Publications by authors named "Ruiz C"

Pancreatic endocrine-exocrine crosstalk plays a key role in normal physiology and disease. For instance, endocrine islet beta (β) cell secretion of insulin or cholecystokinin (CCK) promotes progression of pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC), an exocrine cell-derived tumor. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms that govern endocrine-exocrine signaling in tumorigenesis remain incompletely understood.

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Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified tens of thousands of disease associated variants and provided critical insights into developing effective treatments. However, limited sample sizes have hindered the discovery of variants for uncommon and rare diseases. Here, we introduce KGWAS, a novel geometric deep learning method that leverages a massive functional knowledge graph across variants and genes to improve detection power in small-cohort GWASs significantly.

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Water-miscible metalworking fluids (MWFs) are utilized in a variety of metal removal and forming operations. For end-use, formulation concentrates are diluted in water, creating conditions conducive to microbial growth and metabolism, possibly compromising the fluid's integrity and mechanically obstructing filters or piping systems. Metalworking machines offer additional habitats on surfaces that are in permanent or temporary contact with MWFs.

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  • Bisphenol A (BPA) and its analogs (BPF, BPS, BPAF) negatively affect bone tissue by disrupting key cellular processes, particularly in human osteoblasts.
  • The study focused on the impact of these chemicals on growth factors like VEGF and TGF-β1, assessing gene expression changes after exposing osteoblasts to various concentrations of these compounds.
  • Results showed that most bisphenols downregulated RANKL, OPG, TGF-β1, and their receptors, suggesting they could lead to harmful molecular changes that affect bone health despite BPAF prompting some OPG expression.
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Objectives: To evaluate the motor proficiency, identify risk factors for abnormal motor scores, and examine the relationship between motor proficiency and health-related quality of life in school-aged patients with CHD.

Study Design: Patients ≥ 4 years old referred to the cardiac neurodevelopmental program between June 2017 and April 2020 were included. Motor skills were evaluated by therapist-administered and parent-reported and questionnaires.

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Enterobacteriaceae possess eight TolC-dependent multidrug efflux pumps: AcrAB-TolC, AcrAD-TolC, AcrEF-TolC, MdtEF-TolC, MdtABC-TolC, EmrAB-TolC, EmrYK-TolC, and MacAB-TolC, which efflux bile salts, antibiotics, metabolites, or other compounds. However, our understanding of their physiological roles remains limited, especially for less-studied pumps like EmrYK-TolC. In this study, we tested the effects on swimming motility and growth under stress conditions of Escherichia coli mutants individually deleted for each inner-membrane transporter component of all eight TolC-dependent pumps, a mutant deleted for the AcrB-accessory protein AcrZ, and a mutant simultaneously deleted for all eight pumps (ΔtolC).

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Drosophila suzukii is an invasive pest of berries and other soft-skinned fruits, was first detected in Chile in 2017, and has since spread over 2,800 km from north to south. Sustainable control of the spotted-wing drosophila (SWD) is essential due the negative attitude of the consumers toward the excessive use of insecticides. During a survey in Chile for biological control agents, thirty-two isolates of entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) were isolated from mycotized insects and soil samples, identified through sequence analysis, and tested against D.

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  • Incorporating nanoparticles into injectable hydrogels can strengthen their mechanical properties, but differences between the nanoparticles and the polymer matrix can create stress issues that may lead to failures.
  • The study introduces boronic acid/boronate ester dynamic covalent bonds to help alleviate these stress concentrations, resulting in better integration between the nanoparticles and polymer matrix.
  • The modified hydrogels, featuring boronic acid-treated nanoparticles, displayed improved viscoelasticity, stiffness, and resistance to deformation, along with clinically viable injectability and recovery characteristics.
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Aims: Cupriavidus isolates are found in environmental and clinical samples and are often resistant to carbapenems, which are last-resort antibiotics. However, their carbapenem-resistance molecular mechanisms remain unknown. This study aimed to (i) characterize and sequence the carbapenem-resistant soil isolate Cupriavidus taiwanensis S2-1-W to uncover its antibiotic resistance determinants; and (ii) clone and characterize a putative novel carbapenemase gene identified in this isolate.

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Background:  Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is one of the main causes of acute abdomen in neonates. Surgical treatment entails important morbidity and mortality and conservative management, when possible, offers better outcomes. Post-NEC intestinal strictures are one of the main complications.

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Consequences of the disease produced by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have led to an urgent search for preventive and therapeutic strategies. Besides drug treatments, proposals have been made for supplementation with biomolecules possessing immunomodulatory and antioxidant properties. The objective of this study was to review published evidence on the clinical usefulness of supplementation with vitamin D, antioxidant vitamins (vitamin A, vitamin E, and vitamin C), melatonin, lactoferrin and natural products found in food (curcumin, luteolin, ginger, allicin, magnesium and zinc) as supplements in SARS-CoV-2 infection.

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Objectives: The spread of carbapenem-resistant bacteria (CRB), and especially carbapenemase-producing CRB, is a global public health threat. Among them, Aeromonas species are of increasing concern because these emerging opportunistic pathogens are widespread in the environment and have increasingly been found to be resistant to carbapenems. The aim of this study was to investigate the genome and carbapenem-resistance determinants of Aeromonas veronii SS-M2-3, a highly carbapenem-resistant, carbapenemase-producing, river isolate from California (U.

