Publications by authors named "Lazaro Hernandez"

Objective: Parkinson's disease (PD) pathophysiology is associated with a progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and accumulation of insoluble inclusions of misfolded alpha-synuclein. In this study, we used a neuroblastoma-derived cell model overexpressing a pro-aggregation form of alpha-synuclein and human-derived induced-pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to investigate the efficacy of PIKfyve-mediated lysosomal biogenesis to reduce alpha-synuclein inclusions.

Methods: We used high-content imaging and enzymatic assays to follow the progression of lysosomal biogenesis, lysosomal catabolism and alpha-synuclein accumulation.

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Over recent decades, the search for sensitive and specific biomarkers of degenerative parkinsonisms has intensified. So also has the number of clinical trials aimed at disease modification and the subsequent need for improved recruitment of participants in the earliest possible stages and with the highest diagnostic certainty. Also increasing in number have been searches for ways to determine target engagement and biological effect, along with tracking of disease progression or its modification.

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Introduction: We present a rare case of acute immune-mediated polyradiculoneuritis, a Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) variant, manifesting as ophthalmoparesis-ataxia, facial diplegia, and acute bulbar palsy, accompanied by a unique autoimmune profile.

Clinical Case: A 75-year-old female developed rapidly progressive symptoms, including bilateral non-reactive mydriasis, ptosis, complete ophthalmoplegia, bilateral facial weakness, tongue immobility, palatal paralysis, limb dysmetria, ataxia, and brisk generalized tendon reflexes, all while maintaining a preserved mental state. Symptoms emerged 10 days after a probable gastrointestinal infection.

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  • Current methods to predict sudden cardiac death (SCD) in children with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) are insufficient, although late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) in CMR imaging has shown a link to SCD in adults.
  • This study aimed to assess the significance of LGE in HCM patients under 21 years, utilizing data from various international centers between 2015 and 2022.
  • Results indicated that 32.9% of the 700 patients had LGE, and those with LGE were more likely to experience SCD or related events, emphasizing the potential role of LGE in clinical assessments for younger patients with HCM.
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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigated the clinical features and long-term outcomes of myocarditis linked to COVID-19 vaccination, focusing on 333 affected patients under 30 compared to 100 with MIS-C.
  • Findings indicated that C-VAM patients were mostly young white males, experienced milder symptoms initially, but had higher rates of myocardial injury as shown by cardiac imaging.
  • Despite a generally benign course and no reported cardiac deaths during follow-up, 60% of patients still showed evidence of myocardial injury after approximately six months.
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Background: Migraine is one of the main causes of disability worldwide. Anti-CGRP monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) have proven to be safe and efficacious as preventive migraine treatments. However, their use is restricted in many countries due to their apparently high cost.

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Background: In pediatric heart transplant (PHT), cardiac catheterization with endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) is standard for diagnosing acute rejection (AR) and cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) but is costly and invasive.

Objectives: To evaluate the ability of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) to noninvasively identify differences in PHT patients with AR and CAV.

Methods: Patients were enrolled at three children's hospitals.

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Introduction: The screening for atrial fibrillation (AF) scale (SAFE score) was recently developed to provide a prediction of the diagnosis of AF after an ischemic stroke. It includes 7 items: ≥ 65 years, bronchopathy, thyroid disease, cortical location of stroke, intracranial large vessel occlusion, NT-ProBNP ≥250 pg/mL, and left atrial enlargement. In the internal validation, a good performance was obtained, with an = 0.

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Background: Right ventricular outflow tract intervention spans transcatheter, surgical, or hybrid pulmonary valve replacement methodologies. Standardised pre-procedure workup includes cardiac MRI to identify an intended valve site (landing zone). Our institutional practice includes measurement of the right ventricular outflow tract perimeter (circumference) of this site in end-systole.

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Background: Atrial and ventricular filling pressures are routinely used in pediatric heart transplant (PHTx) recipients to assess graft function. We hypothesized that cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) diastolic indices correlate with filling pressures, providing a noninvasive method of hemodynamic assessment.

Methods: Pediatric heart transplant recipients were prospectively enrolled at the time of cardiac catheterization.

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One of the projected effects of climate change is a reduction in rainfall in certain regions of the world. Hence, the agricultural and livestock sectors will have to cope with increasing incidences of water shortage while still maintaining productivity levels to feed an ever increasing global population. This short communication reports on the effect of a 2-week water stress on Pelibuey sheep in Cuba.

