Publications by authors named "A Villalba"

Murine pancreatic endocrinogenesis has been extensively studied, but human data remain scarce due to limited sample availability. Here, we first built a large collection of human embryonic and fetal pancreases covering the first trimester of pregnancy to explore human endocrinogenesis. Using an experimental pipeline combining in toto staining, tissue clearing, and light-sheet fluorescence microscopy, we show that insulin+, glucagon+, and somatostatin+ cells appear simultaneously at Carnegie Stage (CS) 16.

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Blunted first-phase insulin secretion and insulin deficiency are indicators of β cell dysfunction and diabetes manifestation. Therefore, insights into molecular mechanisms that regulate insulin homeostasis might provide entry sites to replenish insulin content and restore β cell function. Here, we identify the insulin inhibitory receptor (inceptor; encoded by the gene IIR/ELAPOR1) as an insulin-binding receptor that regulates insulin stores by lysosomal degradation.

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In this paper, we discuss the ethical concerns that may arise from the synthesis of human DNA. To date, only small stretches of DNA have been constructed, but the prospect of generating human genomes is becoming feasible. At the same time, the significance of genes for identity, health and reproduction is coming under increased scrutiny.

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Article Synopsis
  • A distinct type of regulatory T cells, known as cTreg39+, play a role in reducing inflammation by converting pro-inflammatory adenine nucleotides into adenosine and their interaction with methotrexate (MTX) was studied in early rheumatoid arthritis (eRA).
  • In a study involving 98 untreated eRA patients and 98 healthy controls, it was found that higher levels of cTreg39+ cells at baseline were associated with achieving low disease activity after 12 months of MTX treatment.
  • The results indicate that MTX enhances the effectiveness of cTreg39+ cells while their baseline frequency can predict how well a patient will respond to MTX, suggesting that monitoring these cells could guide prompt treatment
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Article Synopsis
  • The study evaluates the effectiveness and survival rates of various biologic and targeted-synthetic drugs for patients with difficult-to-treat rheumatoid arthritis (D2TRA).
  • Out of 122 patients analyzed, 61.5% continued treatment with better survival linked to drugs like rituximab, while others like abatacept showed poorer survival rates.
  • Key factors influencing treatment discontinuation included the choice of the drug and higher Disease Activity Score (DAS28) six months post-treatment initiation.
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