Publications by authors named "Jessica Molina-Franky"

Streck tubes are commonly used to collect blood samples to preserve cell-free circulating DNA. They contain imidazolidinyl urea as a formaldehyde-releasing agent to stabilize cells. We investigated whether the released formaldehyde leads to crosslinking of intracellular proteins.

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The Duffy protein, a transmembrane molecule, functions as a receptor for various chemokines and facilitates attachment between the reticulocyte and the Duffy antigen-binding protein. Duffy expression correlates with the Duffy receptor gene for the chemokine, located on chromosome 1, and exhibits geographical variability worldwide. Traditionally, researchers have described the Duffy negative genotype as a protective factor against infection.

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: People living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) often experience discrimination from both other individuals and the health personnel who care for them. Chile has experienced a marked increase in the number of new HIV cases.: Prospective cross-sectional study.

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Background: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) involves administering antiretroviral drugs to prevent human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in at-risk subjects. Chile is considered one of the countries with the highest number of new cases per year of HIV infections.

Methods: A nationwide cross-sectional study was carried out in Chile.

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is the most widely distributed malaria parasite affecting humans worldwide, causing ~5 million cases yearly. Despite the disease's extensive burden, there are gaps in the knowledge of the pathophysiological mechanisms by which invades reticulocytes. In contrast, this crucial step is better understood for the less widely distributed but more often fatal malaria parasite.

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is the most lethal human malaria parasite, partly due to its genetic variability and ability to use multiple invasion routes via its binding to host cell surface receptors. The parasite extensively modifies infected red blood cell architecture to promote its survival which leads to increased cell membrane rigidity, adhesiveness and permeability. Merozoites are initially released from infected hepatocytes and efficiently enter red blood cells in a well-orchestrated process that involves specific interactions between parasite ligands and erythrocyte receptors; symptoms of the disease occur during the life-cycle's blood stage due to capillary blockage and massive erythrocyte lysis.

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Achenbach syndrome is a condition of unknown etiology, characterized by changes in the coloration of the skin of the fingers and associated with acute pain. There are few epidemiological data, but it is estimated that it is a rare condition, which exceptionally appears under 40 years of age. We present the case of a young woman who has been diagnosed with Achenbach syndrome thanks to her history and after ruling out rheumatic, vascular, and metabolic pathology.

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Successful Plasmodium falciparum invasion of red blood cells includes the orderly execution of highly specific receptor-ligand molecular interactions between the parasite's proteins and the red blood cell membrane proteins. There is a growing need for elucidating receptor-ligand pairings, which will help in understanding the parasite's biology and provide the fundamental basis for developing prophylactic or therapeutic alternatives leading to mitigating or eliminating this type of malaria. We have thus used Plasmodium falciparum RH5 - derived peptides and ghost red blood cell proteins in synthetic peptide affinity capture assays to identify important host receptors used by Plasmodium spp.

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El objetivo es ilustrar al lector sobre un tumor infrecuente en la literatura médica y resumir los conocimientos actuales que se tienen sobre esta patología. Caso clínico: Reportamos el caso de un varón en la quinta década de la vida, a quien se realizó ecocardiograma transtorácico por deterioro de la clase funcional. La ultrasonografía evidenció un tumor que ocupaba el 95% de la aurícula izquierda, con compromiso hemodinámico e hipertensión pulmonar grave.

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Protein-protein interactions (IPP) play an essential role in practically all biological processes, including those related to microorganism invasion of their host cells. It has been found that a broad repertoire of receptor-ligand interactions takes place in the binding interphase with host cells in malaria, these being vital interactions for successful parasite invasion. Several trials have been conducted for elucidating the molecular interface of interactions between some and antigens with receptors on erythrocytes and/or reticulocytes.

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Malaria remains a large-scale public health problem, killing more than 400,000 people and infecting up to 230 million worldwide, every year. Unfortunately, despite numerous efforts and research concerning vaccine development, results to date have been low and/or strain-specific. This work describes a strategy involving Plasmodium falciparum Duffy binding-like (DBL) and reticulocyte-binding protein homologue (RH) family-derived minimum functional peptides, netMHCIIpan3.

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Worldwide strategies between 2010 and 2017 aimed at controlling malarial parasites (mainly Plasmodium falciparum) led to a reduction of just 18% regarding disease incidence rates. Many biologically-derived anti-malarial vaccine candidates have been developed to date; this has involved using many experimental animals, an immense amount of work and the investment of millions of dollars. This review provides an overview of the current state and the main results of clinical trials for sporozoite-targeting vaccines (i.

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malaria is a disease causing high morbidity and mortality rates worldwide, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa. Candidates have been identified for vaccines targeting the parasite's blood stage; this stage is important in the development of symptoms and clinical complications. However, no vaccine that can directly affect morbidity and mortality rates is currently available.

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Introduction: The Achenbach syndrome was described in the '50s by the German physician Walter Achenbach and corresponds to an entity characterized by the appearance of ecchymosis or purpura and even bruises on the fingers and sometimes on the feet. It courses benignly and is self-limited.

Methods: We present the case of a 60-year-old woman who was diagnosed with this syndrome after performing laboratory tests, antibodies and images without finding alterations in them, with improvement after receiving analgesia and physical means.

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Objective: The objectives of this study were to describe the findings of the auditory screening in children of mothers with ZIKV during pregnancy or suspicious of congenital ZIKV, and to determine whether hearing loss was in the first 2 years in life, regardless of whether microcephaly was also present.

Methods: This is a cases report. The information was collected and recorded in a database between January 2016 and April 2018.

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