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The utility of implanting a bioscaffold mitral valve consisting of porcine small intestinal submucosa (PSIS) in a juvenile baboon model (12 to 14 months old at the time of implant; = 3) to assess their in vivo tissue remodeling responses was investigated. Our findings demonstrated that the PSIS mitral valve exhibited the robust presence of de novo extracellular matrix (ECM) at all explantation time points (at 3-, 11-, and 20-months). Apart from a significantly lower level of proteoglycans in the implanted valve's annulus region ( < 0.

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Substantial progress has been made in the standardization of nomenclature for paediatric and congenital cardiac care. In 1936, Maude Abbott published her Atlas of Congenital Cardiac Disease, which was the first formal attempt to classify congenital heart disease. The International Paediatric and Congenital Cardiac Code (IPCCC) is now utilized worldwide and has most recently become the paediatric and congenital cardiac component of the Eleventh Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11).

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Substantial progress has been made in the standardization of nomenclature for paediatric and congenital cardiac care. In 1936, Maude Abbott published her Atlas of Congenital Cardiac Disease, which was the first formal attempt to classify congenital heart disease. The International Paediatric and Congenital Cardiac Code () is now utilized worldwide and has most recently become the paediatric and congenital cardiac component of the Eleventh Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11).

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Fructooligosaccharides (FOSs)-fructose-based oligosaccharides-are typical prebiotics with health-promoting effects in humans and animals. The trisaccharide 1-kestotriose is the most attractive inulin-type FOS. We previously reported a recombinant sucrose:sucrose 1-fructosyltransferase (1-SST, EC 2.

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Phlorizin is a low soluble dihydrochalcone with relevant pharmacological properties. In this study, enzymatic fructosylation was approached to enhance the water solubility of phlorizin, and consequently its bioavailability. Three enzymes were assayed for phlorizin fructosylation in aqueous reactions using sucrose as fructosyl donor.

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Enzymatic glycosylation is an efficient way to increase the water solubility and the bioavailability of flavonoids. Levansucrases from Bacillus subtilis (Bs_SacB), Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus (Gd_LsdA), Leuconostoc mesenteroides (Lm_LevS) and Zymomonas mobilis (Zm_LevU) were screened for puerarin (daidzein-8-C-glucoside) fructosylation. Gd_LsdA transferred the fructosyl unit of sucrose onto the glucosyl unit of the acceptor forming β-d-fructofuranosyl-(2→6)-puerarin (P1a), while Bs_SacB, Lm_LevS and Zm_LevU synthesized puerarin-4'-O-β-D-fructofuranoside (P1b) and traces of P1a.

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Conceptually, a tissue engineered heart valve would be especially appealing in the pediatric setting since small size and somatic growth constraints would be alleviated. In this study, we utilized porcine small intestinal submucosa (PSIS) for valve replacement. Of note, we evaluated the material responses of PSIS and subsequently its acute function and somatic growth potential in the mitral position.

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Acetic acid bacteria (AAB) are associated with plants and insects. Determinants for the targeting and occupation of these widely different environments are unknown. However, most of these natural habitats share plant-derived sucrose, which can be metabolized by some AAB via polyfructose building levansucrases (LS) known to be involved in biofilm formation.

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The authors present a case of mitochondrial cardiomyopathy due to a novel mutation of gene that led to progressive heart failure. The cardiac magnetic resonance image findings of diffusely elevated relaxation time and increase in extracellular volume in the myocardium without early or late gadolinium enhancement may suggest mitochondrial cardiomyopathy. The authors emphasized the multidisciplinary team approach in the care of patients with mitochondrial cardiomyopathies.

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The thermostable β-fructosidase (BfrA) from the bacterium Thermotoga maritima converts sucrose into glucose, fructose, and low levels of short-chain fructooligosaccharides (FOS) at high substrate concentration (1.75 M) and elevated temperatures (60-70 °C). In this research, FOS produced by BfrA were characterized by HPAE-PAD analysis as a mixture of 1-kestotriose, 6-kestotriose (neokestose), and to a major extent 6-kestotriose.

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Background: Tissue Doppler velocities are impaired after heart transplantation and further diminished in acute rejection.

Methods: Left ventricular relaxation index (LVRI) was calculated as the sum of E' of the left ventricular lateral, septal and posterior walls divided by left ventricular posterior wall (LVPW) thinning (LVRI = E' lateral + E' septal + E' posterior/[systolic LVPW - diastolic LVPW/systolic LVPW]). On the basis of a prior study, LVRI > 0.

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