Publications by authors named "L Melendez"
Article Synopsis
- HIV-1 infects macrophages that release neurotoxic substances like cathepsin B (CATB), leading to cognitive issues, with cocaine enhancing this effect.
- Treatment with BD1047, a sigma-1 receptor antagonist, prior to cocaine exposure lowers HIV-1 replication and CATB secretion, reducing neuronal cell death.
- Proteomic analysis revealed that BD1047 dysregulated 80 proteins related to HIV-1, CATB, and mitochondrial functions, suggesting it helps protect cells by improving mitochondrial health and reducing neurotoxicity.
Article Synopsis
- Researchers are exploring the use of bispecific antibodies targeting CD20 and CD3 for treating B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas, focusing on understanding treatment responses and resistances.
- In the EPCORE NHL-2 trial, they found that CD20 expression decreased in both progressing patients and those achieving complete responses, indicating that low CD20 levels don't always mean treatment failure.
- Analysis of tumor biopsies showed that successful responders had strong expansion of cytotoxic T-cells, while those whose diseases progressed had more follicular helper and regulatory T-cells, pointing to different T-cell profiles linked to treatment outcomes.
Article Synopsis
- There's a big problem with not having enough mental health workers for older veterans, especially in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).
- The Geriatric Scholars Program is being expanded to help train psychologists in the VHA to better care for these aging veterans.
- This program includes classes and hands-on projects, and it can be a model for other groups to create similar training programs.
Viral strains, age, and host factors are associated with variable immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 and disease severity. Puerto Ricans have a genetic mixture of races: European, African, and Native American. We hypothesized that unique host proteins/pathways are associated with COVID-19 disease severity in Puerto Rico.
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- This study compares two surgical methods, Hartmann's procedure (HP) and resection with primary anastomosis (RPA), for treating acute left-sided colonic emergencies among 1215 patients from 204 centers globally.
- Results showed that while HP was the more common treatment (57.3%), RPA was favored for younger patients with fewer health issues and those needing surgery sooner.
- The study concluded that although HP is still widely used, RPA might be the better option, emphasizing the importance of patient characteristics and surgeon experience in determining treatment choice.