Publications by authors named "Garcia I"

Background: PhotoVoice - a series of workshops involving participatory photography and narrative-building - was employed in the rural town of Comerío, Puerto Rico (PR) to describe disaster recovery in a rural setting and foster policy dialogue.

Methods: Using PhotoVoice workshops and ethnographic observations, the project describes how women affiliated with a local community-based organization described the priorities for disaster recovery in visual images and narratives. We draw analytically upon theories of intersectionality and coloniality to describe socio-structural and community factors that shape community health in the context of ongoing disasters.

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Gentrification in commercial districts of Latinx communities is raising debates among local stakeholders about how to best pursue revitalization. Through a comparative case study, we examine these debates in the context of the Right to the City and gentefication. How do stakeholders in two Latinx commercial districts envision revitalization projects amidst ongoing gentrification? We analyze the perspectives and policies of non-profit staff, business- and commercial property owners, in Puerto Rico Town Chicago and La Cuatro in Downtown Santa Ana.

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Occupational exposure to pollutants may cause health-damaging effects in humans. Genotoxicity assays can be used to detect the toxic effects of pollutants. In the present study, we evaluated genetic damage in three populations occupationally exposed to benzene, pyrenes, and agrochemicals and assessed the possible influence of titanium (Ti) co-exposure.

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Objective: The aim of this study is to assess the use of metformin with or without insulin for the treatment of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus compared to insulin alone.

Data Sources: This article consists of a systematic review of randomized clinical trials. The searches were carried out on MEDLINE including 7 studies, between 2010 to 2021.

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Article Synopsis
  • ECMO (extracorporeal membranous oxygenation) is explored as a treatment option for patients with severe ARDS, particularly in burn cases where previous experience is limited.
  • A case study details a 40-year-old woman with significant burns and severe inhalation injury who was placed on veno-venous ECMO for over 21 days while undergoing multiple surgical procedures and receiving extensive blood product transfusions.
  • The report emphasizes the challenges and complexities of managing ECMO support during burn excision surgery, highlighting the need for further research on patient management strategies and the timing of interventions in such cases.
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Objectives: Small-scale studies reported increased blood pressure in patients using chlorhexidine mouthwash with the rationale that the rinse mitigates nitric oxide production by oral bacteria. The present study evaluated whether prior use of chlorhexidine mouthwash can be associated with an increased odds ratio for primary hypertension in a large hospital cohort.

Materials And Methods: The i2b2 NIH-established platform was used to search for deidentified medical information coded by ICD-10 for subjects with a hypertension diagnosis who have used chlorhexidine rinses before between October 2015 and May 2024.

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We previously demonstrated that sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 3 (S1PR3) in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) prevents reductions in sociability normally caused by stress. S1PR3 is a ubiquitously expressed G-protein coupled receptor that regulates immune system function, although its regulation of other biological processes is not well understood. Pharmacological activators of S1PR3 might provide important insights for understanding the neural substrates underlying sociability.

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Wallenberg syndrome, also known as lateral medullary syndrome, is a rare condition affecting the vertebrobasilar circulation, causing symptoms such as vertigo, nystagmus, dysarthria, and hemifacial weakness. Typically linked to ischemic strokes, it can also arise from vertebrobasilar aneurysms. In rare cases, subclavian steal syndrome (SSS), involving retrograde flow in the vertebral artery due to subclavian stenosis, complicates the picture, as observed in this case of a 66-year-old woman with both conditions and a vertebrobasilar aneurysm.

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  • Multiple sclerosis (MS) often results in debilitating fatigue, impacting over 80% of patients and their quality of life and independence.
  • This study aims to identify and evaluate patient-reported outcomes (PROs) that specifically measure fatigue in MS patients, focusing on their psychometric properties and risk of bias.
  • The review included 34 studies, highlighting a mix of low and high risk levels in terms of measurement reliability, with many studies showing a low risk for certain properties like internal consistency and criterion validity, but concerns about bias in others.
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Objective: This study aimed to describe initial experiences and lessons learned conducting a trial focused on recruiting racially and ethnically diverse hospitalized patients with untreated alcohol use disorder (AUD).

Methods: The parent trial is comparing the effectiveness of strategies including Brief Negotiation Interview (BNI), facilitated initiation of medications for AUD, and computer-based training for cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT4CBT) on AUD treatment engagement post-hospitalization. Guided by the Framework for Reporting Adaptations and Modifications-Enhanced, we catalogued protocol changes and evaluated outcomes using study and electronic medical record data during the first 18 months of recruitment.

