Publications by authors named "ALVAREZ V"

The fungal green synthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) has gained great interest since it is a cost-effective and easy handling method. The process is simple because fungi secrete metabolites and proteins capable of reducing metal salts in aqueous solution, however the mechanism remains largely unknown. The aim of this study was to analyze the secretome of a Trichoderma harzianum strain during the mycobiosynthesis process of zinc and iron nanoparticles.

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Dopamine critically regulates neuronal excitability and promotes synaptic plasticity in the striatum, thereby shaping network connectivity and influencing behavior. These functions establish dopamine as a key neuromodulator, whose release properties have been well-studied in rodents but remain understudied in nonhuman primates. This study aims to close this gap by investigating the properties of dopamine release in macaque striatum and comparing/contrasting them to better-characterized mouse striatum, using ex vivo brain slices from male and female animals.

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Diabetes mellitus (DM) increases the risk of aortic stenosis (AS) and worsens its pathophysiology in a sex-specific manner. Aldosterone/mineralocorticoid receptor (Aldo/MR) pathway participates in early stages of AS and in other diabetic-related cardiovascular complications. We aim to identify new sex-specific Aldo/MR targets in AS complicated with DM.

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Aortic regurgitation (AR) is more prevalent in male, although cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the sex differences in prevalence and pathophysiology are unknown. This study evaluates the impact of sex on aortic valve (AV) inflammation and remodeling as well as the cellular differences in valvular interstitial cells (VICs) and valvular endothelial cells (VECs) in patients with AR. A total of 144 patients (27.

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Gelatin and chondroitin sulfate are natural polymers with significant potential in the biomedical field, particularly for wound healing applications. They can form hydrogels that absorb exudates and exhibit anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) can be used as antibacterial agents in wound management.

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Objective: To describe the continuing education strategies implemented as part of the academic training of health workers; related barriers and facilitators; and the perceptions of health workers in sentinel hospitals in Honduras regarding changes in their knowledge.

Methods: The implemented continuing education strategies are described, as are the findings of a questionnaire given to assess health workers' perceptions of the effectiveness of these strategies in the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and competencies related to the surveillance of events supposedly attributable to vaccination, immunization, or adverse events of special interest. Barriers to participation in these strategies is also described.

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Neurodegeneration is a seminal feature of many neurological disorders. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is caused by repetitive head impacts (RHI) and is characterized by sulcal tau pathology. However, quantitative assessments of regional neurodegeneration in CTE have not been described.

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Article Synopsis
  • A study was conducted to investigate the X-chromosome's role in Alzheimer's Disease (AD), which had been overlooked in previous genome-wide association studies.
  • The research included 115,841 AD cases and 613,671 controls, considering different X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) states in females.
  • While no strong genetic risk factors for AD were found on the X-chromosome, seven significant loci were identified, suggesting areas for future research.
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Importance: Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative tauopathy associated with repetitive head impacts (RHIs). Prior research suggests a dose-response association between American football play duration and CTE risk and severity, but this association has not been studied for ice hockey.

Objective: To investigate associations of duration of ice hockey play with CTE diagnosis and severity, functional status, and dementia.

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Gelation of protein-polysaccharide mixtures can help create a variety of distinctive gel systems as compared to single polysaccharide or protein gels. The properties of these functional gels are heavily reliant upon the nature of protein-polysaccharides interactions, their gelling compatibility, and mechanism. Pea protein isolate dispersions (7.

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Traditional methods for controlling plant pathogens rely on toxic chemicals, posing environmental and health risks. Developing sustainable, eco-friendly alternatives is crucial. Chitosan (CS)-based materials offer promising solutions for sustainable agriculture.

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General anesthesia (GA) earlier than recommended (as first- or second-line treatment) was recently described to improve status epilepticus (SE) outcome. We aimed to assess the impact of early GA on outcome in matched groups. Data from a multicenter, prospective cohort of 1179 SE episodes in 1049 adults were retrospectively analyzed.

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Objective: To design and evaluate an educational video aimed at promoting HIV testing in gay men from the theoretical perspective of the Nola J. Pender Health Promotion Model.

Methods: The design comprised five steps: 1.

