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\"Enter the world of Street Fighter, where fighters of every size, shape and color collide in a global battle for supremacy.\" -- Back cover of volume 1.

Objective Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic immune‐mediated inflammatory arthritis that develops in 30% of patients with psoriasis, leading to increased morbidity and mortality and reduced quality of life. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) modulate gene expression and have been associated with the pathogenesis of immune‐mediated disorders. We aimed to identify miRNAs that can be used as biomarkers for the development of PsA in patients with psoriasis. Methods miRNA expression levels were assessed in serum samples from 28 patients with PsA, 35 patients with cutaneous psoriasis without arthritis (PsC), and 28 healthy controls through next‐generation sequencing. Differential expression was assessed by linear modeling with empirical Bayes moderation corrected for sequencing batch, age, sex, and duration of psoriasis. For validation, we measured the expression of >191 genes predicted to be targeted by the dysregulated miRNAs using a custom NanoString probe panel in an independent cohort of 144 patients with PsA and 88 patients with PsC. The enrichment of specific pathways corresponding to the differentially expressed gene targets was examined using pathDIP. Results In the discovery cohort, the miRNA miR‐190a‐5p was significantly down‐regulated in patients with PsA compared to those with PsC (P< 0.05), and both miR‐190a‐5p and miR‐26b‐5p were down‐regulated in patients with PsA versus healthy controls (P < 0.05). In the validation cohort, 26 gene targets of both of these miRNAs were differentially expressed. These genes were enriched in signaling pathways associated with bone formation and regeneration: Wnt and transforming growth factor β. Conclusion Serum expression levels of miR‐190a‐5p and miR‐26b‐5p can potentially serve as biomarkers for PsA development.

Global climate crisis and severe water scarcity worldwide demand alternative genotypes that allow an adequate balance between production and water use while ensuring benefits for foresters. The genetic improvement of water use efficiency (WUE) in forest plantations could reduce water use without compromising yield. Above-ground biomass (AGB), saw-wood volume up to small-end diameter of 15 cm (V15), wood density (WD) and intrinsic WUE (WUEi) from wood carbon isotopic discrimination was evaluated in forty open-pollinated families of G. arborea grown in a tropical dry forest known as a water-limited environment, to select superior genotypes considering a balance in wood production and water use. Heritability of open-pollinated family means were moderate with values of h2f = 0.554 for AGB, h2f = 0.541 for V15, h2f = 0.608 for WD and h2f = 0.495 for WUEi. Significant genetic correlations between both WD and WUEi and production traits (p < 0.05) and a nonsignificant genetic correlation between WD and WUEi were found. Although production traits and WUEi showed moderate narrow-sense and family means heritabilities, considerable responses to selection of up to 13.7% in AGB, 15.5% in V15, 2.5% in WD and 3.0% in WUEi could be achieved from intensive selection of superior families. Our results showed that it may be possible balancing wood production and WUE by selecting open-pollinated families of G. arborea with higher V15 and WUEi. The deployment of these superior families can be used as a forest management strategy to adapt the species to future drought scenarios associated with global climate change.

To identify biomarkers that distinguish psoriatic arthritis (PsA) from cutaneous psoriasis without arthritis (PsC) and healthy controls (HC) using single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq). Peripheral blood mononuclear cell samples from three patients with PsA fulfilling CASPAR criteria, three patients with PsC and two HC were profiled using scRNA-seq. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) identified through scRNA-seq were validated on classical monocytes, and CD4 and CD8 T cell subsets derived from an independent cohort of patients using the NanoString nCounter platform. Protein expression was measured in CD4 and CD8 T cells by immunoblotting. A total of 18 immune cell population clusters were identified. Across 18 cell clusters, we identified 234 DEGs. and were overexpressed in PsA vs HC and PsC patients. Immunoblotting of the proteins encoded in these genes (IκBα and A20, respectively) showed higher levels in PsA CD4 T cells compared to HC. Conversely, lower levels were observed in PsA CD8 T cell lysates compared to HC for both proteins. These results suggest that translation of and may be inhibited in PsA CD8 T cells. This study provides insight into the cellular heterogeneity of PsA, showing that non-cell type specific expression of genes associated with the disease can be dysregulated through different mechanisms in distinct cell types.

