1,206 results match your criteria: "Ponce Health Sciences University & Ponce Research Institute[Affiliation]"

Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs) present a paradoxical role in infectious diseases, contributing to both immunity and pathogenesis. The complex nature of this process necessitates further characterization to elucidate its clinical implications. However, studying NETs faces challenges with primary neutrophils due to their heterogeneity, short lifespan, and lack of adequate cryopreservation.

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Pathogenic variants in the BRD4 interacting chromatin remodeling complex associated protein (BICRA) are linked to BICRA-related neurodevelopmental disorders. These disorders are characterized by developmental delay, intellectual disability, and dysmorphic facial features, along with behavioral abnormalities, poor growth, vision abnormalities, and feeding difficulties. We present the case of a three-year-old male diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), developmental speech delay, and epilepsy.

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Dr. Manuel Martinez-Maldonado is a distinguished Puerto Rican internist, nephrologist, physician-scientist, mentor, and prolific writer whose leadership in academic and clinical settings has significantly advanced the fields of nephrology, renal physiology and pharmacology, fluids and electrolyte metabolism, calcium metabolism, hypertension research, and medical education. His research on electrolyte imbalances has led to innovative hypercalcemia treatments, notably furosemide with IV fluid therapy.

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Determinants to Tele-Mental Health Services Utilization Among California Adults: Do Immigration-Related Variables Matter?

J Immigr Minor Health

December 2024

Division of General and Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

To investigate the relationship of predisposing, enabling, need, and immigration-related factors to tele-mental health services utilization among California adults, we conducted a secondary analysis of two waves of the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) collected between 2015 and 2018 (N = 78,345). A series of logistic regression models were conducted to examine correlates and predictors to tele-mental health services use. Approximately 1.

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Article Synopsis
  • The recently licensed chikungunya vaccine, IXCHIQ, shows strong cross-neutralizing antibody responses against chikungunya virus and several related alphaviruses.
  • The study measured antibody responses at one month, six months, and one year post-vaccination, revealing 100% seroconversion to most viruses tested, except for Ross River virus at 83.3%.
  • IXCHIQ appears to provide antibody responses similar to natural chikungunya infections, suggesting it may offer protection to populations at risk from multiple alphavirus infections in areas where the vaccine is deployed.
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The rise in food intolerances and celiac disease, along with advanced diagnostic techniques, has prompted health professionals to seek effective and economical testing methods. This study evaluates combining genetic tests with routine carbohydrate-absorption breath tests to classify patients with chronic gastrointestinal disorders into therapeutic groups, enhancing dietary management and improving gut health and quality of life. Forty-nine patients with suspected carbohydrate intolerance underwent genetic testing for lactase non-persistence, hereditary fructose intolerance, and celiac disease risk.

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Impact of Excision Type, Cone Volume, and Dimensions on Persistence/Recurrence of Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia 2-3.

Life (Basel)

July 2024

Cancer Epidemiology Research Program, Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO), Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08908 Barcelona, Spain.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the excision type and the persistence/recurrence of CIN2-3. A total of 227 women with CIN2-3 who were treated with LLETZ were evaluated. The types of excision according to the IFCPC 2011, volume, cone dimensions, margins of resection, post-cone high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) status, and viral load were studied.

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Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by alterations in motile cilia function. The diagnosis of PCD is challenging due to the lack of standardized methods in clinical practice. High-speed video microscopy analysis (HSVA) directly evaluates ciliary beat frequency (CBF) in PCD.

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Article Synopsis
  • The rising rates of obesity, insulin resistance, and Alzheimer's-like symptoms are linked to lifestyle changes, including poor diet and lack of exercise.
  • A study used a high-fat high-sugar mouse model to explore how exercise training, genistein treatment, and their combination affect neurodegeneration-related proteins in the brain.
  • Findings show that both exercise alone and genistein alone can reduce obesity and neurodegenerative markers, with the combined approach providing the most significant neuroprotective effects.
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Unlabelled: The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended that dengue pre-vaccination screening tests for Dengvaxia administration have at least 98% specificity and 75% sensitivity. This study evaluates the performance of commercial anti-DENV IgG tests to identify tests that could be used for pre-vaccination screening. First, for seven tests, we evaluated sensitivity and specificity in early convalescent dengue virus (DENV) infection, using 44 samples collected 7-30 days after symptom onset and confirmed by RT-PCR.

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Introduction: Men with African ancestry have the highest incidence and mortality rates of prostate cancer (PCa) worldwide.

Methods: This study aimed to identify differentially methylated genes between tumor vs. adjacent normal and aggressive vs.

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Visual recognition is largely realized through neurons in the ventral stream, though recently, studies have suggested that ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC) is also important for visual processing. While it is hypothesized that sensory and cognitive processes are integrated in vlPFC neurons, it is not clear how this mechanism benefits vision, or even if vlPFC neurons have properties essential for computations in visual cortex implemented via recurrence. Here, we investigated if vlPFC neurons in two male monkeys had functions comparable to visual cortex, including receptive fields, image selectivity, and the capacity to synthesize highly activating stimuli using generative networks.

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Background: Latino adults experience multiple barriers to health care access and treatment that result in tobacco-related disparities. Mobile interventions have the potential to deliver smoking cessation treatment among Latino adults, who show the highest use rates of mobile technologies.

Research Question: Is Decídetexto, a culturally accommodated mobile health intervention, more effective for smoking cessation compared with standard care among Latinx adults who smoke?

