Perceptions of radiographers regarding establishing a self-regulatory body for radiation safety in Eswatini.
Eswatini remains one of the countries in Southern Africa without a regulating authority for radiation safety in the radiography departments. Quality control (QC) tests and radiation protection practices are unmonitored. This study sought to explore radiographers' perceptions regarding establishing a self-regulatory body that will formulate, implement and monitor compliance of standardised guidelines for radiation safety. A qualitative, exploratory and descriptive research approach was undertaken. Radiographers currently registered and practicing in Eswatini were purposively selected and invited to participate. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews. Audiotapes and field notes were used. Audio taped interviews were transcribed verbatim and then analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Six themes emerged from the analysis of data, namely; a) awareness of the need for QC tests, b) radiation protection and safety in the radiography departments, c) radiographers' responsibility towards radiation protection, d) education and training in radiation safety for radiographers and other stakeholders, e) support from governmental and management structures and f) the need for the self-regulatory body in the radiography departments. The study demonstrated that there is awareness among radiographers in Eswatini that radiation safety practices are necessary in the radiography departments. Continuous education and training were deemed as imperative to improve radiation safety in the radiography departments. There is also support for the idea of establishing the self-regulatory body. The need for monitoring structures in order to ensure radiation safety in the radiography departments is highlighted in this study. Government officials and hospital management are crucial in ensuring radiation safety in radiography departments.


Serological evidence of exposure to Rickettsia felis and Rickettsia typhi in Australian veterinarians.
Rickettsia felis and Rickettsia typhi are emerging arthropod-borne zoonoses causing fever and flu-like symptoms. Seroprevalence and risk factors associated with exposure to these organisms was explored in Australian veterinarians. One hundred and thirty-one veterinarians from across Australia were recruited to participate in a cross-sectional survey. Veterinarians provided a single blood sample and answered a questionnaire on potential risk factors influencing their exposure to R. felis and R. typhi. Indirect microimmunofluorescence antibody testing (IFAT) was used to identify evidence of serological exposure of the participants to R. felis and R. typhi. Results were analyzed and a logistical regression model performed to predict risk factors associated with seropositivity. In total, 16.0% of participants were seropositive to R. felis, 4.6% to R. typhi and 35.1% seropositive to both, where cross-reactivity of the IFAT between R. felis and R. typhi precluded a definitive diagnosis. Veterinarians residing within the south-eastern states of Victoria and Tasmania were at a higher risk of exposure to R. felis or generalised R. felis or R. typhi exposure. Older veterinarians and those that recommended flea treatment to their clients were found to be significantly protected from exposure. The high exposure to R. felis amongst veterinary professionals suggests that flea-borne spotted fever is an important cause of undifferentiated fever conditions that may not be adequately recognized in Australia.


Mosunetuzumab monotherapy is active and tolerable in patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.
As part of a phase 1 or 2 study, this single-arm expansion cohort established the efficacy and safety of mosunetuzumab monotherapy in patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) (received ≥2 previous lines of therapy). Intravenous mosunetuzumab was administered with cycle (C) 1 step-up dosing for cytokine release syndrome (CRS) mitigation: C1 day (D) 1: 1 mg; C1D8 2 mg; C1D15 and C2D1: 60 mg; C3 + D1: 30 mg. Hospitalization was not mandatory. Patients with complete response (CR) completed treatment after C8; those with partial response or stable disease continued treatment for a total of 17 cycles. The primary end point was CR rate (best response), assessed against a historical control CR rate (20%) by independent review facility. Eighty-eight patients (73.9% de novo DLBCL; 26.1% transformed follicular lymphoma) were enrolled; all had received previous anthracycline and anti-CD20 therapy. Overall response and CR rates were 42.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], 31.6-53.1) and 23.9% (95% CI, 15.4-34.1), respectively; CR rate did not reach statistical significance vs the historical control (P = .36). Median time to first response was 1.4 months. Median progression-free survival was 3.2 months (95% CI, 2.2-5.3). The CR rate in 26 patients who received previous chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy was 12%. CRS was one of the most common adverse events (26.1% of patients); predominantly grade 1 to 2 and primarily in C1. Four patients (4.5%) discontinued mosunetuzumab owing to adverse events. Mosunetuzumab demonstrated notable efficacy and a manageable safety profile in patients with R/R DLBCL, including those previously treated with CAR-Ts. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02500407.


[Ulcer hemorrhage in elderly patients: primary conservative or surgical therapy?].
Forty-six patients over 70 years admitted with a Forrest Ia-/IIa-peptic ulcer bleeding were prospectively recorded. Primarily surgical patients underwent early elective operations in 42% of cases with a mortality of 16% compared to 31% mortality in patients primarily treated conservatively in other departments. In our opinion even the older patient gains by a more aggressive surgical treatment of peptic ulcer bleeding.


In vitro engineering of microbial enzymes with multifarious applications: prospects and perspectives.
The discovery of a novel enzyme from a microbial source takes anywhere between months to years, and therefore, there has been an immense interest in modifying the existing microbial enzymes to suit the present day needs of the industry. The redesigning of industrially useful enzymes for improving their performance has become a challenge because bioinformatics databases have been revealing new facts on a day-to-day basis. Modification of the existing enzymes has become a trend for fine tuning of biocatalysts in the biotech industry. Hydrolases are employed in pharmaceutical, biofuel, detergent, food and feed industries that significantly contribute to the global annual revenue, and therefore, the emphasis has been on engineering them. Although a large data is accumulating on making alterations in microbial enzymes, there is a lack of definite information on redesigning industrial enzymes. This review focuses on the recent developments in improving the characteristics of various biotechnologically important enzymes.


Prostate-specific acid phosphatase in carcinoid tumors.
Although prostate-specific acid phosphatase (PASP) has been recognized as a specific marker of tissue of prostatic origin, several investigators have pointed out that some of the carcinoid tumours and islet cell tumours of the pancreas reacted immunohistochemically to PSAP. We investigated 50 cases immunohistochemically comprising 44 carcinoids of the G-I tract, 3 of the bronchus, 1 each of the ovary, kidney and middle ear. PSAP positive cases were, 30 in G-I tract, one each in ovary and kidney. Eighty percent of tumours of hindgut origin were positive. Apart from the immunohistochemical study, the content of PSAP in preoperative serum and tumour tissue was estimated in a case with a rectal carcinoid. Extremely elevated PSAP was confirmed in both the serum and tumour tissue. Neuroendocrine tumours such as pheochromocytoma, medullary thyroid carcinoma, and islet cell carcinoma were investigated as controls. No cells immunoreactive to PSAP were observed in these control cases. Prostate specific antigen was definitely negative in carcinoids. We would emphasize that PSAP may be an excellent marker of carcinoids especially when derived from hindgut.


An estradiol-inducible promoter enables fast, graduated control of gene expression in fission yeast.
The fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe lacks a diverse toolkit of inducible promoters for experimental manipulation. Available inducible promoters suffer from slow induction kinetics, limited control of expression levels and/or a requirement for defined growth medium. In particular, no S. pombe inducible promoter systems exhibit a linear dose-response, which would allow expression to be tuned to specific levels. We have adapted a fast, orthogonal promoter system with a large dynamic range and a linear dose response, based on β-estradiol-regulated function of the human oestrogen receptor, for use in S. pombe. We show that this promoter system, termed Z3 EV, turns on quickly, can reach a maximal induction of 20-fold, and exhibits a linear dose response over its entire induction range, with few off-target effects. We demonstrate the utility of this system by regulating the mitotic inhibitor Wee1 to create a strain in which cell size is regulated by β-estradiol concentration. This promoter system will be of great utility for experimentally regulating gene expression in fission yeast. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


NMR-based metabolic profiling for serum of mouse exposed to source water.
(1)H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) based metabonomic method was used to characterize the profile of low-molecular-weight endogenous metabolites in mouse (Mus musculus) serum following exposure to Taihu Lake source water for 90 days. The (1)H NMR spectra of mice sera were recoded and a total of 21 metabolites were identified. Data reduction and latent biomarkers identification were processed by pattern recognition (PR) analysis. The principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) identified differences in metabolic profiles between control and treatment groups. A number of serum metabolic perturbations were observed in sera of source water treatment mice compared to control mice, including decreased levels of acetone, pyruvate, glutamine, lysine and citrate. These results indicated that Taihu Lake source water could induce energy metabolism changes in mouse related to fatty acid β-oxidation, tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, citric acid cycle, and metabolism of some amino acids. (1)H NMR-based metabolic profiling provides new insight into the toxic effect of Taihu Lake source water, and suggests potential biomarkers for noninvasive monitoring of health risk.