Prior research on pool testing focus on developing testing methods with the main objective of reducing the total number of tests. However, pool testing can also be used to improve the accuracy of the testing process. The objective of this paper is to improve the accuracy of pool testing using the same number of tests as that of individual testing taking into consideration the probability of testing errors and pool multiplicity classification thresholds. Statistical models are developed to evaluate the impact of pool multiplicity classiffcation thresholds on pool testing accuracy using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the area under the curve (AUC). The findings indicate that under certain conditions, pool testing multiplicity yields superior testing accuracy compared to individual testing without additional cost. The results reveal that selecting the multiplicity classification threshold is a critical factor in improving the pool testing accuracy and show that the lower the prevalence level the higher the gains in accuracy using multiplicity pool testing. The findings also indicate that performance can be improved using a batch size that is inversely proportional to the prevalence level. Furthermore, the results indicate that multiplicity pool testing not only improves the testing accuracy but also reduces the total cost of the testing process. Based on the findings, the manufacturer’s test sensitivity has more significant impact on the accuracy of multiplicity pool testing compared to that of manufacturer’s test specificity.

Cervical ectopy is a benign condition of the lower genital tract that is frequently detected in women of reproductive age. Although cervical ectopy is regarded as a physiological condition, some women experience symptoms such as leucorrhoea, persistent bleeding and recurrent vaginal infections that require medical intervention. Cervical ectopy has not been linked to cervical cancer, but it is thought to facilitate the acquisition of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), like Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection, as it provides a favorable microenvironment for virus infection and dissemination. We and others have described the presence of oncogenic HPV types in women with symptomatic cervical ectopy. The relevance of this finding and the impact of symptomatic cervical ectopy on the cervicovaginal microenvironment (vaginal microbiota, immune and inflammatory responses) are currently unknown. To shed some light into the interplay between HPV, the vaginal microbiota and mucosal immune and inflammatory responses in the context of this condition, we enrolled 156 women with symptomatic cervical ectopy and determined the presence of HPV using a type-specific multiplex genotyping assay. Overall, HPV was detected in 54.48% women, oncogenic HPV types were found in more than 90% of HPV-positive cases. The most prevalent HPV types were HPV16 (29.4%), HPV31 (21.17%) and HPV18 (15.29%). Next, we evaluated the vaginal microbial composition and diversity by 16S rDNA sequencing, and quantified levels of cytokines and chemokines by flow cytometry using bead-based multiplex assays in a sub-cohort of 63 women. IL-21 and CXCL9 were significantly upregulated in HPV-positive women ( p =0.0002 and p =0.013, respectively). Women with symptomatic cervical ectopy and HPV infection had increased diversity ( p <0.001), and their vaginal microbiota was enriched in bacterial vaginosis-associated anaerobes ( Sneathia , Shuttleworthia , Prevotella , and Atopobium ) and depleted in Lactobacillus spp. Furthermore, the vaginal microbiota of women with symptomatic cervical ectopy and HPV infection correlated with vaginal inflammation (IL-1β, rho=0.56, p =0.0004) and increased mucosal homeostatic response (IL-22, rho=0.60, p =0.0001). Taken together, our results suggest that HPV infection and dysbiotic vaginal communities could favor a vaginal microenvironment that might delay the recovery of the cervical epithelium in women with symptomatic cervical ectopy and favor STDs acquisition.

The emerging chikungunya virus (CHIKV), is an arbovirus causing intense outbreaks in North America. The situation in Mexico is alarming, and CHIKV threatens to spread further throughout North America. Clinical and biological features of CHIKF outbreaks in Mexico have not been well described; thus, we conducted a cross sectional study of a CHIKV outbreak in Chiapas, Southern Mexico to further characterize these features. We collected blood samples from patients suspected of having chikungunya fever (CHIKF) who presented to Clinical Hospital ISSSTE Dr. Roberto Nettel in Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico. In addition to the clinical examination, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) standardized for the Asian Chikungunya lineage and/or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for immunoglobulin M (IgM) were used to confirm CHIKV diagnosis. Of a total of 850 patients who presented with probably CHIKV at Hospital \"Dr. Roberto Nettel\", 112 probable CHIKF cases were enrolled in this study from November 2014- June 2015, of which 95 patients (84.8%) were CHIKV positive and 17 were negative (15.2%). Of these 95 CHIKV positive patients, 62 were positive by real-time reverse transcriptase PCR (+qRT-PCR); and 33 were seropositive to +IgM with a negative qRT-PCR. The most frequent symptoms reported were fever (100%), headache (82.3%), polyarthralgia (72.1%), and exanthem (82.3%). Biological abnormalities observed during CHIKV infection were lymphopenia (41.1%), leukopenia (51.6%), elevated transaminases (30.5%-46.3%) and high LDH (46.3%) and CRP (60.0%). Clinical and biological data obtained from this study is providing more useful information for benchmarking purposes with outbreaks from different parts of the world and would be helpful for better patient care and treatment.

