La resistencia microbiana ha llevado a la búsqueda de innovadoras alternativas para su contención y dentro de las más promisorias están el uso de péptidos sintéticos, no sólo por sus características intrínsecas antimicrobianas, sino por  las interacciones sinérgicas y antagónicas que presenta con otros mediadores inmunológicos. Estas propiedades han permitido crear péptidos sintéticos reguladores de defensa innata que representan un nuevo enfoque inmunomodulador para el tratamiento de infecciones; sin embargo, sólo los diseñados con alto score antimicrobiano, han demostrado eficacia en estudios clínicos de Fase 3. Debido a su amplio espectro de actividad, un único péptido puede actuar contra bacterias Gram negativas, Gram positivas, hongos, e incluso virus y parásitos, aumentando el interés por investigar estas dinámicas moléculas.  Por otra parte, se encuentra el sistema CRISPR, para la edición de genomas bacterianos, permitirá reducir su actividad virulenta y diseñar antimicrobianos basados en nucleasas CRISPR-Cas 9 programables contra dianas específicas, las que representan un promisorio camino en el estudio de nuevas alternativas con alto potencial para eliminar la resistencia a antibióticos de bacterias altamente patógenas. Asimismo, se aborda la terapia con fagos, referida a la accion de virus que infectan bacterias, usados solos o en cocteles para aumentar el espectro de acción de estos, aprovechando su abundacia en la naturaleza, ya que se ha considerado que cada bacteria tiene un virus específico que podría emplearse como potente agente antibacteriano. Finalmente,  mientras se usen como principal medio de contención solo tratamientos convencionales antimicrobianos, incluso de manera oportuna y acertada, la microevolución en las bacterias se asegurará de seguir su curs

Introduction: Congenital syphilis is a major public health problem, and early diagnosis and treatment are necessary to prevent it. Penicillin G benzathine is the treatment of choice in pregnant women; however, it may fail to prevent fetal infection, as in the present case. Case presentation: Male newborn, son of an HIV negative mother with gestational syphilis (venereal disease research laboratory (VDRL) 1:4 dilution, positive treponemal test) diagnosed at week 21 of gestation and treated with three doses of 2 400 000 IU of penicillin G benzathine. At delivery, the mother presented VDRL 1:1 dilution. The newborn was diagnosed with congenital syphilis due to VDRL 1:4 dilution, positive treponemal test, elevated aspartate aminotransferases, hyposthenuria, proteinuria, hematuria, and leukocyturia that resolved after treatment with crystalline penicillin for 10 days. The molecular testing in blood showed a high treponemal load. The VDRL test at 3 months was non-reactive. Conclusions: Preventing congenital syphilis with the recommended treatment for gestational syphilis may fail. Moreover, diagnosing this condition in an asymptomatic newborn is difficult. Therefore, clinical and serological tests are recommended to confirm whether maternal treatment was effective in the fetus.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with complex clinical manifestations that arise between 18 and 36 months of age. Social interaction deficiencies, a restricted range of interests, and repetitive stereotyped behaviors are characteristics which are sometimes difficult to detect early. Several studies show that microRNAs (miRs/miRNAs) are strongly implicated in the development of the disorder and affect the expression of genes related to different neurological pathways involved in ASD. The present systematic review and meta-analysis addresses the current status of miRNA studies in different body fluids and the most frequently dysregulated miRNAs in patients with ASD. We used a combined approach to summarize miRNA fold changes in different studies using the mean values. In addition, we summarized p values for differential miRNA expression using the Fisher method. Our literature search yielded a total of 133 relevant articles, 27 of which were selected for qualitative analysis based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and 16 studies evaluating miRNAs whose data were completely reported were ultimately included in the meta-analysis. The most frequently dysregulated miRNAs across the analyzed studies were miR-451a, miR-144-3p, miR-23b, miR-106b, miR150-5p, miR320a, miR92a-2-5p, and miR486-3p. Among the most dysregulated miRNAs in individuals with ASD, miR-451a is the most relevant to clinical practice and is associated with impaired social interaction. Other miRNAs, including miR19a-3p, miR-494, miR-142-3p, miR-3687, and miR-27a-3p, are differentially expressed in various tissues and body fluids of patients with ASD. Therefore, all these miRNAs can be considered candidates for ASD biomarkers. Saliva may be the optimal biological fluid for miRNA measurements, because it is easy to collect from children compared to other biological fluids.

Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis have microbial surface components recognizing adhesive matrix molecules (MSCRAMM) adhesion proteins that enhance their biofi lm formation ability, as well as virulence factors that infl uence morbidity and mortality in hospital settings. In this work, four peptides analogous of the peptide LL-37 that were evaluated to inhibit biofi lm formation and its action potential on the expression of MSCRAMM proteins in clinical isolates through different tests, such as crystal violet, PCR and qPCR. In total, 96.8% of S. aureus were strong in biofi lm formation in contrast to 48.4% of S. epidermidis. sdrG and sdrF genes were present in 100% of S. epidermidis strains and in all isolates. In S. aureus, specifi c genes that code for MSCRAMM proteins were detected: clfA (89%), clFB, sdrC and fnBA (94%). The peptides did not show hemolytic or cytotoxic activity. In this study, it was evidenced that of the peptides DLL37-1 at a 5 µM concentration was an effi cacious antimicrobial agent and depicted greater biofi lm inhibition in both bacterial species. Exhibiting a signifi cant inhibition rate in S. aureus, this peptide caused a negative regulation in the expression of the genes clfA and sdrC, showed greater biological activity.

Syphilis is still an infection of public health significance, particularly due to its impact during pregnancy and the possibility of mother-to-child transmission that may occur at any stage of pregnancy. Congenital syphilis can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, perinatal death, premature birth, and clinical manifestations in the newborn. In prospective, the perinatal morbidity and mortality rates due to congenital syphilis are even greater than those due to HIV infection. Overall, both syphilis and congenital syphilis remain a serious public health issue mainly due to flaws both prenatal care systems and syphilis prevention and control programs. This review discusses vertical transmission of the syphilis agent the Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum, the clinical manifestations of congenital syphilis, the current guidelines for the evaluation and treatment of infants born to mothers with gestational syphilis, the global epidemiology and ongoing research efforts to better understand the pathogenetic mechanisms employed by the syphilis agent to cross the placental barrier and cause congenital infection.