Maxillary distraction resulting in facial advancement at Le Fort III level in cleft lip and palate patients: a report of two cases.
An 18-year-old female and a 14-year-old male who had previously received surgery for primary repair of a nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate (including alveolar defect bone grafting) unintentionally developed facial advancement at the Le Fort III level after surgical correction of their maxillary hypoplasia. The Le Fort I osteotomy, originally performed for their maxillary dentoalveolar hypoplasia, was an incomplete osteotomy. It was performed without down-fracture, leaving the pterygomaxillary and septal junctions intact. The gradual advancement of the maxilla during distraction osteogenesis was planned to correct the hypoplastic maxilla, and also prevent subsequent hypernasality; however, during the distraction procedure by means of a rigid external device both patients developed an unintentional facial advancement at the Le Fort III level.


Ultrasound-guided cervical selective nerve block: A case series.
Cervical radiculopathy is characterized by pain, numbness, tingling, and weakness, mostly in an affected extremity, reflecting compression of a nerve in the neck is compressed or irritated where it emerges from the spinal cord. Diagnosis requires a detailed anamnesis, physical examination, and imaging. Physical therapy, exercise, medical therapy, and injections are the preferred treatments, but injections into the cervical region are only indicated if conservative treatment is ineffective. This study explored the utility of selective cervical nerve root blocks (SNRBs) performed at various levels under ultrasound guidance (USG). We evaluated patients diagnosed with cervical radiculopathy via physical examination and magnetic resonance imaging from November 2019 to March 2020. We included those who did not respond to conservative treatment and therefore received SNRBs at various levels. Sixty-three patients were evaluated over 6 months in terms of pain, functional status, and complications. We retrospectively evaluated patients with cervical herniated discs who received SNRBs at various levels between C4-7 under USG. Pain and functional status improved in month 1 and was maintained until at least month 6. SNRB injections performed under USG effectively treated pain and poor functional status in selected patients. The procedure is safe (especially) for patients who do not respond to conservative treatment.


Final resting place.
Finland is set to open the world's first permanent repository for high-level nuclear waste. How did it succeed when other countries stumbled?


Predicting nodal metastases in papillary thyroid carcinoma using artificial intelligence.
The presence of nodal metastases is important in the treatment of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). We present our experience using a convolutional neural network (CNN) to predict the presence of nodal metastases in a series of PTC patients using visual histopathology from the primary tumor alone. 174 cases of PTC were evaluated for the presence or absence of lymph metastases. The artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm was trained and tested on its ability to discern between the two groups. The best performing AI algorithm demonstrated a sensitivity and specificity of 94% and 100%, respectively, when identifying nodal metastases. A CNN can be used to accurately predict the likelihood of nodal metastases in PTC using visual data from the primary tumor alone.


How scenes containing visual errors affect speech fluency in young and older adults.
We compared young and older adults' speech during an error detection task, with some pictures containing visual errors and anomalies and other pictures error-free. We analyzed three disfluency types: mid-phrase speech fillers (e.g., It's a little, um, girl), repetitions (e.g., He's trying to catch the- the birds), and repairs (e.g., She- you can see her legs). Older adults produced more mid-phrase fillers than young adults only when describing pictures containing errors. These often reflect word retrieval problems and represent clear disruptions to fluency, so this interaction indicates that the need to form and maintain representations of novel information can specifically compromise older adults' speech fluency. Overall, older adults produced more repetitions and repairs than young adults, regardless of picture type, indicating general age-related increases in these disfluencies. The obtained patterns are discussed in the context of the Transmission Deficit Hypothesis and other approaches to age-related changes in speech fluency.


Cuneate nucleus: The somatosensory gateway to the brain.
Much remains unknown about the transformation of proprioceptive afferent input from the periphery to the cortex. Until recently, the only recordings from neurons in the cuneate nucleus (CN) were from anesthetized animals. We are beginning to learn more about how the sense of proprioception is transformed as it propagates centrally. Recent recordings from microelectrode arrays chronically implanted in CN have revealed that CN neurons with muscle-like properties have a greater sensitivity to active reaching movements than to passive limb displacement, and we find that these neurons have receptive fields that resemble single muscles. In this review, we focus on the varied uses of proprioceptive input and the possible role of CN in processing this information.


Prevalence and trends of urinary incontinence in adults in the United States, 2001 to 2008.
We estimate trends in the prevalence of urinary incontinence in the adult population of the United States from 2001 through 2008 before and after adjusting for other potential associated factors. We analyzed data on 17,850 adults 20 years old or older who participated in the 2001 to 2008 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Any urinary incontinence was defined as a positive response to questions on urine leakage during physical activity, before reaching the toilet and during nonphysical activity. During this period changes in demographic and clinical factors associated with urinary incontinence included age, race/ethnicity, obesity, diabetes and chronic medical conditions (prostate disease in men). Age standardized prevalence estimates and prevalence ORs of urinary incontinence trends were determined using adjusted multivariate models with appropriate sampling weights. The age standardized prevalence of urinary incontinence in the combined surveys was 51.1% in women and 13.9% in men. Prevalence in women increased from 49.5% in 2001 to 2002, to 53.4% in 2007 to 2008 (Ptrend=0.01) and in men from 11.5% to 15.1%, respectively (Ptrend=0.01). In women increased prevalence was partially explained by differences in age, race/ethnicity, obesity, diabetes and select chronic diseases across the survey periods. After adjustment the prevalence OR for 2007 to 2008 vs 2001 to 2002 decreased from 1.22 (95% CI 1.03-1.45) to 1.16 (95% CI 0.99-1.37). In men adjustment for potentially associated factors did not explain the increasing prevalence of urinary incontinence. The age standardized prevalence of urinary incontinence increased in men and women from 2001 through 2008. Decreasing obesity and diabetes may lessen the burden of urinary incontinence, especially in women.


Phylogenetic placement and microthrix pattern of Paranybelinia otobothrioides Dollfus, 1966 (Trypanorhyncha) from krill Nyctiphanes simplex Hansen, 1911.
Plerocerci of the monotypic Paranybelinia otobothrioides were found parasitizing the subtropical neritic krill Nyctiphanes simplex in the Gulf of California, Mexico. The plerocerci were recovered from two microhabitats of the intermediate host, typically embedded inside the digestive gland (hepatopancreas) or rarely in the hemocoel. The morphology of the simple, single-layered blastocyst surrounding the entire scolex is unique within the Trypanorhyncha by having four large funnel-like pori or openings possibly with feeding and/or excretory function. One of the openings is located anteriorly and three at the posterior end. Scolex surface ultrastructure shows hamulate and lineate spinitriches covering the bothrial surface, capilliform filitriches at the anterior scolex end and on the scolex peduncle, and short papilliform filitriches on the long appendix. This pattern resembles that of species of the Tentaculariidae; but differs in that the hamulate spinitriches, which appear lineate at the bothrial margins, densely cover the entire distal bothrial surface. Tegumental grooves are present on the posterior bothrial margin, lacking spinitriches. Paranybelinia otobothrioides and Pseudonybelinia odontacantha share the following unique combination of characters: two bothria with free lateral and posterior bothrial margins, homeoacanthous homeomorphous armature, tegumental grooves, the distribution of the hamulate spinitriches, and the absence of prebulbar organs. Both genera infect euphausiids as intermediate hosts. Sequence data of the partial ssrDNA gene place Pa. otobothrioides sister to the family Tentaculariidae, and the Kimura two-parameters (K2P) distance between Pa. otobothrioides and species of the family Tentaculariidae ranged from 0.027 to 0.039 (44-62 nucleotide differences). These data suggest both species be recognized in a family, the Paranybeliniidae, distinct from, albeit as sister taxon to, the Tentaculariidae. High prevalence of infection (<14%) and ontogenetic changes of Pa. otobothrioides support N. simplex as a required intermediate host and suggest a zooplanktophagous elasmobranch as final host in the Gulf of California.


Porous Carbon Substrate Improving the Sensing Performance of Copper Nanoparticles Toward Glucose.
An accurate sensor to rapidly determine the glucose concentration is of significant importance for the human body health, as diabetes has become a very high incidence around the world. In this work, copper nanoparticles accommodated in porous carbon substrates (Cu NP@PC), synthesized by calcinating the filter papers impregnated with copper ions at high temperature, were designed as the electrode active materials for electrochemical sensing of glucose. During the formation of porous carbon, the copper nanoparticles spontaneously accommodated into the formed voids and constituted the half-covered composites. For the electrochemical glucose oxidation, the prepared Cu NP@PC composites exhibit much superior catalytic activity with the current density of 0.31 mA/cm2 at the potential of 0.55 V in the presence of 0.2 mM glucose. Based on the high electrochemical oxidation activity, the present Cu NP@PC composites also exhibit a superior glucose sensing performance. The sensitivity is determined to be 84.5 μA /(mmol.L) with a linear range of 0.01 ~ 1.1 mM and a low detection limit (LOD) of 2.1 μmol/L. Compared to that of non-porous carbon supported copper nanoparticles (Cu NP/C), this can be reasonable by the improved mass transfer and strengthened synergistic effect between copper nanoparticles and porous carbon substrates.


