Publications by authors named "A-L Barra"

Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the safety and effectiveness of ocrelizumab in Hispanic/Latino individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS), highlighting the need for real-world data from underrepresented populations in clinical trials.
  • Out of 305 participants, the majority had relapsing-remitting MS, and the results showed minimal relapses and a significant reduction in MRI activity, with only 12.4% experiencing confirmed disability worsening.
  • While the treatment was largely safe, with a low rate of serious infections and a consistent profile of outcomes, the study confirms ocrelizumab's effectiveness in this demographic at a specialized MS center.
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Objective: Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) combined with continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) achieves better glycemic control than multi-injection therapy in people with type 2 diabetes. The effectiveness of closed-loop therapy needs to be further evaluated in this population.

Research Design And Methods: The study objective was to measure the impact of a hybrid closed-loop device (DBLG1) compared with CSII + CGM on glycemic control in people with type 2 diabetes previously treated with CSII.

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SARS-CoV-2 neutralising antibodies provide protection against COVID-19. Evidence from early vaccine trials suggested binding antibody thresholds could serve as surrogate markers of neutralising capacity, but whether these thresholds predict sufficient neutralising capacity against variants of concern (VOCs), and whether this is impacted by vaccine or infection history remains unclear. Here we analyse individuals recovered from, vaccinated or with hybrid immunity against SARS-CoV-2.

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Strategies to enhance the induction of high magnitude T cell responses through vaccination are urgently needed. Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II-associated invariant chain (Ii) plays a critical role in antigen presentation, forming MHC class II peptide complexes for the generation of CD4 T cell responses. Preclinical studies evaluating the fusion of Ii to antigens encoded in vector delivery systems have shown that this strategy may enhance T cell immune responses to the encoded antigen.

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Article Synopsis
  • The enzyme NosL converts L-tryptophan into 3-methylindolic acid, a key component for producing the antibiotic nosiheptide.
  • Researchers used electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy to study radical intermediates and found that NosL operates through a carboxyl fragment migration mechanism, not the previously suggested fragmentation-recombination mechanism.
  • The study shows that subtle movements in NosL's active site allow for fine-tuned radical chemistry, leading to the specific disruption of the Cα-C bond, demonstrating an evolutionary adaptation in protein structure for new enzyme functions.
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The possibility of observing a difference in the high-resolution NMR spectra of two enantiomers as due to parity nonconservation is discussed. Proposals to minimize the NMR linewidths are presented. It is concluded that, using the ultra- high-resolution technique, a difference could be observed with high Z value spin one- half nuclei such as Pt, T1, Xe.

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Aneurysmal arteriovenous fistulae (AVF) for haemodialysis often need surgical closure. We present a technique which consists of inserting the AVF into a constrictive perivenous mesh tube, thereby bringing the caliber of the AVF down to its normal size and restoring the normal shape of the forearm. Nine patients underwent AVF constriction without postoperative events.

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The elastic response of the thoracic aorta to increasing steps of angiotensin was studied in chronic instrumented conscious dogs with and without parasympathetic blockade by atropine. A pressure microtransducer and two ultrasonic crystals diametrically opposed and fixed in the adventitia enabled to determine the mean and systolic-diastolic changes of pressure (P) and diameter (D). By computing these measurements two representative indexes of dynamic elastic modulus in vivo were calculated; the elastic modulus of Peterson (Ep) Ep = delta P/D.

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The viscoelastic behaviour of the aorta has been studied in 7 adult non-anesthesized mongrel dogs, chronically instrumented with a microtransducer pressure (Konigsberg P7) implanted inside the aortic lumen, and 2 ultrasonic crystals diametrically opposed and fixed in the adventitia of the thoracic aorta. Pressure and diameter were analysed in terms of mean values and of systolic diastolic variations, enabling to calculate the elastic modulus of Peterson. After recovery from surgery, and under autonomic blockade by atropine and propranolol, perfusions of angiotensin and norepinephrine were performed at incremental steps of doses.

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