1,180 results match your criteria: "Universitat Ramon Llull.[Affiliation]"

Introduction: Fibromyalgia (FM) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) are complex central sensitization syndromes that represent an important public health problem. Low cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle function with habitual intolerance to efforts are common characteristics of FM and CFS. This study aimed to examine the effect of a brief multicomponent intervention based on physical activity (PA), nutrition, and chronobiology on movement behaviors (PA, sedentary and sleep time), muscle strength, and cardiorespiratory capacity.

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Glycogenin is dispensable for normal liver glycogen metabolism and body glucose homeostasis.

Int J Biol Macromol

December 2024

Institut Químic de Sarrià (IQS), Universitat Ramon Llull (URL), Barcelona 08017, Spain; Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona 08028, Spain.

Glycogen is a glucose-storage polysaccharide molecule present in animals, fungi and bacteria. The enzyme glycogenin can self-glycosylate, forming an oligosaccharide chain that primes glycogen synthesis. This priming role of glycogenin was first believed to be essential for glycogen synthesis, but glycogen was then found in the skeletal muscle, heart, liver and brain of glycogenin-knockout mice (Gyg KO), thereby showing that glycogen can be synthesized without glycogenin.

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Background: Telomere length (TL) has been reported to be associated with conditions such as endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome, with some studies finding associations with shorter TL and others with longer TL. In men, studies mostly report associations between shorter TL and sperm quality. To our knowledge, no studies have thus far investigated associations between TL and fecundability or the use of assisted reproductive technologies (ART).

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Physical performance tests for preliminary cognitive screening in older adults: A systematic review of strength, walking, and balance assessments.

Arch Gerontol Geriatr

December 2024

Campus Docent Sant Joan de Déu, Universitat de Vic - Universitat Central de Catalunya (UVIC-UCC), C/ Sant Benito Menni, 18-20, Grupo de Investigación DAFNiS (Dolor, Actividad Física, Nutrición y Salud), Sant Boi de Llobregat, 08830, Spain.

Objective: The aim of this systematic review is to determine which physical tests, particularly those assessing strength, walking abilities and balance stability, can provide the most pertinent information for a preliminary screening of cognitive status, facilitating further cognitive evaluation.

Methods: A systematic search was conducted using the PubMed and Web of Science databases. Studies that assessed both strength or balance stability and cognitive state in community-dwelling adults aged ≥60 years old were selected for inclusion.

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Background/objectives: During pregnancy, women can experience stress, anxiety, and insomnia, which affect their health and wellbeing. Since many conventional medications are contraindicated for pregnant women, there is a need to find alternative therapies for alleviating their discomfort. Lavender essential oil (EO) is recognized for its calming and relaxing properties; therefore, our goal was to review current knowledge of lavender EO use to reduce anxiety and stress as well as to improve sleep quality in pregnant women.

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The impact of the degradation of monoethanolamine (MEA) on the physicochemical properties of the solvent is experimentally characterized. Based on the identification of three main degradation products of MEA: oxazolidine-2-one (OZD), N-(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylenediamine (HEEDA), and 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-imidazolidinone (HEIA), new measurements for the density, surface tension, and viscosity of partially carbonated solutions containing water, MEA and those products were conducted at different MEA/degradation product molar ratios. The experiments covered a temperature range from 298.

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Psychometric properties of performance based tests in patients with Fibromyalgia: A systematic review.

J Pain

November 2024

Faculty of Psychology, Education and Sports Sciences, Universitat Ramon Llull, Blanquerna, Barcelona, Spain; EUSES University School of Health and Sports, University of Girona, Salt, Spain.

Article Synopsis
  • Fibromyalgia impacts patients' health, functioning, and quality of life, necessitating reliable measures for diagnosis and treatment.
  • A systematic review evaluated the psychometric properties of 26 performance-based tests (PBTs) linked to key International Classification of Functioning categories, finding varying levels of evidence for their reliability and validity.
  • The 6-minute walking test was the most frequently assessed PBT, but overall methodological quality of reliability was rated doubtful, indicating a need for better research standards in the future.
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Acute Paraoxon-Induced Neurotoxicity in a Mouse Survival Model: Oxidative Stress, Dopaminergic System Alterations and Memory Deficits.

Int J Mol Sci

November 2024

Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Chemistry, Pharmacology Section and Institute of Biomedicine (IBUB), Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.

Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the secondary neurotoxicity resulting from severe organophosphorus (OP) poisoning, specifically paraoxon (POX), and its impact on cognitive functions in surviving mice.
  • Mice were injected with POX followed by various treatments, resulting in high survival rates but significant neurological changes such as increased lipid peroxidation and alterations in neurotransmitter levels in key brain areas linked to memory.
  • Despite no signs of depression or anxiety, the study found long-term memory impairments in the mice, highlighting the model's usefulness for exploring the effects of OP exposure and strategies to combat associated cognitive deficits.
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Self-criticism is a transdiagnostic phenomenon associated with different psychopathological manifestations in clinical and nonclinical samples. This fact has led to an increase in research on its measurement and treatment. This study seeks to examine the effects of emotion-focused therapy on self-criticism in a nonclinical population through pretreatment, posttreatment, and follow-up questionnaires.

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Objectives: This scoping review aimed to summarise available evidence relating to co-creation experiences among adults in diverse contexts. Understanding how participation in co-creation processes shapes experiences is important as it can offer insights into the improved development and effective use of such processes. Co-creation has increasingly gained attention due to its many claimed advantages and benefits to participants.

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Aim: To compare the perspective of nurses, long-stay immigrants and cultural mediators on intercultural communication in care encounters.

Design: Qualitative secondary analysis of data obtained in two primary studies.

