Publications by authors named "Plana N"

Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) is a stress-response cytokine related to a wide variety of metabolic diseases. However, the impact of GDF15-specific genetic variants on the abovementioned conditions is poorly known. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of selected GDF15 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on metabolic disturbances and subclinical atherosclerosis.

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Introduction: Ergonomics have significant implications for the surgical workforce that performs at the interface between human-operated equipment and patient anatomy to achieve clinical results. This systematic review evaluated the literature discussing ergonomics in plastic surgery to explore current knowledge, evaluate trends, and identify prime gaps for future study.

Methods: A systematic search strategy was developed by a licensed librarian and plastic surgeon to query all manuscripts evaluating ergonomics in plastic and reconstructive surgery.

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Background: Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitors (PCSK9i) have represented an important change in the management of hypercholesterolemia, although, until now, they have barely been used. Without PCSK9i, many patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) or those at very high risk do not reach their therapeutic LDLc objectives.

Objective: The analysis aimed to examine the clinical and biochemical characteristics of subjects receiving PCSK9i treatment in the Dyslipidemia Registry of the Spanish Atherosclerosis Society.

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Objective: Recent investigations focused on health equity have enumerated widespread disparities in cleft and craniofacial care. This review introduces a structured framework to aggregate findings and direct future research.

Design: Systematic review was performed to identify studies assessing health disparities based on race/ethnicity, payor type, income, geography, and education in cleft and craniofacial surgery in high-income countries (HICs) and low/middle-income countries (LMICs).

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Little is known about healthcare workers' (HCW) use of healthcare services for mental disorders. This study presents data from a 16-month prospective cohort study of Spanish HCW (n = 4,809), recruited shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic onset, and assessed at four timepoints using web-based surveys. Use of health services among HCW with mental health conditions (i.

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Background: The diabetogenic effect of statins has been well established by clinical trials, Mendelian randomisation studies and meta-analyses. According to large clinical trials, PCSK9 inhibitors (PCSK9i) have no deleterious impact on glucose metabolism. However, few real-life studies have yet evaluated the long-term effects of these drugs on glucose homeostasis and their impact on new-onset diabetes (NODM).

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Background And Aim: Triglyceride-rich lipoproteins (TRLs) can have an important role in atherosclerosis development due to their size and ability to penetrate the endothelium. While high plasma triglyceride (TG) levels and chronic inflammation are relevant in metabolic diseases, it remains unclear whether TGs are atherogenic or which TRL-TG-derived metabolites are responsible for inflammation. Here, we aimed to study the lipidome modifications of TRL particles enriched in TG in patients with hyperlipidemia and their associations with a proinflammatory status both in vivo and in vitro.

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Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with problems beyond the joints such as cardiovascular (CV) disease. MicroRNA-24, -146 and -Let7a are associated with carotid plaque presence in RA patients. We evaluated whether these microRNAs were involved in the inflammatory state of RA, and we studied their gene targets to understand their role in inflammation and atherosclerosis.

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Background And Aim: Circulating biomarkers of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases can help in the early detection and prevention of those diseases. Using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR), we aimed to study the plasma levels of low-molecular-weight metabolites (LMWMs) in a cohort of 307 patients with metabolic diseases to assess their relationships with type-2 diabetes (T2D) and incident atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD).

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional and prospective study.

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Aim: To investigate the occurrence of traumatic stress symptoms (TSS) among healthcare workers active during the COVID-19 pandemic and to obtain insight as to which pandemic-related stressful experiences are associated with onset and persistence of traumatic stress.

Methods: This is a multicenter prospective cohort study. Spanish healthcare workers ( = 4,809) participated at an initial assessment (i.

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Background And Aims: Children with familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) have elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) concentrations since birth, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease in adulthood. Arterial injury and stiffness parameters, including carotid intima media thickness (cIMT), pulse wave velocity (PWV) and distensibility (DIST), can be detected early in childhood. We studied the associations between cIMT, PWV and DIST with the lipoprotein profile assessed by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (H NMR) and with influential variables such as blood pressure (BP) or body mass index (BMI) in children with FH.

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Objective: Sagittal craniosynostosis constricts transverse skull growth, with possible neurocognitive sequelae. While the degree of sagittal suture fusion has been shown to influence the degree of dysmorphology, it is unknown if it impacts functional findings, including elevated intracranial pressure (ICP). The purpose of this study was to determine associations between the degree of sagittal suture fusion and optical coherence tomography (OCT) surrogates suggestive of increased ICP in patients with nonsyndromic sagittal craniosynostosis.

