Publications by authors named "Luebomira Spassova"

Graphene materials and their derivatives have shown promising capabilities in removing anionic and cationic dyes from wastewater. The present study aims at the synthesis of graphene-based material with a high specific surface area and evaluates its use as an adsorbent for removing toluidine blue and methyl violet from aqueous solutions. The physicochemical characterization of the adsorbent before and after dye adsorption is made by XRD, Raman spectroscopy, SEM, TEM, nitrogen physisorption, TG-DTA, and XPS.

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The topical administration of in situ hydrogels for ocular pathologies is a promising application strategy for providing high effectiveness and patient compliance. Curcumin, a natural polyphenol, possesses all the prerequisites for successful therapy of ophthalmic diseases, but unfortunately its physicochemical properties hurdle the practical use. Applying a composite in situ thermoresponsive hydrogel formulation embedded with polymer nanoparticles is a potent strategy to overcome all the identified drawbacks.

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Background And Study Aims: Texture and color enhancement imaging (TXI) is a novel optical technology designed to improve visibility during endoscopy by highlighting subtle differences in morphology and color. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine whether TXI, compared with conventional white light imaging (WLI), can improve important colonoscopy quality indicators, specifically the adenoma detection rate (ADR) and adenomas per colonoscopy (APC).

Patients And Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central for studies comparing TXI to WLI in patients undergoing colonoscopy for any indication.

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Article Synopsis
  • * The cements, including two ready-to-use pastes and three powder-liquid combinations, were tested for their physical and chemical properties, focusing on their ability to release calcium ions after being soaked in water for 28 days.
  • * Results show that BioFactor and BioCal Cap cements released the most calcium ions, while Rootdent and TheraCal LC showed the least; an interesting finding was the relationship between aluminum content in the cements and the amount of calcium released.
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The simultaneous encapsulation of drugs into nanosized delivery systems could be beneficial for cancer therapies since it could alleviate adverse reactions as well as provide synergistic effects. However, the encapsulation of hydrophobic drugs into hydrophilic nanoparticles, such as nanogels, could be challenging. Therefore, innovative technological approaches are needed.

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  • The study investigates the effects of primary tumor (PT) on the immune activity and metastatic status of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) in melanoma patients.
  • It finds that SLNs removed shortly after PT (IM-SLNs) show a higher incidence of micrometastases and lower immune activity compared to those removed later (DEL-SLNs).
  • Higher immune activity and the presence of specific immune cells in DEL-SLNs suggest that the timing of SLN removal influences prognosis, with DEL-SLNs indicating a worse outcome due to the melanoma's ability to evade immune responses.
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  • Mycosis fungoides (MF) is a common type of skin cancer that makes it hard to tell harmful T cells from normal ones.
  • Researchers used single-cell RNA and T-cell receptor sequencing on skin samples from 12 MF patients, analyzing 18,630 T cells from 9 of them to distinguish between malignant and reactive cells.
  • The study found unique gene signatures in malignant T cells that could help differentiate them from reactive T cells, revealing significant variations in cell characteristics among patients.
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Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a highly aggressive skin cancer associated with integration of Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV). MCPyV-encoded T-antigens (TAs) are pivotal for sustaining MCC's oncogenic phenotype, i.e.

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This contribution considers a monthly seminar, Literature and Psychoanalysis, that has been taking place at Sofia University (Sofia, Bulgaria) since 2017. Three of the seminar's founders reflect on the transferences between literature and psychoanalysis, and on the ways in which literature and psychoanalysis can meaningfully converse. The exchange also touches on the fate of Freud's textual legacy in communist and post-communist Bulgaria.

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Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) are inorganic nanocarriers presenting versatile properties and the possibility to deliver drug molecules via different routes of application. Their modification with lipids could diminish the burst release profile for water-soluble molecules. In the case of oleic acid (OA) as a lipid component, an improvement in skin penetration can be expected.

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α-CD:NO "host-guest" type complexes were formed by a simple solid-gas reaction (NO sorption into α-CD) under different gas pressures and temperatures. The new NO inclusion method applied in the present study was compared with the already known technique based on the crystallization of clathrates from a water solution of α-CD saturated with NO. A maximum storage capacity of 4.