Methods: Two sets of data from two primary studies on nurses and long-stay immigrants (including in total two focus groups and 15 in-depth interviews) were merged.

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Unconventional Optical Matter of Hybrid Metal-Dielectric Nanoparticles at Interfaces.

ACS Nano

November 2024

Laboratory for Photochemistry and Spectroscopy, Division for Molecular Imaging and Photonics, Department of Chemistry, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium.

Optical matter, a transient arrangement formed by the interaction of light with micro/nanoscale objects, provides responsive and highly tunable materials that allow for controlling and manipulating light and/or matter. A combined experimental and theoretical exploration of optical matter is essential to advance our understanding of the phenomenon and potentially design applications. Most studies have focused on nanoparticles composed of a single material (either metallic or dielectric), representing two extreme regimes, one where the gradient force (dielectric) and one where the scattering force (metallic) dominates.

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Enhanced quantification and cell tracking of dual fluorescent labeled extracellular vesicles.

Int J Pharm

December 2024

Grup d'Enginyeria de Materials (GEMAT), Institut Químic de Sarrià (IQS), Univeritat Ramon Llull (URL), Barcelona 08017, Spain. Electronic address:

Article Synopsis
  • Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) are tiny particles crucial for understanding diseases and potential therapies, but current methods for studying them are inefficient and complicated.
  • Researchers developed a new technique to engineer small EVs (sEVs) by using a special plasmid that produces fluorescent proteins, allowing for better visualization and characterization of these vesicles.
  • The study found that the engineered sEVs maintained their natural properties and could be effectively quantified and tracked, thus providing a valuable method for studying their role in cell communication and developing targeted therapies.
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Introduction: Respiratory diseases encompass a diverse range of conditions that significantly impact global morbidity and mortality. While common diseases like asthma and COPD exhibit moderate symptoms, less prevalent conditions such as pulmonary hypertension and cystic fibrosis profoundly affect quality of life and mortality. The prevalence of these diseases has surged by approximately 40% over the past 3 decades.

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Breakfast energy intake and dietary quality and trajectories of cardiometabolic risk factors in older adults.

J Nutr Health Aging

December 2024

Hospital del Mar Research Institute (IMIM), Carrer Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Blanquerna School of Health Sciences, Universitat Ramon Llull, Carrer Padilla 326, 08025 Barcelona, Spain; Consorcio Centro de Investigación Biomédica En Red (CIBER), M.P. Enfermedades Cardiovasculares (CIBERCV), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Avenida Monforte de Lemos 3-5, Pabellón 11, Planta 0, 28029 Madrid, Spain. Electronic address:

Objectives: Not skipping breakfast is associated with a better overall diet quality and lower cardiometabolic risk. However, the impact of calorie intake and dietary quality of breakfast on cardiovascular health remains unexplored. We aimed to study the associations between breakfast energy intake and quality and time trajectories of cardiometabolic traits in high cardiovascular risk participants.

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A cost-effective Daphnia magna testing framework was applied to identify emerging hazards such as neurological and cardiovascular defects as well as antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs), related to pharmaceuticals present in waste water treated (WWTP) effluent discharged into rivers. D. magna juveniles were exposed during 48 h to water samples from three rivers in the vicinity of Barcelona (NE Spain), Besós, Llobregat and Onyar, upstream and downstream of WWTP discharging points.

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Background: Developed countries report specific issues regarding the declining midwifery workforce, and their shortage could have serious consequences for women's sexual and reproductive health. The aim was to understand the perception of autonomy among midwives working in Spain, as well as factors related to their intention to leave the profession and their work environment.

Method: A descriptive and cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire.

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Article Synopsis
  • A study was conducted on B^{+} decays to explore resonant structures using data from the LHCb experiment at various energy levels, totaling an integrated luminosity of 9 fb^{-1}.
  • The researchers performed a simultaneous amplitude fit on two decay channels, determining the C parities of resonances in the D^{*±}D^{∓} mass spectra.
  • Four new charmonium or charmoniumlike states were discovered, including η_{c}(3945) and h_{c}(4000), and the presence of T_{c[over ¯]s[over ¯]0}^{*}(2870)^{0} and T_{c[over ¯]s
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Development of land use regression, dispersion, and hybrid models for prediction of outdoor air pollution exposure in Barcelona.

Sci Total Environ

December 2024

Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.

Background: Air pollution is the leading environmental risk factor for health. Assessing outdoor air pollution exposure with detailed spatial and temporal variability in urban areas is crucial for evaluating its health effects.

Aim: We developed and compared Land Use Regression (LUR), dispersion (DM), and hybrid (HM) models to estimate outdoor concentrations for NO, PM, black carbon (BC), and PM (Fe, Cu, Zn) in Barcelona.

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Network analysis has found widespread utility in many research areas. However, assessing the statistical significance of observed relationships within networks remains a complex challenge. Traditional node permutation tests are often insufficient in capturing the effect of changing network topology by creating reliable null distributions.

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Article Synopsis
  • Scientists did a big survey with over 59,000 people from 63 countries to understand how people think about climate change!
  • They tested different ways to encourage people to believe in climate change and support actions to help the environment!
  • The study includes lots of information and data that can help others learn more about what influences people's actions on climate change around the world!
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Article Synopsis
  • A recent study evaluated the prevalence of potentially inappropriate medications (PIM) in hospitalized adults aged 75 and older across 16 hospitals in Spain.
  • The study included 4,183 patients and found that 23.5% were prescribed PIMs, with a notable variation in prevalence between hospitals (10% to 42.5%).
  • Benzodiazepines were the most common PIMs, and many patients continued their PIMs from pre-admission into the hospital; however, few were still prescribed at discharge, highlighting the need for better medication management for older adults.
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