Publications by authors named "Maria Carmen Valero"

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common and debilitating psychiatric disorder that may occur in individuals exposed to traumatic events such as accidents, interpersonal violence, war, combat, or natural disasters. Additionally, PTSD has been implicated in the development of a variety of chronic conditions including cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, suggesting that the biological alterations associated with the disorder can manifest themselves as chronic diseases in those suffering from PTSD. The biological underpinnings of the disorder are not well understood.

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Article Synopsis
  • Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) methylation is a significant biomarker that reflects gene expression in its tissue of origin, showing an inverse relationship between gene methylation and expression levels.
  • A comparison of cfDNA methylation in serum to DNA from blood and bone cells revealed that methylation levels in serum closely match those from bone (79% vs. 82%), but are lower than in blood cells (87%).
  • No changes in serum sclerostin levels or methylation were observed after 6 months of antiosteoporotic treatment, indicating that further research is needed to explore cfDNA's potential role as a bone biomarker.
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Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a hereditary disorder caused by mutations in the NF1 gene. Detecting mutation in NF1 is hindered by the gene's large size, the lack of mutation hotspots, the presence of pseudogenes, and the wide variety of possible lesions. We developed a method for detecting germline mutations by combining an original RNA-based cDNA-PCR mutation detection method and denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) with multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA).

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Background: Neurofibromatosis type 1 is a common autosomal dominant disorder with full penetrance and variable expression. The condition predisposes individuals to the development of malignant nervous system tumours, most frequently Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumours (MPNSTs). Previous studies indicate that genetic factors other than mutations in NF1 may be responsible for the condition's variable expression.

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