Publications by authors named "Maria Fernanda Garcia"

Research suggests that forced migration may lead to cultural stress and psychological distress. However, little is known about immigrant parents' pre- and post-migration concerns for their children's welfare. The present study examined the concerns of Venezuelan parents who migrated to the United States versus those who migrated to Colombia, and whether post-migration concerns were related to cultural stressors, mental health, and cultural identity.

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Background: Since 2015, ~ 8 million Venezuelans have fled what was once Latin America's most prosperous nation, with many relocating to nearby Colombia and others migrating to the United States (U.S.).

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Purpose: We present a psychometric evaluation of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Boston Form (CES-D-B) for use with different Latino subgroups as there is inconsistency regarding its performance across subgroups of Latinos, a large and rapidly growing cultural group in the United States.

Methods: We evaluated the reliability and structural validity of the scores generated by the CES-D-B using four distinct Latino samples residing in US: Mexicans, Venezuelans, Cubans, and "other Latinos" (total N = 1033). To further explore structural validity of CES-D-B scores, we conducted measurement invariance analyses across different countries of origin, gender groups, educational levels, and languages of assessment (English, Spanish).

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In the aftermath of Hurricane María's devastating impact on Puerto Rico in September 2017, a wave of migration to the continental United States followed. Despite Puerto Rico's territorial association with the United States, its distinct culture and language often render its migrants as cultural minorities who are often treated as foreigners. Prior research has indicated that natural disasters can have a profound effect on the family unit, so examining the experiences of displacement and resettlement of Puerto Rican parents can shed light on the challenges faced by these families.

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Background: Angiogenesis is a process that many tumors depend on for growth, development, and metastasis. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is one of the major players in tumor angiogenesis in several tumor types, including melanoma. VEGF inhibition is achieved by bevacizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody that binds with high affinity to VEGF and prevents its function.

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Objectives: A growing body of research points to a relationship between exposure to migration-related cultural stress and mental health problems. However, such research is often conducted with the tacit assumption that postmigration experiences are the primary-if not singular-driver of psychological distress. In the present study, we aim to extend the cultural-stress paradigm by examining the influences of both premigration crisis exposure and postmigration cultural stress on depression in a sample of Venezuelan crisis migrants in Colombia.

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Hurricane María caused significant devastation on the island of Puerto Rico, impacting thousands of lives. Puerto Rican crisis migrant families faced stress related to displacement and relocation (cultural stress), often exhibited mental health symptoms, and experienced distress at the family level. Although cultural stress has been examined as an individual experience, little work has focused on the experience as a family.

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Emerging research provides insights into migration-related cultural stress experiences and mental health among Venezuelan migrants; however, prior studies have not considered the critical distinction between xenophobia and discrimination. To address this gap, we assess the psychometric properties of an abbreviated version of the Perceived Online Racism Scale (PORS) with Venezuelan migrant youth and examine the interplay between online xenophobia, in-person discrimination, and mental health. Survey data were collected from Venezuelan migrant youth ( = 319; ages 13-17, 49.

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On September 20, 2017, Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico, devastating the archipelago and forcing thousands of Puerto Ricans to migrate to the U.S. mainland.

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Anxiety is the most prevalent mental health disorder among adults worldwide. Given its increased prevalence among migrants due to their marginalized position in the societies where they reside, psychometric evaluations of anxiety measures such as the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) are needed for use with migrants. The present study is the first attempt to compare the structure of GAD-7 scores for (a) different Latino groups in the same country and (b) the same Latino group in two different countries.

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ChiTn, a mouse/human chimeric anti-Tn monoclonal antibody, was radiolabeled with iodine-131 (I) and technetium-99m (Tc) to assess its biodistribution and internalization in Tn-expressing (Tn+) and wild-type (Tn-) LL/2 lung cancer cells. Selective accumulation and gradual internalization of ChiTn were observed in Tn+ cells. Biodistribution in mice with both Tn+ or Tn- lung tumors indicated that the uptake of radiolabeled ChiTn within tumors increased over time.

