Publications by authors named "Elena Puerto"
Article Synopsis
- This study investigated the incidence and predictors of not recovering left ventricular function in patients experiencing cardiogenic shock due to myocardial infarction related to unprotected left main coronary artery (ULMCA).
- Conducted at two tertiary care centers from 2012 to 2020, the study included 70 patients, finding that 58.6% faced death or required heart transplantation (HT) or left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) during admission, especially among those with severe shock and occluded LMCA.
- Successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) lowered overall risk but didn't significantly impact outcomes in the most complex cases; a predictive model identified key factors like left ventricular ejection fraction and severity of shock with a strong ability to forecast
Article Synopsis
- - The study investigates how the right ventricle (RV) responds to veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) and whether pre-existing heart issues and cannulation methods impact this response.
- - A review of echocardiographic data from 87 patients showed that RV performance remained stable during VA-ECMO, regardless of cannulation type or presence of heart failure.
- - Successful weaning from VA-ECMO is linked to prior RV function and improvement during treatment; specifically, better outcomes were seen if RV dysfunction wasn't present before starting support and if any RV recovery occurred during treatment.
Delirium is a frequent complication in patients admitted to intensive cardiac care units (ICCU) with potentially severe consequences including increased risks of mortality, cognitive impairment and dependence at discharge, and longer times on mechanical ventilation and hospital stay. Delirium has been widely documented and studied in general intensive care units and in patients after cardiac surgery, but it has barely been studied in acute nonsurgical cardiac patients. Moreover, delirium (especially in its hypoactive form) is commonly misdiagnosed.
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- Reperfusion therapy significantly reduced overall mortality rates after ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), leading researchers to investigate changes in mechanical complications (MCs) that still contribute to mortality.
- The study analyzed data from 1988 to 2008 involving patients aged 75 and older, finding that in-hospital mortality dropped from 34.3% to 13.4%, while mortality from MCs also decreased but remained a consistent proportion of overall deaths.
- Although the incidence of MCs in elderly patients declined significantly, the fatality rates for these complications did not improve, indicating that while MCs are less frequent, they still pose serious risks in the context of STEMI.
Article Synopsis
- The study utilized surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and surface-enhanced fluorescence (SEF) to investigate the adsorption and detection of the high-performance pigments quinacridone (QA) and 2,9-dimethylquinacridone (2,9-DMQA), which are important in various industries.
- SERS analysis revealed how these pigments interact with silver nanoparticles, while additional techniques like vibrational analysis and UV-vis spectroscopy were used to understand their properties and aggregation behaviors.
- Notably, 2,9-DMQA showed a lower tendency for aggregation compared to QA and had a detection limit of around 55 parts per billion (ppb) due to its unique molecular structure.
SERS detection of quinacridone quinone (QAQ), an insoluble synthetic organic pigment relevant to modern artworks, is reported here. The use of ionic liquids (BMIMCl and TBAN) as dispersing agents has allowed us to carry out electrochemical SERS experiments of QAQ in aqueous solution using a Cu electrode. No SERS spectra were obtained either from the ionic liquids (ILs) or from QAQ when silver/gold colloids were employed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSynthesis of asymmetric nanoparticles, such as gold nanorods, with tunable optical properties providing metal structures with improved SERS performance is playing a critical role in expanding the use of SERS to imaging and sensing applications. However, the synthetic methods usually require surfactants or polymers as shape-directing agents. These chemicals normally remain firmly bound to the metal after the synthesis, preventing the direct adsorption of a large number of potential analytes and often hampering the chemical functionalization of the surface unless extended, and critical for the nanoparticle stability, postremoval steps were performed.
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- - The text discusses a method for obtaining SERS (Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering) spectra of insoluble aromatic compounds, specifically using colloidal silver solutions.
- - It details the testing of quinacridone quinone, an organic pigment, by dispersing it in calix[n]arenes as a way to improve detection.
- - The study highlights the effectiveness of these calix[n]arenes, focusing on how their lower rim substitutions and cavity sizes impact their role as dispersing agents and in silver functionalization.