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  • A study on 173 female patients with recurrent reproductive failure (RRF) found a notably higher prevalence of HLA genes associated with celiac disease (CD) and non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS), compared to the general population (69% vs. 35%-40%).
  • Only a small percentage (2.3%) of the patients were diagnosed with CD, but those with HLA genetic susceptibility showed a significant link to higher rates of hypothyroidism (48.7% vs. 26.92%).
  • Patients with both HLA susceptibility and thyroid disease had better pregnancy outcomes when on a gluten-free diet and using levothyroxine, indicating potential benefits of these interventions for reproductive success.
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Sulfachloropyridazine (SCP) is an antimicrobial (AM) commonly used in the poultry industry. This drug is excreted as the original compound, which may accumulate in litter. This work was done to assess whether SCP residues from droppings of broiler chickens that were treated with therapeutic doses of this drug spread into the production environment and to determine if these events were associated with the selection of resistant bacteria.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Recombinant variants, like the XBB strain, have emerged and become dominant, highlighting the need for ongoing surveillance of viral genome diversity.
  • * A study in Norway revealed a recombination event in an immunocompromised patient, discovering a new viral strain formed from two existing lineages, emphasizing the need to monitor such events frequently.
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Aims: Implementing maternal depression screening in child-serving programs can help ensure that more mothers receive mental health services. This study examined the implementation of universal maternal depression screening in community-based Head Start programs.

Methods: Quantitative and qualitative data were merged in a convergent mixed method design to assess four domains from the RE-AIM implementation science framework (Reach, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance).

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Background: The factors influencing sedentary time (ST) of individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have not been thoroughly explored.

Aim: To identify determinant factors of ST in individuals with stable COPD.

Methods: Individuals with COPD had their ST and variables of physical activity (PA) cross-sectionally assessed during seven days with an activity monitor.

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  • Concerns over climate change have accelerated the search for cleaner energy sources, leading to increased use of photovoltaic solar energy in irrigation districts.
  • A life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted on a 6 MWp solar plant in southern Spain, revealing energy payback time of 3.51 to 3.81 years and carbon payback time of 3.39 to 3.67 years.
  • The analysis showed that the solar plant significantly reduced greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel energy consumption by nearly 50%, despite some energy still coming from the grid.
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This study explores minoritized mothers' experiences in group interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT-G) and relates their experiences to treatment outcomes. Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered from 26 Latinx and Black mothers who participated in IPT-G. Mothers were divided into three groups: (1) not depressed at follow-up, (2) depressed at follow-up, and (3) those with subclinical symptoms throughout the intervention, and similarities and differences across groups were examined.

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Informal caregivers of older people face demanding responsibilities that can negatively affect their wellbeing, highlighting the relevance of interventions that address their specific needs. This study aimed to assess the effects of a group music therapy program based on different songwriting approaches applied to informal caregivers of older adults with dependency. A sample of 113 caregivers participated, being assigned either to the intervention ( = 60) or the control group ( = 53).

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  • - The study examines the effectiveness of the Viscoelastic Coagulation Monitor (VCM) as a point-of-care tool to quickly assess blood coagulation after trauma, comparing it to the standard TEG 5000 method to check for correlations and identify coagulopathic conditions in swine models.
  • - Twenty anesthetized swine were subjected to various traumatic injuries, with blood samples taken at multiple time intervals to evaluate the VCM's performance in measuring coagulation changes over time and its relationship with other standard tests and vital parameters.
  • - The results indicated that VCM could effectively detect significant changes in clotting metrics after trauma and did not find significant differences in results whether cartridges were warmed by a heating plate or by being
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The study of catastrophic costs incurred by people affected by tuberculosis (TB), conducted in Colombia during the COVID-19 pandemic, provided the opportunity to implement telephone surveys for data collection. This constitutes a methodological innovation regarding the standards established by the World Health Organization (WHO) which, for this type of study, usually rely on face-to-face surveys of patients attending health facilities. The study design, objectives, and methodology were adapted from the WHO publication .

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Background: An estimated 43% of children under age 5 in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) experience compromised development due to poverty, poor nutrition, and inadequate psychosocial stimulation. Numerous early childhood development (ECD) parenting interventions have been shown to be effective at improving ECD outcomes, at least in the short-term, but they are (a) still too expensive to implement at scale in low-resource and rural settings, and (b) their early impacts tend to fade over time. New approaches to deliver effective ECD parenting interventions that are low-cost, scalable, and sustainable are sorely needed.

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Prostate cancer remains a major health concern, with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) being a key biomarker for its detection and monitoring. However, PSA levels often fall into a "gray zone", where PSA levels are not clearly indicative of cancer, thus complicating early diagnosis and treatment decisions. Glycosylation profiles, which often differ between healthy and diseased cells, have emerged as potential biomarkers to enhance the specificity and sensitivity of cancer diagnosis in these ambiguous cases.

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(1) Background: Liver metastases (LM) are the leading cause of death in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. Despite advancements, relapse rates remain high and current prognostic nomograms lack accuracy. Our objective is to develop an interpretable neoadjuvant algorithm based on mathematical models to accurately predict individual risk, ensuring mathematical transparency and auditability.

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Background: An estimated 43% of children under age 5 in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) experience compromised development due to poverty, poor nutrition, and inadequate psychosocial stimulation. Numerous early childhood development (ECD) parenting interventions have been shown to be effective at improving ECD outcomes, at least in the short-term, but they are a) still too expensive to implement at scale in low-resource and rural settings, and b) their early impacts tend to fade over time. New approaches to deliver effective ECD parenting interventions that are low-cost, scalable, and sustainable are sorely needed.

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