Background: Breast reconstruction practices, predominantly implant-based, have evolved, with meshes aiding in overcoming traditional limitations. However, data comparing mesh-assisted prepectoral reconstruction with implants alone are lacking. This study aimed to assess whether synthetic meshes in prepectoral reconstruction impact postoperative complications.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Myelomeningocele (MMC) carries high morbidity and mortality. The Management of Myelomeningocele Study (MOMS) showed improved outcomes after prenatal compared to postnatal repair. However, it is unclear how the MOMS trial affected practice and outcomes in the Latin American region.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTracheal diverticulosis is a rare and benign disorder, characterized by single or multiple tracheal wall outpouchings, either congenital or acquired, usually diagnosed incidentally on chest high‑resolution computed tomography, and in general remaining asymptomatic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
October 2024
Cellular processes are controlled by the thermodynamics of the underlying biomolecular interactions. Frequently, structural investigations use one monomeric binding partner, while ensemble measurements of binding affinities generally yield one affinity representative of a 1:1 interaction, despite the majority of the proteome consisting of oligomeric proteins. For example, viral entry and inhibition in SARS-CoV-2 involve a trimeric spike surface protein, a dimeric angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) cell-surface receptor and dimeric antibodies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFine mapping and bioinformatic analysis of the genetic risk association in Sjögren's Disease (SjD) and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) identified five common SNPs with functional evidence in immune cell types: rs4938573, rs57494551, rs4938572, rs4936443, rs7117261. Functional interrogation of nuclear protein binding affinity, enhancer/promoter regulatory activity, and chromatin-chromatin interactions in immune, salivary gland epithelial, and kidney epithelial cells revealed cell type-specific allelic effects for all five SNPs that expanded regulation beyond effects on and expression. Mapping the local chromatin regulatory network revealed several additional genes of interest, including .
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Shunt failure is an undesirable but common occurrence following neurosurgical shunting for pediatric hydrocephalus. Little is known about the occurrence of failure in lower-middle income country (LMIC) settings in South America. The objective of this study was to evaluate shunt failure in the sole publicly funded pediatric hospital in La Paz, Bolivia, with limited resources.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: The aim of this study was to investigate if diurnal oscillation in maximal fat oxidation (MFO) and substrate oxidation rates during exercise exists in subjects with metabolic syndrome (MetS).
Methods: In a randomized crossover design, 14 MetS patients were assigned to two graded exercise tests conditions performed in the morning (between 7:00 and 9:00 a.m) and in the afternoon (between 4:00 and 5:00 p.
Objective: The current pediatric neurosurgery capacity in lower-middle-income countries (LMICs) in South America is poorly understood. Correspondingly, the authors sought to interrogate the neurosurgical inpatient experience of the sole publicly funded pediatric hospital in one of the largest regional departments of Bolivia to better understand this capacity.
Methods: A retrospective review of all neurosurgical procedures performed at the Children's Hospital of La Paz, Bolivia (Hospital del Niño "Dr.
While sclerostin-neutralizing antibodies (Scl-Abs) transiently stimulate bone formation by activating Wnt signaling in osteoblast lineage cells, they exert sustained inhibition of bone resorption, suggesting an alternate signaling pathway by which Scl-Abs control osteoclast activity. Since sclerostin can activate platelet-derived growth factor receptors (PDGFRs) in osteoblast lineage cells in vitro and PDGFR signaling in these cells induces bone resorption through M-CSF secretion, we hypothesized that the prolonged anticatabolic effect of Scl-Abs could result from PDGFR inhibition. We show here that inhibition of PDGFR signaling in osteoblast lineage cells is sufficient and necessary to mediate prolonged Scl-Ab effects on M-CSF secretion and osteoclast activity in mice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: How pediatric medulloblastoma patients fare in Lower Middle-Income Country (LMICs) in South America is not well understood. Correspondingly, the aim of this study was to summarize the pediatric neurosurgical experience of an institution in La Paz, and compare outcomes to that of a generalized High Income Country (HIC) United States (US) experience.
