Publications by authors named "Hector Rivera"

A decrease in the rate of acquired antiretroviral (ARV) drug resistance (ADR) over time has been documented in high-income settings, but data on the determinants of this phenomenon are lacking. We tested the hypothesis that in heavily ARV-experienced patients in the Mexican ARV therapy (ART) roll-out program, the drop in ADR would be associated with changes in ARV drug usage. Genotypic resistance tests obtained from 974 HIV-infected patients with virological failure and at least 2 previously failed ARV regimens from throughout the country were analyzed for the presence of nucleos(t)ide reverse transcriptase inhibitors, non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, and protease inhibitor (PI) resistance-associated mutations (RAMs).

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Article Synopsis
  • Specialized training for first responders is essential for effective handling of rare CBRNE incidents, but skill decay can occur due to infrequent exposure.
  • A study was conducted with 90 first responders where one group received mobile training videos before simulated disaster scenarios, while the control group did not.
  • Results showed that the intervention group performed significantly better in scenarios involving explosives and chemical nerve agents, highlighting the effectiveness of just-in-time mobile training resources.
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Inverted terminal repeat (ITR) integrity is critical for the replication, packaging, and transduction of recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV), a promising gene therapy vector. Because AAV ITRs possess 70% GC content and are palindromic, they are notoriously difficult to sequence. The purpose of this work was to develop a reliable ITR sequencing method.

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Benzyl alcohol lotion 5% (BAL 5%) is a non-neurotoxic topical head lice treatment that is safe and effective in children as young as 6 months of age. The safety and efficacy of this pediculicide has been studied in 695 (confirm number) subjects in all phases of clinical development. Scanning electron micrographs (SEM) demonstrated that the active agent appears to stun the breathing spiracles open, enabling the vehicle to penetrate the respiratory mechanism (spiracles), therefore asphyxiating the lice.

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Objective: The perceived capacity of health management teams to utilize research for decision making is assessed, as well as proposals for strengthening such capacity.

Materials And Methods: A total of 103 management teams (84.4% response rate) from a wide range of institutions in six contrasting and representative states in Mexico were asked to assess their perceived capacity for utilizing research and to propose strategies to strengthen that capacity.

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Objective: A tool was adapted and evaluated for the self-assessment by health management teams of their capacity to utilize research, distinguishing between its acquisition, analysis, adaptation and application.

Material And Methods: The tool was translated into Spanish and a manual was created. The manual was submitted for authorization to the Ethics Committee of the National Public Health Institute of Mexico.

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The solid tumor mRNA expression of genes related to the mechanism of action of certain antineoplastic agents is often predictive of clinical efficacy. We report here on the development of a rapid and practical real-time RT-PCR method to quantify genetic expression in solid tumors. The genes examined are related to the intracellular pharmacology of gemcitabine and cisplatin, two drugs that are used in the treatment of several types of advanced cancer.

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