Publications by authors named "Ibanez R"

: Implementing self-sampling (SS) in cervical cancer screening requires comparable results to clinician-collected samples (CCS). Agreement measures are essential for evaluating HPV test performance. Previous studies on non-paired samples have reported higher viral cycle threshold (Ct) values in SS compared to CCS, affecting sensitivity for detecting cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or worse (CIN2+).

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Effluents from urban wastewater treatment plants (UWWTPs) discharged into water bodies such as the sea or ocean, offer a potential source of renewable energy through the salinity gradient (SGE) between seawater and treated water. The European project Life-3E: Environment-Energy-Economy aims to demonstrate an innovative process integrating renewable energy production with water reclamation. Using reverse electrodialysis (RED) technology, SGE can power tertiary wastewater treatment processes in coastal UWWTPs, offsetting energy costs associated with water regeneration and reuse.

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Background: Brazil has the highest number of HTLV-1 infection in Latin America, with around one million cases spread unevenly across regions. However, there is a limited number of studies on this infection in the general population. This cross-sectional study aimed to estimate the prevalence of HTLV as well as identify types, and subtypes of HTLV among the urban population of Campo Grande, capital of Mato Grosso do Sul state (MS).

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Animals that are toxic often advertise their unprofitability to potential predators through bright aposematic colors while cryptic ones blend in with their natural background to avoid predators. In the poison dart frogs, and some populations in Costa Rica and Panama display cryptic green and aposematic red color morphs. We herein used reflectance spectra from the dorsum of red and green morphs of these frogs to estimate their perception by the visual systems of three potential predators (birds, lizards, and crabs) against three natural backgrounds (leaves, trunks and leaf litter).

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Primates spend on average half as much energy as other placental mammals while expressing a wide range of lifestyles. However, little is known about how primates adapt their rate of energy use in the context of natural environmental variations. Using doubly labelled water, behavioral and accelerometric methods, we measured the total energy expenditure (TEE) and body composition of a population of Eulemur fulvus (N = 12) living in an agroforest in Mayotte.

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Background: Pain in cancer patients has enormous impact on their quality-of-life. Radiation therapy (RT) is a cornerstone in cancer treatment. The objective of the PREDORT study is to estimate the prevalence of pain in patients attending at Radiation Oncology (RO) Services.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study examined how cognitive abilities (working memory, inhibitory control, and fluid reasoning) influence the relationship between physical fitness and academic success in adolescents aged 10-14.
  • It involved 1,296 participants, and measured fitness through a test battery while academic achievement was assessed across five subjects.
  • Findings revealed that cognitive domains fully mediated the fitness-academic performance link for Language and English, while showing partial mediation for other subjects, highlighting the importance of mental skills in educational outcomes.
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  • Nearly all oviparous vertebrates lay eggs in either aquatic or terrestrial environments, each presenting unique challenges and opportunities for embryo development.
  • Research on 13 species of Central and South American treefrogs shows that flexible egg-laying behaviors and the ability for eggs to develop in both environments support the transition from aquatic to terrestrial reproduction.
  • Findings indicate species that reproduce exclusively on land tend to have larger eggs, and behavioral adaptations in egg-laying are likely the first steps toward evolving terrestrial reproduction, rather than changes in egg size.
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Introduction: Neonates in a NICU experience pain. Based on the cardiovascular and nociceptive systems link, a Newborn Infant Parasympathetic Evaluation (NIPE) monitor was designed to assess pain. The use of α-agonists as analgesic-sedative drugs has increased in neonates.

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Gadolinium (Gd) is a rare earth element (REE) used in the formulation of contrast agents for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) due to its paramagnetic properties. The growth in population and the improved quality of the healthcare systems over the last years, has promoted the use of MRI as an effective diagnostic tool thus increasing the consumption of gadolinium and its release into the wastewater treatment network. Therefore, the tracking and quantification of this metal in sewage treatment plants and water bodies, is of paramount importance since there are currently no specific rare earth treatment technologies installed in WWTPs, and consequently gadolinium is finally discharged into the environment.

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Recent studies have revealed the impact of human papillomavirus (HPV) infections on the cervicovaginal microbiome; however, few have explored the utility of self-collected specimens (SCS) for microbiome detection, obtained using standardised methods for HPV testing. Here, we present a proof-of-concept analysis utilising Oxford Nanopore sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene in paired samples collected either by the patient using an Evalyn Brush or collected by a physician using liquid-based cytology (LBC). We found no significant differences in the α-diversity estimates between the SCS and LBC samples.

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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic led to a national lockdown and the interruption of all cancer preventive services, including cervical cancer screening. We aimed to assess the COVID-19 pandemic impact on opportunistic screening participation, abnormal cytology (ASCUS+) prevalence and screening interval in 2020 and 2021 within the Public Health System of Catalonia, Spain.

