Publications by authors named "Alfonso Torres"

Background: Drug coated balloons (DCB) are potentially less thrombogenic than drug eluting stents (DES).

Aims: To explore the safety and the feasibility of single antiplatelet therapy in percutaneous coronary intervention with sirolimus-coated balloons.

Methods: The All-comers Sirolimus-coated Balloon European Registry (EASTBOURNE) is a prospective investigator-driven registry assessing the performance of a novel sirolimus-coated balloon (SCB) in a real-world population.

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Background: Drug-coated balloons (DCB) represent 1 of the most promising innovations in interventional cardiology and may represent a valid alternative to drug-eluting stents. Currently, some sirolimus-coated balloons (SCB) are being investigated for several coronary artery disease applications.

Objectives: This study sought to understand the role of a novel SCB for the treatment of coronary artery disease.

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(small-Unmanned Aircraft System) and advanced surface energy balance models allow detailed assessment and monitoring (at plant scale) of different (agricultural, urban, and natural) environments. Significant progress has been made in the understanding and modeling of atmosphere-plant-soil interactions and numerical quantification of the internal processes at plant scale. Similarly, progress has been made in ground truth information comparison and validation models.

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Hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon (µc-Si:H) and epitaxial silicon (epi-Si) films have been produced from SiF, H and Ar mixtures by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) at 200 °C. Here, both films were produced using identical deposition conditions, to determine if the conditions for producing µc-Si with the largest crystalline fraction (X), will also result in epi-Si films that encompass the best quality and largest crystalline silicon (c-Si) fraction. Both characteristics are of importance for the development of thin film transistors (TFTs), thin film solar cells and novel 3D devices since epi-Si films can be grown or etched in a selective manner.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study examines how the COVID-19 outbreak affected the treatment and outcomes of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in Spain, focusing on changes in patient care before and after the pandemic.
  • Results showed a 27.6% decrease in STEMI patient treatments and a significant rise in in-hospital mortality during COVID-19 (7.5% vs 5.1%) despite consistent use of primary percutaneous coronary intervention as a treatment strategy.
  • The findings indicate that COVID-19 led to longer ischemic times for patients and a notable incidence of confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections during hospitalization, highlighting the challenges faced in managing STEMI cases during the pandemic.
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Objectives: We sought to evaluate clinical outcomes in patients treated with the drug-eluting stent ihtDEStiny BD.

Background: The ihtDEStiny BD stent is a metallic sirolimus eluting stent with a biodegradable polymer with both drug and polymer coating the abluminal surface of the stent and balloon.

Methods: In this study, the clinical outcomes of a multicenter prospective registry of patients treated with this stent (DEStiny group) were analyzed and compared with those of a control group of patients treated with durable polymer everolimus or zotarolimus eluting stents (CONTROL group) paired by propensity score matching.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study evaluated the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the treatment and outcomes of patients with STEMI in Spain, comparing cohorts treated before and after the pandemic began.
  • It found a significant decrease in both suspected and confirmed STEMI patients, along with a longer ischemic time for those treated during COVID-19; however, the reperfusion strategy remained largely unchanged.
  • In-hospital mortality increased during the COVID-19 period, with a reported rate rising from 5.1% to 7.5%, highlighting a concerning trend in patient outcomes despite consistent treatment methods.
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Aims: The purpose of the EASTBOURNE registry is to evaluate the immediate and long-term clinical performance of a novel sirolimus-coated balloon (SCB) in a real-world population of patients with coronary artery disease. We here present the prespecified interim analysis after the enrollment of the first 642 patients who obtained 1-year clinical follow-up.

Methods: EASTBOURNE is a prospective, international, multicenter, all-comer investigator-driven clinical registry, which is enrolling consecutive patients treated with SCB at 42 European and Asiatic centers.

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Article Synopsis
  • Developed arrays of infrared sensors (microbolometers) using a unique hydrogenated polymorphous silicon-germanium alloy (pm-SiGe:H) with impressive resistance characteristics.
  • Utilized plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) at 200 °C to create thermosensing films for devices sized at 50 × 50 μm with a high fill factor of 81%.
  • Conducted electrical characterization on a 19 × 20 microbolometer array, achieving notable voltage responsivity, detectivity, and demonstrating effective response to infrared radiation at room temperature.
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Objectives: This study sought to assess the efficacy of the drug-coated balloon (DCB) ESSENTIAL for the treatment of in-stent restenosis (ISR).

