Publications by authors named "Franco S"

Background: Frail elderly patients have a higher risk of postoperative morbidity and mortality. Prehabilitation is a potential intervention for optimizing postoperative outcomes in frail patients. We studied the impact of a prehabilitation program on length of stay (LOS) in frail elderly patients undergoing elective surgery.

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Though major complications during transcutaneous pulmonary valve replacement (TPVR) are rare, clinically-significant ventricular arrythmia (CSVA) has been reported following self-expanding valve placement. We assess whether alterations in valve frame dimensions and geometry within the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) post-implantation in patients who underwent TPVR with Harmony TPV25 or Alterra contribute to CSVA risk. A single center review was performed of patients who underwent TPVR with either Harmony TPV25 or Alterra Pre-stent between August 2019 and April 2023.

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Background: Despite the benefits of physical activity (PA), cancer survivors report engagement barriers, and existing interventions often lack comprehensive solutions. Theory-based interventions using evidence-based behavior change techniques (BCTs) have been shown to be effective in promoting PA for breast cancer survivors, although their feasibility and acceptability lack evidence. The PAC-WOMAN trial is a three-arm randomized controlled trial aimed at promoting short- and long-term PA and improving the quality of life of breast cancer survivors.

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Purpose Of The Study: Hand enchondromas are benign cartilage bone tumors. Curettage represents the actual gold standard for hand enchondromas. Little has been written about the effectiveness of curettage on hand functionality.

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This case report highlights the efficacy of rituximab (RTX), a monoclonal antibody that targets B-lymphocytes, in the treatment of severe pemphigus vulgaris (PV) that was unresponsive to multiple conventional therapies. A 44-year-old female presented with mucocutaneous lesions that had been progressing for 12 months, with a Pemphigus Disease and Area Index (PDAI) total activity score of 66, indicating severe disease. The patient received two infusions of RTX two weeks apart, without complications.

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Background: Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is a multi-drug-resistant, hospital-acquired Gram-negative bacillus associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The objective of this study is to identify risk factors and outcomes associated with S. maltophilia isolation in a high-risk neonatal population.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Clonal hematopoiesis (CH) is a common phenomenon where certain blood cell clones with specific mutations exist in individuals who aren’t diagnosed with blood cancers, primarily involving genes like DNMT3A, TET2, and ASXL1.
  • * CH is associated with increased risks for various cancers and diseases, and studying the genetic and environmental influences on CH can help in identifying cancer risks, improving prevention strategies, and optimizing treatment outcomes.
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A new valorization pathway based on solvent fractionation was applied to kraft lignin, a major by-stream of the pulping industry, to extract a soluble lignin intermediate featuring an improved structural homogeneity, a low molecular weight, and a high content of phenolic hydroxyl and carboxylic acid groups to serve as a substitute of the nonrenewable polyacids in the formulation of alkyd resins, a dominant material used in the production of anticorrosion surface coatings. Herein, softwood kraft lignin was mixed in a low-cost green solvent, aqueous ethanol, prepared at different ratios, at room temperature to generate a soluble fraction of a low of ≤2200 g mol and an insoluble fraction of a high of ≥3950 g mol of lignin. The best combination of yields and molecular weights of soluble lignin (16-36% yield, 1740-1890 g mol) was attained using 50-80 vol % ethanol in fractionation.

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Transrectal palpation (TP) is a basic skill in equine practice. Traditional TP learning methods include instructor-assisted TP in live animals, but this approach presents animal welfare concerns, especially when it needs to be used with large numbers of students. The main objective of this study is to compare two learning methods of TP: traditional methodology with live horses (LH) and alternative methodology using a cadaver with its flanks dissected (CDV).

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Background: First-line pembrolizumab monotherapy is a standard of care for platinum-ineligible patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma (UC). No global standardized definition of platinum ineligibility exists. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pembrolizumab monotherapy in patients with UC who met various criteria for platinum ineligibility.

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Heart rate variability (HRV) is the change in time intervals between heart beats, reflecting the autonomic nervous system's ability to adapt to psychological and physiological demands. Slow breathing enhances parasympathetic activity, increasing HRV. , a yoga breathing technique, affords the conscious regulation of respiration frequency.