The glomerular hyperfiltration of diabetes is not associated with elevated plasma levels of glucagon and growth hormone.
Plasma concentrations of glucagon, growth hormone and glucose were measured hourly during an ordinary treatment day in 11 Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetic patients with high glomerular filtration rate, 11 Type 1 diabetic patients with normal glomerular filtration rate matched for age, diabetes duration and sex, and five healthy control subjects, simultaneously with the measurement of the glomerular filtration rate using 51Cr EDTA clearance. Plasma glucagon profiles were not statistically distinguishable (p = 0.49) from control values in either group, although they were somewhat lower in the hyperfiltering group. Plasma growth hormone values were higher than control (p = 0.07) in both diabetic groups, but were not different between these two groups (p = 0.94). All indices of glycaemic control (glycosylated haemoglobin, urinary glucose excretion, and plasma glucose concentration) were higher in the hyperfiltering group, although no single index reached statistical significance. No correlations between concentrations of these substances and glomerular filtration rate were found. Elevated plasma concentrations of glucagon and growth hormone do not characterise those diabetic patients with high glomerular filtration rate.


Effect of the new Bologna bachelor degree on career considerations of medical students in one medical school.
The bachelor-master (BaMa) structure was introduced in medical schools in The Netherlands since 2003 and in Utrecht University in 2006. The aim of this study was to determine whether conferring a bachelor degree at the end of 3 years of medical school influences the career considerations of the students. Two cohorts (BaMa and pre-BaMa) of medical students at Utrecht University were approached to fill out questionnaires in 2008 and 2009, about their career plans and whether a bachelor degree would affect these plans. In 2008, two-thirds of the students in both cohorts indicated that they considered a temporary stop. In 2009, the BaMa cohort showed substantially less interest in such a stop than the pre-BaMa cohort. Very few students considered a permanent stop. Comparison of third year pre-BaMa students (2008 cohort) with third year BaMa students (2009 cohort) revealed adjusted odds ratios of 2.34 (95% CI 1.34-4.09) for a temporary stop and 1.33 (95% CI 0.51-3.42) for a definitive stop. Awarding a bachelor degree in the BaMa structure does not encourage students to interrupt or discontinue their medical study, to transfer to another master programme or to transfer to another medical school.


The relationship between thyroid function, serum monokine induced by interferon gamma and soluble interleukin-2 receptor in thyroid autoimmune diseases.
Interactions between cytokines play an important role in the development of thyroid autoimmunity. Using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay we investigated serum concentrations of soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R), interferon-gamma, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-10, CD30, monokine induced by interferon-gamma (MIG), cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 and markers of apoptosis decoy receptor 3 and Bcl-2 in 28 patients with hyperthyroid Graves' disease (GD), 24 patients with untreated Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) and 15 healthy controls. TNF-alpha, IL-10 and sIL-2R were higher in GD compared with HT and controls (TNF-alpha: 8.79 in GD versus 2.54 pg/ml in HT, P = 0.01; IL-10: 10.00 versus 3.10 versus 3.10 pg/ml, P(1) < 0.001, P(2) = 0.005; sIL-2R: 1.26 versus 0.64 versus 0.46 ng/ml, P < 0.001). MIG and CD30 were higher in HT compared with controls (649.22 +/- 262.55 versus 312.95 +/- 143.35 pg/ml, P = 0.037, 6.57 +/- 2.35 versus 3.03 +/- 1.04 U/ml, P = 0.036 respectively). In GD sIL-2R decreased when the euthyroid state was achieved (1.31 +/- 0.64 versus 0.260 +/- 0.11, n = 12, P < 0.001). sIL-2R correlated positively with free thyroxine (FT4) (R = 0.521, P = 0.000) and negatively with thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) (R = -0.472, P = 0.00132). MIG correlated negatively with FT4 (R = -0.573, P = 0.00234) and positively with TSH (R = 0.462, P = 0.0179). The results suggest that serum concentrations of sIL-2R and MIG are related to thyroid function rather than to activation of autoimmunity.


A biomechanical study on the effect of long head of biceps tenotomy on supraspinatus load and humeral head position during shoulder abduction.
The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of biceps tendon tenotomy on the load of the supraspinatus tendon/muscle complex during abduction of the arm from 0° to 15°. Eleven fresh frozen human cadaver shoulders (6 males, 5 females, age ranged 44-88 years, mean upper extremity weight 2.96 ± 0.56 kg) were included. The specimens were sequentially mounted onto a custom-made fixture attached to a pulley system and load cell. The pulley system was used to pull the supraspinatus tendon/muscle complex along its fiber directions to abduct the arm to 15°. Abduction angles were recorded with a digital inclinometer. Two conditions were tested: (1) long head biceps tendon (LHBT) intact and in normal anatomical position; (2) LHBT cut within the bicipital groove. Qualitative visual inspection of humeral head displacement during abduction was also included. Descriptive statistics were calculated. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to establish normal data distribution, and the paired t-test was used to compare the 2 conditions. For the intact condition (LHBT intact), the mean load was 45.71 ± 21.04 N. For the biceps tenotomy test, the load measured 41.37 ± 23.43 N. These differences were not significant (P = .1480). In the tenotomy condition, the humeral head initially displaced inferior, and with initiation of abduction, the humeral head translated superior to its normal position. The results suggest that the LHBT has no critical role with initial abduction of the arm. Furthermore, the LHBT does not appear to increase loads required for the supraspinatus muscle/tendon complex to perform the same action of abduction.


Topology correction of segmented medical images using a fast marching algorithm.
We present here a new method for correcting the topology of objects segmented from medical images. Whereas previous techniques alter a surface obtained from a binary segmentation of the object, our technique can be applied directly to the image intensities of a probabilistic or fuzzy segmentation, thereby propagating the topology for all isosurfaces of the object. From an analysis of topological changes and critical points in implicit surfaces, we derive a topology propagation algorithm that enforces any desired topology using a fast marching technique. The method has been applied successfully to the correction of the cortical gray matter/white matter interface in segmented brain images and is publicly released as a software plug-in for the MIPAV package.


Modulation of the superficial electronic structure via metal-support interaction for H2 evolution over Pd catalysts.
Electronic interactions can radically enhance the performance of supported metal catalysts and are critical for fundamentally understanding the nature of catalysts. However, at the microscopic level, the details of such interactions tuning the electronic properties of the sites on the metal particle's surface and metal-support interface remain obscure. Herein, we found polarized electronic metal-support interaction (pEMSI) in oxide-supported Pd nanoparticles (NPs) describing the enhanced accumulation of electrons at the surface of NPs (superficial Pd δ-) with positive Pd atoms distributed on the interface (interfacial Pd δ+). More superficial Pd δ- species mean stronger pEMSI resulting from the synergistic effect of moderate Pd-oxide interaction, high structural fluxionality and electron transport activity of Pd NPs. The surface Pd δ- species are responsible for improved catalytic performance for H2 evolution from metal hydrides and formates. These extensive insights into the nature of supported-metal NPs may open new avenues for regulating a metal particle's electronic structure precisely and exploiting high-performance catalysts.


Modeling workflow to design machine translation applications for public health practice.
Provide a detailed understanding of the information workflow processes related to translating health promotion materials for limited English proficiency individuals in order to inform the design of context-driven machine translation (MT) tools for public health (PH). We applied a cognitive work analysis framework to investigate the translation information workflow processes of two large health departments in Washington State. Researchers conducted interviews, performed a task analysis, and validated results with PH professionals to model translation workflow and identify functional requirements for a translation system for PH. The study resulted in a detailed description of work related to translation of PH materials, an information workflow diagram, and a description of attitudes towards MT technology. We identified a number of themes that hold design implications for incorporating MT in PH translation practice. A PH translation tool prototype was designed based on these findings. This study underscores the importance of understanding the work context and information workflow for which systems will be designed. Based on themes and translation information workflow processes, we identified key design guidelines for incorporating MT into PH translation work. Primary amongst these is that MT should be followed by human review for translations to be of high quality and for the technology to be adopted into practice. The time and costs of creating multilingual health promotion materials are barriers to translation. PH personnel were interested in MT's potential to improve access to low-cost translated PH materials, but expressed concerns about ensuring quality. We outline design considerations and a potential machine translation tool to best fit MT systems into PH practice.


Rhinocerebral mucormycosis in COVID-19 patient with diabetes a deadly trio: Case series from the north-western part of India.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), may present with a myriad of clinical manifestations and complications. Patients with COVID-19 are at increased risk of pulmonary thromboembolism, acute cardiac injury, arrhythmias, acute stroke, and secondary infections. Mucormycosis is a catastrophic fungal infection characterized by vascular invasion, thrombosis, and necrosis of tissues. We report five cases of COVID-19 infection, who developed rhino-orbital mucormycosis, during the course of treatment. Early recognition of this life-threatening infection is the key to allow for optimal treatment and improved outcomes.


