Publications by authors named "Maria J Blanco"

Introduction: The consensus on recovery from alcohol use disorder (AUD) has shifted toward encompassing psychological wellbeing and quality of life dimensions. However, few studies have explored the long-term recovery process and its dimensions, timing, styles, and modes. The aim of this study was to investigate the extent, timing, and process of psychological wellbeing and quality of life recovery in alcohol use disorder (AUD) patients, as well as the relationship with classic dimensions of AUD recovery.

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Background: COVID-19 related in-hospital venous thromboembolism (VTE) incidence is high but data reported vary significantly. Some studies show that up to half of the events are diagnosed early after admission.

Objectives: To study symptomatic VTE incidence in acute COVID-19 hospitalized patients and to describe timing of VTE diagnosis.

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Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) and solar radiation in northwestern Spain.

Methods: All RRD cases in Pontevedra from 2008 and 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. Climatological data from 4 weather stations in the area were collected.

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Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyse the characteristics of patients with IE in three groups of age and to assess the ability of age and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) to predict mortality.

Methods: Prospective cohort study of all patients with IE included in the GAMES Spanish database between 2008 and 2015.Patients were stratified into three age groups:<65 years,65 to 80 years,and ≥ 80 years.

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The Escherichia coli LacZ gene, encoding β-galactosidase, is largely used as a reporter for gene expression and as a tracer in cell lineage studies. The classical histochemical reaction is based on the hydrolysis of the substrate X-gal in combination with ferric and ferrous ions, which produces an insoluble blue precipitate that is easy to visualize. Therefore, β-galactosidase activity serves as a marker for the expression pattern of the gene of interest as the development proceeds.

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Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) constitute a large group of endoproteases that play important functions during embryonic development, tumor metastasis and angiogenesis by degrading components of the extracellular matrix. Within this family, we focused our study on Mt4-mmp (also called Mmp17) that belongs to a distinct subset that is anchored to the cell surface via a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) moiety and with the catalytic site exposed to the extracellular space. Information about its function and substrates is very limited to date, and little has been reported on its role in the developing embryo.

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O1 HIV-1 diversity in Bulgaria (current molecular epidemiological picture) Ivailo Alexiev, Reneta Dimitrova, Anna Gancheva, Asya Kostadinova, Mariyana Stoycheva, Daniela Nikolova, Ivaylo Elenkov O2 Knowledge, attitudes and practices of the general population on HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C in Romania Cătălin Tilișcan, Mioara Predescu, Bogdan Păunescu, Anca Streinu-Cercel, Oana Săndulescu, Claudiu Mihai Șchiopu, Mădălina Hristache, Lăcrămioara Aurelia Brîndușe, Adrian Streinu-Cercel O3 The prevalence of human leukocyte antigen-B*57:01 allele carriers and CXCR4 tropism among newly diagnosed HIV infected patients in Serbia Marija Todorovic, Marina Siljic, Dubravka Salemovic, Valentina Nikolic, Ivana Pesic-Pavlovic, Jovan Ranin, Djordje Jevtovic, Maja Stanojevic O4 HIV transmission among stable serodiscordant couples from the former Pediatric Cohort follow up in the National Institute of Infectious Diseases Ana Maria Tudor, Delia Vlad, Mariana Mărdărescu, Sorin Petrea, Cristina Petre, Ruxandra Neagu-Drăghicenoiu, Rodica Ungurianu, Alina Cibea, Odette Chirilă, Cristian Anghelina, Ileana Coserea O5 Unemployment is associated with syringe sharing among people who inject drugs in Greece Pantelia-Amalia Krikelli, Eirini Pavlitina, Mina Psichogiou, Demetris Lamnisos, Leslie Williams, Anya Korobchuk, Britt Skaathun, Pavlo Smyrnov, John Schneider, Vana Sypsa, Dimitrios Paraskevis, Angelos Hatzakis, Samuel R. Friedman, Georgios K. Nikolopoulos O6 Correlation of adipocytokine levels in different types of lipodystrophy in HIV/AIDS patients Gordana Dragović, Danica Srdić, Al Musalhi Khawla, Ivan Soldatović, Jelena Nikolić, Djordje Jevtović, Devaki Nair O7 IP10 – a possible biomarker for the progression of HIV infection Aura Temereanca, Adelina Rosca, Luminita Ene, Benchawa Soontornniyomkij, Carmen Diaconu, Claudia Dita, Cristian Achim, Simona Ruta O8 A permanent challenge: persistent low viremia in HIV positive patients on ART Șerban Benea, Ruxandra Moroti, Raluca Jipa, Eliza Manea, Andrada Stan, Elisabeta Benea, Dan Oțelea, Adriana Hristea O9 Infections in IDUs according to their HIV status Adriana Hristea, Irina Lăpădat, Raluca Jipa, Ruxandra Moroti, Șerban Benea, Doina Antonică, Irina Panait, Roxana Petre O10 Trends in combined antiretroviral therapy used in methadone program integrated with HIV care - 20 years of experience Justyna D.

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Purpose: We previously identified the presence of the melanocyte-specific secreted (ME20-S) glycoprotein in secretomes of uveal melanoma (UM) cultures. The aim of this study was to test for the presence and levels of ME20-S in the serum of patients with choroidal nevi and UM and correlate these levels with individual clinical data.

