Publications by authors named "Martinez I"

Introduction: Ultrasound-guided regional anaesthesia enhances pain control, patient outcomes and lowers healthcare costs. However, teaching this skill effectively presents challenges with current training methods. Simulation-based medical education offers advantages over traditional methods.

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  • The text serves as a notice indicating a correction to a previously published article.
  • It references a specific Digital Object Identifier (DOI), which is a unique alphanumeric string used to identify the article and provide a permanent link to its online location.
  • Readers interested in the original article are directed to the DOI for further context on the corrections made.
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Production of specialized metabolites are restricted to the metabolic capabilities of the organisms. Genome-scale models (GEM)s are useful to study the whole metabolism and to find metabolic engineering targets to increase the yield of a target compound. In this work we use a modified model of Streptomyces coelicolor M145 to simulate the production of lagmysin A (LP4) and the novel lagmysin B (LP2) lasso peptide, in the heterologous host Streptomyces coelicolor M1152.

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Biofouling in membrane filtration systems poses significant operational challenges, leading to decreased permeate flux. The aim of this work was to study the anti-biofilm properties of new nanofiltration membranes produced via layer-by-layer, LBL, assembly by coating a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) support with a polyethylenimine (PEI) and poly(acrylic acid)/graphene oxide (PAA-GO) mixture. The membranes were characterized according to contact angle, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy and their Z-potential.

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Covalent and defect-free surface-grafted solid lubricating chains that can impart slippery behavior have proven advantageous over lubricant infused and textured anti-wetting surfaces. Herein, the co-hydrolysis and co-condensation of a mixture of organosilanes followed by the epoxy-amine ring opening reaction at the interface results in a highly robust, transparent and solid slippery omniphobic coating (LL-OSC). The presence of the epoxy-terminated organosilane a) acts as a molecular spacer in between the low-surface energy, rigid fluorine terminated silane and b) provides 'reactive' epoxy groups for covalent binding to a pre-functionalized amine surface for potential applicability in droplet transport and manipulation, diagnostics etc.

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Fertilization with animal manure and sewage sludge, and the use of sewage water for irrigation, can lead to high antimicrobial concentrations in agricultural soils. Once in soil, antimicrobials can exert direct and indirect toxic effects on plants by misbalancing plant-microbe symbiotic relationships. We performed germination tests to determine the optimum germination conditions of 24 plant species (10 crop and 14 wild species).

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  • The study investigates the toxicity of tire-derived pollutants 6PPD-quinone and 4-tert-octylphenol on marine plankton and other aquatic organisms.
  • 6PPD-quinone showed minimal effects on microalgae, copepods, and fish embryos, but significantly impacted early-stage echinoderms.
  • In contrast, 4-tert-octylphenol was toxic across all species tested, particularly harming echinoderm embryos and copepods at low concentrations, underscoring the need for safer tire additives to protect aquatic environments.
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Background: The current diagnostic strategy for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection involves a two-step approach: antibody HCV screening followed by confirmatory nucleic acid testing. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the Abbott ARCHITECT HCV Ag assay in serum/plasma samples as a potential one-step alternative for diagnosing active HCV infection in people living with hepatitis B virus (PLWHB) through a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted following PRISMA-DTA guidelines.

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Purpose Of Review: Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are hematological malignancies characterized by complex genetic alterations, leading to poor clinical outcomes. Despite advances in treatment, there is an urgent need for novel therapeutic approaches. This review outlines recent progress in humanized models of MDS and AML and highlight their role in advancing our understanding of these diseases.

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Ticks represent important vectors of a number of bacterial and viral disease agents, owing to their hematophagous nature and their questing behavior (the process in which they seek new hosts). Questing activity is notably seasonal with spatiotemporal dynamics that needs to be understood in detail as part of mediating and mitigating tick-borne disease risk. Models of the geography of tick questing activity developed to date, however, have ignored the temporal dimensions of that behavior; more fundamentally, they have often not considered the sampling underlying available occurrence data.