Anterior spine fusion using Zielke instrumentation for adult thoracolumbar and lumbar scoliosis.
Analysis of adult patients undergoing anterior spine fusions with Zielke instrumentation between January 1983 and November 1986 was performed. Objectives were to review results of surgical treatment and identify factors affecting results. Charts, 3 foot standing anteroposterior and lateral and supine maximal side bending radiographs were reviewed. Subjective data were obtained by telephone. There were 26 patients, average age 41 years. Average radiographic follow-up was 48 months. Indications were pain and curve progression. Average correction was 63% of the instrumented curve. Average change of lordosis was 8 degrees and kyphosis was 6 degrees. Apical vertebral rotation corrected an average of 37%. Complications were: eight hardware failures, one deep infection, and two psychiatric events. The high-risk groups: curves greater than 60 degrees, patients older than 50 years of age, and rigid curves.


Chromosomal damage measured by the cytokinesis block micronucleus cytome assay in diabetes and obesity - A systematic review and meta-analysis.
The percentage of people affected by overweight, obesity and/or diabetes drastically increased within the last decades. This development is still ongoing, which puts a large part of our society at increased risk for diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases and cognitive impairment. Especially the development of type 2 diabetes and overweight/obesity could theoretically be prevented. The loss of DNA and genome stability is associated with the above-mentioned metabolic diseases. Insulin resistance, high blood glucose levels or increased body fat are linked to a chronically elevated inflammatory state. This amplifies oxidative stress, might lead to oxidative DNA damage, impairs the cellular proliferation process and results in mutations; all of which increase the possibility for the development of dysfunctional cells, tissue and organs. An established method to measure chromosomal damage is the cytokinesis block micronucleus (CBMN) cytome assay. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to collect and analyse the current literature of diabetic, obese and overweight patients and their link to cellular mutations measured by the CBMN assay. A clear trend towards increased genome damage in these metabolic diseases was observed. Significantly increased frequencies of chromosomal aberrations were seen in type 2 diabetic subjects (micronuclei frequency: SMD: 1.18, 95% CI: 0.76, 1.60; I2 = 84%). In both, type 1 and type 2 diabetics, disease progression as well as medical quality and quantity were linked to further elevated genome instability. In type 1 diabetic and overweight/obese subjects the number of studies is small and for valid and reliable results more data are needed. Besides the traditionally used material for this method, PBMCs, we extended our analysis to buccal cells in order to qualitatively compare the two cell types. Finally, we discuss knowledge as well as technical/methodical gaps of the CBMN cytome assay and its usability for clinical practice in these metabolic diseases.


Synergistic photodynamic/photothermal bacterial inactivation over heterogeneous quaternized chitosan/silver/cobalt phosphide nanocomposites.
Globally, drug-resistant bacteria are a potential threat to human society owing to the overuse of antibiotics and thus, non-antibiotic bactericides are urgently needed. Herein, an innovative antibacterial nanoplatform based on quaternized chitosan (QCS)/ silver (Ag)/ cobalt phosphide (CoP) nanocomposites is envisaged for achieving near-infrared (NIR) laser-inducible rapid sterilisation. In the core-shell hybrids, Ag nanoparticles (NPs) with a size of ∼ 25 nm were uniformly deposited on CoP nanoneedles, upon which a layer of QCS (approximately 10 wt%), is coated. Numerical calculations revealed that under NIR irradiation, high-energy hot electrons arising from the surface plasmon resonance effect of Ag migrate into the interface between Ag and CoP, and amplify the photothermal effect of CoP. Meanwhile, photo-excited electrons from CoP are transported onto Ag NPs because the Schottky heterostructure facilitates the production of reactive oxygen species. Ag loading simultaneously enhances the photocatalytic and photothermal effects of CoP, achieving rapid antibacterial activity synergistically. The QCS coating improves the dispersibility of power in an aqueous system and provides contact between the antiseptics and bacteria. The ternary QCS/Ag/CoP nanocomposites achieved greater than 99.6% inactivation against S. aureus and E. coli within 10 min. In addition, the nanocomposites were confirmed to be noncytotoxic to mammals. Consequently, the QCS/Ag/CoP nanoplatforms possess great potential for rapid and effective antibacterial applications.


Effects of lithospermic acid on hIAPP aggregation and amyloid-induced cytotoxicity by multiple analytical methods.
The abnormal aggregation of human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) is a crucial pathogenic factor associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D). The development of effective inhibitors to prevent hIAPP aggregation is a common therapeutic strategy against T2D. Lithospermic acid (LA) is a natural compound with diversified biological activities. In this study, electrospray ionization coupled with ion mobility-mass spectrometry, thioflavin T fluorescence assay, Congo red binding assay, Nile red fluorescence assay, circular dichroism spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, cell toxicity, lactate dehydrogenase assay (LDH) assay and molecular docking were combined to explore the influence of LA on hIAPP aggregation. Results showed that LA had favorable binding affinity to hIAPP and formed hIAPP-LA complexes, which could alter the relative abundance of the compact and extended conformers and promoted the transition of extended structures to compact conformers. LA also displayed strong inhibitory actions on fibrillation and potential protective effects against hIAPP-induced cell toxicity. Therefore, the obtained results were useful to understand the possible inhibitory mechanism of LA on hIAPP aggregation and provided valuable reference for the screening of potent amyloid inhibitors.


Inclusive and Age-Appropriate Timing of Sexual Health Discussions at Home According to Gay, Bisexual, and Queer Adolescent Males.
The exclusion of gay, bisexual, and queer (GBQ) adolescent males' specific sexuality concerns in standard classroom education heightens the need for parents to be primary sources of trusted sexual health information. The aim of this study was to collect GBQ adolescent males' suggestions for a comprehensive list and age-appropriateness of topics that parents may use for inclusive discussions at home throughout the elementary, middle school, and high school years. Semistructured interviews and card sorts of 48 topics were conducted with a sample of 30 racial and ethnic diverse GBQ adolescents in central North Carolina. Thematic analysis of the interview transcripts and a calculation of card sort responses followed. Topics chosen for elementary-age GBQ youth were focused on core issues about human anatomy, safety, and the continuum of sexual orientations and gender identities. Participants designated the majority of topics for home-based discussions in middle school and emphasized considerations for engaging in sex, relating with others socially, options for HIV/STI risk reduction, issues around interpersonal safety, and pleasure. They reserved topics for high school focused on complex sociorelational issues and technology-based concerns. Participants' varied rationale for timing of topics centered on the age-appropriateness and level of details that they deemed acceptable for discussions with parents. To address disproportionate negative sexual and mental health outcomes noted in this youth subgroup, parents should focus on being supportive by providing factual and sequential information crucial for their GBQ childrens' anticipated developmental needs and sexual identity milestones.


Strategic design and finance of rainwater harvesting to cost-effectively meet large-scale urban water infrastructure needs.
Many cities are confronted with both water scarcity and urban flooding as centralized water infrastructures becoming increasingly inadequate in a changing climate. Decentralized infrastructures like rainwater harvesting (RWH) can ease both issues. Yet, most studies find RWH offers limited infrastructure capacity at high cost. Previous assessments, however, fail to consider two critical advantages: multi-functionality and high adaptability. By improving the incorporation of these advantages in our analysis of 1.06 million buildings with distinct design and water demand characteristics and 20-year hourly precipitation records in New York City (NYC), we demonstrate, contrary to existing studies, that strategically designed, financed and implemented rooftop RWH systems in all or a subset of the buildings can meet large-scale infrastructure development needs for water supply and stormwater management. RWH implementation featuring public-private partnerships (PPP) in 43-96% of the buildings can serve 17-29% of the city's non-drinking water demands while reducing the public expenditure per unit of water supply by 13-85%. The distributed citywide RWH implementations prevent 35-56% of rooftop runoff from entering the sewage system, rivers, and/or waterways per month, with observed rooftop runoff reductions as high as 90% for a single rain event.


