Publications by authors named "GASPAR M"

Recent advancements have highlighted the potential of cannabis and its phytocannabinoids (pCBs) in skin health applications. These compounds, through their interaction with the endocannabinoid system (ECS), show promise for skin health products. Their ability to regulate inflammation, oxidative stress and cell proliferation makes them useful in addressing skin problems such as inflammation, scarring, healing, acne and aging, positioning them as valuable tools for innovative skincare solutions.

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Objective: To report evidence on microbiota and its relationship with inflammaging, the innate immune system and osteoarthritis (OA) in human patients.

Design: A systematic review was performed in accordance with PRISMA and following the PICO model. Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane Library for clinical trials and PubMed were searched.

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Melanoma is the most aggressive type of skin cancer and recently approved drugs are often associated with resistance and significant adverse effects. Therefore, the design of more effective and safe options remains imperative. Photothermal therapy (PTT) using gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) presents a promising and innovative approach.

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Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common type of skin carcinoma worldwide. BCC development is the result of a complex interaction between environmental, phenotypic, and genetic factors. While conventional treatments such as surgery and topical therapies have demonstrated variable efficacy (some of them with limited efficacy), they are not free of adverse side effects, most of them debilitating.

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Background And Aim: Pervasive disparities characterize sickle cell disease (SCD) care, including limited access to SCD specialists. Rapid deployment of remote healthcare provision and support during the COVID-19 pandemic provides an opportunity to understand telehealth barriers/facilitators for SCD. We aimed to evaluate telehealth experiences and satisfaction for routine visits among adults and caregivers of children with SCD within a US regional collaborative.

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poses a significant threat as an opportunistic pathogen in humans, and animal medicine, particularly in the context of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs). Effective treatment is a significant challenge, contributing substantially to the global health burden. While antibiotic therapy remains the primary approach for staphylococcal infections, its efficacy is often compromised by the emergence of resistant strains and biofilm formation.

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Superficial cancers typically refer to cancers confined to the surface layers of tissue. Low-targeting therapies or side effects prompt exploration of novel therapeutic approaches. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), due to their unique optical properties, serve as effective photosensitizers, enabling tumor ablation through photothermal therapy (PTT).

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Ongoing climate changes are expected to intensify drought periods in tropical regions, directly impacting epiphytic bromeliads that depend on intermittent water availability. This study aimed to elucidate if Acanthostachys pitcairnioides, an epiphytic bromeliad of Atlantic Forest, tolerates extended drought periods and the potential strategies involved in its tolerance and recovery capacity. We suppressed irrigation for 42 days, rehydrated plants for four days, and evaluated leaf water status, and photochemical, metabolic, and anatomical changes.

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Ocean acidification (OA) is expected to decrease the strength of bivalves' shells, especially during the early stages of development, with negative consequences to the resilience of natural populations and the economy. The objectives of the present study were to assess the long-term effect of increasing pCO after 217 days of exposure under controlled conditions of pH of ∼8.2, 8.

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Prostate cancer (PCa) is a high prevalence disease, per 10000 habitants, that tends to increase with age. This pathology is difficult to detect at an early stage due to the absence of symptoms, hence the importance of monitoring signs for early detection. This disease can be detected by various methods, including plasmatic levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and rectal touch, with biopsy being necessary to confirm the diagnosis.

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Aerogel scaffolds are nanostructured materials with beneficial properties for tissue engineering applications. The tracing of the state of the aerogels after their implantation is challenging due to their variable biodegradation rate and the lack of suitable strategies capable of monitoring the scaffolds. Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have emerged as advanced tools for bioimaging because of their fluorescence properties.

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Selenium (Se) is an element crucial for human health, known for its anticancer properties. Although selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) have shown lower toxicity and higher biocompatibility than other Se compounds, bare SeNPs are unstable in aqueous solutions. In this study, several materials, including bovine serum albumin (BSA), chitosan, polymethyl vinyl ether-alt-maleic anhydride, and tocopherol polyethylene glycol succinate, are explored to develop stable SeNPs and further evaluate their potential as candidates for cancer treatment.

