Publications by authors named "Juan De la Cruz"
During 2023-2024, highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) viruses from clade 2.3.2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe global spread of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) virus poses a serious pandemic threat, necessitating the swift development of effective vaccines. The success of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine technology in the COVID-19 pandemic, marked by its rapid development and scalability, demonstrates its potential for addressing other infectious threats, such as HPAI A(H5N1). We therefore evaluated mRNA vaccine candidates targeting panzootic influenza A(H5) clade 2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSince 2020, there has been unprecedented global spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) in wild bird populations with spillover into a variety of mammalian species and sporadically humans. In March 2024, clade 2.3.
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- - Since 2013, there have been 167 cases of people infected with special flu viruses from pigs in the U.S. called swine-origin influenza A.
- - Most of these viruses had a change in their genes that makes them resistant to certain medicines, but none were resistant to another type of medicine called neuraminidase inhibitors.
- - Scientists did tests to find out how well these viruses respond to treatments and discovered that one specific change in the virus made it much harder to treat with a medicine called baloxavir.
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- The study aimed to establish a common language regarding extreme liver surgery to facilitate better comparison of surgical outcomes across different centers.
- A Delphi methodology was used, gathering opinions from 38 expert surgeons, who largely agreed on key definitions related to total vascular occlusion and surgical approaches, achieving consensus on various topics.
- Ultimately, 75% agreed on a definition for extreme liver surgery, highlighting the importance of a unified approach in managing patients with complex liver diseases.
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- A study examined the impact of a Mediterranean-lifestyle index (MEDLIFE) on blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) among 2,184 community-dwelling older adults, emphasizing the combined effects of diet and physical activity.
- Higher MEDLIFE scores, which reflect better adherence to a Mediterranean lifestyle, were linked to lower nighttime systolic BP and HR, suggesting lifestyle factors play a protective role in cardiovascular health.
- The findings indicate that incorporating Mediterranean dietary habits and physical activity may provide significant BP-related benefits for older adults, prompting future investigation in diverse populations.
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- Clade 2.3.4.4b HPAI A(H5N1) viruses have shown potential drug resistance, with about 0.8% of analyzed strains exhibiting markers for resistance to FDA-approved antivirals, indicating a possible public health threat.
- Testing revealed that most of these viruses remain susceptible to existing antivirals, particularly favoring investigational options like AV5080 over conventional treatments.
- Continued surveillance of these viruses is crucial for understanding their evolution and refining strategies for antiviral stockpiling to mitigate potential health risks.
The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of a combined training program (CTP) in reducing the effects of dual tasking on the temporal parameters and kinematics of gait, as compared with single-task gait. A controlled, randomized, intervention study was performed in an intervention group and a control group. The intervention group attended three weekly CTP sessions for 24 weeks.
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- - The study investigates the rise in aggression towards nursing staff during the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America, highlighting that 79.6% of surveyed nurses experienced attacks or discrimination.
- - A survey conducted with 310 nursing staff revealed high levels of emotional distress, including fears of illness and mental health issues like anxiety and sadness, common among 73.7% and 29.2% of participants respectively.
- - The findings emphasize the urgent need for safety policies and mental health support for nurses, who are significantly affected by both aggression and psychological challenges while on the frontline against COVID-19.
Background: Donation after circulatory death (DCD) is related to a warm ischemia time and more complications compared with traditional donors (donation after brain death [DBD]).
Methods: This study included biopsy samples retrospectively collected from November 2014 to December 2018 to compare histologic and biological markers of DCD and DBD liver grafts. The analysis includes marker of early apoptosis (p21), senescence (telomerase reverse transcriptase [TERT]), cell damage (caspase-3 active), endothelial damage (vascular endothelial growth factor), stem cell (CD90), hypoxia (HIF1A), inflammatory activation (COX-2), and cross-organ allograft rejection (CD44).
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- This study examined how differences between legs affect jump height in unilateral countermovement jumps (CMJs) and force production in bilateral CMJs among 23 senior basketball players.
- Results indicated that there were significant correlations between leg differences in jump height and force metrics during bilateral jumps.
- Interestingly, the preferred leg didn't consistently outperform the non-preferred leg, suggesting that the preferred leg may actually contribute less to overall force production in both jump types.