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Article Synopsis
  • Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease linked to frequent head injuries, often seen in athletes and military personnel, with a focus on its relationship with aggression and family mental health history.
  • The study analyzed data from deceased male brain donors with CTE, aiming to determine if the presence of CTE affects the relationship between first-degree family history of mental illness (1°FHMI) and aggression, using structured assessments and various demographic controls.
  • Results indicated that 1°FHMI was significantly correlated with aggression scores in individuals with CTE, suggesting that CTE pathology may influence aggression differently than previously understood, while no such association was found in those without CTE.
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  • Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are promising against bacterial infections, and hybrid peptides, formed by linking two AMPs, may enhance their effectiveness.
  • The study investigates hybrid peptides made from two histone-derived AMPs, BF2 and DesHDAP1, which show increased antimicrobial properties while remaining non-toxic to eukaryotic cells.
  • The enhanced activity is due to a change in mechanism, where hybrid peptides have lower translocation across bacterial membranes but greater membrane permeabilization than the individual parent peptides.
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Postmortem human brain tissue is a critical resource for studying neurodegenerative disease, providing critical insights into cellular morphology, pathology, and network connectivity. To improve standard microscopy and enable high-resolution, three-dimensional (3D) images of tissues at the subcellular level, tissue-clearing methods have been developed. These 3D images allow for the analysis of large regions of interest and can be used to study structural and spatial changes that occur during neurodegeneration.

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Article Synopsis
  • Alcohol use disorder (AUD) often coexists with anxiety disorders, but it's unclear whether alcohol abuse leads to or results from anxiety issues.
  • Using inbred mice in a risk-avoidance test, researchers found that those showing higher anxiety-like behaviors experienced greater relief from alcohol, indicating a link between anxiety and alcohol consumption.
  • The study revealed that the balance of dopamine D1 and D2 receptors in the brain influences this relationship; a higher D1 to D2 ratio was associated with increased risk-avoidance and continued alcohol use, suggesting that anxiety traits might contribute to developing AUD.
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Background: Coronary embolism (CE) is an uncommon cause of non-atherosclerotic acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Although atrial fibrillation (AF) is the main cause of CE, evidence of clinical, biochemical, echocardiographic, angiographic findings and outcomes of AF CE is lacking.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 85 consecutive patients with CE that was diagnosed based on criteria encompassing clinical, angiographic and diagnostic imaging findings.

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The Nuclear Factor Kappa-b (NF-Κb) pathway has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer´s disease (AD). We determined whether common variants in the NF-Κb genes were associated with the risk of developing late-onset AD (LOAD). A total of 639 Spanish LOAD and 500 controls were genotyped for the NFKB1 rs28362491/rs7667496, NFKBIA rs696, NFKBIZ rs3217713 and APOE-Ɛ2/3/4 polymorphisms.

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Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) has a high heritable component characteristic of complex diseases, yet many of the genetic risk factors remain unknown. We combined genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on amyloid endophenotypes measured in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and positron emission tomography (PET) as surrogates of amyloid pathology, which may be helpful to understand the underlying biology of the disease.

Methods: We performed a meta-analysis of GWAS of CSF Aβ42 and PET measures combining six independent cohorts (n=2,076).

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Introduction: In a cohort of adult patients with disturbance of consciousness after TBI, we aimed to explore the relationship of continuous video-EEG (cEEG) versus routine EEG (rEEG) with mortality and functional outcome.

Methods: This is a post hoc analysis of a randomized controlled trial (CERTA), in which adults with disorder of consciousness and needing EEG (excluding those with proven seizures/SE just before) were randomized 1:1 to cEEG or two rEEG. In TBI patients, correlation between EEG duration, mortality, and modified Rankin score (mRs, good 0-2) at 6 months was assessed.

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Background: Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative tauopathy more frequently found in deceased former football players. CTE has heterogeneous clinical presentations with multifactorial causes. Previous literature has shown substance use (alcohol/drug) can contribute to Alzheimer's disease and related tauopathies pathologically and clinically.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Episodic memory (EM) helps us remember personal past experiences and is connected to specific brain activity involving the cortex and hippocampus during memory encoding.
  • - The study tested the relationship between our sense of agency (SoA) and EM using technology like immersive virtual reality and fMRI, finding that stronger memory recall happens when SoA is preserved.
  • - Results show a connection between the hippocampus and premotor cortex during memory retrieval, indicating that how we perceive our bodily self at the time of encoding is relevant for retrieving memories and maintaining our sense of self over time.
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Activation against a hard surface according to ISO 11608-1 is not always representative of device use on a soft injection site. A softer injection site - which is an anthropometric property found in obese patients - presents a distinct viscoelastic property which can lead to greater autoinjector activation forces that are not captured in standardized activation testing methodology. Soft tissue simulation and physical testing were developed at SHL to advance the development of autoinjectors, allowing for rigorous testing and challenging these in scenarios involving even the softest injection sites.

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