Publications by authors named "Maria Vega"

The thyroid gland, located at the base of the neck, regulates metabolism and hormone balance through hormones like T4 and T3, which are essential for growth, neurological development, and energy production. Thyroid diseases affect 10% of the global population, making accurate and up-to-date information on surgical interventions and advancements crucial for improving clinical outcomes. Thyroid gland surgery is a dynamic field that has experienced remarkable advances in diagnosis, surgical techniques, and postoperative management.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Context: Naloxone nasal spray is recommended for patients with risk factors for opioid overdose. However, cancer patients' perceptions and beliefs regarding naloxone prescriptions and their self-perceived risks for overdose are understudied.

Objective: To determine the proportion of cancer patients at risk for overdose who perceived naloxone as beneficial.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Toluene is a pollutant frequently detected in contaminated groundwater, mostly due to leakage from underground gasoline storage tanks and pipeline ruptures. Multi-element compound-specific isotope analysis provides a framework to understand transformation processes and design efficient remediation strategies. In this study, we enriched an anaerobic bacterial culture derived from a BTEX-contaminated aquifer that couples toluene and phenol oxidation with nitrate reduction and the concomitant production of carbon dioxide and biomass.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Hypertension treatment and blood pressure (BP) control reduce cardiovascular disease burden. However, prevalence of controlled BP is overall insufficient and lack of adherence to treatment is a suggested major contributor. This prospective, randomized clinical trial was designed to evaluate whether a specific 3-month (m) action plan to improve therapeutic adherence results in a decrease in BP.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The microbial communities within honey bee colonies contribute to the defense against pathogens. The goal of this study was to isolate, identify, and lyophilize lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria from the gut of nurse bees and bee bread in Apis mellifera colonies. Bacterial cultures from the intestinal content were conducted, and subsequently identified, sequenced, and lyophilized.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Ustekinumab is an effective therapy for adult Crohn's disease (CD), but data in paediatric CD patients are scarce. The aim of the study was to describe the real-life effectiveness and safety of ustekinumab in paediatric CD. This is a multicentre review of children with Crohn's disease treated with ustekinumab.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

. Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is the most common inherited rod-cone dystrophy (RCD), resulting in nyctalopia, progressive visual field, and visual acuity decay in the late stages. The autosomal dominant form (ADRP) accounts for about 20% of RPs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: To evaluate the trajectory of students enrolled in the specialty training in rheumatology.

Methods: Retrospective analysis (2009-2016). Promotion, repetition, and dropout rates were determined.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose Of Review: Cancer patients may have a variety of disorders associated with systemic inflammation caused by disease progression. Consequently, we have protein hypercatabolism. In view of this, protein and amino acid adequacy should be considered in relation to nutritional behavior.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To evaluate the association between patients' characteristics and disease activity in an Argentine lupus registry.

Methods: Cross-sectional study. Disease activity was stratified into: Remission off-treatment: SLEDAI = 0, without prednisone and immunosuppressive drugs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Nighttime and non-working days are characterized by a shortage of dedicated staff and available resources. Previous studies have highlighted that patients admitted during the weekend had higher mortality than patients admitted on weekdays ("weekend effect"). However, most studies have focused on specific conditions and controversial results were reported.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the SARS-CoV-2-specific humoral and T cell response after a two-dose regimen of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: In this observational study, patients with RA who are ≥18 years of age and vaccinated for SARS-CoV-2 according to the Argentine National Health Ministry's vaccination strategy were included. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies (ELISA-COVIDAR test), neutralizing activity (cytotoxicity in VERO cells), and specific T cell response (IFN-γ ELISpot Assay) were assessed after the first and second dose.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Many labs use ELISA or CLIA tests to find anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, but these methods require equipment that isn’t available in many low- and middle-income countries.
  • A new dual antigen ELISA dot-blot test is introduced, offering high sensitivity and specificity to detect anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies, and it can be done with minimal equipment in just one hour.
  • This new test is also more affordable than existing rapid tests, making it a practical option for seroprevalence surveys in areas without access to advanced immunoassay facilities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * A working group of experts from Argentina conducted systematic reviews, finding that many clinical trials did not specify BMD thresholds, while patients' T-scores mostly ranged from -1.6 to -2.0.
  • * The expert panel agreed that a T-score of ≤-1.7 is the most suitable threshold for treatment in postmenopausal women and men over 50 on GC therapy, although other fracture risk factors should also be considered.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Precise individualized EEG source localization is predicated on having accurate subject-specific Lead Fields (LFs) obtained from their Magnetic Resonance Images (MRI). LF calculation is a complex process involving several error-prone steps that start with obtaining a realistic head model from the MRI and finalizing with computationally expensive solvers such as the Boundary Element Method (BEM) or Finite Element Method (FEM). Current Big-Data applications require the calculation of batches of hundreds or thousands of LFs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Recent studies have described a DNA damage tolerance pathway choice that involves a competition between PrimPol-mediated repriming and fork reversal. Screening different translesion DNA synthesis (TLS) polymerases by the use of tools for their depletion, we identified a unique role of Pol ι in regulating such a pathway choice. Pol ι deficiency unleashes PrimPol-dependent repriming, which accelerates DNA replication in a pathway that is epistatic with ZRANB3 knockdown.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to create a framework for healthcare professionals to effectively prevent and treat glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIO) in postmenopausal women and men aged 50 or older who are undergoing glucocorticoid therapy.
  • The expert panel employed a structured approach (PICO) and used GRADE methodology for a systematic literature review, producing 17 recommendations and 8 general principles for evaluating and treating patients at risk of GIO.
  • The guidelines emphasize the importance of monitoring bone health, managing lifestyle factors, and preventing fragility fractures, with the ultimate goal of maintaining or improving bone mineral density in affected patients.*
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background/objective: This study describes the impact of immunomodulatory and/or immunosuppressive (IM/IS) drugs in the outcomes of COVID-19 infection in a cohort of patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs).

Methods: Adult patients with IMIDs with a confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection were included. Data were reported by the treating physician between August 13, 2020 and July 31, 2021.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background/objective: This study aims to describe the course and to identify poor prognostic factors of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with rheumatic diseases.

Methods: Patients ≥ 18 years of age, with a rheumatic disease, who had confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection were consecutively included by major rheumatology centers from Argentina, in the national, observational SAR-COVID registry between August 13, 2020 and July 31, 2021. Hospitalization, oxygen requirement, and death were considered poor COVID-19 outcomes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the immune response after a third dose of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with undetectable antibody titers after the primary regimen of 2 doses.

Methods: Patients with RA with no seroconversion after 2 doses of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine and who received a third dose of either an mRNA or vector-based vaccine were included. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies, neutralizing activity, and T cell responses were assessed after the third dose.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background/objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in patients with rheumatic and immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) in Argentina: the SAR-CoVAC registry.

Methods: SAR-CoVAC is a national, multicenter, and observational registry. Adult patients with rheumatic or IMIDs vaccinated for SARS-CoV-2 were consecutively included between June 1 and September 17, 2021.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF