Publications by authors named "Alfredo Franco-Obregon"

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) are important targets for gene modification therapies (GMT) as they originate several serious genetic conditions including the β-haemoglobinopathies. Potentially curative GMT pose the barriers of accessibility, myeloablation-associated morbidity and prohibitive cost. GMT using non-integrating single-strand adeno-associated viral vectors (ssAAV) are a promising alternative that address these challenges directly, although the small ssAAV payload limits the capacity to package much larger gene or base editors.

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This study compared the metabolic consequences of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) from donor mice that had been either administered pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy or exercised to recipient mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD). Eight weeks of PEMF treatment (10 min/week) enhanced PGC-1α-associated mitochondrial and metabolic gene expression in white and brown adipose to a greater degree than eight weeks of exercise (30-40 min/week). FMT from PEMF-treated donor mice recapitulated these adipogenic adaptations in HFD-fed recipient mice more faithfully than FMT from exercised donors.

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Maternal metabolic dysfunction adversely influences embryonic muscle oxidative capacity and mitochondrial biogenesis, increasing the child's long-term risks of developing obesity and metabolic syndrome in later life. This pilot study explored the mechanistic basis of embryonic muscle metabolic programming, employing non-invasive magnetic field exposures. Brief (10 min) exposure to low-energy (1.

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Preclinical studies have shown that the blood from female mice exposed weekly to magnetic fields inhibited breast cancer growth. This double-blind randomized controlled trial investigated whether analogous magnetic therapy could produce similar anticancer sera from human subjects. Twenty-six healthy adult females (ages 30-45) were assigned to either a magnetic therapy group, receiving twice weekly 1 mT magnetic exposures (10 min/session) for 4 weeks, or a control group, who underwent identical sham exposure.

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The cryptochromes are flavoproteins that either individually or synergistically respond to light and magnetic field directionality as well as are implicated in circadian rhythm entrainment and development. Single brief exposures (10 min) to low energy (1.5 mT) pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) were previously shown to enhance myogenesis by stimulating transient receptor potential canonical 1 (TRPC1)-mediated Ca entry, whereby downwardly directed fields produced greater myogenic enhancement than upwardly directed fields.

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Article Synopsis
  • * The study aims to explore if combining standard exercises with pulse electromagnetic field therapy can enhance stability and reduce muscle weakness in patients with chronic ankle instability.
  • * A randomized trial with 48 participants will compare the effects of active therapy with a placebo over 8 weeks, with evaluations conducted at multiple follow-up points.
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: Doxorubicin (DOX) is commonly used as a chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of breast cancer. Nonetheless, its systemic delivery via intravenous injection and toxicity towards healthy tissues commonly result in a broad range of detrimental side effects. Breast cancer severity was previously shown to be correlated with TRPC1 channel expression that conferred upon it enhanced vulnerability to pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy.

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Background: Pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy is a potential nonoperative treatment for Achilles tendinopathy, but the current published literature on its effects is sparse.

Purpose: To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of PEMF therapy and eccentric exercise for Achilles tendinopathy.

Study Design: Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1.

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Article Synopsis
  • Osteoarthritis of the knee is a prevalent condition in older adults, prompting research into effective treatments such as home exercises and pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy to alleviate symptoms.
  • A study involving 60 patients found that those receiving both PEMF and exercise showed significant improvements in muscle strength and functional measures like gait speed and pain levels compared to those who only did home exercises.
  • The combination therapy particularly benefited older patients and highlighted gender differences in outcomes, indicating a promising approach for enhancing quality of life in those with knee osteoarthritis.
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Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels are broadly implicated in the developmental programs of most tissues. Amongst these tissues, skeletal muscle and adipose are noteworthy for being essential in establishing systemic metabolic balance. TRP channels respond to environmental stimuli by supplying intracellular calcium that instigates enzymatic cascades of developmental consequence and often impinge on mitochondrial function and biogenesis.

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Concurrent optical and magnetic stimulation (COMS) combines extremely low-frequency electromagnetic and light exposure for enhanced wound healing. We investigated the potential mechanistic synergism between the magnetic and light components of COMS by comparing their individual and combined cellular responses. Lone magnetic field exposure produced greater enhancements in cell proliferation than light alone, yet the combined effects of magnetic fields and light were supra-additive of the individual responses.

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Briefly (10 min) exposing C2C12 myotubes to low amplitude (1.5 mT) pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) generated a conditioned media (pCM) that was capable of mitigating breast cancer cell growth, migration, and invasiveness in vitro, whereas the conditioned media harvested from unexposed myotubes, representing constitutively released secretome (cCM), was less effective. Administering pCM to breast cancer microtumors engrafted onto the chorioallantoic membrane of chicken eggs reduced tumor volume and vascularity.

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Mitohormesis is a process whereby mitochondrial stress responses, mediated by reactive oxygen species (ROS), act cumulatively to either instill survival adaptations (low ROS levels) or to produce cell damage (high ROS levels). The mitohormetic nature of extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field (ELF-EMF) exposure thus makes it susceptible to extraneous influences that also impinge on mitochondrial ROS production and contribute to the collective response. Consequently, magnetic stimulation paradigms are prone to experimental variability depending on diverse circumstances.