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Introduction: Cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with many individuals presenting with acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (AIS/TIA) due to underlying vascular risk factors (VRF). While these patients typically undergo routine evaluations for acute treatment, the prevention of these conditions is often underestimated. This study reports the prevalence of non-optimized VRF and estimates their degree of avoidability in a cohort of patients treated in a tertiary care center following AIS/TIA.

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  • The study focused on the prevalence of anticoagulant resistance genotypes in brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) and black rats (Rattus rattus) in Barcelona, assessing the impact of control methods involving rodenticides.
  • Sampling occurred during periods when different anticoagulant rodenticides were used, revealing no evidence of resistance in the rats based on genetic analysis of the Vkorc1 gene.
  • The findings suggest that the current rodent management practices, including rotating anticoagulants and using traps, are effective in preventing resistance; however, future efforts should expand the variety of control measures used.
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Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is used for therapeutic and research purposes, but it is still important to establish safety guidelines and recommendations mainly related to serious adverse effect (SAE). As part of this, safety reports need to be published. Our report highlights a case of a male patient who was a 30-year-old with a history of hemorrhagic stroke following an accidental seizure episode during a single-pulse TMS.

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Despite increasing knowledge about small extracellular vesicle (sEV) composition and functions in cell-cell communication, the mechanism behind their biogenesis remains unclear. Here, we reveal for the first time that sEV biogenesis and release into the microenvironment are tightly connected with another important organelle, Lipid Droplets (LDs). The correlation was observed in several human cancer cell lines as well as patient-derived colorectal cancer stem cells (CR-CSCs).

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Introduction: The rise in antibiotic resistance to poses a substantial threat to effective gonorrhea treatment. Historical progression of resistance from sulfonamides to the more recent declines in efficacy of fluoroquinolones and susceptibilities of ceftriaxone highlight the urgent need for novel therapeutic approaches, necessitating the examination of alternative and new antibiotics.

Areas Covered: This review examines the potential of repurposing older antibiotics for gonorrhea treatment with a focus on their efficacy and limitations.

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  • Human activities, such as deforestation and urbanization, increase the risk of zoonotic diseases by creating conducive environments for wildlife like rodents and wild boar, which can carry infectious agents like coronaviruses.
  • A study in Catalonia during the COVID-19 pandemic tested over 500 animals, including rodents and wild boar, for SARS-CoV-2, finding that the majority were negative, indicating low levels of infection.
  • The findings suggest that rodents and wild boar played a negligible role in the transmission of COVID-19 in the area, but ongoing surveillance is necessary due to their proximity to humans and the potential for viral mutations.
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  • Thyroid carcinoma is the most common type of cancer that affects endocrine organs and understanding its development is key for research.
  • The text outlines a protocol to create thyroid cells from human embryonic stem cells and includes methods for using CRISPR-Cas9 to engineer thyroid progenitor cells.
  • These engineered cells will help in studying thyroid cancer in living organisms, contributing to the creation of better models for understanding thyroid tumor development.
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  • - This study explores how changes in body composition (like muscle and fat) during chemotherapy for localized pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) can reflect tumor biology, which has been a challenge to assess clinically.
  • - The researchers analyzed data from 138 patients who received neoadjuvant therapy and surgery from 2017 to 2021, using advanced software to measure muscle and fat changes at the L3 vertebra level.
  • - Results showed that increases in muscle and fat during treatment were linked to better survival outcomes, while significant loss of visceral fat was harmful, suggesting that ongoing body composition analysis could serve as a useful biomarker for treatment response.
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Background: It has previously been demonstrated that Thrombelastography(TEG) angle may be associated with recurrence and survival in pancreas cancer in a cohort of patients operated on at the University of Colorado in 2016-2017. Now approaching 10 years of follow-up, we revisit these associations and strengthen these claims with multivariate analysis.

Methods: Retrospective chart review was performed.

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Background: Angioleiomyoma is a benign soft-tissue tumor that arises from the smooth muscle cells in the tunica media of the blood vessels. Although the most common location for these neoplasms is the uterine wall, they can also originate from lower limbs. Altogether, these neoplasms account for 0.

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