CD59-deficient bone marrow erythroid cells from rats treated with procarbazine and propyl-nitrosourea have mutations in the Pig-a gene.
Procarbazine (PCZ) and N-propyl-N-nitrosourea (PNU) are rodent mutagens and carcinogens. Both induce GPI-anchored marker-deficient mutant-phenotype red blood cells (RBCs) in the flow cytometry-based rat RBC Pig-a assay. In the present study, we traced the origin of the RBC mutant phenotype by analyzing Pig-a mutations in the precursors of RBCs, bone marrow erythroid cells (BMEs). Rats were exposed to a total of 450 mg/kg PCZ hydrochloride or 300 mg/kg PNU, and bone marrow was collected 2, 7, and 10 weeks later. Using a flow cell sorter, we isolated CD59-deficient mutant-phenotype BMEs from PCZ- and PNU-treated rats and examined their endogenous X-linked Pig-a gene by next generation sequencing. Pig-a mutations consistent with the properties of PCZ and PNU were found in sorted mutant-phenotype BMEs. PCZ induced mainly A > T transversions with the mutated A on the nontranscribed strand of the Pig-a gene, while PNU induced mainly T > A transversions with the mutated T on the nontranscribed strand. The treatment-induced mutations were distributed across the protein coding sequence of the Pig-a gene. The causal relationship between BMEs and RBCs and the agent-specific mutational spectra in CD59-deicient BMEs indicate that the rat RBC Pig-a assay, scoring CD59-deficient mutant-phenotype RBCs in peripheral blood, detects Pig-a gene mutation.


A comparison of the mutagenicity and macromolecular binding of the carcinogens Michler's ketone and reduced Michler's ketone.
The mutagenicity of 4,4'-bis(dimethylamino)benzophenone (Michler's ketone, MK, CAS No. 90-94-8) and 4,4'-methylenebis(N,N-dimethyl)benzamine (reduced Michler's ketone, RMK, CAS No. 101-61-1) for Salmonella typhimurium strain TA100 was compared using activated 9000 X g (S9) liver supernatants from 2 animal species. RMK, but not MK, was mutagenic when incubated with phenobarbital-induced B6D2F1 mouse or Osborne-Mendel rat-liver S9. The mutagenic response for RMK was linear at doses from 1 to 33 micrograms/plate. A higher percentage of RMK and MK became irreversibly bound to mouse-liver macromolecules than to rat-liver macromolecules when incubated at 37 degrees C in the presence of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate.


Efficacy of paraherquamide against immature Trichostrongylus colubriformis in the gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus).
Paraherquamide was 98 to 100 per cent effective against six-day-old Trichostrongylus colubriformis infections in gerbils when given as single oral doses of 1.56 mg kg-1 and above. Doses of 0.78 or 0.39 mg kg-1 were 96 and 66 per cent effective, respectively. A single oral dose of 200 mg kg-1 was well tolerated.


How does angioplasty work? Serial analysis of human iliac arteries using intravascular ultrasound.
Previous studies regarding the mechanism by which balloon angioplasty increases luminal patency have generally used animal models or postmortem specimens from occasional fatal cases of angioplasty performed in human patients. In either case, conclusions regarding participatory mechanisms have relied exclusively on nonserial, postangioplasty histopathological examination. In the present study, intravascular ultrasound examination was performed before and after balloon angioplasty in 40 consecutive patients with iliac artery stenoses. The areas of the arterial wall, plaque, lumen, and areas resulting from angioplasty-induced plaque fractures were measured immediately after angioplasty in vivo and compared with findings recorded immediately before angioplasty. Angioplasty increased luminal cross-sectional area (CSA) from 11.5 +/- 0.6 mm2 before angioplasty to 25.4 +/- 1.2 mm2 after angioplasty (p = 0.0001). CSA of the portion of the postangioplasty neolumen contained within angioplasty-induced plaque fractures measured 10.0 +/- 0.8 mm2; the neolumen excluding the area contributed by these plaque fractures measured 15.4 +/- 0.8 mm2. Thus, the area contained within plaque fractures accounted for 10.0 mm2 (71.9%) of the 13.9-mm2 increase in luminal CSA after angioplasty. Analysis of CSA occupied by atherosclerotic plaque disclosed that plaque CSA decreased from 33.8 +/- 1.8 mm2 before angioplasty to 22.5 +/- 1.5 mm2 after angioplasty (p = 0.0001). Plaque CSA was thus reduced ("compressed") by 11.3 +/- 1.1 mm2. Total artery CSA increased ("stretched") slightly from 45.3 +/- 2.6 mm2 before angioplasty to 47.8 +/- 2.0 mm2 after angioplasty (p = 0.0025). In vivo analysis of iliac stenoses by intravascular ultrasound immediately before and after angioplasty demonstrates that plaque fractures and "compression" of atherosclerotic plaque are the principal factors responsible for increased luminal patency resulting from balloon angioplasty. "Stretching" of the arterial wall provides an additional, but minor, contribution.


Transient and sustained types of long-term potentiation in the CA1 area of the rat hippocampus.
Synaptic potentiation induced by high frequency stimulation was investigated by recording field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (f-EPSPs) in rat hippocampal slices. Potentiation consisted of a transient period of decaying f-EPSPs (short-term potentiation, STP) that led to a plateau of continuously potentiated f-EPSPs (long-term potentiation, LTP). Here we show that a previously unknown type of transient, use-dependent, long-lasting potentiation (t-LTP) can account for STP. t-LTP could be stored for more than 6 h and its decay was caused by synaptic activation. Both the expression and the decay of t-LTP were input specific. t-LTP was induced differently from conventional LTP in that the amplitude of t-LTP was dependent upon the stimulation frequency, whereas the magnitude of LTP was dependent on the number of stimuli in the induction train. The decay of t-LTP could not be prevented by the blockage of glutamate receptors, but was prevented by the blockage of stimulus-evoked neurotransmitter release, suggesting that t-LTP is expressed presynaptically. Paired-pulse stimulation experiments showed that the decay of t-LTP was mediated by a decrease in the probability of neurotransmitter release. The decline of t-LTP could be prolonged by the activation of NMDA receptors. Hence, both single and paired-pulse stimuli prolonged the decline of the t-LTP. This decline could be prevented by high frequency burst stimulation (200 Hz). We conclude that t-LTP allows dynamic modulation of synaptic transmission by providing not only spatial association but also temporal convergence between synaptic inputs. Therefore, t-LTP might be a substrate for the encoding of synaptic memory.


Terminal sequences of the bacteriophage phi 6 segmented dsRNA genome and its messenger RNAs.
The ends of the three dsRNA genome segments (L, M, and S) of bacteriophage phi 6 (strand separated and/or intact) and the 5' ends of the middle and small single-strand messenger RNAs have been sequenced by base-specific partial enzymatic digestion. Terminal sequences for the large and middle dsRNA strands extend about 60 bases. The three dsRNA segments have 18 homologous bases at the left end except for position 2, which differs in the L segment. A 17-base homology defines the right ends of L and M dsRNAs and probably S dsRNA as well. The 5' ends of middle and small messenger RNAs are identical to the corresponding viral (+) strands.


Antiepileptic drugs and serotonin syndrome- A systematic review of case series and case reports.
Serotonin syndrome (SS) is a drug‑induced, potentially fatal, clinical syndrome resulting from drugs that have serotonergic properties. Several antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are known to have serotonergic properties and it can be hypothesized that such AEDs can cause SS. This study aims to review the literature on SS in patients receiving AEDs. We performed a systematic review of Scopus and MEDLINE/PUBMED for case reports and case series of SS where patients had received at least one AED at the onset of symptoms. The cases published in the English literature between 1 January 1991 and 1 April 2021 were included. Initial search identified 1263 articles of which 63 (76 patients) were included in the final analysis. Most of the included cases (53 cases, 70%) have been published in the last 10 years. The mean age of the 76 patients was 40.6 ± 17.8 years, and 51% of cases were females. These patients had been exposed to a total of 8 different types of AEDs. Valproic acid was the most common drug (29, 38%), followed by lamotrigine (22, 29%), gabapentin (16, 21%), pregabalin (seven, 9%), topiramate (five, 7%) and carbamazepine (two, 3%). There has been one case each with phenytoin and oxcarbazepine. Seven (9%) patients received more than one AEDs. Most patients (67, 88%) also received other serotoninergic agents. Only nine (12%) patients were on AEDs alone. The most common clinical condition for using AEDs was psychiatric disorders (36 patients, 47.3%), followed by migraine (17, 22.4%), other painful conditions (15, 19.7%), epilepsy (7, 9.2%), and perioperative conditions (8, 10.5%). Death was reported in two patients. We suggest that AEDs, because of their serotonergic properties, may induce SS, especially in patients who are on another serotonergic agent.


