| 1. |
- Axfors, Cathrine, et al.
(författare)
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Association between convalescent plasma treatment and mortality in COVID-19 : a collaborative systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials
- 2021
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Ingår i: BMC Infectious Diseases. - : BioMed Central (BMC). - 1471-2334. ; 21:1
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Convalescent plasma has been widely used to treat COVID-19 and is under investigation in numerous randomized clinical trials, but results are publicly available only for a small number of trials. The objective of this study was to assess the benefits of convalescent plasma treatment compared to placebo or no treatment and all-cause mortality in patients with COVID-19, using data from all available randomized clinical trials, including unpublished and ongoing trials (Open Science Framework, ). Methods: In this collaborative systematic review and meta-analysis, clinical trial registries (ClinicalTrials.gov, WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform), the Cochrane COVID-19 register, the LOVE database, and PubMed were searched until April 8, 2021. Investigators of trials registered by March 1, 2021, without published results were contacted via email. Eligible were ongoing, discontinued and completed randomized clinical trials that compared convalescent plasma with placebo or no treatment in COVID-19 patients, regardless of setting or treatment schedule. Aggregated mortality data were extracted from publications or provided by investigators of unpublished trials and combined using the Hartung-Knapp-Sidik-Jonkman random effects model. We investigated the contribution of unpublished trials to the overall evidence. Results: A total of 16,477 patients were included in 33 trials (20 unpublished with 3190 patients, 13 published with 13,287 patients). 32 trials enrolled only hospitalized patients (including 3 with only intensive care unit patients). Risk of bias was low for 29/33 trials. Of 8495 patients who received convalescent plasma, 1997 died (23%), and of 7982 control patients, 1952 died (24%). The combined risk ratio for all-cause mortality was 0.97 (95% confidence interval: 0.92; 1.02) with between-study heterogeneity not beyond chance (I-2 = 0%). The RECOVERY trial had 69.8% and the unpublished evidence 25.3% of the weight in the meta-analysis. Conclusions: Convalescent plasma treatment of patients with COVID-19 did not reduce all-cause mortality. These results provide strong evidence that convalescent plasma treatment for patients with COVID-19 should not be used outside of randomized trials. Evidence synthesis from collaborations among trial investigators can inform both evidence generation and evidence application in patient care.
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| 2. |
- Cisneros, Jose A., et al.
(författare)
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Structure-Activity Relationship of a New Series of Reversible Dual Monoacylglycerol Lipase/Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase Inhibitors
- 2012
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Ingår i: Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0022-2623 .- 1520-4804. ; 55:2, s. 824-836
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The two endocannabinoids, anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), play independent and nonredundant roles in the body. This makes the development of both selective and dual inhibitors of their inactivation an important priority. In this work we report a new series of inhibitors of monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) and fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH). Among them, (+/-)-oxiran-2-ylmethyl 6-(1,1'-biphenyl-4-yl)hexanoate (8) and (2R)-(-)-oxiran-2-ylmethyl(4-benzylphenyl)acetate (30) stand out as potent inhibitors of human recombinant MAGL (IC(50) (8) = 4.1 mu M; IC(50) (30) = 2.4 mu M), rat brain monoacylglycerol hydrolysis (IC(50) (8) = 1.8 mu M; IC(50) (30) = 0.68 mu M), and rat brain FAAH (IC(50) (8) = 5.1 mu M; IC(50) (30) = 0.29 mu M). Importantly, and in contrast to the other previously described MAGL inhibitors, these compounds behave as reversible inhibitors either of competitive (8) or noncompetitive nature (30). Hence, they could be useful to explore the therapeutic potential of reversible MAGL inhibitors.
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| 3. |
- Elsik, Christine G., et al.
(författare)
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The Genome Sequence of Taurine Cattle : A Window to Ruminant Biology and Evolution
- 2009
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Ingår i: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 324:5926, s. 522-528
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To understand the biology and evolution of ruminants, the cattle genome was sequenced to about sevenfold coverage. The cattle genome contains a minimum of 22,000 genes, with a core set of 14,345 orthologs shared among seven mammalian species of which 1217 are absent or undetected in noneutherian (marsupial or monotreme) genomes. Cattle-specific evolutionary breakpoint regions in chromosomes have a higher density of segmental duplications, enrichment of repetitive elements, and species-specific variations in genes associated with lactation and immune responsiveness. Genes involved in metabolism are generally highly conserved, although five metabolic genes are deleted or extensively diverged from their human orthologs. The cattle genome sequence thus provides a resource for understanding mammalian evolution and accelerating livestock genetic improvement for milk and meat production.
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| 4. |
- González-Zapata, José Luis, et al.
