Publications by authors named "Raquel Alarcon Rodriguez"

Cancer continues to be a primary cause of death, resulting in substantial mortality and illness globally. It remains a significant global health issue, greatly affecting morbidity and mortality across the world. Therapeutic resistance poses a major challenge to cancer treatments, acting as a significant barrier to the effectiveness of both standard and targeted therapies.

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Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common degenerative joint disease causing chronic pain, disability, and mobility limitations, severely affecting quality of life. Traditional treatments like physical therapy and surgery often have limited efficacy due to side effects, incomplete recovery, and disease progression, highlighting the need for innovative therapies.

Methods: We searched PubMed and Embase from January 1, 2010 to November 1, 2024, preliminary included studies involving animal experiments on the therapeutic effects of decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) and its derived materials on cartilage defect.

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: Hypertension, obesity, and a sedentary lifestyle are interrelated, forming a vicious cycle that deteriorates cardiovascular health. In addition to being a pathology, hypertension is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Interventions that combine weight loss and physical activity (PA) reduce cardiovascular risk, but many people face barriers in adhering to regular PA regimens such as a lack of time or motivation.

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Objective: Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are at significant risk of becoming infected, with an associated elevated risk of amputation. Choosing an appropriate treatment would help prevent infection, improve healing and patients' quality of life, as well as reduce healthcare costs. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of a dialkylcarbamoyl chloride (DACC)-coated wound dressing to reduce bacterial load in the treatment of infected diabetic foot ulcers with signs of biofilm.

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Background: Ankyloglossia, or limited tongue mobility due to a restrictive sublingual frenulum, can complicate breastfeeding. Treatment typically involves a frenotomy, a procedure that cuts the restrictive tissue parallel to the tongue.

Research Aim: To describe the experiences of breastfeeding mothers with children affected by ankyloglossia, before any treatment for the condition.

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Aims: This study assessed the effect of immersive virtual reality (IVR) on anxiety and intraoperative pain in adult patients undergoing dental extractions with local anesthesia.

Methods: In a single-blind, randomized clinical trial from September 2022 to December 2023 at a private dental clinic, 190 patients with dental anxiety were randomly assigned to either an IVR or a control group. Primary outcomes-dental anxiety and perioperative pain-were measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS), and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) before and after the procedure.

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Objectives: To evaluate the effect of eliminating the traditional preparatory fasting policy before contrast-enhanced CT on acute adverse reactions and to identify potential risk factors in a Spanish population sample, since many European patients still experience this unnecessary measure in clinical practice.

Methods: Outpatients who underwent non-emergency CT to either 6 h of solid food fasting (control group) or an unrestricted consumption of solids (intervention group). Adverse reactions during contrast media administration and up to 30 min afterward were recorded and their incidence was calculated.

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T cells are the key to killing tumor cells. However, the exact mechanism of their role in cancer is not fully understood. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of the role of T-cell proliferation regulatory genes in tumors is needed.

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Spinal manipulations for chronic non-specific neck pain (CNNP) include cervical, cervicothoracic junction, and thoracic spine (CCT) manipulations as well as upper cervical spine (UCS) manipulations. This study aimed to compare the short-term effects of UCS manipulation versus a combination of CCT spine manipulations on pain intensity, disability, and cervical range of motion (CROM) in CNNP patients. In a private physiotherapy clinic, 186 participants with CNNP were randomly assigned to either the UCS (n = 93) or CCT (n = 93) manipulation groups.

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Purpose: To determine the relationship between bone loss that occurs during the peri-implantitis process and variations in implant stability using resonance frequency analysis (RFA) measurement methods.

Materials And Methods: Forty selftapping implants were placed in cow ribs, and study scenarios were established according to the affected implant side and bone loss depth (n = 10 implants per group): Case 1 = bone loss on one side (vestibular); Case 2 = bone loss on two opposite sides (buccal and lingual); Case 3 = bone loss on two adjacent sides (buccal and mesial); and Case 4 = foursided bone loss (circumferential). For each group of 10 implants, first a bone loss of 0 mm was evaluated, then 4-mm defects (simulating 1/3 of bone loss) were created and evaluated, and finally 8-mm defects (simulating 2/3 of bone loss) were created and evaluated.

