Publications by authors named "Valerie Martinez"

Environmental chemical exposure has been rising over the past few decades but its impact on fertility remains uncertain. We assessed exposures to 23 common chemicals across a range of sociodemographic characteristics and their relationship with self-reported infertility. The analytic sample was non-pregnant women aged 18-49 years without a history of hysterectomy or oophorectomy (n = 2579) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2013-2016).

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This article provides practical recommendations for creating and implementing culturally appropriate and culturally congruent healthcare simulation applications for bedside providers that adhere to best practices and reporting standards. Framed within the 11 criteria for simulation design outlined in the Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice, the article provides a summary of these criteria, highlighting the lessons learned from their application in a Health Resources and Services Administration-sponsored public health grant 6 U4EHP46217-01-01, Public Health Simulation-Infused Program.

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Background: Climate change continues to increase the frequency, intensity, and duration of heat events and wildfires, both of which are associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Few studies simultaneously evaluated exposures to these increasingly common exposures.

Objectives: We investigated the relationship between exposure to heat and wildfire smoke and preterm birth (PTB).

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Coating thermal noise is one of the dominant noise sources in current gravitational wave detectors and ultimately limits their ability to observe weaker or more distant astronomical sources. This Letter presents investigations of TiO_{2} mixed with SiO_{2} (TiO_{2}:SiO_{2}) as a coating material. We find that, after heat treatment for 100 h at 850 °C, thermal noise of a highly reflective coating comprising of TiO_{2}:SiO_{2} and SiO_{2} reduces to 76% of the current levels in the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors-with potential for reaching 45%, if we assume the mechanical loss of state-of-the-art SiO_{2} layers.

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Many sexual health programs transitioned to virtual implementation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite its devastation, the pandemic provided an opportunity to learn about virtual compared to in-person implementation of a sexual health promotion program-El Camino. This study assessed differences in program attendance, engagement, quality, and student ratings for virtual versus in-person implementation of El Camino as part of a rigorous evaluation in high schools with high Latino populations in Maryland.

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Background: Women with a gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) history have increased lifetime type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk, with 16 times greater risk 3 to 6 years after the pregnancy, compared with women without GDM. Offspring from diabetes-complicated pregnancies also face increased health risks.

Purpose: The study purpose was to describe the primary care practices of nurse practitioners (NPs) aimed at reducing T2D-related health risks in women with a history of GDM.

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The purpose of this integrative review is to synthesize the literature examining the relationship between parenting stress and social support in Hispanic parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A database search of studies that evaluated parenting stress and social support in this population was conducted. Fourteen studies met inclusion criteria.

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Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the number one cause of death among men in the United States. Emerging research demonstrates that socioemotional mechanisms such as adult attachment, or the ways in which individuals are able to form and maintain socioemotional bonds, may impact physical health via alterations in physiological stress functioning. However, there may be key differences in the relation between attachment and physical health by race and sexual orientation.

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Objective: To examine aerobic physical activity (PA) among non-Hispanic Black pregnant women.

Design: Longitudinal prospective cohort study.

Sample: A subset of 161 non-Hispanic Black pregnant women from the Midwestern US participating in a larger study completed questionnaires about aerobic physical activity (PA) before pregnancy (reported at 24.

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Background: Air pollution is linked to preterm birth (PTB), but existing studies are primarily focused on chronic exposures, conducted in areas with moderate pollution, and/or subject to confounding.

Objectives: We investigated short-term associations between two pollutants [particulate matter <2.5 microns (PM ) and ozone] and PTB, and estimated excess PTB cases potentially attributed to these pollutants.

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We aim to evaluate the association between self-reported disabilities and infertility and whether disabilities are associated with decreased likelihood of seeking infertility-related care. This US nationally representative cross-sectional analysis includes 3789 non-pregnant women aged 18-49 years without history of hysterectomy or oophorectomy (NHANES, 2013-2018). Disabilities and infertility were both self-reported in personal interviews with trained interviewers.

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Infections in patients with cirrhosis are associated with liver-related complications (LRCs), especially in patients awaiting liver transplantation (LT). The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and extended spectrum beta-lactamase colonization on infections and LRCs for patients on the wait list and on infections after LT. We retrospectively included 250 of 483 patients with cirrhosis who were placed on the wait list for LT from December 2015 to January 2018.

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In situ X-ray scattering monitoring is carried out during temperature annealing on different densified SiO glasses. Density fluctuations and intermediate range coherence from X-ray scattering (small-angle X-ray scattering) and diffraction (wide angle X-ray scattering) evidence a maximum in their evolution at the same relaxation time. These extrema confirm the existence of an intermediate transitory disordered state between the two more ordered high and low density amorphous states.

