Publications by authors named "Luis A Parra"

Background: Facial overfilled syndrome (FOS) is an increasingly recognized complication of injectable aesthetic procedures, characterized by undesirable facial volume and contour irregularities. While hyaluronidase is well-established for managing hyaluronic acid (HA) filler complications, treating FOS caused by non-HA fillers, such as fat and silicone, remains challenging.

Objective: This study aims to present the results of a novel enzymatic therapy combining hyaluronidase, collagenase, and lipase for treating FOS in five patients with complications from HA, fat, and silicone fillers.

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Heterosexist victimization constitutes a severe source of social stress with enduring effects on mental health and the adrenocortical functioning of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGTBQ) emerging adults. However, it is unknown what roles lower or higher diurnal cortisol at waking (cortisol intercepts) and less variable fluctuations ("flatter" slopes) play in the links between heterosexist victimization and depressive symptoms. In accordance with diathesis-stress, allostatic load, and biological embedding perspectives, we examined whether cortisol intercepts and slopes moderated or mediated the predictive associations of heterosexist victimization with depressive symptoms over 24-months.

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The present study investigated whether the patterns of intersectional stigma experiences were associated with differences in the developmental, parallel trajectories of anxious and depressive symptoms across the transition to adulthood among Black, Latinx, and Afro-Latinx cisgender sexual minority young men. Data were from the Healthy Young Men's Cohort Study collected semiannually from 2016 to 2020 in Los Angeles and included 426 cisgender Black, Latinx, and Afro-Latinx sexual minority young men between the ages of 18 and 25 at baseline. Multidomain latent growth modeling with a complex grouping variable was used to estimate the parallel trajectories of anxious and depressive symptoms and whether these trajectories varied based on the patterns of intersectional stigma at baseline.

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Rationale: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are linked to later anxiety and depression, and inflammation has been implicated as a mediating mechanism. Black and Latinx men who have sex with men (MSM) face higher prevalences of ACEs, anxiety, and depression compared to White, heterosexual peers. Understanding the links between ACEs and mental health is crucial to addressing these disparities.

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Background: Although racially, sexually, and gender minoritized (RSGM) persons experience chronic and sometimes severe financial life stressors that increase their risk of mental health problems across the life course, no studies in this population have examined psychological resilience factors, such as optimism, that may mitigate these negative effects.

Purpose: To investigate how exposure to financial stressors is associated with symptoms of anxiety, depression, and somatization, and whether optimism moderates these associations.

Method: Two hundred and eighty-five RSGM emerging adults (M = 25.

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Significant gaps remain in our understanding of how minority stress patterns health outcomes for adults at the intersection of ethnicity/ race and sexual orientation. In particular, little is known about how cumulative cortisol (measured via hair cortisol concentration as an indicator of chronic stress; HCC) and depressive symptoms are related to holding an intersectional minoritized identity (e.g.

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Background: Esthetic gynecology addresses the growing demand for treatments covering functional and esthetic concerns of the external genitalia, significantly impacting women's confidence and sexual relationships. While hyaluronic acid (HA) and calcium hydroxylapatite (CaHA) have shown promise in vaginal rejuvenation, data on hybrid filler applications remain limited.

Objective: This narrative review examines the anatomical, structural, and psychological aspects of labia majora rejuvenation, outlining available treatment options and presenting the authors' experience with a novel HA/CaHA hybrid filler.

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Background: Botulinum toxin (BTX) is globally the most common aesthetic procedure. Its usage has expanded beyond facial treatments to therapeutic areas, including managing scars and postsurgical deformities. Breast cancer survivors often face significant deformities and asymmetry during recovery.

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Objective: Although sexual minority men experience substantial discrimination, in addition to increased risk for several serious mental and somatic health problems, the biological mechanisms underlying these effects are unclear. To address this issue, we examined how experiences of social safety (i.e.

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Introduction: Structural stigma has important health implications for sexual minority individuals, including alcohol and tobacco use, and mental health. This study examined associations of structural stigma with alcohol and tobacco use and internalizing symptoms while considering sexual identity changes and multiple dimensions of sexual orientation among adolescents and adults in the U.S.

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Many national studies fail to account for discordance between sexual orientation dimensions (e.g. a mismatch between sexual identity and sexual attraction) or sexual identity fluidity (e.

