Mirna González-González

A rapid fluorescence-based lateral flow immunoassay for sensitive leptin detection. The platform achieves a 0.25 ng mL ⁻¹ LOD in 50% calf serum and was successfully validated using 30 human serum samples, showing high correlation with standard ELISA.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder worldwide and is characterized by progressive motor and non-motor manifestations. Its rising prevalence poses significant challenges for clinical management and public health. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), the most frequent metabolic disorder, shares several pathogenic mechanisms with PD, including mitochondrial dysfunction, insulin resistance, and oxidative stress. Epidemiological studies suggest a higher incidence of PD among individuals with T2DM, with growing evidence that diabetes may accelerate the onset and progression of motor and cognitive symptoms. This narrative review summarizes current knowledge on the relationship between T2DM and PD, with emphasis on epidemiological associations, shared biological pathways, and the therapeutic implications of antidiabetic agents. Available data indicate that patients with both PD and T2DM tend to experience a faster progression of motor and cognitive decline. Clinical trials assessing hypoglycemic agents have reported heterogeneous findings: pioglitazone failed to demonstrate neuroprotective effects, while exenatide showed temporary improvements in motor function that were not sustained after treatment discontinuation. Experimental studies also suggest possible neuroprotective actions of metformin and dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors, although well-designed clinical trials are still lacking. The interaction between T2DM and PD highlights the importance of metabolic factors in neurodegeneration. Further studies are required to determine the impact of diabetes and its treatments on the PD course and to explore antidiabetic drugs as potential disease-modifying therapies.

Introduction: While there is a growing body of evidence indicating a potential connection between Parkinson’s disease and diabetes mellitus, there is a lack of focus on investigating how diabetes correlates with the severity of both motor and non-motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease. Objective: This study examined and contrasted both motor and non-motor symptoms in patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, stratified by the presence or absence of diabetes. Methods: A total of 40 Parkinson’s disease patients, divided into two groups (with and without diabetes), were assessed using various scales, including the Movement Disorders Society – Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale, Scales for Outcomes in Parkinson’s Disease - Autonomic Dysfunction and Non-Motor Symptoms, Beck Depression Inventory, Montreal Cognitive Assessment, and Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire-39. Demographic and clinical characteristics were also recorded. Statistical analyses included t-tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, and Fisher’s exact test. Results: Significant differences were observed in the motor sub-score of postural instability and gait disturbance symptoms, autonomic total scores, urinary function domain, depression scores, and quality of life in the mobility and emotional domains between the Parkinson’s disease non-diabetes, and Parkinson’s disease - diabetes groups. Conclusions: Our study unveiled differences in motor and Non-Motor Symptoms among patients with Parkinson’s disease and diabetes, underscoring the influence of diabetes on manifestations of the disease.

Cell‐based aqueous two‐phase system (ATPS) applications involve the construction of 3D cultures encapsulating cells in polyethylene glycol (PEG)‐dextran (DEX) droplets due to their low interfacial tension. This technology has enabled cell patterning in a controlled‐defined shape giving rise to specific cell microenvironments. The present work aims to encapsulate MCF‐7 cancer cells in ATPS droplets evaluating four different compositions of PEG‐DEX, construction Strategies A (droplet added), B (immersed), or C (covered), and two cell densities (5000 and 10,000 cells/µL) during a 24 h incubation time using 96‐well plates. The smallest cell‐containing DEX droplets showed a mid‐range value of 1.05 ± 0.33 mm using Strategy C whereas the largest of 1.46 ± 0.49 mm in Strategy B. However, Strategy A was associated with higher rates of circularity. After 24 h, MCF‐7 spheroids were formed in all PEG‐DEX systems showing a diameter size ranging from 0.10 to 0.65 mm. Their circularity was higher in low cell densities. Higher rates of cell viability were obtained in PEG 35,000–DEX 500,000 systems for a period of 4 days showing tumor‐specific traits compared to 2D control. This work demonstrates practical strategies for 3D model construction for cancer niche for future drug screening studies using basic laboratory equipment.

Background and Objectives: Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is frequent in the young and active population. The effect of muscle strength in the lower extremities after aerobic activity in patients with this condition has yet to be detailed. Our objective was to determine if patients with PFP show alterations in lower extremity muscle strength measurements after performing a session of ten minutes of aerobic activity on a treadmill compared to people without patellofemoral pain. Materials and Methods: We conducted a prospective experimental study with a stratified, non-randomized, and non-blinded population sample with group matching, including an experimental group with PFP and a control group with no pain. Subjects completed self-reported functional questionnaires (IKDC, Kujala, KOOS, SF-12), underwent radiographic studies, and were evaluated by measuring the strength of hip and knee muscles and the Single-Leg Triple-Hop (SLTH) test before and after ten minutes of exercise on a treadmill. Results: Seventeen subjects diagnosed with PFP and seventeen control subjects were evaluated. Both groups were homogeneous and had no significant differences in the demographic variables. A wider sulcus angle at 30° (136.8 ± 3.8° vs. 132.5 ± 5.6°, p = 0.0140), a decrease strength post-exercise in the hip abductor (37.9 ± 7.1 N⋅m vs. 45.6 ± 7.7 N⋅m, p < 0.05) and knee extensor (36.0 ± 9.1 N⋅m vs. 47.7 ± 14.0 N⋅m, p < 0.05), and a shorter distance in the SLTH test (337.9 ± 74.9 cm vs. 438.6 ± 65.8 cm, p < 0.01) was recorded in subjects with patellofemoral pain. Conclusions: Subjects with PFP had an overall lower strength of hip and knee muscles, showing significant differences in the hip abductors and knee extensors between people with PFP and healthy matched controls after aerobic exercise.

Background: Carotid body tumor (CBT) is a rare neoplasm that has been increasingly studied during the last decades; nevertheless, it continues to be a topic of controversy. This review aims to provide an update on the general features of CBT and particularly review different treatment strategies and primary outcomes.Methods: Data for this literature review were identified by PubMed, Scopus, and Medline. 93 articles from the initial search were included, as well as 28 relevant studies utilizing the snowballing method; totaling 121 articles about CBT.Results: Main features such as anatomy, embryology, genetics, clinical presentation, and diagnosis of CBT are presented, followed by evidence of different treatment strategies such as radiotherapy, preoperative embolization, vascular resection, and vascular reconstruction. Main complications are also discussed.Conclusion: This review summarizes the most critical aspects regarding CBT. Future studies should compare different treatments to attain the best surgical results with lower morbidity rates.