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The present work consisted of an exploratory study aiming to evaluate in vitro the potential of AuNPs during Radiation Therapy (RT) in human pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells. AuNPs coated with hyaluronic and oleic acids (HAOA-AuNPs) or with bombesin peptides (BBN-AuNPs) were used. AuNPs were characterized by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Dynamic Light Scattering.

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Introduction: Heart failure (HF) is a clinical syndrome characterized by cardinal symptoms that may be accompanied by signs. It results from structural and/or functional abnormalities of the heart leading to elevated intracardiac pressures and/or inadequate cardiac output at rest and/or during exercise. The prevalence of iron deficiency and anemia justifies the current guidelines recommendation of screening.

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Practitioners are recognized as one of the key components that make parenting interventions meaningful and helpful to families, and the impact of practitioners' skills on the outcomes of parenting interventions has been consistently recognized in research. However, the mechanisms and ongoing processes through which the practitioners' actions and skills may impact parental engagement and other outcomes remain unknown. This qualitative study explored parents' perceptions about the processes through which specific practitioners' skills contribute to the outcomes of the Incredible Years Basic Parent Program (IYPP).

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Inducing necroptosis in cancer cells has emerged as an effective strategy to overcome drug resistance. However, while organic small molecules have been extensively studied for this purpose, metal-based compounds have received relatively little attention as triggers of necroptosis. The development of ruthenium (II) hybrid compounds, particularly those containing triazene (Ru-TRZ), highlights a novel avenue for modulating necroptotic cell death.

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Tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2) is involved in type I interferon (IFN-I) signaling through IFN receptor 1 (IFNAR1). This signaling pathway is crucial in the early antiviral response and remains incompletely understood on B cells. Therefore, to understand the role of TYK2 in B cells, we studied these cells under homeostatic conditions and following in vitro activation using Tyk2-deficient (Tyk2) mice.

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Methicillin-resistant (M RSA) infections, in particular biofilm-organized bacteria, remain a clinical challenge and a serious health problem. Rifabutin (RFB), an antibiotic of the rifamycins class, has shown in previous work excellent anti-staphylococcal activity. Here, we proposed to load RFB in liposomes aiming to promote the accumulation of RFB at infected sites and consequently enhance the therapeutic potency.

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Article Synopsis
  • Prostate cancer (PCA) is a major health issue for men, being the second most diagnosed cancer and fifth leading cause of death globally, highlighting the need for better treatments.
  • Traditional treatments often have limited benefits and significant side effects, creating a demand for less invasive and targeted options.
  • This study explores the use of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in photothermal therapy (PTT), showing they are safe and effective at generating heat in tumors, which could improve PCA treatment outcomes.
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In Vietnam and the Philippines, viral hepatitis is the leading cause of cirrhosis and liver cancer. This study aims to understand the barriers and enablers of people receiving care for hepatitis B and C to support both countries' efforts to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030. Retrospective, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive, quota-based sample of 63 people living with hepatitis B or C in one province of Vietnam and one region of the Philippines.

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Background: Asthma is the most common chronic disease in childhood which accounts for numerous annual hospitalizations due to a lack of management and proper management of the disease. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of using an educational booklet with or without combination with motivational interviewing (MI) on the self-efficacy of parents/caregivers in the control and management of childhood asthma.

Methods: A clinical trial was carried out with 86 parents/caregivers of children with asthma aged between 2 and 12 years who were followed up in primary health care units from March 2019 to December 2020.

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Nitrogen (N) is an essential nutrient for plants, and the sources from which it is obtained can differently affect their entire development as well as stress responses. Distinct inorganic N sources (nitrate and ammonium) can lead to fluctuations in the nitric oxide (NO) levels and thus interfere with nitric oxide (NO)-mediated responses. These could lead to changes in reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis, hormone synthesis and signaling, and post-translational modifications of key proteins.

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Objective: To explore antenatal experiences of social and healthcare professional support during different phases of social distancing restriction implementation in the UK.

Design: Semi-structured interviews were conducted via telephone or video-conferencing software between 13 July 2020 - 2 September 2020. Interviews were transcribed and a recurrent, cross-sectional, thematic analysis was conducted.

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