Concentrations-dependent effect of exogenous abscisic acid on photosynthesis, growth and phenolic content of Dracocephalum moldavica L. under drought stress.
The drought conditions and the application of ABA reduce the photosynthetic activity, and the processes related to the transpiration of Dracocephalum moldavica L. At the same time, the plant increases the production of phenolic compounds and essential oil as a response to stress conditions. In the semi-arid regions, drought stress is the most important environmental limitations for crop production. Abscisic acid (ABA) plays a crucial role in the reactions of plants towards environmental stress such as drought. Field experiments for two consecutive years in 2016 and 2017 were conducted to evaluate the effect of three watering regimes (well-watered, moderate and severe drought) and five exogenous ABA concentrations (0, 5, 10, 20 and 40 μM) on growth, photosynthesis, total phenolic and essential oil content of Dracocephalum moldavica L. Without ABA application, the highest photosynthetic rate (6.1 μmol CO2 m-2 s-1) was obtained under well-watered condition and, moderate and severe drought stress decreased photosynthesis rate by 26.39% and 34.43%, respectively. Some growth parameters such as stem height, leaf area, leaf dry weight and biological yield were also reduced by drought stress. ABA application showed a decreasing trend in photosynthesis rate and mentioned plant growth parameters under all moisture regimes. The highest seed yield (1243.56 kg ha-1) was obtained under well-watered condition without ABA application. Increasing ABA concentration decreased seed yield in all moisture regimes. The highest total phenolic content (8.9 mg g-1 FW) and essential oil yield (20.58 kg ha-1) were obtained from 20 and 5 μM ABA concentration, respectively, under moderate drought stress.


ACSL: Adaptive correlation-driven sparsity learning for deep neural network compression.
Deep convolutional neural network compression has attracted lots of attention due to the need to deploy accurate models on resource-constrained edge devices. Existing techniques mostly focus on compressing networks for image-level classification, and it is not clear if they generalize well on network architectures for more challenging pixel-level tasks, e.g., dense crowd counting or semantic segmentation. In this paper, we propose an adaptive correlation-driven sparsity learning (ACSL) framework for channel pruning that outperforms state-of-the-art methods on both image-level and pixel-level tasks. In our ACSL framework, we first quantify the data-dependent channel correlation information with a channel affinity matrix. Next, we leverage these inter-dependencies to induce sparsity into the channels with the introduced adaptive penalty strength. After removing the redundant channels, we obtain compact and efficient models, which have significantly less number of parameters while maintaining comparable performance with the original models. We demonstrate the advantages of our proposed approach on three popular vision tasks, i.e., dense crowd counting, semantic segmentation, and image-level classification. The experimental results demonstrate the superiority of our framework. In particular, for crowd counting on the Mall dataset, the proposed ACSL framework is able to reduce up to 94% parameters (VGG16-Decoder) and 84% FLOPs (ResNet101), while maintaining the same performance of (at times outperforming) the original model.


Gene expression profiling in human lung fibroblast following cadmium exposure.
Cadmium is a naturally occurring metallic element with food and smoking being the main sources of exposure in the non-occupationally exposed population. Chronic exposure to cadmium leads to tumors in a number of tissues including lung. In the present study we investigated genes whose expression is modified by Cd exposure in human lung fibroblast WI38-VA13 cells. We employed a cDNA microarray hybridization method to identify changes in the gene expression profile. Thirty five genes were identified as cadmium-responsive. Their level of expression differed significantly from controls (significance analysis of microarray; SAM, q<5%). The largest groups of gene products affected by cadmium exposure were those involved in cell cycle, immunity and defense, nucleoside metabolism and signal transduction. Repressed expression of E2f1, Tubb and Actg2 following cadmium exposure may contribute to the cell cycle arrest. Down-regulation of Eno1 indicates a potential for causing protooncogene expression and possibly for cadmium-induced carcinogenicity. These results may contribute to better understand the toxic mechanism of cadmium toxicity. Moreover, the gene expression profile of cadmium could provide potential biomarkers for cadmium exposure.


Impact of various cervical surgical interventions in patients with Hirayama's disease-a narrative review and meta-analysis.
Hirayama disease (HD) is a relatively uncommon cause of lower cervical myelopathy. A number of surgical approaches have been described in patients with HD in literature. We reviewed the literature and did a systematic review and meta-analysis of the studies which presented the clinical outcome following surgical intervention in HD. A systematic search of literature was performed with the keywords "Surgical treatment in Hirayama Disease", "Surgical approach in Hirayama Disease" and "Hirayama disease surgery". Data related to clinical outcome following surgery was pooled to calculate the pooled proportion of clinical improvement following anterior and posterior surgical approach. Thirty-four articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final review. Altogether, there were 10 types of surgical procedures performed for Hirayama disease. The most commonly described surgical technique was anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with cervical plating. The pooled proportion of patients experiencing clinical improvement following all cervical approaches was 80% (95% confidence interval 76 to 84%). Pooled proportion was maximum for anterior cervical plating (96% (95% confidence interval 62 to 100%)) and minimum for ACDF without plating (57% (95% confidence interval 20 to 88%)). Subgroup analysis based on different surgical approaches was not significant (p value = 0.61). The pooled proportion of patients experiencing clinical improvement following anterior and posterior cervical approach was 80% (95% confidence interval 76 to 84%) and 81% (95% confidence interval 66 to 91%). The indications of surgical treatment in patients with HD include poor patient compliance for neck collar or rapidly progressing severe disease. Good results with more than 80% chances of clinical improvement have been reported following various anterior and posterior surgical approaches. However, there was no significant difference in the pooled outcome of different surgical approaches. Most common technique used in literature is anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with plating.


Triphenylamine-Containing Benzoic Acids: Synthesis, Liquid Crystalline and Redox Properties.
The synthesis, characterization and liquid crystalline and electrochemical properties of novel triarylamines, in which the triphenylamine platform is non-symmetrically modified with a 4-(6-oxyhexyloxy)benzoic acid group, are reported. Compounds show columnar liquid crystalline behavior, as confirmed through the use of polarized optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction. Electrochemical properties were measured using cyclic voltammperometry, obtaining low oxidation potentials and HOMO values that were optimum for consideration as organic semiconductors in hole transport layers. In addition, the photoredox activity of one of these derivatives in dichloromethane was studied under light irradiation. A photooxidation/assembly process under white light irradiation occurs without the assistance of hydrogen bonding amide functional groups.


Acute ileal inflammatory cytokine response induced by irradiation is modulated by subdiaphragmatic vagotomy.
Neural involvement plays a role in the genesis of the peripheral inflammatory process that contributes to the irradiation intestinal disorders. However, little is known about the role of vagus nerve in modulating inflammatory process in rat. Here, we have shown that the NF-kappaB activation was consistent with the acute overexpression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL- 1beta, TNF-alpha, IL-6) at 3, 6, and 12 h induced by whole-body irradiation (8 Gy). Subdiaphragmatic vagotomy reduced NF-kappaB activation and cytokine transcription in the early period post-irradiation. In contrast, vagotomy amplified overexpression of irradiation-induced anti-cytokines (IL-10, IL-1Ra) and of receptors involved in anti-inflammatory effects (IL- 1RII, TNFRII). These results show that the vagus nerve is a pro-inflammatory pathway in early irradiation-induced intestinal inflammation.


Medial hypothalamic lesions in the rat enhance reactivity and mouse killing but not social aggression.
In rats subjected to lesions of the medial hypothalamus, 8 of 11 animals became mouse killers and all manifested some degree of hyperreactivity to the experimenter. When introduced as intruders into a mixed sex colony group, the lesioned rats did not manifest piloerection nor did they emit flank attacks characteristic of social aggressive behavior. However, the lesioned animals did respond to the attacks of the resident male rats with significantly more counterattacks and biting than did sham-lesioned control rats. Spontaneous mouse killing rats also failed to show a level of social aggressive behavior significantly greater than that of sham-operated control rats, but the spontaneous mouse killers did kill rat pups in the colony groups. Alpha-male rats when introduced as an intruder into a colony group did exhibit piloerection and emit flank attacks characteristic of social aggressive behavior. These results demonstrate that the mouse killing and heightened reactivity associated with medial hypothalamic lesions do not represent an indiscriminant release of all forms of agonistic behavior.


The completed sequence of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus reveals a unique RNA structure and a gene for a zinc finger protein.
The arenavirus, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) has a single-stranded RNA genome composed of a large (L) and a small (S) RNA segment. The completed sequence of LCMV, presented here, reveals a formerly unknown gene (Z) on the L genomic segment. This gene is encoded in the positive or message-sense of the viral genomic RNA, whereas the adjacent gene (L) is in the genome-complementary, or negative sense. The ambisense polarity of the genes on the L RNA reiterates the polarity of genes on the small (S) genomic segment. The Z gene encodes a 10-kDa protein containing a single zinc-finger sequence (Cys2His2). A small RNA representing the message sense of the Z gene is found in infected cells and within virions. In contrast to the known LCMV proteins having structural or enzymatic functions, the predicted Z gene product is most likely to be an RNA-binding protein with a regulatory role. The encapsidation of a message sense Z RNA suggests a role for this gene immediately following virus penetration. The L/Z intergenic region is rich in cytidylic acid (C) and presents an unusual RNA structure. All cDNA clones of the intergenic region differ from each other within a certain poly(C) stretch and lack a 30-base region present in the direct RNA sequence. Finally, the completed sequence establishes that the L RNA 5' end is complementary to its 3' end. The L RNA termini, similar to the S RNA termini, have a small but potentially important asymmetry of sequence. LCMV is the first arenavirus to be completely sequenced.


