Alejandro Martínez-Martínez

Breast cancer remains the leading malignancy diagnosed in women worldwide and is of particular concern in low- and middle-income countries, such as Mexico, where mortality rates are strongly associated with late diagnosis. While the diagnostic performance of circulating miRNA expression panels has been evaluated globally, their application in the Mexican population remains largely unexplored. This study evaluated the discriminatory capacity of a circulating 5-miRNA expression panel in a cohort of Mexican patients with confirmed histopathological diagnoses (11 breast cancer, 23 reference individuals). Expression levels of miR-21, miR-155, miR-195, miR-222-3p, and miR-10b were quantified by RT-qPCR, and their discriminatory capacity was assessed using individual ROC curves and machine learning algorithms. Individually, the miRNAs showed moderate discriminatory capacity, but a multivariate integration using Random Forest achieved the best individual model performance (AUC = 0.727). The final soft-voting ensemble model reported an AUC of 0.690 (sensitivity of 72.7% and specificity of 64.7%), successfully mitigating individual classifier biases and stabilizing predictions in a limited-sample scenario. These findings serve as an exploratory proof-of-concept for combining this miRNA expression panel with machine learning strategies in the Mexican population; however, its moderate performance strictly necessitates multicentric validation in a larger cohort before any clinical utility can be established.

Antioxidants, such as phenolic compounds, are essential for mammal physiology. Significant research made on the gut–brain axis has produced volumes of evidence indicating that some plant-derived phenolic compounds can reach brain cells to exert protective effects on them, mainly by maintaining and/or restoring redox homeostasis. Their systemic uptake and transport might be determined by the phenolic’s physicochemical properties, along with complex interactions with protein transporters and carriers, including GLUT, SGLT1, ABC transporters (P-glycoprotein, breast cancer resistance protein), albumin, fibrinogen, organic anion and cation transporters, and MATE1. The present work focuses on the chemical interactions and transport pathways of some phenolic compounds to reach brain cells.

La endometriosis es una enfermedad crónica que ocurre cuando tejido similar al revestimiento interno del útero crece fuera de este órgano, provocando síntomas como dolor menstrual intenso, dolor durante las relaciones sexuales, molestias al orinar o defecar y dolor persistente en la pelvis y la espalda. Se estima que afecta al menos a una de cada diez mujeres en edad reproductiva, impactando su bienestar físico, emocional, social y laboral. A pesar de su alta frecuencia y relevancia social, sus causas y mecanismos aún no se comprenden por completo, lo que dificulta el diagnóstico temprano y el desarrollo de tratamientos más efectivos. Para avanzar en su estudio, la investigación biomédica utiliza ratones y ratas, conocidos como modelos murinos, organismos que comparten importantes características biológicas con los humanos y permiten analizar la enfermedad en condiciones controladas. Aunque estos animales no menstrúan de forma natural, los científicos han desarrollado métodos para reproducir aspectos clave de la endometriosis. Gracias a estos modelos, ha sido posible comprender mejor la enfermedad y acelerar la búsqueda de nuevas estrategias para mejorar la salud y la calidad de vida de millones de mujeres.

Background: Endometriosis affects approximately 10% of women of reproductive age; this prevalence may be underestimated, mostly in developing countries, including Mexican and Hispanic populations, due to socioeconomic barriers and limited access to specialized diagnosis. Although laparoscopy remains the gold standard for diagnosis, highlighting the need for non-invasive biomarkers. Haplotype expression of specific miRNAs acts as a circulating signature in both healthy and disease states, including endometriosis. However, their applicability in Hispanic populations has been unexplored.Method: This study evaluated the discriminatory capacity of a miRNA expression haplotype in the blood plasma of a Hispanic cohort with laparoscopic confirmed diagnosis (15 patients with endometriosis and 7 from a reference group). The expression levels of miR-451a, miR-3613, miR-125b, let-7b, miR-150, and miR-342 were quantified using qRT-PCR, and their diagnostic performance was assessed through individual ROC curves and multivariate classification models: Logistic regression, CRT, and stacking-based ensemble model.Results: The miRNA expression haplotype demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy with logistic regression (AUC = 0.914), CRT (AUC = 0.990), and an ensemble model using stacking (AUC = 0.990). Individually, miR-451a (AUC = 0.79), miR-3613 (AUC = 0.714), and let-7b (AUC = 0.667) were the most relevant markers and demonstrated more relevance in the expression haplotype.Conclusion: These findings suggest that a miRNA-based diagnostic panel could provide a highly sensitive and specific alternative for diagnosing endometriosis in Hispanic populations. However, validation in larger cohorts is essential to confirm reproducibility and assess its clinical utility in different healthcare settings.

Breast and ovarian cancers are significant global health challenges, with inherited variations in breast cancer gene 1 (BRCA1) and breast cancer gene 2

Inflammation may negatively impact health, particularly that of the central nervous system. Phenolic compounds are bioactive molecules present in fruits and vegetables with potential anti-inflammatory effects. The purpose of the present work is to review the immunomodulatory bioactivities of phenolic compounds in the periphery and in the central nervous system. Results show that various types of phenolics are able to counter diet- or pathogen-induced systemic inflammation (among others) in various models. In vitro data show significant effects of flavonoids and phenolic acids in particular; similar bioactivities were reported in vivo, when administering them as pure compounds or from fruit and vegetable extracts that contain them. In the central nervous system, phenolics counter chronic inflammation and aggressive acute inflammatory processes, such as ischemic events, when administered preemptively and even therapeutically. We therefore conclude that the immunomodulatory potential of phenolic compounds can maintain an adequate immune response; their regular consumption should therefore be prioritized in order to maintain health. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: The immune response must be carefully regulated in order to avoid its deleterious effects. The present work highlights how phenolic compounds, dietary components ubiquitous in everyday diet, are able to maintain it within an adequate range. As humans are exposed to more proinflammatory stimuli (inadequate dietary pattern, mental stress, environmental pollution, chronic diseases, etc.), it becomes necessary to counter them, and consuming adequate amounts of foods that contain compounds with this ability is a rather simple strategy. Thus, the present work highlights how fruits and vegetables can help to maintain an adequate immune response that can preserve systemic health and that of the central nervous system. Furthermore, specific compounds contained in them can also be ideal candidates for additional in-depth studies, which can potentially lead to the development of potent, targeted, and safe anti-inflammatory molecules.

The application of new technologies for treatments against different diseases is increasingly innovative and effective. In the case of nanomedicine, the combination of nanoparticles with biological membranes consists of a “camouflage” technique, which improves biological interaction and minimizes the secondary effects caused by these remedies. In this work, gold nanoparticles synthesized by chemical reduction (Turkevich ≈13 nm) were conjugated with fluorescein isothiocyanate to amplify their optical properties. Fluorescent nanoparticles were deposited onto the surface of hemoglobin-free erythrocytes. Ghost erythrocytes were obtained from red blood cells by density gradient separation in a hypotonic medium and characterized with fluorescence, optical, and electron microscopy; the average size of erythrocyte ghosts was 9 µm. Results show that the functional groups of sodium citrate (COO-) and fluorophore (-N=C=S) adhere by electrostatic attraction to the surface of the hemoglobin-free erythrocyte membrane, forming the membrane–particle–fluorophore. These interactions can contribute to imaging applications, by increasing the sensitivity of measurement caused by surface plasmon resonance and fluorescence, in the context of biological membranes.