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Muscle function reflects muscular mitochondrial status, which, in turn, is an adaptive response to physical activity, representing improvements in energy production for de novo biosynthesis or metabolic efficiency. Differences in muscle performance are manifestations of the expression of distinct contractile-protein isoforms and of mitochondrial-energy substrate utilization. Powerful contractures require immediate energy production from carbohydrates outside the mitochondria that exhaust rapidly.

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The effects of concurrent optical and magnetic stimulation (COMS) therapy on wound-healing-related parameters, such as tissue oxygenation and water index, were analyzed by hyperspectral imaging: an exploratory case series. : Oedema and inadequate perfusion have been identified as key factors in delayed wound healing and have been linked to reduced mitochondrial respiration. Targeting mitochondrial dysfunction is a promising approach in the treatment of therapy refractory wounds.

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Brief (10 min) weekly exposure to low energy pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) has been shown to improve human muscle mitochondrial bioenergetics and attenuate systemic lipotoxicity following anterior cruciate ligament surgical reconstruction. Here we present data generated from 101 participants, 62% female, aged 38-91 years, recruited from the QuantumTx Demo Centre in Singapore, wherein 87% of participants ( = 88) presented with pre-existing mobility dysfunction and 13% ( = 13) were healthy volunteers. Participants were recruited if: (i) not pregnant; (ii) above 35 years of age and; (iii) without surgical implants.

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Background: Metabolic disruption commonly follows Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction (ACLR) surgery. Brief exposure to low amplitude and frequency pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) has been shown to promote and murine myogeneses via the activation of a calcium-mitochondrial axis conferring systemic metabolic adaptations. This randomized-controlled pilot trial sought to detect local changes in muscle structure and function using MRI, and systemic changes in metabolism using plasma biomarker analyses resulting from ACLR, with or without accompanying PEMF therapy.

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Purpose: Persistent quadriceps muscle atrophy is observed in a subset of patients following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) despite the completion of comprehensive rehabilitation. Critically, quadriceps muscle atrophy correlates with muscle weakness and quadriceps strength deficits. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of resistance exercise on myokine levels and muscle atrophy status in ACLR patients with persistent quadriceps muscle atrophy.

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Pulsing electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) have been shown to promote in vitro and in vivo myogeneses via mitohormetic survival adaptations of which secretome activation is a key component. A single 10-min exposure of donor myoblast cultures to 1.5 mT amplitude PEMFs produced a conditioned media (pCM) capable of enhancing the myogenesis of recipient cultures to a similar degree as direct magnetic exposure.

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Article Synopsis
  • The correction addresses errors found in the original article, ensuring the scientific accuracy of the findings and conclusions.
  • It clarifies specific data points and methodology that were previously misrepresented or unclear.
  • This update is crucial for future research and understanding in the relevant field of study, ensuring that subsequent work builds on correct information.
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Chemotherapy is the mainstream treatment modality for invasive breast cancer. Unfortunately, chemotherapy-associated adverse events can result in early termination of treatment. Paradoxical effects of chemotherapy are also sometimes observed, whereby prolonged exposure to high doses of chemotherapeutic agents results in malignant states resistant to chemotherapy.

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Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) chondrogenesis is modulated by diverse biophysical cues. We have previously shown that brief, low-amplitude pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) differentially enhance MSC chondrogenesis in scaffold-free pellet cultures versus conventional tissue culture plastic (TCP), indicating an interplay between magnetism and micromechanical environment. Here, we examined the influence of PEMF directionality over the chondrogenic differentiation of MSCs laden on electrospun fibrous scaffolds of either random (RND) or aligned (ALN) orientations.

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Pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) are capable of specifically activating a TRPC1-mitochondrial axis underlying cell expansion and mitohormetic survival adaptations. This study characterizes cell-derived vesicles (CDVs) generated from C2C12 murine myoblasts and shows that they are equipped with the sufficient molecular machinery to confer mitochondrial respiratory capacity and associated proliferative responses upon their fusion with recipient cells. CDVs derived from wild type C2C12 myoblasts include the cation-permeable transient receptor potential (TRP) channels, TRPC1 and TRPA1, and directly respond to PEMF exposure with TRPC1-mediated calcium entry.

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Exercise modulates metabolism and the gut microbiome. Brief exposure to low mT-range pulsing electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) was previously shown to accentuate in vitro myogenesis and mitochondriogenesis by activating a calcium-mitochondrial axis upstream of PGC-1α transcriptional upregulation, recapitulating a genetic response implicated in exercise-induced metabolic adaptations. We compared the effects of analogous PEMF exposure (1.

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Background: The mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) secretome, via the combined actions of its plethora of biologically active factors, is capable of orchestrating the regenerative responses of numerous tissues by both eliciting and amplifying biological responses within recipient cells. MSCs are "environmentally responsive" to local micro-environmental cues and biophysical perturbations, influencing their differentiation as well as secretion of bioactive factors. We have previously shown that exposures of MSCs to pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) enhanced MSC chondrogenesis.

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