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Background: Pregnant women often experience anxiety due to pregnancy, negatively impacting their and their fetus' health. Non-pharmacological interventions, such as virtual reality (VR), could reduce anxiety levels, potentially impacting non-stress tests or the physiological responses of the pregnant woman and the fetus.

Methods: A randomized clinical trial conducted between February and December 2022 involved 286 term pregnant women.

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The Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway has been implicated in the pathogenesis of various cancers. However, the roles of the downstream GLI family (GLI1, GLI2, and GLI3) in tumorigenesis remain elusive. This study aimed to unravel the genetic alterations of GLI1/2/3 in cancer and their association with the immune microenvironment and related signaling pathways.

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Article Synopsis
  • Osteoarthritis (OA) involves aging and inflammation, and the role of the Hedgehog signaling pathway in OA is still being investigated through both Bulk RNA-seq and single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) analyses.
  • The study combines multiple datasets to analyze Hedgehog pathway activity in OA, identifies nine critical Hedgehog-associated genes using machine learning, and examines their functional implications and immune infiltration in OA tissues.
  • The findings indicate enhanced Hedgehog pathway activity in OA, with two distinct Hedgehog-related subgroups identified; models built from the key genes show strong predictive capabilities, especially linking Hedgehog activity to inflammatory pathways and extracellular matrix processes.
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Lymphotoxin beta receptor (LTBR) is a positive T cell proliferation regulator gene. It is closely associated with the tumor immune microenvironment. However, its role in cancer and immunotherapy is unclear.

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In southeastern Spain, intensive and highly productive agriculture under plastic also poses a risk to human health, as evidenced by reports on acute pesticide poisoning and its effects on mental health. However, knowledge of chronic exposures and their relationship to psychiatric disorders is still limited. This study analyzed the relationship between occupational exposure to pesticides and psychiatric disorders in farmers from Almería.

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Article Synopsis
  • Dyspareunia is a condition that causes painful intercourse and can greatly affect a woman's psychological health and overall quality of life, especially for those with a history of sexual abuse.
  • This qualitative study involved 15 women in the Dominican Republic, exploring their experiences with dyspareunia using in-depth interviews and phenomenological analysis.
  • The findings revealed three key themes: the connection between past sexual abuse and dyspareunia, the fear of societal revictimization, and the sexual repercussions of this condition, highlighting the need for better understanding and innovative preventive strategies in addressing these issues.
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Prolyl 4-hydroxylase subunit alpha 3 () is implicated in several cancers' development. However, has not been reported in other cancers, and the exact mechanism of action is currently unknown. First, the expression profile of was analyzed using a combination of the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) database, Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE) database, and Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) database.

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Asphyxia during birth is one of the three leading causes of neonatal morbidity and mortality among newborns carried to term. The objective of this study was to evaluate the measurement of the foetal scalp blood pH as a measure of foetal status, evaluating: cord gases, meconium-stained fluid, APGAR score or the need for neonatal resuscitation in pregnant women undergoing caesarean sections. A cross-sectional study was carried out over a period of 5 years (2017-2021) at the Hospital de Poniente (southern Spain).

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Inadequate sleep has been linked to a variety of impairments in bodily functions, including endocrine, metabolic, higher cortical function, and neurological disorders. For this reason, the aim of this study was to analyze the link between occupational pesticide exposure and sleep health among farmers in Almeria. A cross-sectional study was conducted among a population living on the coast of Almeria (southeastern Spain), where about 33,321 hectares of land are used for intensive agriculture in plastic greenhouses.

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Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of virtual reality (VR) and music therapy on anxiety and perioperative pain in patients undergoing extraction of impacted third molars.

Methods: A total of 275 patients who had to undergo surgery for third-molar extraction participated in a randomized controlled trial and were divided into 3 parallel groups: music therapy intervention (n = 91), VR intervention (n = 93), and control (n = 91). The Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the visual analog scale of pain intensity were used as measurements in this study.

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Pregnancy monitoring is vital to guaranteeing that both the foetus and the mother are in optimal health conditions. WHO protocols recommend at least eight medical examinations during the pregnancy period. While the cancellation or reduction of appointments during pregnancy due to the pandemic may help reduce the risk of infection, it could also negatively influence perinatal outcomes and the birthing process.

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