Mechanical Power: A New Concept in Mechanical Ventilation.
Mechanical ventilation is a potentially life-saving therapy for patients with acute lung injury, but the ventilator itself may cause lung injury. Ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) is sometimes an unfortunate consequence of mechanical ventilation. It is not clear however how best to minimize VILI through adjustment of various parameters including tidal volume, plateau pressure, driving pressure, and positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP). No single parameter provides a clear indication for onset of lung injury attributable exclusively to the ventilator. There is currently interest in quantifying how static and dynamic parameters contribute to VILI. One concept that has emerged is the consideration of the amount of energy transferred from the ventilator to the respiratory system per unit time, which can be quantified as mechanical power. This review article reports on recent literature in this emerging field and future roles for mechanical power assessments in prospective studies.


Near infrared spectroscopy for qualitative comparison of pharmaceutical batches.
Pharmaceuticals are produced according to current pharmacopoeias, which require quality parameters. Tablets of identical formulation, produced by different factories should have the same properties before and after storage. In this article, we analyzed samples having two different origins before and after storage (30 degrees C, 75% relative moisture). The aim of the study is to propose two approaches to understand the differences between origins and the storage effect by near infrared spectroscopy. In the first part, the main wavelengths are identified in transmittance and reflectance near infrared spectra in order to identify the major differences between the samples. In this paper, this approach is called fingerprinting. In the second part, principal component analysis (PCA) is computed to confirm the fingerprinting interpretation. The two interpretations show the differences between batches: physical aspect and moisture content. The manufacturing process is responsible for the physical differences between batches. During the storage, changes are due to the increase of moisture content and the decrease of the active content.


Real-time qPCR to evaluate bacterial contamination of cosmetic cream and the efficiency of protective ingredients.
The absence of objectionable micro-organisms in cosmetics and the efficiency of preservatives are still mainly assessed by time-consuming cultivation-based methods. We explored the applicability of real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and reported on the behaviour of different bacteria in artificially contaminated creams. Real-time qPCR on DNA from Burkholderia cepacia, Pluribacter gergoviae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Sphingomonas paucimobilis identified specific primer pairs that amplify accurately and efficiently two strains/isolates of each species. Using DNeasy mericon Food Kit, we detected bacterial growth in an inoculated cosmetic cream and persistency of DNA from heat-inactivated bacteria. We were also able to monitor the growth inhibitory effect of caprylyl glycol and EDTA, also showing how different bacterial species interact depending on the presence/absence of these ingredients. Finally, creams supplemented with the protective cosmetic ingredients revealed the various behaviour of five strains/isolates from P. aeruginosa. Successfully extracting bacterial DNA from artificially contaminated cosmetic creams, we could perform real-time qPCR to identify and follow the growth of various strains of 4 bacteria species under different conditions. Real-time qPCR appears as a promising method to detect bacterial contamination in cosmetic creams and/or to monitor growth inhibition by ingredients.


Treatment of localized extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma, nasal type.
Extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma predominantly presents as a localized disease in the upper aerodigestive tract from the nasal cavity to the hypopharynx. Because radiotherapy has better outcomes than chemotherapy with reduced locoregional failure, it should be considered the preferred first-line therapy. However, the addition of chemotherapy is appropriate as part of the initial treatment because of the frequent systemic progression or relapse after radiotherapy. At present, the combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy can be considered an effective treatment option, and the promising results of recent prospective studies with concurrent chemoradiotherapy support this treatment strategy. In contrast, intensive chemotherapy should be considered as initial treatment for patients with tumors in non-upper-aerodigestive-tract sites, such as skin or intestine because they usually progress to systemic disease. Likewise, for patients with poor prognostic factors, such as a high NK lymphoma prognostic index, autologous stem cell transplantation during remission and additional treatments with central nervous system prophylaxis may be beneficial. However, the precise role of these treatments needs to be clarified further by prospective clinical trials. Thus, a prospective study is warranted to explore a risk-adapted treatment strategy of applying initial chemoradiotherapy and additional consolidation treatments.


MEDPED and the Spanish Familial Hypercholesterolemia Foundation.
We analysed clinical and genetic data of 819 non-related familial hypercholesterolemia patients. No differences on baseline low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels between females and males were observed. High density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol values were higher in females than in males (57+/-15 vs. 47.7+/-13, respectively, P<0.01). Premature cardiovascular disease was present in 21.7% of cases (30.8% in males and 14.3% in females, P<0.001). A significant and positive correlation was observed between cardiovascular disease and age, gender, tobacco, total and LDL cholesterol levels at diagnosis, and negatively with HDL cholesterol levels. Analysis of LDL-receptor gene have been performed in 350 cases and 86 different mutations have been found.


IoT-fog-based healthcare 4.0 system using blockchain technology.
Real-time tracking and surveillance of patients' health has become ubiquitous in the healthcare sector as a result of the development of fog, cloud computing, and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. Medical IoT (MIoT) equipment often transfers health data to a pharmaceutical data center, where it is saved, evaluated, and made available to relevant stakeholders or users. Fog layers have been utilized to increase the scalability and flexibility of IoT-based healthcare services, by providing quick response times and low latency. Our proposed solution focuses on an electronic healthcare system that manages both critical and non-critical patients simultaneously. Fog layer is distributed into two halves: critical fog cluster and non-critical fog cluster. Critical patients are handled at critical fog clusters for quick response, while non-critical patients are handled using blockchain technology at non-critical fog cluster, which protects the privacy of patient health records. The suggested solution requires little modification to the current IoT ecosystem while decrease the response time for critical messages and offloading the cloud infrastructure. Reduced storage requirements for cloud data centers benefit users in addition to saving money on construction and operating expenses. In addition, we examined the proposed work for recall, accuracy, precision, and F-score. The results show that the suggested approach is successful in protecting privacy while retaining standard network settings. Moreover, suggested system and benchmark are evaluated in terms of system response time, drop rate, throughput, fog, and cloud utilization. Evaluated results clearly indicate the performance of proposed system is better than benchmark.


Fluid Balance and Carbohydrate Intake of Elite Female Soccer Players during Training and Competition.
This study examined sweat rate, sweat sodium concentration [Na+], and ad-libitum carbohydrate and fluid intakes in elite female soccer players during training (n = 19) and a match (n = 8); eight completed both for comparisons. Body mass (kg) was obtained before and after exercise to calculate sweat rate. The sweat [Na+] was determined from absorbent patches on the thigh or back. Sweat rate, percentage body mass change, and sweat [Na+] for 19 players during training were 0.47 ± 0.19 L·h-1, +0.19 ± 0.65%, and 28 ± 10 mmol·L-1, respectively. Sweat rate was higher during a match (0.98 ± 0.34 L·h-1) versus training (0.49 ± 0.26 L·h-1, p = 0.007). Body mass losses were greater post-match (-1.12 ± 0.86%) than training (+0.29 ± 0.34%, p = 0.003). Sweat [Na+] was similar for training (29 ± 9 mmol·L-1) and a match (35 ± 9 mmol·L-1) (p = 0.215). There were no differences in match versus training carbohydrate intakes (2.0 ± 2.3 g·h-1, 0.9 ± 1.5 g·h-1, respectively, p = 0.219) or fluid intakes (0.71 ± 0.30 L·h-1, 0.53 ± 0.21 L·h-1, respectively, p = 0.114). In conclusion, female soccer players' sweat rates were higher during a match than during training, and carbohydrate intakes were below recommendations for matches and training.


Daily Walking and the Risk of Knee Replacement Over 5 Years Among Adults With Advanced Knee Osteoarthritis in the United States.
To examine the association of the volume and intensity of daily walking at baseline with the risk of knee replacement (KR) over 5 years in adults with advanced structural knee osteoarthritis. Prospective, longitudinal, and multicenter observational study. Osteoarthritis Initiative study with follow-up from 2008-2015. Community-dwelling adults with or at risk of knee osteoarthritis were recruited from 4 sites in the United States (N=516; mean age, 67.7±8.6y; body mass index, 29.3±4.7 kg/m2; 52% female). We included participants with advanced structural disease, without KR and had valid daily walking data (quantified using Actigraph GT1M), at baseline. Not applicable. KR. Walking volume was measured as steps/day and intensity as minutes/day spent not walking (0 steps/min) and walking at very light (1-49 steps/min), light (50-100 steps/min), or moderate (>100 steps/min) intensities. To examine the relationship of walking volume and intensity with the risk of KR, we calculated hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) adjusting for covariates. Of 516 adults with advanced structural disease, 88 received a KR over 5 years (17%). Walking an additional 1000 steps/d was not associated with the risk of KR (adjusted HR=0.95; 95% CI, 0.84-1.04). Statistically, replacing 10 min/d of very light and light walking with 10 min/d of moderate walking reduced the risk of KR incidence by 35% and 37%, respectively (adjusted HR=0.65, 95% CI, 0.45-0.94, for very light and adjusted HR=0.63; 95% CI, 0.40-1.00, for light). Daily walking volume and intensity did not increase KR risk over 5 years and may be protective in some cases in adults with advanced structural knee osteoarthritis.