Methods: A retrospective review of all pediatric neurosurgical medulloblastoma patients at the Children's Hospital of La Paz, Bolivia (Hospital del Niño "Dr.
J Gynecol Obstet Hum Reprod
March 2024
Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of percutaneous image-guided cryoablation of adenomyomas MATERIAL AND METHODS: Five symptomatic women who wanted to preserve their uterus and fertility underwent a single session of percutaneous image-guided cryoablation of adenomyoma. Three to six 17-gauge cryoprobes were introduced percutaneously into the adenomyoma under ultrasound and laparoscopy guidance. Clinical efficacy was defined as the diminution of the Visual Analogue Scale of pain (VAS), the decrease in uterine bleeding and the improvement of quality of life assessed by the endometriosis health profile 5 (EHP-5) 12 months after treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has claimed over 7 million lives worldwide, providing a stark reminder of the importance of pandemic preparedness. Due to the lack of approved antiviral drugs effective against coronaviruses at the start of the pandemic, the world largely relied on repurposed efforts. Here, we summarise results from randomised controlled trials to date, as well as selected in vitro data of directly acting antivirals, host-targeting antivirals, and immunomodulatory drugs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMisfolded glycoprotein recognition and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) retention are mediated by the ER glycoprotein folding quality control (ERQC) checkpoint enzyme, UDP-glucose glycoprotein glucosyltransferase (UGGT). UGGT modulation is a promising strategy for broad-spectrum antivirals, rescue-of-secretion therapy in rare disease caused by responsive mutations in glycoprotein genes, and many cancers, but to date no selective UGGT inhibitors are known. The small molecule 5-[(morpholin-4-yl)methyl]quinolin-8-ol (5M-8OH-Q) binds a UGGT "WY" conserved surface motif conserved across UGGTs but not present in other GT24 family glycosyltransferases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe size of body compartments is a determinant of several factors of blood viscosity. Red cell aggregation is proportional to fat mass while hematocrit is proportional to both fat-free mass and abdominal adiposity, but which parts of these body components are involved in this relationship is not known. Segmental bioelectrical impedance analysis (sBIA) provides a possibility to delineate the relationships more precisely between various subdivisions of the body and blood viscosity factors, going farther than preceding studies using non segmental BIA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Exercise training performed at maximal fat oxidation (FATmax) is an efficient non-pharmacological approach for the management of obesity and its related cardio-metabolic disorders.
Objectives: Therefore, this work aimed to provide exercise intensity guidelines and training volume recommendations for maximizing fat oxidation in patients with obesity.
Methods: A systematic review of original articles published in English, Spanish or French languages was carried out in EBSCOhost, PubMed and Scopus by strictly following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement.
Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol
September 2023
Objective: To provide French guidelines for the management of women with abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB).
Design: A consensus committee of 26 experts was formed. A formal conflict-of-interest policy was developed at the beginning of the process and enforced throughout.
Marine protected areas (MPAs) have gained attention as a conservation tool for enhancing ecosystem resilience to climate change. However, empirical evidence explicitly linking MPAs to enhanced ecological resilience is limited and mixed. To better understand whether MPAs can buffer climate impacts, we tested the resistance and recovery of marine communities to the 2014-2016 Northeast Pacific heatwave in the largest scientifically designed MPA network in the world off the coast of California, United States.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFree-space optical (FSO) communication technologies constitute a solution to cope with the bandwidth demand of future satellite-ground networks. They may overcome the RF bottleneck and attain data rates in the order of Tbit/s with only a handful of ground stations. Here, we demonstrate single-carrier Tbit/s line-rate transmission over a free-space channel of 53.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThere is a growing demand for natural products to be used to control fleas in pets. A prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study evaluated the efficacy of the biological plant-based food supplement Bioticks (thyme, rosemary, lemon balm, fenugreek, wormwood, and lemongrass extracts) as a flea control product in naturally flea-infested cats with an indoor-outdoor lifestyle. Ten cats were used as placebo controls (group A).
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