Objective: The aim was to analyze the temporal evolution and spatial distribution of classic and hemorrhagic dengue in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosi at the basic geostatistical area (BGA) level and to develop multivariate models to estimate the population's degree of vulnerability. Methodology: Classic and hemorrhagic dengue cases for 2015-2020 were obtained from the Mexican Ministry of Health, georeferenced at the pixel level, and subsequently grouped by BGA. Environmental, proximity, and social variables were obtained from official sites: IMTA, SMN, USGS, and INEGI. Multivariate logistic regression models were developed using PASW Statistics v. 18 software to estimate the degree of vulnerability, and the receiver operating characteristic curve was used to validate them. Results: A total of 125, 128, 109, 624, 1580, and 1817 dengue cases were identified for 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020, respectively. The major factors contributing to the vulnerability of classic dengue fever included population, temperature, and distance to agricultural areas. For hemorrhagic dengue, the contributing factors were temperature, population, and mean annual rainfall. Vulnerability prediction was determined by taking the area under the curve values, which were 0.957 for classic dengue fever and 0.930 for hemorrhagic dengue, both indicating a \"very good ability\" to predict. Conclusions: These results can be used to design and implement targeted strategies, particularly for modifiable factors, such as prevention measures directed towards populated areas and the improvement of sewage systems, in addition to non-modifiable factors, such as temperature and rainfall. This method can be replicated as an additional tool to address this public health issue.

The advancement of digital agriculture combined with computational tools and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) has opened the way to large-scale data collection for the calculation of vegetation indices (VIs). These vegetation indexes (VIs) are useful for agricultural monitoring, as they highlight the inherent characteristics of vegetation and optimize the spatial and temporal evaluation of different crops. The experiment tested three coffee genotypes (Catuaí 62, E237 and Iapar 59) under five water regimes: (1) FI 100 (year-round irrigation with 100% replacement of evapotranspiration loss), (2) FI 50 (year-round irrigation with 50% evapotranspiration replacement), (3) WD 100 (no irrigation from June to September (dry season) and, thereafter, 100% evapotranspiration replacement), (4) WD 50 (no irrigation from June to September (water stress) and, thereafter, 50% evapotranspiration replacement) and (5) rainfed (no irrigation during the year). The irrigated treatments were watered with irrigation and precipitation. Most indices were highest in response to full irrigation (FI 100). The values of the NDVI ranged from 0.87 to 0.58 and the SAVI from 0.65 to 0.38, and the values of these indices were lowest for genotype E237 in the rainfed areas. The indices NDVI, OSAVI, MCARI, NDRE and GDVI were positively correlated—very strongly with photosynthesis (A) and strongly with transpiration (E) of the coffee trees. On the other hand, temperature-based indices, such as canopy temperature and the TCARI index correlated negatively with A, E and stomatal conductance (gs). Under full irrigation, the tested genotypes did not differ between the years of evaluation. Overall, the index values of Iapar 59 exceeded those of the other genotypes. The use of VIs to evaluate coffee tree performance under different water managements proved efficient in discriminating the best genotypes and optimal water conditions for each genotype. Given the economic importance of coffee as a crop and its susceptibility to extreme events such as drought, this study provides insights that facilitate the optimization of productivity and resilience of plantations under variable climatic conditions.

Medicinal plantsin Ecuador add up to 3118 species, 75% being native, of these, 80 were investigated by the PUCE-KRIBB project, finally 30 species were collected in this publication for being the most promising. We hope that this book contributes to new research on active ingredients that at some point will be used for the preparation of phytopharmaceuticals, for the benefit of society in general.