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Article Synopsis
  • Acute retinal necrosis (ARN) is a serious eye condition that needs prompt antiviral and steroid treatment to avoid blindness.
  • A case series involving eight patients diagnosed with ARN was studied, where various treatments and their outcomes were evaluated.
  • The results showed that both oral and intravenous antiviral treatments had similar visual outcomes, but initial poor vision and involvement of the macula predicted worse final visual acuity.
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The political climate often changes following the installment of a new president. This volatility presents opportunities for examining how elections might affect vulnerable subgroups such as Hispanic/Latino (HL) adolescents. The present study explored the perception of negative political climate among HL adolescents before and after the 2020 U.

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Glioblastoma (GBM), as the most central nervous system (CNS) intractable disease, has spoiled millions of lives due to its high mortality. Even though several efforts have been made, the existing treatments have had limited success. In this sense, we studied a lead compound, the boron-rich selective epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-inhibitor hybrid , as a potential drug for GBM treatment.

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Hurricane Maria (2017) caused great damage to Puerto Rico, undermining people's quality of life and forcing thousands to migrate to the U.S. mainland.

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Grounded in an ecodevelopment perspective, in the current study we examined unique and moderating effects of daily COVID-19 prevalence (social contexts) on effects of COVID-19 related risk and protective factors such as emotional distress (individual contexts) and employment (working from home and unemployment status; family contexts) on family functioning among 160 recent immigrant families in Israel. In general, results indicate several unique effects of COVID-19 related factors (such as COVID-19 emotional distress, unemployment, and remote work arrangements) on both parents' and adolescents' reports of family functioning. However, results indicated that there were more significant associations between COVID-19 factors (e.

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Purpose: In September 2017, Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico. Houses were destroyed, millions of people lost power and access to clean water, and many roads were flooded and blocked. In the years following the storm, hundreds of thousands of people have left Puerto Rico and settled on the U.

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Socioeconomic inequalities in the detection and treatment of non-communicable diseases represent a challenge for healthcare systems in middle-income countries (MICs) in the context of population ageing. This challenge is particularly pressing regarding hypertension due to its increasing prevalence among older individuals in MICs, especially among those with lower socioeconomic status (SES). Using comparative data for China, Colombia, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russia and South Africa, we systematically assess the association between SES, measured in the form of a wealth index, and hypertension detection and control around the years 2007-15.

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Given the rapidly changing political rhetoric and policies concerning immigration, and the likely impact of this rhetoric on immigrants' adjustment, it is essential to understand the experiences of recently arrived immigrant individuals and families. This article describes methods to recruit and retain recently arrived Hispanic families in longitudinal research and clinical practice. Barriers to continued engagement with recent-immigrant families include residential mobility, wariness toward authority figures (including researchers and practitioners), and unpredictable work schedules.

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The present study was designed to examine the extent to which, in a sample of 873 Hispanic college students, daily levels of, and variability in, well-being would mediate the predictive effects of culturally related stressors (discrimination, negative context of reception, and bicultural stress) on internalizing and externalizing symptoms 11 days later. A 12-day daily diary design was utilized, where reports of cultural stressors were gathered on Day 1, daily well-being reports were gathered on Days 2-11, and outcomes were measured on Day 12 (with controls for Day 1 levels of these same outcomes). Structural equation modeling results indicated that daily means of, and variability in, well-being significantly mediated the predictive effect of Day 1 ethnic/racial discrimination, negative context of reception, and bicultural stress on Day 12 symptoms of anxiety and depression.

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Migration of unaccompanied immigrant and refugee youth has increased around the world in the last decade, peaking in 2014 in the United States and in 2015 in Europe. Youth are pushed to migrate without parents or guardians to escape war, persecution, gang violence, and extreme poverty in their country of origin. Youth are vulnerable to violence and abuse at the hands of smugglers during their journeys but show great courage and strength as they embark on their journey to a better life.

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On September 20, 2017, Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico as a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 155 miles per hour and torrential rains that ravaged the United States territory. In the midst of the crisis, several hundred thousand boarded humanitarian flights and cruise ships, seeking refuge on the United States mainland. More than three years later, tens of thousands of remain on the mainland as long-term emigres.

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Crisis migration refers to displacement of large numbers of individuals and families from their home countries due to wars, dictatorial governments, and other critical hazards (e.g., hurricanes).

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Malignant gliomas are the most common malignant and aggressive primary brain tumors in adults, the prognosis being-especially for glioblastomas-extremely poor. There are no effective treatments yet. However, tyrosine kinase receptor (TKR) inhibitors and boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), together, have been proposed as future therapeutic strategies.

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