Publications by authors named "Cristina Ortiz"

This study demonstrates the effectiveness of propidium iodide as a reliable marker for detecting dead or dying cells in frozen liver tissue sections. By comparing propidium iodide staining with the widely used Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay, both methods showed consistent results in disease models such as alcohol-induced fibrosis and Western diet-induced fatty liver. Additionally, propidium iodide was successfully co-stained with other fluorescent markers, like phalloidin (for actin filaments) and antibodies targeting collagen, enabling detailed spatial analysis of dying cells within tissue.

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Background: Sitting time (ST) constitutes a significant aspect of sedentary behavior, and its worldwide escalation raises concerns regarding public health. International guidelines recommend limiting sedentary time and replacing it with physical activity (PA) to reduce the risk of diseases and mortality. This study examines the impact of replacing ST with PA on all-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and cancer mortality in a representative cohort of the population of Spain.

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Introduction: The impact of alcohol consumption on health, particularly in low quantities, remains controversial. Our objective was to assess the association between alcohol volume and heavy episodic drinking (HED) with all-cause mortality, while minimizing many of the known methodological issues.

Methodology: This longitudinal study used data from the 2011-2012 National Health Survey and the 2014 European Health Survey in Spain.

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17-β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 13 (HSD17B13), a lipid droplet-associated enzyme, is primarily expressed in the liver and plays an important role in lipid metabolism. Targeted inhibition of enzymatic function is a potential therapeutic strategy for treating steatotic liver disease (SLD). The present study is aimed at investigating the effects of the first selective HSD17B13 inhibitor, BI-3231, in a model of hepatocellular lipotoxicity using human cell lines and primary mouse hepatocytes in vitro.

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Purpose: The objective is to evaluate the association between various indicators of alcohol consumption and the degree of adherence to the Mediterranean diet among the Spanish adult population.

Methods: A cross-sectional study including 44,834 participants ≥ 15 years of age from the 2017 National Health Survey and the 2020 European Health Survey in Spain. Alcohol patterns were defined based on (1) average intake: individuals were classified as low risk (1-20 g/day in men and 1-10 g/day in women) and high risk (> 20 g/day in men or > 10 g/day in women), (2) binge drinking, and (3) alcoholic beverage preference.

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Background: Mental health problems account for 14% of mortality worldwide. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between psychological distress and mortality in the Spanish adult population.

Methods: Data came from a longitudinal study in population ≥15 years of age (n=21,005) who participated in the 2011-12 Spanish National Health Survey, which was linked to mortality records as of December 2020.

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Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and alcoholic steatohepatitis (ASH) are the leading causes of liver disease worldwide. To identify disease-specific pathomechanisms, we analyzed the lipidome, metabolome and immune cell recruitment in livers in both diseases. Mice harboring ASH or NASH had comparable disease severities regarding mortality rate, neurological behavior, expression of fibrosis marker and albumin levels.

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Development of liver fibrosis is paralleled by contraction of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), the main profibrotic hepatic cells. Yet, little is known about the interplay of neprilysin (NEP) and its substrate neuropeptide Y (NPY), a potent enhancer of contraction, in liver fibrosis. We demonstrate that HSCs are the source of NEP.

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Article Synopsis
  • The Rho-kinase ROCK II is crucial for activating hepatic stellate cells (HSC), which contribute to chronic liver disease by promoting fibrosis and contraction.* -
  • Two ROCK inhibitors, Y-33075 and Y-27632, were tested on mouse and human HSCs, showing a significant reduction in cell contraction, fibrogenesis, and proliferation, with Y-33075 being ten times more effective than Y-27632.* -
  • Both inhibitors surprisingly increased HSC migration, suggesting that while they reduce harmful contraction in liver diseases, further evaluation is necessary to understand the implications of increased cell movement.*
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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the relationship between light smoking (consuming a few cigarettes daily) and overall mortality in Spain, using data from over 42,000 individuals.
  • Findings indicate that light smokers (1-2 or 3-5 cigarettes a day) have a significantly higher risk of mortality compared to never smokers, with hazard ratios reflecting increased risk as cigarette consumption rises.
  • The researchers emphasize the need for public awareness initiatives to inform people about the serious health risks associated with even minimal tobacco use, challenging the perception that light smoking is safe.
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•The literature reporting on rural-urban health status disparities remains inconclusive.•We analyzed data from a longitudinal population-based study using individual observations.•Our results show that the risks of all-cause and cancer mortality are greater in large cities than in other municipalities, with no clear urban-rural gradient.

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Introduction: The goal of this study was to estimate and to describe the smoking cessation changes in Spain from 1987 to 2020, according to the main sociodemographic characteristics.

