Publications by authors named "Luis B"

Replications are important for assessing the reliability of published findings. However, they are costly, and it is infeasible to replicate everything. Accurate, fast, lower-cost alternatives such as eliciting predictions could accelerate assessment for rapid policy implementation in a crisis and help guide a more efficient allocation of scarce replication resources.

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Introduction: Cladribine was approved for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in our country in 2018. A previous study by our group showed that its use among high efficacy therapies options has been increasing along the years.

Objective: to analyze the cladribine use trend across time since its approval.

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Objectives: To describe the epidemiologic and clinical characteristics of open globe injuries (OGIs) treated in a tertiary hospital and analyse predictors of visual outcome.

Methods: This retrospective observational study included all patients with OGIs admitted to Cruces University Hospital between 2010 and 2020. The descriptive analysis included demographic data, type of injury classified as "rupture", "penetration", "perforation", or "intraocular foreign body", trauma mechanism and setting, injury zone, Ocular Trauma Score, delay to surgery, length of hospital stay, antibiotic prophylaxis, initial and final best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), complications and further surgery.

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We present a case of a patient admitted with acute pulmonary edema. An echocardiogram showed a giant myxoma of the left atrium causing mitral valve obstruction. The patient underwent urgent cardiac surgery for tumor resection.

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The engineering of chemical communication at the micro/nanoscale is a key emergent topic in micro/nanotechnology, synthetic biology, and related areas. However, the field is still in its infancy; previous advances, although scarce, have mainly focused on communication between abiotic micro/nanosystems or between microvesicles and living cells. Here, we have implemented a nanoprogrammed cross-kingdom communication involving two different microorganisms and tailor-made nanodevices acting as "nanotranslators".

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Objective: The impact of epilepsy on work disability remains unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the percentage of patients with epilepsy who are unemployed or on temporary or permanent disability leave and to analyze associated clinical factors.

Methods: We performed an observational cross-sectional study of consecutively recruited patients with epilepsy seen at a specialized epilepsy unit or admitted to the epilepsy monitoring unit of a tertiary referral hospital.

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Article Synopsis
  • In nature, different groups work together by talking to each other, which helps them do things better than they could alone.
  • Scientists are looking at tiny devices that can communicate using chemicals to create new ways to help in medicine and communication.
  • This study shows a special way for three tiny devices to share information, but they only work well when the communication is done in a specific order.
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Article Synopsis
  • Chemical communication involves molecules acting as messengers to allow different systems to share information and work together, which is becoming increasingly important in micro/nanotechnology and biomimicry.
  • *Recent advancements in this field can be categorized into two main types: communication between non-living (abiotic) systems and between living systems and non-living systems.
  • *This review discusses the progress, potential applications, and challenges of engineering chemical communication in micro/nanosystems, suggesting it may lead to innovative concepts and technologies in various research fields.
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Introduction: A growing evidence suggests that immune dysregulation and thrombotic phenomena are key features in the pathophysiology of COVID-19. Apart from antivirals and respiratory support, anticoagulants, corticoids and immunomodulators are increasingly being prescribed, especially for more severe cases. We describe the clinical outcome of a large cohort of patients preferentially treated with glucocorticoids and interleukin inhibitors.

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Purpose: We primarily aimed at determining the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and abnormal individual metabolic control variables in HIV-infected participants as compared to HIV-uninfected participants given current concerns. Our secondary objective was to determine the predictors of metabolic syndrome and individual metabolic control variables among the study participants to guide future management.

Patients And Methods: A descriptive, case-matched cross-sectional study for four months from 15th June 2019 to 15th October 2019 at Block 6 Diabetes Reference Clinic in Gaborone, Botswana.

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Background: His Bundle pacing (HBP) preserves native ventricular activation through His Purkinje. Unfortunately, most current techniques for HBP implants require sheaths, special leads, and an electrophysiology setup for electrogram recording.