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  • Hepatitis C virus (HCV) microelimination focuses on detecting and treating hidden infections in vulnerable populations, particularly people experiencing homelessness (PEH) who may suffer from substance use disorders, highlighting the role of point-of-care testing and peer support in infection prevention.
  • A study conducted in Madrid from 2019 to 2023 assessed active HCV infection among PEH, utilizing rapid testing methods and analyzing various risk factors, including substance use and financial instability.
  • Out of 2,709 screened PEH, 13.4% tested positive for HCV antibodies, with a prevalence of 6.3% for active infection; key risk factors identified were injection drug use (IDU) and associated behaviors, leading to
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The upcoming UCNProBe experiment at Los Alamos National Laboratory will measure the beta decay rate of free neutrons with different systematic uncertainties than previous beam-based neutron lifetime experiments. We have tested a new 10B-coated Yttrium Aluminum Perovskite (YAP:Ce) scintillator and present its properties. The advantages of the YAP:Ce scintillator include its high Fermi potential, which reduces the probability for upscattering of ultracold neutrons (UCN), and its short decay time, which increases sensitivity at high counting rates.

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  • Cancer patients are at a higher risk for severe COVID-19, and identifying specific biomarkers related to this risk could help target early treatment.
  • A study analyzed plasma from 128 cancer patients with COVID-19 and found that lower levels of certain miRNAs (hsa-miR-150-5p and hsa-miR-93-5p) correlated with increased mortality, while hsa-miR-92b-3p linked to COVID-19 positivity.
  • The research suggests that monitoring these miRNAs could serve as a potential blood biomarker for predicting COVID-19 severity in cancer patients, improving clinical outcomes.
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Dried blood spot (DBS) sampling is increasingly used for hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening. HCVcAg testing offers a faster and more streamlined approach to diagnosing HCV infection. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the diagnostic performance of the Abbott ARCHITECT HCV Ag assay for screening active HCV infection using DBS samples.

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Maize lethal necrosis (MLN), which is caused by maize chlorotic mottle virus along with a potyvirus, has threatened the food security of smallholders in sub-Saharan Africa. Mutations in eukaryotic translation initiation factors (eIFs), which also facilitate virus genome translation, are known to confer variable resistance against viruses. Following phylogenetic analysis, we selected two eIF4E proteins from maize as the most likely candidates to facilitate MLN infection.

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  • The study investigates how the immune response to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection may lead to severe hypoxemia in children, affecting their ability to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide effectively.
  • Researchers analyzed blood samples from 121 RSV-infected children and discovered that a specific inflammatory gene was overexpressed in those with severe hypoxemia, while multiple antiviral genes were underexpressed.
  • The findings suggest that an imbalance between inflammation and antiviral defense mechanisms could play a significant role in the severity of RSV-related respiratory issues in children.
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Radiotherapy (RT) serves as one of the key adjuvant treatments in management of breast cancer. Nevertheless, RT has two major problems: side effects and radioresistance. Given that patients respond differently to RT, it is imperative to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying these differences.

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This study evaluated titers and amplitudes of anti-E2 antibodies (anti-E2-Abs) and neutralizing antibodies against hepatitis C virus (HCV; anti-HCV-nAbs) in HIV/HCV-coinfected individuals over five years after successful HCV treatment completion. We retrospectively analyzed 76 HIV/HCV-coinfected patients achieving sustained virologic response post-HCV treatment. Plasma levels of anti-E2-Abs and anti-HCV-nAbs against five HCV genotypes (Gt1a, Gt1b, Gt2a, Gt3a, and Gt4a) were determined using ELISA and microneutralization assays, respectively.

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  • The EFSA Panel on Plant Health conducted an assessment of non-EU Scolytinae species that affect non-coniferous plants in the EU, highlighting 5220 relevant species out of an initial 6495.
  • These beetles primarily target weakened or dead trees, with behaviors ranging from monogamous to polygynous mating systems, and many species are associated with fungi that help them weaken their hosts.
  • A database was created documenting host plants, feeding habits, geographic distribution, and climate types, ultimately identifying 88 species that significantly impact plant health, categorized by their level of threat.
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Context: Palliative care (PC) has shown significant growth in the US and is associated with improved patient and caregiver experiences. Nevertheless, there are concerns that PC is underutilized in pediatric oncology. Understanding parental attitudes towards PC is crucial to improving PC utilization.

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Astrocytes intricately weave within the neuropil, giving rise to characteristic bushy morphologies. Pioneering studies suggested that primate astrocytes are more complex due to increased branch numbers and territory size compared to rodent counterparts. However, there has been no comprehensive comparison of astrocyte morphology across species.

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Objective: To explore financial toxicity (FT) experienced by the parents of children with cancer at end-of-life (EOL), including exploring differences by race and ethnicity.

Study Design: We performed secondary analysis of semistructured interviews of bereaved parents' perspectives on quality EOL care. Fifty-five interviews were conducted in California and Alabama representing 48 children (0-21 years at time of death) who died of cancer ≥6 months prior.

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