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The current study describes how a community-partnered participatory research (CPPR) model was used to enhance hair cortisol research engagement among low-income adults of diverse ethnicities and sexual and gender identities. Participants' reported motivations and concerns surrounding providing a hair sample are also described. Participants from a larger longitudinal study were invited to provide a hair sample and/or complete acceptability interviews.

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Background: Research has shown that sexual minority people of color experience pervasive and sometimes severe life stressors that increase their risk of experiencing mental health problems, and that can contribute to lifelong health disparities. However, no studies in this population have investigated stressor exposure occurring over the entire lifespan. Moreover, it remains unknown whether these stressor-health effects differ based on the timing or types of stressors experienced.

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Purpose: Experiences of sexuality-based discrimination (ie, minority stressors) against youth who identify as nonheterosexual (ie, sexual minority) have been associated with increased symptoms of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for sexual minority adolescents (SMA; ages 14-17). However, little is known about the experiences of SMA living in rural communities across the United States. Thus, the present study sought to examine differences in mental health patterns between urban and rural dwelling SMA, and to see whether these differences are, at least in part, explained by experiences of lifetime minority stress.

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is a genus of fungi in the family Agaricaceae, with several highly priced edible and medicinal species. Here we describe , a new species, in . sect.

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This study examined adrenocortical responses in the days following the Pulse nightclub massacre on June 12, 2016, among emerging adults in Northern California ( = 202;  = 23.18 years,  = 2.56; 25% LGBQ-Latinx, 25% LGBQ-White, 25% Straight-Latinx, and 25% Straight-White) between June 13-August 12, 2016.

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Psychiatry and allied disciplines have recognized the potency of structural and social determinants of mental health, yet there has been scant attention given to the roles of neurobiology in the links between structural and social determinants and mental health. In this article, we make the case for why greater attention must be given to structural and social determinants of biological psychiatry by researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers. After defining these terms and theoretical frameworks for considering their relevance in biological psychiatry, we review empirical research with marginalized and minoritized racial, ethnic, gender, sexual, and economic communities that reveals the ways in which structural and social determinants affect neurobiological functioning with implications for mental health.

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Sexual minority people in the United States are less likely to have access to health services when compared to their heterosexual counterparts. Less is known about the within-group sociodemographic memberships among sexual minority people regarding access to health services. Using data from a nationally representative sample, a series of univariate and bivariate analyses were used to determine associations between sociodemographic group membership and access to health services.

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Background: Research on the experiences of LGBTQIA+ youth in out-of-home care has mainly focused on these youth's adversities and the resulting negative impact on their wellbeing. Little is known about the ways through which LGBTQIA+ youth in out-of-home care are resilient to these adversities. To date, a review study on resilience in this population is lacking.

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Household job loss during COVID-19 constitutes a public health crisis. Research suggests associations between household job loss, harsher parenting practices, and mental health challenges in the general population. Sexual minority adolescents (SMA) face high rates of family stress and rejection, but evidence linking household job loss to SMA mental health is lacking.

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Little research has examined subtle, intersectional, and everyday minority stress, such as microaggressions specific to being a queer person of color, and its associations with depressive symptoms among sexual and gender minority adolescents (SGMA) of color. Moreover, research is needed to identify mechanisms that might explain the associations between minority stress and depression. This study examined the associations between subtle and intersectional minority stress (i.

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Article Synopsis
  • Poverty during adolescence can significantly disrupt stress-related hormone responses, particularly as measured by the HPA axis.
  • A study with 229 Mexican-origin adolescents found that those in persistent poverty displayed lower stress hormone activity compared to their peers from more financially secure backgrounds.
  • This research indicates the importance of improving family income to support healthy stress responses in youths experiencing chronic poverty.
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Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in major life disruptions for sexual minority adolescents (SMAs), who already face and cope with pervasive and disproportionate rates of social, behavioral, and mental health challenges. Current research suggests that SMAs are struggling with COVID-19-related shelter in place orders navigating family proximity and dynamics and experiencing isolation from SMA-specific supports. Given identified challenges that may exacerbate known mental health disparities in SMAs, this work explores self-care practices among SMAs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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