(författare)
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Introducing random bio-terpene segments to high cis-polybutadiene : making elastomeric materials more sustainable
- 2020
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Ingår i: RSC Advances. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2046-2069. ; 10:72, s. 44096-44102
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this work, we explore the statistical copolymerization of 1,3-butadiene with the terpenic monomers myrcene and farnesene, carried out via coordination polymerization using a neodymium-based ternary catalytic system. The resultant copolymers, poly(butadiene-co-myrcene) and poly(butadiene-co-farnesene), were synthesized at different monomer ratios, elucidating the influence of the bio-based monomer content over the kinetic variables, molecular and thermal properties, and the reactivity constants (Fineman-Ross and Kelen-Tudos methods) of the resultant copolymers. The results indicate that through the herein employed conditions, it is possible to obtain more sustainable high-cis (approximate to 95%) polybutadiene elastomers with random and tunable content of bio-based monomer. Moreover, the polymers exhibit fairly high molecular weights and a rather low dispersity index. Upon copolymerization, the T-g of high-cis PB can be shifted from -106 to -75 degrees C (farnesene) or -107 to -64 degrees C (myrcene), without altering the microstructure control. This work contributes to the development of more environmentally friendly elastomers, to form green rubber materials.
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| 5. |
- Magaña, Ilse, et al.
(författare)
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Bioelastomers : current state of development
- 2022
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Ingår i: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 10:10, s. 5019-5043
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Considering the current trend of finding sustainable alternatives to the existing fossil-based plastics, in this review we describe what makes a bioelastomer “bio” and what this implies in terms of materials design. We analyze the current state of development of bioelastomers, including the most important types, their current and upcoming use, and their synthetic pathways. Moreover, we provide a general landscape of the hybridization or composite preparation of elastomers to acquire specific functionalities and their implementation in advanced applications, focusing mainly on electronics and biomedicine. Furthermore, we show how through the use of bioelastomers, one can, besides helping the environment, achieve materials with exceptional performances (e.g., very high mechanical properties and/or self-healing properties), which can be processed via novel techniques such as 3/4D-(bio)printing.
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| 6. |
- Magaña, Ilse, et al.
(författare)
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Fully Bio-Based Elastomer Nanocomposites Comprising Polyfarnesene Reinforced with Plasma-Modified Cellulose Nanocrystals
- 2021
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Ingår i: Polymers. - : MDPI AG. - 2073-4360. ; 13:16
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article proposes a process to prepare fully bio-based elastomer nanocomposites based on polyfarnesene and cellulose nanocrystals (CNC). To improve the compatibility of cellulose with the hydrophobic matrix of polyfarnesene, the surface of CNC was modified via plasma-induced polymerization, at different powers of the plasma generator, using a trans-beta-farnesene monomer in the plasma reactor. The characteristic features of plasma surface-modified CNC have been corroborated by spectroscopic (XPS) and microscopic (AFM) analyses. Moreover, the cellulose nanocrystals modified at 150 W have been selected to reinforce polyfarnesene-based nanocomposites, synthesized via an in-situ coordination polymerization using a neodymium-based catalytic system. The effect of the different loading content of nanocrystals on the polymerization behavior, as well as on the rheological aspects, was evaluated. The increase in the storage modulus with the incorporation of superficially modified nanocrystals was demonstrated by rheological measurements and these materials exhibited better properties than those containing pristine cellulose nanocrystals. Moreover, we elucidate that the viscoelastic moduli of the elastomer nanocomposites are aligned with power-law model systems with characteristic relaxation time scales similar to commercial nanocomposites, also implying tunable mechanical properties. In this foreground, our findings have important implications in the development of fully bio-based nanocomposites in close competition with the commercial stock, thereby producing alternatives in favor of sustainable materials.
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| 7. |
- Pierrotti, Ligia C., et al.
(författare)
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Efficacy of beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitors to treat extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales bacteremia secondary to urinary tract infection in kidney transplant recipients (INCREMENT-SOT Project)
- 2021
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Ingår i: Transplant Infectious Disease. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1398-2273 .- 1399-3062. ; 23:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Whether active therapy with beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitors (BLBLI) is as affective as carbapenems for extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales (ESBL-E) bloodstream infection (BSI) secondary to urinary tract infection (UTI) in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) remains unclear. Methods We retrospectively evaluated 306 KTR admitted to 30 centers from January 2014 to October 2016. Therapeutic failure (lack of cure or clinical improvement and/or death from any cause) at days 7 and 30 from ESBL-E BSI onset was the primary and secondary study outcomes, respectively. Results Therapeutic failure at days 7 and 30 occurred in 8.2% (25/306) and 13.4% (41/306) of patients. Hospital-acquired BSI (adjusted OR [aOR]: 4.10; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.50-11.20) and Pitt score (aOR: 1.47; 95% CI: 1.21-1.77) were independently associated with therapeutic failure at day 7. Age-adjusted Charlson Index (aOR: 1.25; 95% CI: 1.05-1.48), Pitt score (aOR: 1.72; 95% CI: 1.35-2.17), and lymphocyte count <= 500 cells/mu L at presentation (aOR: 3.16; 95% CI: 1.42-7.06) predicted therapeutic failure at day 30. Carbapenem monotherapy (68.6%, primarily meropenem) was the most frequent active therapy, followed by BLBLI monotherapy (10.8%, mostly piperacillin-tazobactam). Propensity score (PS)-adjusted models revealed no significant impact of the choice of active therapy (carbapenem-containing vs any other regimen, BLBLI- vs carbapenem-based monotherapy) within the first 72 hours on any of the study outcomes. Conclusions Our data suggest that active therapy based on BLBLI may be as effective as carbapenem-containing regimens for ESBL-E BSI secondary to UTI in the specific population of KTR. Potential residual confounding and unpowered sample size cannot be excluded (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02852902).
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