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Resveratrol could be applied in wound healing therapies because of its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects. However, the main limitation of resveratrol is its low aqueous solubility. In this study, resveratrol was included in hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin complexes and further formulated in Pluronic F-127 hydrogels for wound treatment therapy.

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Agar, a naturally occurring polysaccharide, has been modified by grafting it with acrylic (AcA) and methacrylic (McA) acid monomers, resulting in acrylic or methacrylic acid grafted polymer (AA-g-AcA or AA-g-McA) with pH-sensitive swelling behavior. Different ratios between agar, monomers, and initiator were applied. The synthesized grades of both new polymer series were characterized using FTIR spectroscopy, NMR, TGA, DSC, and XRD to ascertain the intended grafting.

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Background: Recent evidence suggests additional immunomodulatory properties of RANKL inhibition possibly boosting the clinical efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI).

Methods: We conducted a prospective, multicentre clinical trial in unresectable stage IV melanoma patients with bone metastases who received denosumab in parallel with dual ICI (BONEMET) and performed comprehensive immune monitoring at baseline and 4, 12, and 24 weeks after initiation of therapy. Secondary endpoints included tolerability and efficacy.

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The key technological implementation of sodium-ion batteries is converting biomass-derived hard carbons into effective anode materials. This becomes feasible if appropriate knowledge of the relations between the structure of carbonized biomass products, the mineral ash content in them, and Na storage properties is gained. In this study, we examine the simultaneous impact of the ash phase composition and carbon structure on the Na storage properties of hard carbons derived from spent coffee grounds (SCGs).

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In this study, doxorubicin was loaded in a chitosan-albumin nanogel with the aim of improving its stability and exploring the potential of the system in the treatment of skin cancer. Infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction confirmed the encapsulation of the drug. Transmission electron microscopy revealed the spherical shape of the nanogel particles.

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Budesonide is a mineral corticoid applied in the local therapy of pediatric atopic dermatitis. Unfortunately, its dermal administration is hindered by the concomitant adverse effects and its physicochemical properties. The characteristic pH change in the atopic lesions can be utilized for the preparation of a pH-sensitive nanocarrier.

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Background: Pregnant women involved in decisions about their care report better health outcomes for themselves and their children. Shared decision-making (SDM) is a priority for health services; however, there is limited research on factors that help and hinder SDM in hospital-based maternity settings. The purpose of this study was to explore barriers and facilitators to SDM in a large tertiary maternity care service from the perspectives of multiple stakeholders.

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Hydrogels can offer many opportunities for drug delivery strategies. They can be used on their own, or their benefits can be further exploited in combination with other nanocarriers. Intelligent hydrogels that react to changes in the surrounding environment can be utilized as gatekeepers and provide sustained on-demand drug release.

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Unlabelled: It is a patient's right to be included in decisions about their health care. Implementing shared decision making (SDM) is important to enable active communication between clinicians and patients. Although health policy makers are increasingly mandating SDM implementation, SDM adoption has been slow.

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In the current investigation, the removal efficiency regarding a cationic dye, methylene blue (MB), from three graphene-based materials was investigated. The materials' characterization process involved instrumental methods such as XRD, XPS, SEM, TEM, FTIR, and nitrogen adsorption at 77 K. The survey examined how various process factors influenced the ability of the studied materials to adsorb cationic dyes.

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Background: One of the therapeutic limitations of the use of doxorubicin (DOX) as an anticancer drug is its cardiotoxicity. Its hydrophilicity also causes difficulties in achieving sustained release. The simultaneous delivery with the well-known natural antioxidant quercetin could ameliorate its cardiotoxicity.

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Ceria and ceria-zirconia nanomaterials of different origin were studied in order to elucidate the role of their structural and textural characteristics in controlling the performance towards CO capture. Two commercial cerias and two home-prepared samples, CeO and CeO-ZrO (75% CeO) mixed oxide, were investigated. The samples were characterized by a number of analytical techniques including XRD, TEM, N-adsorption, XPS, H-TPR, Raman and FTIR spectroscopy.

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