Infection with human parvovirus B19 (B19V) has been associated with a myriad of illnesses, including erythema infectiosum (Fifth disease), hydrops fetalis, arthropathy, hepatitis, and cardiomyopathy, and also possibly the triggering of any number of different autoimmune diseases. B19V NS1 is a multidomain protein that plays a critical role in viral replication, with predicted nuclease, helicase, and gene transactivation activities. Herein, we investigate the biochemical activities of the nuclease domain (residues 2–176) of B19V NS1 (NS1-nuc) in sequence-specific DNA binding of the viral origin of replication sequences, as well as those of promoter sequences, including the viral p6 and the human p21, TNFα, and IL-6 promoters previously identified in NS1-dependent transcriptional transactivation. NS1-nuc was found to bind with high cooperativity and with multiple (five to seven) copies to the NS1 binding elements (NSBE) found in the viral origin of replication and the overlapping viral p6 promoter DNA sequence. NS1-nuc was also found to bind cooperatively with at least three copies to the GC-rich Sp1 binding sites of the human p21 gene promoter. Only weak or nonspecific binding of NS1-nuc to the segments of the TNFα and IL-6 promoters was found. Cleavage of DNA by NS1-nuc occurred at the expected viral sequence (the terminal resolution site), but only in single-stranded DNA, and NS1-nuc was found to covalently attach to the 5′ end of the DNA at the cleavage site. Off-target cleavage by NS1-nuc was also identified.

BackgroundPregnant women exposed to lead are at risk of suffering reproductive damages, such as miscarriage, preeclampsia, premature delivery and low birth weight. Despite that the workplace offers the greatest potential for lead exposure, there is relatively little information about occupational exposure to lead during pregnancy. This study aims to assess the association between blood lead levels and occupational exposure in pregnant women from Durango, Mexico.MethodsA cross-sectional study was carried out in a population of 299 pregnant women. Blood lead was measured in 31 women who worked in jobs where lead is used (exposed group) and 268 who did not work in those places (control group). Chi-square test was applied to compare exposed and control groups with regard to blood lead levels. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Multivariable regression analysis was applied to determine significant predictors of blood lead concentrations in the exposed group.ResultsExposed women had higher blood lead levels than those in the control group (4.00 ± 4.08 μg/dL vs 2.65 ± 1.75 μg/dL, p = 0.002). Furthermore, women in the exposed group had 3.82 times higher probability of having blood lead levels ≥ 5 μg/dL than those in the control group. Wearing of special workwear, changing clothes after work, living near a painting store, printing office, junkyard or rubbish dump, and washing the workwear together with other clothes resulted as significant predictors of elevated blood lead levels in the exposed group.ConclusionsPregnant working women may be at risk of lead poisoning because of occupational and environmental exposure. The risk increases if they do not improve the use of protective equipment and their personal hygiene.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-016-3902-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

La violencia de pareja ha sido explorada en menor medida desde la perspectiva de los hombres como víctimas. Poco se conoce sobre las características y las circunstancias en que los varones experimentan este fenómeno. El presente estudio tuvo como propósito estimar la presencia y recurrencia de violencia emocional, física, sexual y económica en el papel de receptor, en varones estudiantes universitarios duranguenses, así como su comparación respecto a algunas variables sociodemográficas. Para ello, se aplicó un cuestionario a 232 hombres estudiantes de una universidad pública en Durango, México, a través de un muestreo aleatorio, estratificado y por conglomerados. El 95 % de los varones reportó haber sido víctima de algún tipo de violencia de pareja al menos una vez y el 69 %, de forma recurrente. El 6.7% de los estudiantes reportó tener hijos, condición que se encontró relacionada con la presencia de violencia económica (razón de prevalencia, RP= 2.30 [1.35-3.94] y su recurrencia RP= 3.31 [1.8-5.55]); asimismo, presencia de violencia sexual (RP= 2.60 [1.60-4.21] y su recurrencia RP= 3.53 [1.90-5.92]). La proporción de hombres víctimas de violencia es alta en comparación con otros estudios. Para finalizar, los datos permiten respaldar la necesidad de contar con programas de sensibilización, prevención y atención a los varones víctimas de violencia.

Objective. To compare the perception of psychosocial conditions (during pregnancy) between two groups of adolescents; one group was integrated by young women diagnosed with pregnancy induced-hypertension and the other group by clinically healthy women. Material and methods. A case-control study design where 39 cases and 88 controls were chosen from pregnant adolescents seeking care at the