Publications by authors named "Guillen Nieto Gerardo"

The early expectations about growth factors' (GFs') discovery as an undisputed therapeutic solution for chronic wounds progressively eclipsed when they failed to accelerate acute wound closure and restore the healing trajectory of stagnant ulcers. Critical knowledge about chronic wound biology and GF pharmacology was a conundrum at that time. Diabetes undermines keratinocytes' and fibroblasts' physiology, impairing skin healing abilities.

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Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a fatal myocardial condition with ventricular structural changes and functional deficits, leading to systolic dysfunction and heart failure (HF). DCM is a frequent complication in oncologic patients receiving Doxorubicin (Dox). Dox is a highly cardiotoxic drug, whereas its damaging spectrum affects most of the organs by multiple pathogenic cascades.

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Cancer remains a worldwide cause of morbidity and mortality. Investigational research efforts have included the administration of tumor-derived extracts to healthy animals. Having previously demonstrated that the administration of non-transmissible, human cancer-derived homogenates induced malignant tumors in mice, here, we examined the consequences of administering 50 or 100 µg of protein of crude homogenates from mammary carcinoma, pancreatic adenocarcinoma, and melanoma samples in 6 inoculations per week during 2 months.

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Objective: This study tested the hypothesis that a neuroprotective combined therapy based on epidermal growth factor (EGF) and growth hormone-releasing hexapeptide (GHRP6) could be safe for acute ischemic stroke patients, admitting up to 30% of serious adverse events (SAE) with proven causality.

Methods: A multi-centric, randomized, open-label, controlled, phase I-II clinical trial with parallel groups was conducted (July 2017 to January 2018). Patients aged 18-80 years with a computed tomography-confirmed ischemic stroke and less than 12 h from the onset of symptoms were randomly assigned to the study groups I (75 μg rEGF + 3.

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The recombinant human interferon alpha-2b (IFN-α2b) nasal drop formulation (Nasalferon) was studied as prophylaxis for SARS-CoV-2. Healthy volunteers between 19 and 80 years of age received 0.5 million international units of IFN in one drop (0.

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Article Synopsis
  • Despite the development of COVID-19 vaccines, there are concerns regarding their safety and effectiveness, particularly in inducing mucosal immunity.
  • The study investigates a new vaccine component by combining the nucleocapsid (N) protein from the Delta variant with a synthetic adjuvant, ODN-39M, and tests its effects in Balb/C mice.
  • Results show that intranasal administration of this combination generates a strong immune response, producing IgA in the lungs and neutralizing antibodies, making it a promising candidate for a more effective intranasal vaccine against various Sarbecoviruses.
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HeberNasvac, a therapeutic vaccine for chronic hepatitis B, is able to safely stimulate multiple Toll-like receptors, increasing antigen presentation and in a phase II clinical trial (Profira) in elderly volunteers who were household contacts of respiratory infection patients. Thus, a new indication as a postexposure prophylaxis or early therapy for respiratory infections has been proposed. In this study, we evaluated the expression of several interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) after mucosal administration of HeberNasvac and compared this effect with the nasal delivery of interferon alpha 2b (Nasalferon).

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The convergence of life sciences with neurosciences, nanotechnology, data management, and engineering has caused a technological diversification of the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and medical technology industries, including the phenomenon of digital transformation, which has given rise to the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0). Confronting the COVID-19 pandemic revealed the outstanding response capacity of the scientific community and the biopharmaceutical industry, based on a multidisciplinary and interinstitutional approach that has achieved an unprecedented integration in the history of biomedical science.

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Introduction: The antinociceptive and pharmacological activities of C-Phycocyanin (C-PC) and Phycocyanobilin (PCB) in the context of inflammatory arthritis remain unexplored so far. In the present study, we aimed to assess the protective actions of these compounds in an experimental mice model that replicates key aspects of human rheumatoid arthritis.

Methods: Antigen-induced arthritis (AIA) was established by intradermal injection of methylated bovine serum albumin in C57BL/6 mice, and one hour before the antigen challenge, either C-PC (2, 4, or 8 mg/kg) or PCB (0.

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According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 296 million people are chronically infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV). Approximately 15-25% of these people develop complications such as advanced chronic liver diseases (ACLDs). Mortality due to HBV-related complications accounted for an estimated 882,000 deaths in 2019.

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An impaired healing response underlies diabetic foot wound chronicity, frequently translating to amputation, disability, and mortality. Diabetics suffer from underappreciated episodes of post-epithelization ulcer recurrence. Recurrence epidemiological data are alarmingly high, so the ulcer is considered in "remission" and not healed from the time it remains epithelialized.

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Cytokines are secretion proteins that mediate and regulate immunity and inflammation. They are crucial in the progress of acute inflammatory diseases and autoimmunity. In fact, the inhibition of proinflammatory cytokines has been widely tested in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

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Introduction: There is a pressing need to develop novel drugs for treating patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), as commercially available antiviral drugs are endowed with safety and efficacy concerns.