Background: DCBs have proven a valid therapeutic option for the management of ISR in several clinical trials, yet no class effect can be claimed. Accordingly, every new DCB model has to be individually evaluated through clinical studies.

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Consider flexible bronchoscopy as an option to retrieve aspirated foreign bodies in the airway.

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Individuals with chronic kidney disease have poor exercise tolerance and are easily fatigued compared with their healthy peers. The primary reasons for poor exercise tolerance include anemia, effects of chronic uremia and metabolic acidosis on the heart and skeletal muscles, and lower levels of physical activity. Studies suggest that regular and early implementation of both aerobic and resistance exercise programs in persons with chronic kidney disease have positive effects on muscle function, exercise tolerance, and quality of life.

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Skeletal muscle breakdown occurs normally with exercise, followed by muscle repair and physiologic adaptation. Strenuous, unaccustomed, prolonged, and repetitive exercise, particularly when associated with other risk factors such as hot and humid climate or sickle cell trait can cause clinically significant exertional rhabdomyolysis (ER). Although most cases are asymptomatic and resolve without sequelae, ER is the most common cause of exercise-related myoglobinuric acute renal injury and acute renal failure in athletes.

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Socioeconomic and environmental differences do not fully explain differences in asthma prevalence, morbidity, and mortality among Puerto Ricans, African Americans, and Mexican Americans. Differences in response to albuterol may be a factor. We compared bronchodilator responsiveness between these three populations.

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Background: High levels of IgE are associated with asthma. Whether higher levels of IgE are associated with more severe asthma is still unclear.

Objective: To determine whether IgE is associated with asthma severity among Latino and African American subjects with asthma.

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Background: The prostanoid DP receptor (PTGDR) gene on chromosome 14q22.1 has been identified as an asthma susceptibility gene. A haplotype with decreased transcription factor binding and transcription efficiency was associated with decreased asthma susceptibility in African American and white subjects.

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Eclipse, produced by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, is a potential reduced exposure product (PREP) that heats rather than burns tobacco.

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Introduction And Objectives: In patients with an inferior myocardial infarction (IMI), ST-segment depression in left precordial leads during exercise electrocardiography (ExECG) has been associated with left anterior descending coronary artery (LADCA) disease. The aim of this study was to assess the value of stress echocardiography in identifying LADCA disease in patients with IMI and a highly abnormal ExECG result.

Methods: The study included patients with an IMI and an abnormal ExECG result whose coronary angiography findings were available.

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To accurately determine the pathotypes of Escherichia coli strains, a comprehensive assessment of each strain that targets multiple genes is required. A new approach to the identification and characterization of E. coli pathotypes was developed by constructing gene-specific probes (70-mers) for not only the virulence genes associated with each E.

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In the United States, asthma prevalence and mortality are the highest among Puerto Ricans and the lowest among Mexicans. Case-control association studies are a powerful strategy for identifying genes of modest effect in complex diseases. However, studies of complex disorders in admixed populations such as Latinos may be confounded by population stratification.

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Optical, structural and electric properties of (a-(Si(90)Ge(10))(1-y)B(y):H) thin film alloys, deposited by low frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition, are presented. The chemical bonding structure has been studied by IR spectroscopy, while the composition was investigated by Raman spectroscopy. A discussion about boron doping effects, in the composition and bonding of samples, is presented.

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Background: A recent family-based genomewide screen revealed linkage between the 5q31 region and the diagnosis of asthma, but only in those exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). Among the candidate genes in this region is CD14.

Methods: To determine whether polymorphisms in the CD14 gene are related to this gene-by-environment interaction in Latinos, we used both family-based and cross-sectional cohort analysis to test for interactions between CD14 genotypes/haplotypes, exposure to ETS, and asthma-related phenotypes in 659 Mexican and Puerto Rican families.

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The objective of this study is to determine whether doxycycline, ceftiofur or tetracycline could be effectively used to treat equine Lyme disease. Ponies experimentally infected with Borrelia burgdorferi by tick exposure were treated with doxycycline, ceftiofur or tetracycline for 4 weeks (28 days). Doxycyline and ceftiofur treatment were inconsistent in eliminating persistent infection in this experimental model.

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