Publications by authors named "Laura Mena"

Objectives: Most bipolar disorder (BD) patients initially present with depressive symptoms, resulting in a delayed diagnosis of BD and poor clinical outcomes. This study aims to identify features predictive of the conversion from Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) to BD by leveraging electronic health record (EHR) data from the Clínica San Juan de Dios Manizales in Colombia.

Methods: We employed a multivariable Cox regression model to identify important predictors of conversion from MDD to BD.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The PUMAS project aims to address the lack of representation of African and Latin American populations in psychiatric genetics studies by analyzing genetic data from individuals with serious mental illness (SMI), including disorders like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, using data from 89,320 participants across four different cohorts.
  • - The research involves harmonizing data from various clinical assessments to create standardized measures of mental health symptoms, which allows for more accurate genetic analyses across different diagnoses and symptoms.
  • - The findings show that schizophrenia and severe bipolar disorder are the most common diagnoses among participants, and a set of 19 key symptoms has been identified, which may be useful for cross-diagnosis genetic studies.
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Bipolar Disorder (BD) is a severe and chronic disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of depression, mania, and/or hypomania. Most BD patients initially present with depressive symptoms, resulting in a delayed diagnosis of BD and poor clinical outcomes. This study leverages electronic health record (EHR) data from the Clínica San Juan de Dios Manizales in Colombia to identify features predictive of the transition from Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) to BD.

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Candidiasis, caused by the opportunistic yeast , is the most common fungal infection today. Resistance of to current antifungal drugs has emerged over the past decade leading to the need for novel antifungal agents. Our aim was to select new antifungal compounds by library-screening methods and to assess their antifungal effects against .

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Purpose: To analyze the relationship between the central corneal thickness (CCT) and mid-peripheral corneal thickness (PCT) with the degree of myopia [axial length (AL) and spherical equivalent refractive error (SE)].

Methods: 175 right myopic eyes from 175 patients were divided according to the degree of SE: group #1 (n=76, <6.00 D), group #2 (n=72, between 6.

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Objective: For the period of almost 75 years, we examined the literature for studies regarding the influences of culture on alcohol use and misuse.

Method: This review is a chronology of research articles published from 1940 to 2013. From a structured literature search with select criteria, 38 articles were identified and 34 reviewed.

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Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the normal inter-day and intra-day variations in tear film osmolarity and the tear fluorescein clearance test (T-FCT) in healthy subjects.

Methods: Tear samples from 24 young, healthy adults were collected from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM (midday) and 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM (evening) on three non-consecutive days. Tear osmolarity measurement and the T-FCT were performed to assess the basal values and inter-day and intra-day variations of the test results.

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Unlabelled: BACKGROUND AND CASE REPORT: Many surgical procedures require a rigid immobilization of the patients' head, which is usually achieved by using a pin-type head holder. We briefly illustrate the case of a 4-year-old girl who sustained a depressed skull fracture by penetration of a pin of the head holder. The fracture was noted at the end of the surgery performed for treatment of a cerebellar astrocytoma and was managed conservatively.

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