Methods: Serum ME20-S levels were determined by ELISA in 111 patients distributed into four categories (53 choroidal nevi, 30 untreated UM, 11 10-year disease-free [DF] UM, 17 hepatic metastatic UM) and 32 age- and sex-matched controls.

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Purpose: To detect and quantify circulating tumour cells (CTCs) in peripheral blood of patients with uveal melanoma primary non-metastatic tumours, and to analyze the possible relationship between CTCs and clinical risk factors.

Methods: Prospective study with two clinical groups: 4 patients diagnosed with choroidal nevus and 8 patients with choroidal melanoma prior to treatment. A single sample of 7.

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This paper describes the development of a low-cost multiparameter acquisition system for volcanic monitoring that is applicable to gravimetry and geodesy, as well as to the visual monitoring of volcanic activity. The acquisition system was developed using a System on a Chip (SoC) Broadcom BCM2835 Linux operating system (based on DebianTM) that allows for the construction of a complete monitoring system offering multiple possibilities for storage, data-processing, configuration, and the real-time monitoring of volcanic activity. This multiparametric acquisition system was developed with a software environment, as well as with different hardware modules designed for each parameter to be monitored.

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Background: The purpose of this work was to compare the detection of ultrasonographic hollowness (UH), as a risk sign for evolution from small choroidal melanocytic tumors (SCMT) to uveal melanoma (UM), between conventional ultrasonography (standardized 8 MHz ultrasonography and B-mode 10 MHz ultrasonography) and high-resolution 20 MHz ultrasonography.

Methods: Fifty SCMTs from 50 eyes were included in this work. In all cases, ultrasonographic studies were performed using: 8 MHz standardized A-mode, 10 MHz B-mode, and posterior pole 20 MHz B-mode.

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Purpose: To investigate factors associated with myopic foveoschisis and macular bending and to determine how the presence of macular bending affects the development of myopic foveoschisis.

Methods: In a prospective study of 194 eyes of 105 patients with high myopia, we performed complete ophthalmic examinations, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and A-scan ultrasounds. Patients were divided into three groups according to the OCT results.

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Purpose: There is substantial evidence that intraocular melanomas arise from benign nevi in the uveal tract. Previous studies performed by the authors revealed that uveal melanoma cells secrete the oncoprotein DJ-1/PARK7 into the extracellular environment and circulation. The aim of this study was to determine whether circulating DJ-1 serum levels correlate with known clinical risk factors of nevi growth.

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The cerebellum is a highly conserved structure in the Central Nervous System (CNS) of vertebrates, and is involved in the coordination of voluntary motor behaviour. Supporting this function, the cerebellar cortex presents a layered structure which requires a precise spatial and temporal coordination of proliferation, migration and differentiation events. One of the characteristics of the developing cortex is the formation of the external granule cell layer (EGL) in the outermost part.

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Article Synopsis
  • The mating patterns within a population significantly impact its genetic makeup, affected by various factors including socio-cultural, geographic, and political influences.
  • This study focuses on the changes in mating patterns in Olivenza, Badajoz Province, after it transitioned from Portugal to Spain in 1801, analyzing Catholic marriage records from 1750 to 1850.
  • Findings reveal that post-border change led to more mixed marriages and increased surname diversity, with early evidence of preferential mating within respective lineages diminishing after 1821 as restrictions on mate choice were lifted.
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Objective: We investigated vitamin D status in institutionalized elderly subjects by measuring serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) and its association with season and other factors: age, gender, nutritional status, cognitive function, functional ability, dietary intake, vitamin D supplement consumption, and disease.

Methods: The cross-sectional study included 86 subjects, 65-94 y of age (29 men and 57 women), who lived in three nursing homes in Murcia, a Spanish Mediterranean area. The Mini Nutritional Assessment, Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire, and BI were used to evaluate nutritional status, functional ability, and cognitive function, respectively.

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The Snail genes are implicated in processes that involve cell movement, both during embryonic development and tumour progression. In teleosts, the vertebrate Snail1 gene is represented by two distinct genes, snail1a and snail1b (previously snail1 and snail2). These genes are expressed in complementary mesodermal domains and their combined expression matches that of their mammalian counterpart.

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Article Synopsis
  • - EVC is a critical protein associated with Ellis-van Creveld syndrome, and when inactivated in mice, they exhibit similar symptoms such as short stature and dental issues.
  • - The study found that Evc is expressed in developing bones and facial areas, with its protein located at the base of primary cilia, which are important for cellular signaling.
  • - The researchers concluded that Evc plays a vital role in the hedgehog signaling pathway, specifically in activating target genes related to bone growth, despite the normal presence of other signaling components in the affected mice.
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There is a necessity to better characterize uveal melanoma (UM) tumors according to their metastasis potential at an early stage. In this study we report the identification of potential biomarkers by a combination of proteomics-related approaches: the characterization of UM cell secretomes, the analysis of UM autoantibodies, and the differential depleted serum proteome analysis. We describe a possible role of cathepsin D, syntenin, and gp100 in UM as potential biomarkers.

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Article Synopsis
  • The case discusses encephalocraniocutaneous lipomatosis (ECCL), a rare congenital condition marked by skin, eye, and brain abnormalities.
  • Key features include eye tumours (epibulbar choristomas), specific skin lesions (nevus psiloliparus), and brain fat deposits (intracranial lipomas).
  • A newborn presented with several symptoms, and brain imaging confirmed the diagnosis; children with similar skin and eye lesions should get brain scans to check for ECCL.
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