Methods: A phase III clinical trial was conducted with a therapeutic vaccine containing two antigens of the hepatitis B virus (HBV; named NASVAC) in 78 patients with CHB expressing both HBV DNA and elevated levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in the blood. Five years after the end of treatment (EOT), 60 NASVAC-recipient patients were enrolled in this long-term follow-up study to evaluate the safety, antiviral potential, and liver-protective capacity of NASVAC.

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There is an urgent need to understand severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-host interactions involved in virus spread and pathogenesis, which might contribute to the identification of new therapeutic targets. In this study, we investigated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in postmortem lung, kidney, and liver samples of patients who died with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and its relationship with host factors involved in virus spread and pathogenesis, using microscopy-based methods. The cases analyzed showed advanced stages of diffuse acute alveolar damage and fibrosis.

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This paper presents the results of an observational and retrospective study on the therapeutic effects of Jusvinza, an immunomodulatory peptide with anti-inflammatory properties for critically ill COVID-19 patients. This peptide induces regulatory mechanisms on the immune response in experimental systems and in patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Exploratory research in COVID-19 patients revealed that Jusvinza promotes clinical and radiological improvement.

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Cytokines, demyelination and neuroaxonal degeneration in the central nervous system are pivotal elements implicated in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS) and its nonclinical model of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Phycocyanobilin (PCB), a chromophore of the biliprotein C-Phycocyanin (C-PC) from , has antioxidant, immunoregulatory and anti-inflammatory effects in this disease, and it could complement the effect of other Disease Modifying Treatments (DMT), such as Interferon-β (IFN-β). Here, our main goal was to evaluate the potential PCB benefits and its mechanisms of action to counteract the chronic EAE in mice.

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Cellular memory is a controversial concept representing the ability of cells to "write and memorize" stressful experiences via epigenetic operators. The progressive course of chronic, non-communicable diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, cancer, and arteriosclerosis, is likely driven through an abnormal epigenetic reprogramming, fostering the hypothesis of a cellular pathologic memory. Accordingly, cultured diabetic and cancer patient-derived cells recall behavioral traits as when in the donor's organism irrespective to culture time and conditions.

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Background: COVID-19 vaccines have proven safe and efficacious in reducing severe illness and death. Cuban protein subunit vaccine Abdala has shown safety, tolerability and efficacy (92·3% [95% CI: 85·7‒95·8]) against SARS-CoV-2 in clinical trials. This study aimed to estimate Abdala's real-world vaccine effectiveness (VE).

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Article Synopsis
  • Developing affordable SARS-CoV-2 vaccines is crucial for global vaccination efforts and controlling COVID-19, with a focus on using the receptor-binding domain (RBD) produced in yeast.
  • The RBD was modified to enhance protein interactions and purification, yielding a high quantity of correctly folded protein that showed strong reactions with antibodies from recovered patients and vaccinated individuals.
  • Animal studies demonstrated that the RBD vaccine induced significant immune responses, suggesting it is a promising candidate for COVID-19 immunization.
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Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is a highly complicated pathological process in which the disease is initiated by the hepatitis B virus (HBV); however, host immune responses are primarily responsible for variable extents of liver damage. If the patients with CHB remain untreated, many CHB patients will eventually develop complications like cirrhosis of the liver (LC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In 2019, an estimated 882,000 patients died due to HBV-related complications worldwide.

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Background: Multiple vaccine candidates against COVID-19 are currently being evaluated. We evaluate the safety and immunogenicity protein of a novel SARS-CoV-2 virus receptor-binding domain (RBD) vaccine.

Methods: A phase 1-2, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was carried out in "Saturnino Lora" Hospital, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba.

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Article Synopsis
  • Alzheimer's disease (AD) is highly prevalent in low- and middle-income countries, creating a need for affordable, minimally invasive blood tests to detect early biomarkers of the disease.
  • A systematic review of 76 studies found that protein-based biomarker panels in plasma and serum are more effective for diagnosing and predicting AD than single biomarkers.
  • The combination of amyloid beta ratios and APOEε4 status shows high accuracy in predicting AD, suggesting that blood-based tests could lead to earlier diagnosis and better treatment options.
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Article Synopsis
  • Lower-extremity arterial disease is a growing health issue that can result in amputations and increased mortality, but the underlying causes of vascular wall changes are not well understood.* -
  • Researchers hypothesized that a "vascular tissue memory" might be passed from humans to healthy animals through signaling molecules, leading to similar vascular issues like wall thickening in the recipient animals.* -
  • In experiments, injecting arteriosclerotic tissue into rats caused significant changes in their vascular structure within days, suggesting these changes are driven by factors from the human tissue, opening up new avenues for studying atherosclerosis.*
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