Publications by authors named "RIVERA P"

Latine adults with chronic pain face heightened stigmatization of seeking professional psychological help. However, research is needed to test whether stigma is internalized and to identify protective factors. We focus on familism, a value commonly found in collectivist cultures that emphasizes family bonds.

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The purpose of this investigation was to examine muscle excitation at maximal running capacity without blood flow restriction (BFR) relative to submaximal running bouts with BFR. Fourteen college-aged males randomly completed four, three-minute running bouts at 70, 80, and 90% of peak speed with BFR (70%, 80%, and 90%) and without BFR at 100% of their peak speed (100%). The surface electromyographic amplitudes of the vastus lateralis, rectus femoris, and vastus medialis muscles were assessed.

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Purpose: A comprehensive survey was conducted to assess the prevalence of Schistosoma japonicum infection in humans, water buffaloes, and snails in the two endemic municipalities of Talibon and Trinidad in Bohol, Philippines, which are nearing elimination.

Methods And Results: Human stool and blood samples were collected from barangays with snail breeding sites, and results showed higher positivity rates using the rSjTPx-1-ELISA compared to the Kato-Katz technique. Human stool examination for showed a 0.

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Background/objectives: Alzheimer's disease (AD), a leading cause of dementia, lacks effective long-term treatments. Current therapies offer temporary relief or fail to halt its progression and are often inaccessible due to cost. AD involves multiple pathological processes, including amyloid beta (Aβ) deposition, insulin resistance, tau protein hyperphosphorylation, and systemic inflammation accelerated by gut microbiota dysbiosis originating from a leaky gut.

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  • The study aimed to review how biomarkers of neural injury relate to neurodevelopment in children with fetal growth restriction.
  • Only five relevant studies were found, revealing that certain biomarkers, like urinary S100B and neuron-specific enolase, were linked to negative neurodevelopmental outcomes.
  • The researchers highlighted the importance of more research on these biomarkers to improve understanding and predictive models for neurodevelopment in affected children.
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  • The study investigates how autophagy and oxidized low-density lipoproteins (ox-LDL) impact the function of extravillous trophoblasts (EVTs), which are vital for proper placentation.
  • Autophagy is found to be essential for EVTs to transition into an endothelial-like phenotype but doesn't influence their invasion capabilities, while ox-LDL negatively affects both invasion and the formation of vital structures, independent of autophagy.
  • The research highlights that alterations in autophagy levels and ox-LDL concentrations could play a significant role in placental development issues, including complications like preeclampsia.
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Objectives: Research on firearm violence is largely limited to people who experienced acute bodily trauma and death which is readily gathered from Inpatient and Emergency Department settings and mortality data. Exposures to firearm violence, such as witnessing firearm violence or losing a loved one to firearm violence, are not routinely collected in health care. As a result, the true public health burden of firearm violence is underestimated.

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Background: This study protocol describes a community-based intervention that will seek to reduce added sugar intake in Yup'ik Alaska Native children by targeting reductions in sugar-sweetened fruit drinks.

Methods: A two-group non-randomized design will be used to evaluate the intervention in three Yup'ik communities in Alaska focusing on children age 1 to less than age 12 years with a minimum enrollment target of 192 children. Families in the intervention arm will participate in a program consisting of five sessions plus four brief check-ins, all delivered by a Yup'ik Community Health Worker.

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Purpose: Animal reservoirs are important targets for controlling and eliminating schistosomiasis. Prevalence studies showed that dogs (Canis familiaris) and water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) are important reservoirs of S. japonicum.

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Background: Hispanics/Latinos are the largest racial/ethnic group among underrepresented populations in the U.S. and multiple sociodemographic, cultural, and linguistic factors have been found to impact their performances on cognitive testing.

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  • The Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (ROCFT) and the Clock Drawing Test (CDT) are important tools for assessing cognitive functions such as constructional praxis and visuospatial skills, particularly in diagnosing neurological disorders.
  • This study aimed to establish normative data for these tests in Spanish-speaking adults in the U.S., using a sample of 245 cognitively healthy participants and analyzing factors like education, age, and language proficiency.
  • Findings indicated that education and age influenced test performance, highlighting the impact of bilingualism, while sex was not a significant factor; this research is crucial for improving neuropsychological assessments among Hispanic populations.
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Background: Normative data for Spanish-speaking populations, particularly Hispanics in the U.S., is notably scarce.

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  • The Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM) is a performance validity measure available in both English and Spanish, but the Spanish version previously lacked reliable data for U.S. Hispanic individuals.
  • The study aimed to collect normative data for the updated TOMM 2 specifically for Hispanic individuals in the U.S., involving 188 cognitively healthy adults.
  • Results showed that the Hispanic sample scored better on the TOMM 2 compared to the English-speaking normative sample, establishing the first culturally appropriate norms for Spanish speakers in the U.S.
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Background: The breath carbon isotope ratio (CIR) was recently identified as a noninvasive candidate biomarker of short-term added sugars (AS) intake.