Methods: We developed an implantation technique guided by a non-invasive assessment of left ventricular electrical delay (LVED) as a measure of intraventricular dyssynchrony.

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A biocomputing strategy implemented in hybrid nanocarriers for controlled cargo delivery is described. The nanodevice consists of enzyme-functionalized Janus Au-mesoporous silica nanoparticles, which behave as an electronic demultiplexer (DEMUX). The nanocarrier is capable of reading molecular information from the environment (lactose) and selecting one of two possible outputs (galactose production or 4-methylumbellilferone release and activation) depending on the presence of an addressing input (NAD).

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Resistin is a key cytokine associated with metabolic and inflammatory diseases. Especially in East Asian populations, the expression levels are strongly influenced by genetic polymorphisms. Mechanisms and functional implications of this genetic control are still unknown.

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The construction of communication models at the micro-/nanoscale involving abiotic nanodevices and living organisms has the potential to open a wide range of applications in biomedical and communication technologies. However, this area remains almost unexplored. Herein, we report, as a proof of concept, a stimuli-responsive interactive paradigm of communication between yeasts (as a model microorganism) and enzyme-controlled Janus Au-mesoporous silica nanoparticles.

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Here we describe the construction of an integrated and pH-sensitive nanomachine with layer-by-layer supramolecular design and enzymatic control for on-command delivery. The nanodevice comprises a first layer of β-cyclodextrin-coated gold nanoparticles as capping element of benzimidazole functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles, and a second control layer based on an adatamantane-modified glucose oxidase derivative. The nanomachine was selectively fuelled by glucose and successfully employed for the autonomous release of doxorubicin in HeLa cancer cells.

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We report herein the assembly of an integrated nanodevice with bi-enzymatic cascade control for on-command cargo release. This nanocarrier is based on Au-mesoporous silica Janus nanoparticles capped at the mesoporous face with benzimidazole/β-cyclodextrin-glucose oxidase pH-sensitive gate-like ensembles and functionalized with invertase on the gold face. The rationale for this delivery mechanism is based on the invertase-mediated hydrolysis of sucrose yielding glucose, which is further transformed into gluconic acid by glucose oxidase causing the disruption of the pH-sensitive supramolecular gates at the Janus nanoparticles.

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Mycobacterium obuense is a pigmented, rapidly growing mycobacterium. Because it has been considered nonpathogenic, M. obuense is being investigated in clinical trials of cancer immunotherapy and bioremediation.

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Here, we present the design of smart nanodevices capable of reading molecular information from the environment and acting accordingly by processing Boolean logic tasks. As proof of concept, we prepared Au-mesoporous silica (MS) nanoparticles functionalized with the enzyme glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) on the Au surface and with supramolecular nanovalves as caps on the MS surface, which is loaded with a cargo (dye or drug). The nanodevice acts as an AND logic gate and reads information from the solution (presence of glucose and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)), which results in cargo release.

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The main objective of this study was to investigate the antibiotic resistance (AR) levels in wastewater (WW) and the impact on the receiving river. Samples were collected once per season over one year in the WW of a hospital, in the raw and treated WW of two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), as well as upstream and downstream from the release of WWTPs effluents into the Zenne River (Belgium). Culture-dependent methods were used to quantify Escherichia coli and heterotrophic bacteria resistant to amoxicillin, sulfamethoxazole, nalidixic acid and tetracycline.

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We report a delivery system based on Au-mesoporous silica (MS) nanoparticles functionalized with acetylcholinesterase on the Au face as a control unit and with disulfide-containing oligo(ethylene glycol) chains on the MS face as caps. The control unit handles the chemical information in the environment (the presence of acetylthiocholine or enzyme inhibitors) that results in a tuned cargo delivery from the nanocarrier. The nanodevice displayed an enhanced cargo delivery in cancer cells (safranin O and doxorubicin) in the presence of acetylthiocholine.

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