National Autonomous University of Nicaragua

About: National Autonomous University of Nicaragua is a education organization based out in Managua, Nicaragua. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Public health. The organization has 775 authors who have published 715 publications receiving 9791 citations.

Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli Markers and Phenotypes among Fecal E. coli Isolates Collected from Nicaraguan Infants

Abstract: We analyzed the prevalence of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) markers and common phenotypes in 2,164 E. coli isolates from 282 DEC-positive samples. Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) and enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) were very diverse and were not correlated with diarrhea. Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) estA and enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) belonged to a few phenotypes and were significantly correlated with diarrhea.

The Relevance of Amyloid β-Calmodulin Complexation in Neurons and Brain Degeneration in Alzheimer's Disease.

Abstract: Intraneuronal amyloid β (Aβ) oligomer accumulation precedes the appearance of amyloid plaques or neurofibrillary tangles and is neurotoxic. In Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-affected brains, intraneuronal Aβ oligomers can derive from Aβ peptide production within the neuron and, also, from vicinal neurons or reactive glial cells. Calcium homeostasis dysregulation and neuronal excitability alterations are widely accepted to play a key role in Aβ neurotoxicity in AD. However, the identification of primary Aβ-target proteins, in which functional impairment initiating cytosolic calcium homeostasis dysregulation and the critical point of no return are still pending issues. The micromolar concentration of calmodulin (CaM) in neurons and its high affinity for neurotoxic Aβ peptides (dissociation constant ≈ 1 nM) highlight a novel function of CaM, i.e., the buffering of free Aβ concentrations in the low nanomolar range. In turn, the concentration of Aβ-CaM complexes within neurons will increase as a function of time after the induction of Aβ production, and free Aβ will rise sharply when accumulated Aβ exceeds all available CaM. Thus, Aβ-CaM complexation could also play a major role in neuronal calcium signaling mediated by calmodulin-binding proteins by Aβ; a point that has been overlooked until now. In this review, we address the implications of Aβ-CaM complexation in the formation of neurotoxic Aβ oligomers, in the alteration of intracellular calcium homeostasis induced by Aβ, and of dysregulation of the calcium-dependent neuronal activity and excitability induced by Aβ.

Rotavirus prevalence in the primary care setting in Nicaragua after universal infant rotavirus immunization.

Abstract: . Nicaragua was the first developing nation to implement universal infant rotavirus immunization with the pentavalent rotavirus vaccine (RV5). Initial studies of vaccine effectiveness in Nicaragua and other developing nations have focused on the prevention of hospitalizations and severe rotavirus diarrhea. However, rotavirus diarrhea is more commonly treated in the primary care setting, with only 1–3% of rotavirus cases receiving hospital care. We measured the prevalence of rotavirus infection in primary care clinics in Leon, Nicaragua, after introduction of the immunization program. In the post-vaccine period, 3.5% (95% confidence interval = 1.9–5.8) of children seeking care for diarrhea tested positive for rotavirus. A high diversity of rotavirus genotypes was encountered among the few positive samples. In conclusion, rotavirus was an uncommon cause of childhood diarrhea in this primary care setting after implementation of a rotavirus immunization program.