Objectives: This study aimed to better understand the potential of the breath CIR as a dietary biomarker. We evaluated the effects of short-term and long-term intakes of AS, animal protein (AP), and related variables on breath CIR, in the context of typical dietary intake patterns.

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There is conflicting evidence related to the prevalence and magnitude of exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) following four sets to volitional failure with BFR (BFR-F) or 75 total repetitions with BFR (1 × 30, 3 × 15, BFR-75). The purpose of this investigation was to examine muscle swelling, peak torque, and neuromuscular responses following BFR-75 and BFR-F. Thirteen untrained women completed unilateral isokinetic (120°s) leg extensions concentric-eccentric at 30% of their maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) using BFR-75 and BFR-F protocols, separated by 15 minutes.

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Background: Linguistic deficits are common across neurological and neurodegenerative disorders. Currently there are limited neuropsychological norms available for Spanish-speaking adults residing in the U.S.

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Lubiak, SM, Lawson, JE, Gonzalez Rojas, DH, Proppe, CE, Rivera, PM, Hammer, SM, Trevino, MA, Dinyer-McNeely, TK, Montgomery, TR, Olmos, AA, Sears, KN, Bergstrom, HC, Succi, PJ, Keller, JL, and Hill, EC. A moderate blood flow restriction pressure does not affect maximal strength or neuromuscular responses. J Strength Cond Res 38(12): e727-e734, 2024-The purpose of this study was to examine the acute effects of blood flow restriction (BFR) applied at 60% of total arterial occlusion pressure (AOP) on maximal strength.

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  • Researchers studied advanced cancers to find the best targeted treatments by looking at gene changes in tumors.
  • They tested samples from 304 patients and found that most (78%) had important gene changes, with many tumors showing a marker called PD-L1.
  • The findings suggest that understanding the specific gene changes in different cancer types can help doctors decide on treatments and get patients into clinical trials.
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Purpose: Resistance exercise can attenuate muscular impairments associated with multiple sclerosis (MS), and blood flow restriction (BFR) may provide a viable alternative to prescribing heavy training loads. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the progression of upper and lower body low-load (30% of one-repetition maximum [1RM]) resistance training (RT) with BFR applied intermittently during the exercise intervals (RT + BFR) versus volume-matched heavy-load (65% of 1RM) RT.

Methods: Men and women with MS (n = 16) were randomly assigned to low-load RT + BFR (applied intermittently) or heavy-load RT and completed 12 weeks (2 × /week) of RT that consisted of bilateral chest press, seated row, shoulder press, leg press, leg extension, and leg curl exercises.

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Cocoa is widely known for its health benefits, but its neurocognitive impact remains underexplored. This preclinical study aimed to investigate the effects of cocoa and cocoa polyphenols on hippocampal neuroplasticity, cognitive function and emotional behavior. Seventy young-adult C57BL/6JRj male and female mice were fed either a standard diet (CTR) or a diet enriched with 10% high-phenolic content cocoa (HPC) or low-phenolic content cocoa (LPC) for at least four weeks.

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  • Traditional methods for incorporating active compounds into polymers face issues due to the compounds' volatility and sensitivity to heat, prompting the need for better techniques.
  • The study developed an inclusion complex of β-cyclodextrin/carvacrol using spray drying, which was then integrated into poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and Mater-Bi® films via supercritical CO2 impregnation at various pressures.
  • The results showed that PLA films provided a controlled release of the active compound over time, while Mater-Bi® films had lower incorporation and thus did not showcase the same prolonged release characteristics.
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  • Chronic nicotine exposure leads to dependence, and stopping use triggers a withdrawal syndrome, primarily involving the habenulo-interpeduncular (Hb-IPN) circuit due to its high concentration of nicotine receptors.
  • Researchers focused on two types of GABAergic neurons in the IPN—Amigo1 and Epyc—to understand their role in nicotine withdrawal behaviors.
  • The study found that Amigo1 neurons significantly influence anxiety-like behaviors during withdrawal, highlighting that the somatic (physical) and affective (emotional) aspects of withdrawal are governed by different neuron populations in the IPN.
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Aim: The present study aimed to investigate the effects of a single bout of resistance exercise on mitophagy in human skeletal muscle (SkM).

Methods: Eight healthy men were recruited to complete an acute bout of one-leg resistance exercise. SkM biopsies were obtained one hour after exercise in the resting leg (Rest-leg) and the contracting leg (Ex-leg).

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