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Introduction: Despite effective treatments and interventions, asthma continues to affect children's health-related quality of life (QOL). This study explored factors affecting QOL of children with asthma and their caregivers.

Methods: A mixed-model design was used.

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We examined the "relaxation properties" of pre-densified synthetic fused silica glass under 2.5 MeV electron irradiation. The densification of the glass was either obtained by hot compression (5 GPa-350 °C and 5 GPa-1000 °C) or via a thermal treatment increasing its fictive temperature (T = 1050, 1250 and 1400 °C).

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Two of the crucial aspects of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are (i) viral persistence in reservoirs (precluding viral eradication) and (ii) chronic inflammation (directly associated with all-cause morbidities in antiretroviral therapy (ART)-controlled HIV-infected patients). The objective of the present study was to assess the potential involvement of adipose tissue in these two aspects. Adipose tissue is composed of adipocytes and the stromal vascular fraction (SVF); the latter comprises immune cells such as CD4+ T cells and macrophages (both of which are important target cells for HIV).

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Although the decline in cancer mortality rates with the advent of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) in HIV-infected individuals can be mostly explained by a decrease in cancers incidence, we looked here if improved survival after cancer diagnosis could also contribute to this decline. Survival trends were analyzed for most frequent cancers in the HIV-infected population followed in the French Hospital Database on HIV: 979 and 2,760 cases of visceral and non-visceral Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), 2,339 and 461 cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL), 446 lung, 312 liver and 257 anal cancers. Five-year Kaplan-Meier survival rates were estimated for four periods: 1992-1996, 1997-2000, 2001-2004 and 2005-2009.

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Idiopathic CD4 lymphopenia (ICL) is a rare heterogeneous immunological syndrome of unclear etiology. ICL predisposes patients to severe opportunistic infections and frequently leads to poor vaccination effectiveness. Chronic immune activation, expansion of memory T cells, and impaired T-cell receptor (TCR) signaling have been reported in ICL, but the mechanistic and causative links remain unclear.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study focused on the incidence and risk trends of non-AIDS-defining cancers among HIV-infected individuals on combination antiretroviral therapy (cART).
  • It found that while the risk of lung and anal cancers decreased, Hodgkin's lymphoma and liver cancer risks remained stable during the cART era.
  • The results emphasized the importance of maintaining CD4 cell counts above 500 cells/μl to reduce the risk of these cancers, particularly for Hodgkin's lymphoma and liver cancer.
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Objective: A recent consensus defines "late presentation" (LP) during the course of HIV infection as presentation with AIDS whatever the CD4 cell count or with CD4 <350 cells per cubic millimeter. Here, using this new definition, we examined the frequency and predictors of LP and its impact on mortality.

Methods: In antiretroviral-naive patients enrolled in the French Hospital Database on HIV between 2003 and 2009, we studied risk factors for LP by multivariable logistic regression.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study analyzed trends in AIDS-defining cancers (Kaposi sarcoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, cervical cancer) among HIV-infected individuals in France from 1992 to 2009, comparing them to the general population.
  • Although the incidence of these cancers decreased over time, HIV-infected patients still faced a higher risk compared to the general population, especially for Kaposi sarcoma.
  • Patients on effective antiretroviral therapy tended to be diagnosed at a younger age, particularly for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which was diagnosed about 11 years earlier than in the general population.
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In this paper we evaluate the economic gains of a joint deployment of femtocells and macrocells for the provision of Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile broadband services in urban environments. Frequency bands of 2.6 GHz and 900 MHz are analyzed and different parameters related to the business model are considered for a 30% market share operator.

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Background: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by B-cell hyper-reactivity and the production of pathogenic anti-nuclear-directed auto-antibodies (Abs). B-cell ontogeny is partly dependent on the CXCL12/CXCR4 axis for which the contribution to SLE pathogenesis remains unclear. CXCR7, the novel receptor for CXCL12, is differentially expressed among memory B-cell subsets.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The objective of the project was to create and update fact sheets about abatacept, aimed at helping physicians manage patients with inflammatory joint diseases, particularly rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
  • - A committee of rheumatology experts chose important topics, reviewed relevant literature, and developed these fact sheets based on evidence-based medicine, official recommendations, and expert insights.
  • - The resulting fact sheets cover key topics such as contraindications, management of side effects, and specific considerations for patients in unique situations (like pregnancy, surgery, or those over 75), ensuring comprehensive guidance for treating RA and other related diseases.
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Objectives: To develop and/or update fact sheets about TNFα antagonists treatments, in order to assist physicians in the management of patients with inflammatory joint disease.

Methods: 1. selection by a committee of rheumatology experts of the main topics of interest for which fact sheets were desirable; 2.

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