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Background: While timely activation and collaborative teamwork of Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) are crucial to promote a culture of safety and reduce preventable adverse events, these do not always occur. Understanding nurses' perceptions of and experiences with RRTs is important to inform education and policy that improve nurse performance, RRT effectiveness, and patient outcomes.

Aim: The aim of this study was to explore nurse perceptions of detecting patient deterioration, deciding to initiate RRTs, and experience during and at conclusion of RRTs.

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Introduction: Xylazine is a veterinary anesthetic increasingly present alongside illicit fentanyl in the US and Canada, presenting novel health risks. Although xylazine remains less common in the Western US, Mexican border cities serve as key trafficking hubs and may have higher prevalence of novel substances, but surveillance has been limited.

Methods: We examined deidentified records from the Prevencasa harm reduction clinic in Tijuana, describing urine and paraphernalia testing from patients reporting using illicit opioids within 24 hr.

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  • Needle trauma is commonly linked to peripheral nerve damage, but the occurrence of postblock dysfunction is rare, prompting a study to examine this relationship.
  • A cadaveric study involved puncturing median and ulnar nerves with various needles, assessing the extent and type of fascicular injury through histological analysis.
  • Out of 400 punctures examined, only three fascicular injuries were identified, all caused by 15° beveled needles, indicating that needle-induced injuries are infrequent and unlikely to account for postblock neurological issues.
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Rationale: Adolescent cannabis use is linked to later-life changes in cognition, learning, and memory. Rodent experimental studies suggest Δ-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) influences development of circuits underlying these processes, especially in the prefrontal cortex, which matures during adolescence.

Objective: We determined how 14 daily THC injections (5 mg/kg) during adolescence persistently impacts medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) dopamine-dependent cognition.

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Little resistance to the pea weevil insect pest () is available in pea () cultivars, highlighting the need to search for sources of resistance in germplasm and to decipher the genetic basis of resistance. To address this need, we screened the response to pea weevil in a germplasm collection (324 accession, previously genotyped) under field conditions over four environments. Significant variation for weevil seed infestation (SI) was identified, with resistance being frequent in , followed by ssp.

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Aims: A comparison of diagnostic performance comparing AI-QCT, coronary computed tomography angiography using fractional flow reserve (CT-FFR), and physician visual interpretation on the prediction of invasive adenosine FFR have not been evaluated. Furthermore, the coronary plaque characteristics impacting these tests have not been assessed.

Methods And Results: In a single centre, 43-month retrospective review of 442 patients referred for coronary computed tomography angiography and CT-FFR, 44 patients with CT-FFR had 54 vessels assessed using intracoronary adenosine FFR within 60 days.

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Thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA), characterized by microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and multisystem organ dysfunction, is a life-threatening disease. Patients with TMA who do not exhibit a severe ADAMTS-13 deficiency (defined as a disintegrin-like and metalloprotease with thrombospondin type 1 motif no. 13 activity ≥10%: TMA-13n) continue to experience elevated mortality rates.

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We report a semiconducting triindole-based discotic liquid crystal () functionalized with six -methylthiophenyl groups at its periphery. While initially a crystalline solid at room temperature, transitions to a columnar hexagonal mesophase upon heating and retains this supramolecular organization upon subsequent cooling, despite having only three flexible alkyl chains attached to the core's nitrogens. The incorporation of methylthio groups effectively hinders tight molecular packing, stabilizing the columnar arrangement of this disk-shaped molecule.

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Objective: To evaluate whether nanoparticles (NPs) functionalized with Tideglusib (TDg, NP-12), and deposited on titanium surfaces, would counteract the effect of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on osteoblasts.

Methods: Experimental groups were: (a) Titanium discs (TiD), (b) TiD covered with undoped NPs (Un-NPs) and (c) TiD covered with TDg-doped NPs (TDg-NPs). Human primary osteoblasts were cultured onto these discs, in the presence or absence of bacterial LPS.

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The aim of this prospective clinical study was to evaluate the efficacy of the Surgical Pleth Index (SPI), a validated nociception monitor in human anaesthesia, in dogs. The technology uses a plethysmographic signal from a specific pulse oximetry probe to analyse pulse wave amplitudes and heartbeat intervals. Twenty-six healthy dogs anaesthetised for castration were included.

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Rationale: Adolescent cannabis use is linked to later-life changes in cognition, learning, and memory. Rodent experimental studies suggest Δ-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) influences development of circuits underlying these processes, especially in the prefrontal cortex, which matures during adolescence.

Objective: We determined how 14 daily THC injections (5mg/kg) during adolescence persistently impacts medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) dopamine-dependent cognition.

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Pectoralis minor syndrome (PMS) and quadrilateral space syndrome (QSS) are uncommon neurovascular compression disorders affecting the upper extremity. PMS involves compression under the pectoralis minor muscle, and QSS results from compression in the quadrilateral space-both are classically observed in overhead-motion athletes. Diagnosing PMS and QSS may be challenging due to variable presentations and similarities with other, more common, upper-limb pathologies.

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