas, 170125 Quito, Ecuador
- King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, 21589 Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| |
Collapse
|