Study Design And Methods: A two-arm parallel group randomized clinical trial was conducted in Kansas, New Jersey, and New York between October 2018 and September 2021.

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Junctions at the crossroads: the impact of mechanical cues on endothelial cell-cell junction conformations and vascular permeability.

Am J Physiol Cell Physiol

October 2024

Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States.

Cells depend on precisely regulating barrier function within the vasculature to maintain physiological stability and facilitate essential substance transport. Endothelial cells achieve this through specialized adherens and tight junction protein complexes, which govern paracellular permeability across vascular beds. Adherens junctions, anchored by vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin and associated catenins to the actin cytoskeleton, mediate homophilic adhesion crucial for barrier integrity.

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The comorbidity between cocaine use disorder (CUD) and trauma/stressor-related disorders suggests a connection between neurophysiological changes induced by stress and those that lead to cocaine use. Due to the unexpected and sometimes uncontrollable nature and timing of stressful life events, their capacity to induce drug use poses a significant challenge for the administration of cocaine relapse therapy. This study aims to investigate the impact of chronic stress applied prior to cocaine acquisition on the development of cocaine-seeking behavior after different periods of drug abstinence in male and female rats.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to explore the health outcomes of women with HIV who have low-level viremia (LLV), focusing on virologic failure and the development of non-AIDS comorbidities.
  • Researchers analyzed data from the Women's Interagency HIV Study, categorizing women based on their viral load status into groups: virologic suppression, intermittent LLV, persistent LLV, and virologic failure.
  • Results indicated that women with intermittent or persistent LLV had a higher risk of virologic failure compared to those with virologic suppression, with persistent LLV showing a tendency towards increased risk for multiple health issues.
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Background: Several studies have associated members of the genes as susceptibility factors to inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD): ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD).

Objectives: To assess the association between the presence and absence genes and IBD susceptibility through a meta-analysis.

Method: A systematic search was performed through the PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases to obtain relevant articles published before March 2024.

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Puerto Rico (PR) is a United States (US) territory with a history of colonial violence, poverty, and government corruption. Due to these sociopolitical factors and natural disasters (e.g.

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Multiple myeloma (MM) is one of the world's most recognized bone marrow (BM) cancers. It is considered a plasma cell dyscrasia in which normal plasma cells transform into malignant cells that produce large quantities of an abnormal immunoglobulin called monoclonal protein better known as M protein. This, in turn, is responsible for many of its bone and kidney-related manifestations.

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  • Cabotegravir (CAB) is a newly approved HIV treatment and prevention method by the FDA and is crucial in combating the HIV epidemic in the USA.
  • Its effectiveness can be affected by specific natural polymorphisms in integrase, especially when combined with primary drug-resistance mutations.
  • A study found that the T218I and T218S polymorphisms do not significantly impact CAB's effectiveness, integration, or infectivity, indicating they are unlikely to undermine CAB as a treatment option or pre-exposure prophylaxis.
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R406 reduces lipopolysaccharide-induced neutrophil activation.

Cell Immunol

September 2024

Critical Care Medicine Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA; Critical Care Medicine Department, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. Electronic address:

Article Synopsis
  • Modulating SYK can influence how neutrophils respond in COVID-19 and sepsis, where they can both protect against infections and contribute to tissue damage during hyperactivation.
  • R406, a metabolite of fostamatinib, effectively inhibits key harmful neutrophil activities like NETosis and ROS generation, which are associated with severe sepsis outcomes.
  • Despite these inhibitory effects, neutrophils treated with R406 remain metabolically active and can still perform essential functions like cytokine release, phagocytosis, and migration.
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The aim of this study was to describe the goals, activities, and methods of EUMOVE project in developing a set of resources targeting both primary and secondary schools that allow the entire educational community to promote healthy lifestyles (HL). The EUMOVE project is an Erasmus+ program based in the Creating Active Schools (CAS) framework. The project lasted 3 years and was developed by 14 academic and non-governmental institutions from Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, and the UK.

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Respiratory Aspects of Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia.

Clin Chest Med

September 2024

Division of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, University of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee, UK; PCD Service, Royal Brompton Hospital, London, UK. Electronic address:

This review article explores the respiratory aspects of primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD), a rare, heterogenous, genetic disorder characterized by impaired motile ciliary function. It discusses the clinical diagnosis and management strategies for PCD-related respiratory disease, including chronic sinusitis, otitis media with effusion, recurrent pneumonia, and bronchiectasis. The review emphasizes the need for a multidisciplinary approach to optimize care and clinical trials to improve outcomes in individuals with PCD, highlighting the importance of accurate diagnosis.

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Arachnoid granulations (AGs) are generally benign structures within the subarachnoid space that extend into the dural sinuses and calvarial bone. They can present in a variety of sizes but are termed 'giant' arachnoid granulations (GAGs) when they are larger than 1 cm in diameter or take up a significant portion of the dural sinus' lumen. Vermiform giant arachnoid granulations are a specific type of GAG that are known for their worm-like appearance.

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This study aimed to describe the development of the Perceived Therapist's Knowledge about Gender Identity Diversity Scale and to preliminarily validate this scale by describing its psychometric properties. This research instrument was constructed based on the existing literature and recommendations for instrument development. Initially, a 36-item scale was devised to assess perceived openness and knowledge about gender identity diversity in therapy.

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