Methods: Individual data on cytology and HPV testing of women aged 25-65 from 2014 to 2021 were retrieved from the Information System for Primary Care Services (SISAP).

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Many scientific societies have issued guidelines to introduce population-based cervical cancer screening with HPV testing. The Vitro HPV Screening assay is a fully automatic multiplex real-time PCR test targeting the L1 GP5+/GP6+ region of HPV genome. The assay detects 14 high risk (HR) HPV genotypes, identifying individual HPV16 and HPV18 genotypes, and the HPV-positive samples for the other 12 HR HPV types are subsequently genotyped with the HPV Direct Flow Chip test.

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Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells targeting CD22 (CD22-CAR) provide a therapeutic option for patients with CD22 malignancies with progression after CD19-directed therapies. Using on-site, automated, closed-loop manufacturing, we conducted parallel Phase 1b clinical trials investigating a humanized CD22-CAR with 41BB costimulatory domain in children and adults with heavily treated, relapsed/refractory (r/r) B-ALL. Of 19 patients enrolled, 18 had successful CD22-CAR manufacturing, and 16 patients were infused.

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We lack understanding of how variable is radial growth of coexisting tree and shrub species, and how growth is constrained by drought depending on site aridity. Here, we compared the radial growth of two widespread and coexisting species, a winter deciduous shrub (Amelanchier ovalis Medik.) and an evergreen conifer tree (Pinus sylvestris L.

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Article Synopsis
  • Hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer syndrome (HLRCC) is a rare genetic condition linked to mutations in the FH gene, with a prevalent mutation identified in a large cohort from Spain.
  • The study confirmed that a common variant, FH c.1118A > G p.(Asn373Ser), likely originated from a single ancestor 12-26 generations ago, causing specific health issues such as uterine leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer in affected individuals.
  • In Alicante, Spain, this founder mutation is prevalent, and genetic testing for this specific mutation is suggested as a more efficient diagnostic method than full gene sequencing for those suspected of having HLRCC.
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Amphibians are widely known as a prolific source of bioactive metabolites. In this work, we isolated and characterized compounds with antiparasitic activity from the oocytes of the toad collected in Panama. Bio-guided isolation and structural elucidation were carried out using chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques, respectively.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Systematic assessments of species extinction risk are crucial for effective conservation, and the second Global Amphibian Assessment evaluated over 8,000 species for their threat levels.
  • - Amphibians are the most at-risk vertebrates, with 40.7% of species globally threatened, and their status has worsened since previous assessments, especially in salamanders and the Neotropics.
  • - The major threats contributing to declining amphibian populations include disease, habitat loss, and increasing impacts from climate change, highlighting the urgent need for more conservation funding and initiatives to reverse negative trends.
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Climate change, together with the ecological droughts suffered by a large part of the European Union's territory, calls for joint environmental solutions. In this regard, water reclamation is a promising way to alleviate the pressure on existing water resources. However, reuse strategies are penalized by the extra energy consumed in urban wastewater treatment plants (UWWTPs), facilities mainly powered by fossil fuels.

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  • * A study aimed to optimize sperm production through hormonal stimulation, testing various hormone treatments to establish a reliable collection protocol for reproduction.
  • * Results showed that a specific hormone (4 µg/gbw GnRH) produced the best sperm quality and concentration, while others like hCG were less effective, revealing notable characteristics of the sperm’s shape and structure.
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Conservative surgery is the preferred treatment in the management of breast cancer followed by adjuvant whole-breast irradiation. Since the tumor bed is the main site of relapse, boost doses are conveniently administered according to risk factors for local relapse to increase the efficacy of the treatment. The benefit of a radiation boost is well established and it can be performed by several techniques like brachytherapy, external radiation or intraoperative radiotherapy.

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The chemical potential difference at the discharge points of coastal Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) uncovers the opportunity to harness renewable salinity gradient energy (SGE). This work performs an upscaling assessment of reverse electrodialysis (RED) for SGE harvesting of two selected WWTPs located in Europe, quantified in terms of net present value (NPV). For that purpose, a design tool based on an optimization model formulated as a Generalized Disjunctive Program previously developed by the research group has been applied.

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Ecological theory posits that temporal stability patterns in plant populations are associated with differences in species' ecological strategies. However, empirical evidence is lacking about which traits, or trade-offs, underlie species stability, especially across different biomes. We compiled a worldwide collection of long-term permanent vegetation records (greater than 7000 plots from 78 datasets) from a large range of habitats which we combined with existing trait databases.

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A randomized clinical trial was conducted to compare the impact of two different instructions on vaginal self-sampling in its acceptability and willingness for future screening rounds among women attending cervical cancer screening (CCS). From November 2018 to May 2021, women aged 30-65 living in Spain attending CCS were randomized 1:1 in two arms. In the "On-site training arm (TRA)", women took a self-sample at the primary health care centre following provider's instructions.

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