Article Synopsis
- * Most performance metrics showed acceptable reliability, but jump height for unilateral CMJs and certain metrics for the left leg during bilateral CMJs had lower reliability.
- * The findings indicated that unilateral CMJs provide more consistently reliable single-leg performance data, whereas bilateral CMJs offer better reliability for measuring inter-limb asymmetries.
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- Superoxide radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) are linked to inflammation caused by the influenza A virus, prompting a study on a new ROS inhibitor called TG6-44.
- The study showed that TG6-44 significantly lowered ROS levels and reduced inflammatory signals in lung monocytic cells and human immune cells infected with the virus.
- Additionally, TG6-44 treatment not only decreased viral protein expression and delayed its movement into the nucleus but also reduced cell death, highlighting its potential as an anti-inflammatory and anti-viral agent.
This study aimed to compare the between-session reliability of performance and asymmetry variables between unilateral and bilateral standing broad jumps (SBJ). Twenty-four amateur basketball players (12 males and females) completed two identical sessions which consisted of four unilateral SBJs (two with each leg) and two bilateral SBJs. Mean and peak values of force, velocity and power, and impulse were obtained separately for each leg using a dual force platform.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground & aims: the last large multicenter study on disease-related malnutrition (DRM) in Spain (the PREDyCES study) showed a 23.7 % prevalence of malnutrition, according to the Nutritional Risk Screening (NRS-2002) tool. The main objective of the SeDREno study was to assess the prevalence of hospital malnutrition upon admission, according to GLIM criteria, ten years later.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFour cases of oseltamivir-resistant influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus infection were detected among inhabitants of a border detention center in Texas, USA. Hemagglutinin of these viruses belongs to 6B.1A5A-156K subclade, which may enable viral escape from preexisting immunity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPimodivir exerts an antiviral effect on the early stages of influenza A virus replication by inhibiting the cap-binding function of polymerase basic protein 2 (PB2). In this study, we used a combination of sequence analysis and phenotypic methods to evaluate pimodivir susceptibility of influenza A viruses collected from humans and other hosts. Screening PB2 sequences for substitutions previously associated with reduced pimodivir susceptibility revealed a very low frequency among seasonal viruses circulating in the U.
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- Hepatobiliary resections are complicated because of the liver's intricate anatomy, and 3D printing (3DP) offers customized anatomical models for each patient.
- A study involving 35 patients at eight different centers assessed the accuracy of 3DP models against traditional imaging methods (CT/MRI) for surgical planning and education.
- The results showed that 3DP models closely matched the actual surgical findings and were viewed positively by professionals, with a notable improvement in learning outcomes, although they didn't significantly change surgical results.
Baloxavir, a new antiviral drug targeting cap-dependent endonuclease activity of polymerase acidic (PA) protein of influenza viruses, is now approved in multiple countries. Several substitutions at isoleucine 38 in PA protein (e.g.
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- Patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) treated for hypertension can suffer from hypotension due to antihypertensive medications, making its identification crucial.
- A study involving 2,892 CHD-treated hypertensive patients found that a significant portion experienced various forms of hypotension, with low diastolic blood pressure being a common cause.
- Many cases of hypotension detected through ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) were missed when only relying on office blood pressure readings, highlighting the need for routine ABPM in these patients.
Introduction: Air in urban areas is usually contaminated with particle matter. High concentrations lead to a rise in the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Some studies have reported that ultrafine particles (UFP) play a greater role in cardiovascular diseases than other particle matter, particularly regarding hypertensive crises and DBP, although in the latter such effects were described concerning clinical blood pressure (BP).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Diabetes mellitus is a serious public health problem that causes a decrease in the patients' quality of life. The present study was aimed to analyze the quality of life of patients with diabetes mellitus in Latin-American population through a systematic review, using the two instruments of greater validity and reliability at international level, SF-36 and WHOQOL.
Methods: We performed extensive searches in Redalyc, SciELO, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases.
Susceptibility of influenza A viruses to baloxavir can be affected by changes at amino acid residue 38 in the polymerase acidic (PA) protein. Information on replicative fitness of PA-I38-substituted viruses remains sparse. We demonstrated that substitutions I38L/M/S/T not only had a differential effect on baloxavir susceptibility (9- to 116-fold) but also on in vitro replicative fitness.
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