Material And Method: Analysis of the historical series of the Spanish National Health Survey and the European Health Survey in Spain. Quit rate (QR) was defined as the number of former smokers among the total number of people who are smokers or have smoked at some time in their life.

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Background And Aims: Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) signaling is increased in human and experimental liver fibrosis with portal hypertension. JAK2 inhibitors, such as pacritinib, are already in advanced clinical development for other indications and might also be effective in liver fibrosis. Here, we investigated the antifibrotic role of the JAK2 inhibitor pacritinib on activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) in vitro and in two animal models of liver fibrosis in vivo .

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Background: Published evidence on self-rated health's capacity to predict mortality and its variability across subpopulations lacks consistency. Our objective is to evaluate this predictive association and whether/how it varies by sex, age and educational attainment at the population level in Spain.

Methods: Data came from a prospective longitudinal study based on 42 645 individuals aged ≥15 years who participated in the 2011-2012 and 2014 Spanish Health Surveys.

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Deeper understanding of liver pathophysiology would benefit from a comprehensive quantitative proteome resource at cell type resolution to predict outcome and design therapy. Here, we quantify more than 150,000 sequence-unique peptides aggregated into 10,000 proteins across total liver, the major liver cell types, time course of primary cell cultures, and liver disease states. Bioinformatic analysis reveals that half of hepatocyte protein mass is comprised of enzymes and 23% of mitochondrial proteins, twice the proportion of other liver cell types.

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Behavioral parent training (BPT) programs are needed to address disruptive behavior disorders among school-aged children. Given the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and associated mental health consequences, adapting BPTs to telehealth modalities is necessary to ensure continued services to children and families. This pilot study evaluated the use of a telehealth vs in-person modality to deliver the Developing Our Children's Skills K-5 (DOCS K-5) BPT.

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Previous work identifying determinants of co-occurrence of behavioral risk factors have focused on their association with individuals' characteristics with scant attention paid to their relationship to contextual factors. Data came from 21,007 individuals ≥15 years of age who participated in the cross-sectional 2011-2012 Spanish National Health Survey. Two indicators were defined by tobacco consumption, alcohol intake, diet, physical activity, and body mass index.

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Heart failure with recovered ejection fraction (HFrecEF) involves those who have previously had reduced cardiac function that has subsequently improved. However, there is not a single definition of this phenomenon and recovery of cardiac function in terms of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) itself does not necessarily correlate with remission from the detrimental physiology of heart failure (HF) and its consequences. There is also the question of the utility of defibrillators in these patients, and whether they should be replaced at the time of battery depletion.

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The main objective was to identify sociodemographic characteristics of the population at risk for a greater clustering of unhealthy behaviors and to evaluate the association of such clustering with self-rated health status and disability. Data come from the 2017 Spanish National Health Survey with a sample of 21,947 participants of 15 years of age or older. Based on tobacco consumption, risk drinking, unbalanced diet, sedentarism, and body mass index <18.

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Activation of the inflammasome NLRP3 (NOD-, LRR- and pyrin domain containing 3) contributes to the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and progression to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Therefore, this study explored the therapeutic effects of a novel and selective NLRP3 antagonist in a murine dietary model of NASH. Groups of 12-week-old mice were fed ad lib for 7 weeks with a methionine/choline deficient (MCD) and western diet (WD).

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Purpose Of The Review: This review aims to summarize the current knowledge of the extracellular matrix remodeling during hepatic fibrosis. We discuss the diverse interactions of the extracellular matrix with hepatic cells and the surrounding matrix in liver fibrosis, with the focus on the molecular pathways and the mechanisms that regulate extracellular matrix remodeling.

Recent Findings: The extracellular matrix not only provides structure and support for the cells, but also controls cell behavior by providing adhesion signals and by acting as a reservoir of growth factors and cytokines.

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Aim: The aim of this study was to examine the mentoring experiences of male faculty in nursing programs.

Background: Recruiting and retaining male nursing faculty is important to achieve a workforce that reflects the diversity of society. Mentoring is one way to help recruit and retain male nursing faculty.

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Behavioral parent training (BPT) programs are the first-line interventions for childhood disruptive behaviors. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, adapting these programs to telehealth modalities is necessary to ensure continued services to children and families. This study evaluates the use of telehealth versus in-person modality to deliver the Helping Our Toddlers, Developing Our Children's Skills (HOT DOCS) BPT.

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We estimated the discriminatory power of area of residence (census tract) on the prevalence of main risk factors for chronic diseases. Results, based on a sample of 21,007 participants from the 2011-2012 National Health Survey of Spain, show a differential influence of the geosocial environment on the four health risk factors. Accounting for census tracts substantially increases the discriminatory power regarding at-risk alcohol consumption, unbalanced diet, and leisure-time sedentarism but not tobacco consumption.

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