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Article Synopsis
  • Both Nordic and Mediterranean diets have been recognized as healthy, but their effects on children with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) and their lipoprotein profiles are not well understood.
  • In a study involving 256 children, researchers compared the lipoprotein profiles of those with heterozygous FH from Spain and Norway, finding notable differences in LDL and HDL particle sizes and numbers between the two groups.
  • The results indicated that while overall lipid levels were similar between the two dietary groups, specific dietary fats in Norwegian children correlated with variations in their lipoprotein profiles, highlighting the role of diet in managing FH.
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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to assess how well dyslipidaemia is controlled and the types of lipid-lowering therapies used among patients at high and very high cardiovascular risk across different regions in Spain.
  • Data was gathered from 145 health areas involving 435 physicians, resulting in a total of 4010 patients being analyzed for their cardiovascular risk and therapy received.
  • Findings revealed that although patient distribution was similar across regions, significant variances existed in achieving cholesterol targets and in the types of therapies prescribed, highlighting regional disparities in cardiovascular prevention strategies.
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Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) share metabolic alterations such as abnormal insulin and lipid metabolism and have some common genetic factors such as genotype. Taking this into account, we hypothesized that we could identify common genetic factors involved in the development of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

Methodology: We first genotyped 48 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) previously associated with AD in a cohort composed of 330 patients with cognitive impairment (CI) to assess their association with plasma lipids.

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Statins have contributed to the prevention of numerous atherosclerotic cardiovascular (CV) events and cardiovascular deaths in the past three decades. The benefit of statins is mainly mediated by the lowering of LDLc. According to scientific evidence, the current international guidelines recommend very low LDLc goals in patients at high/very high cardiovascular risk because they are associated with fewer CV events and improvements in atherosclerotic plaques.

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Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease caused by the accumulation of cholesterol in the intima. Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitors (iPCSK9) can reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels by 60%, but there is still no evidence that they can lower markers of systemic inflammation such as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP). Acute-phase serum glycoproteins are upregulated in the liver during systemic inflammation, and their role as inflammatory biomarkers is under clinical evaluation.

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Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an autosomal dominant disease that has a prevalence of approximately 1/250 inhabitants and is the most frequent cause of early coronary heart disease (CHD). We included 1.343.

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Article Synopsis
  • Hypertension is linked to low-grade inflammation, with glycoproteins A, B, and F being potential indicators of this inflammatory state in affected patients.
  • A study involving 340 patients (211 hypertensive and 129 normotensive) found that hypertensive individuals had higher levels of these glycoproteins, which correlated with increased blood pressure and prevalence of conditions like obesity and diabetes.
  • The research suggests that elevated glycoproteins A, B, and F contribute to systemic inflammation, potentially leading to vascular injury and damage in other organs among hypertensive patients.
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Cleft and craniofacial conditions often present with a variety of functional and esthetic sequelae optimally treated by a multidisciplinary approach. Diagnosis of such conditions pre- or postnatally may evoke parental uncertainty and anxiety, and an important primary consideration is the selection of a cleft and craniofacial team. Identifying an optimal team may be particularly important for developing long-term relationships with clinicians who will ideally work intimately with the family from diagnosis to adulthood.

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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in sweeping shutdowns of surgical operations to increase hospital capacity and conserve resources. Our institution, following national and state guidelines, suspended nonessential surgeries from March 16 to May 4, 2020. This study examines the financial impact of this decision on our institution's health system by comparing 2 waves of COVID-19 cases.

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Article Synopsis
  • Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease than the general population, and traditional risk factors don't fully account for this increased risk.
  • A study involving 199 RA patients found that specific microRNAs in their plasma were linked to various markers of arterial health, like carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and the presence of carotid plaques.
  • Key microRNAs, such as microRNA-24 and microRNA-146, may serve as potential predictors of cardiovascular risk in RA patients, highlighting their importance in understanding cardiovascular complications related to the disease.
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Introduction: Although single institution studies have analyzed various animal attacks, there has not been multicenter investigation into dog bites in children. The purpose of this study was to characterize national trends and investigate the characteristics of pediatric dog bites.

Methods: Aretrospective cohort study was conducted of pediatric dog bite injuries in the United States from 2015 to 2020 using the Pediatric Health Information System national database.

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Introduction: Clinical studies show that patients with high cardiovascular risk are still far from reaching the therapeutic objectives, especially of the levels of LDL cholesterol. If the management of these patients in specialized units differs from other scenarios is known.

Patients And Methods: 61 certified Lipid Units were selected in the Registry of Dyslipemias of the Spanish Arteriosclerosis Society for the collection of study data.

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