Development of AI-driven prediction models to realize real-time tumor tracking during radiotherapy.
In infrared reflective (IR) marker-based hybrid real-time tumor tracking (RTTT), the internal target position is predicted with the positions of IR markers attached on the patient's body surface using a prediction model. In this work, we developed two artificial intelligence (AI)-driven prediction models to improve RTTT radiotherapy, namely, a convolutional neural network (CNN) and an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) model. The models aim to improve the accuracy in predicting three-dimensional tumor motion. From patients whose respiration-induced motion of the tumor, indicated by the fiducial markers, exceeded 8 mm, 1079 logfiles of IR marker-based hybrid RTTT (IR Tracking) with the gimbal-head radiotherapy system were acquired and randomly divided into two datasets. All the included patients were breathing freely with more than four external IR markers. The historical dataset for the CNN model contained 1003 logfiles, while the remaining 76 logfiles complemented the evaluation dataset. The logfiles recorded the external IR marker positions at a frequency of 60 Hz and fiducial markers as surrogates for the detected target positions every 80-640 ms for 20-40 s. For each logfile in the evaluation dataset, the prediction models were trained based on the data in the first three quarters of the recording period. In the last quarter, the performance of the patient-specific prediction models was tested and evaluated. The overall performance of the AI-driven prediction models was ranked by the percentage of predicted target position within 2 mm of the detected target position. Moreover, the performance of the AI-driven models was compared to a regression prediction model currently implemented in gimbal-head radiotherapy systems. The percentage of the predicted target position within 2 mm of the detected target position was 95.1%, 92.6% and 85.6% for the CNN, ANFIS, and regression model, respectively. In the evaluation dataset, the CNN, ANFIS, and regression model performed best in 43, 28 and 5 logfiles, respectively. The proposed AI-driven prediction models outperformed the regression prediction model, and the overall performance of the CNN model was slightly better than that of the ANFIS model on the evaluation dataset.


Activation of Sympathetic Signaling in Macrophages Blocks Systemic Inflammation and Protects against Renal Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury.
The sympathetic nervous system regulates immune cell dynamics. However, the detailed role of sympathetic signaling in inflammatory diseases is still unclear because it varies according to the disease situation and responsible cell types. This study focused on identifying the functions of sympathetic signaling in macrophages in LPS-induced sepsis and renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). We performed RNA sequencing of mouse macrophage cell lines to identify the critical gene that mediates the anti-inflammatory effect of β2-adrenergic receptor (Adrb2) signaling. We also examined the effects of salbutamol (a selective Adrb2 agonist) in LPS-induced systemic inflammation and renal IRI. Macrophage-specific Adrb2 conditional knockout (cKO) mice and the adoptive transfer of salbutamol-treated macrophages were used to assess the involvement of macrophage Adrb2 signaling. In vitro, activation of Adrb2 signaling in macrophages induced the expression of T cell Ig and mucin domain 3 (Tim3), which contributes to anti-inflammatory phenotypic alterations. In vivo, salbutamol administration blocked LPS-induced systemic inflammation and protected against renal IRI; this protection was mitigated in macrophage-specific Adrb2 cKO mice. The adoptive transfer of salbutamol-treated macrophages also protected against renal IRI. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed that this protection was associated with the accumulation of Tim3-expressing macrophages in the renal tissue. The activation of Adrb2 signaling in macrophages induces anti-inflammatory phenotypic alterations partially via the induction of Tim3 expression, which blocks LPS-induced systemic inflammation and protects against renal IRI.


Haploinsufficiency of the sex-determining genes at MATα restricts genome expansion in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, mating type of haploid cells is determined by the presence or absence of the MATα idiotype containing MATα1 and MATα2, which encode the transcription factors. These proteins are characterized by rapid turnover, but the physiological relevance of this property remains unclear. Here, we show a direct link between their intracellular levels and sexual stability. Polyploid cells with fewer MATα copies had unstable sexual phenotypes, causing morphological changes and an increase in cell death; these effects were mediated by hyperactivation of the mating pheromone response pathway. Thus, the MATα1 and MATα2 genes are haploinsufficient genes, and the reduction in their product levels causes sex fluctuation. Chromosome III harboring the mating type locus is the most prone to loss in diploids. We propose that the haploinsufficiency of MATα compensates for the drop-out prone nature of chromosome III, thereby suppressing speciation through increased genome size via polyploidization.


Astrocytes and Schwann cells are virus-host cells in the nervous system of rats with Borna disease.
Borna disease virus (BDV) replicates only in cells in the central (CNS) and peripheral (PNS) nervous system in adult rats. Infection of the nervous system is associated with a transient, intense mononuclear meningoencephalitis and immunemediated loss of BDV-infected neurons. The identification of BDV antigen in neurons and the accompanying immunologically-specific lysis of these cells led to the prediction that the CNS would be virus-free after the animal had recovered from encephalitis. However, BDV infectivity and antigen persist for the lifetime of the animal. It appeared, therefore, that other neural cells might be hosts for viral replication and provide a reservoir for the virus. Morphological criteria were used to identify astrocytes and Schwann cells which expressed BDV antigens in vivo. Borna disease virus (BDV) infected astrocytes were identified by double labeling tissue sections with combined cell-specific and BDV-specific antibodies in an avidin-biotin immunocytochemical assay. Examination of serial I micrometer-thick cryosections of hippocampus and sciatic nerve preparations revealed several cells that expressed both glial and BDV antigens. Infectious virus was recovered from cultures of Schwann cells from infected rats. Borna disease virus-infected glial elements persisted beyond the period of inflammation and massive neuronal destruction, and represented a major class of infected cells during chronic disease.


Studying leaders & their concerns using online social media during the times of crisis - A COVID case study.
Online social media (OSM) has emerged as a prominent platform for debate on a wide range of issues. Even celebrities and public figures often share their opinions on a variety of topics through OSM platforms. One such subject that has gained a lot of coverage on Twitter is the Novel Coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, which has become a pandemic and has sparked a crisis in human history. In this study, we examine 29 million tweets over three months to study highly influential users, whom we refer to as leaders. We recognize these leaders through social network techniques and analyse their tweets using text analysis. Using a community detection algorithm, we categorize these leaders into four clusters: research, news, health, and politics, with each cluster containing Twitter handles (accounts) of individual users or organizations. e.g., the health cluster includes the World Health Organization (@WHO), the Director-General of WHO (@DrTedros), and so on. The emotion analysis reveals that (i) all clusters show an equal amount of fear in their tweets, (ii) research and news clusters display more sadness than others, and (iii) health and politics clusters are attempting to win public trust. According to the text analysis, the (i) research cluster is more concerned with recognizing symptoms and the development of vaccination; (ii) news and politics clusters are mostly concerned with travel. We then show that we can use our findings to classify tweets into clusters with a score of 96% AUC ROC.


Periconceptional undernutrition affects the levels of DNA methylation in the peri-implantation pig endometrium and in embryos.
Maternal undernutrition during the periconceptional period alters the transcriptomic profile of pig endometrium and embryos. Herein, we tested the hypothesis that restricted maternal consumption by females during the periconceptional period impairs the pattern of DNA methylation in both the endometrium and embryos during the peri-implantation period (Day 15-16 of gestation). Affected genes in restricted-diet-fed pig endometrium and embryos were identified using quantitative methylation-specific PCR and comprised those genes which are known to be important in reproductive, metabolic and epigenetic function, thereby exhibiting altered transcriptomic expression in endometrium and embryos of restricted-diet-fed gilts. Specifically, levels of DNA methylation of selected genes with altered expression in the endometrium included acid phosphatase type 2C (PPAP2C), salivary lipocalin (SAL1), endothelin receptor type B (EDNRB), regulator of G-protein signalling 12 (RGS12), type 4 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (HSD17B4), toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3), and adiponectin receptor 1 (ADIPOR1). In embryos, adiponectin receptor 2 (ADIPOR2), prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2), arachidonate 12-lipoxygenase (ALOX12), progestin and adipoQ receptor family member 7 (PAQR7), progesterone receptor membrane component 2 (PGRMC2), steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (STAR), and serpin family A member 1 (SERPINA1) were altered. Finally, 5 acid phosphatase tartrate resistant (ACP5), high mobility group box 2 (HMGB2), and DNA (cytosine-5)-methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) were altered in both the endometrium and in embryos. In the endometrium, the methylation levels of ACP5 (regulation of endometrial-conceptus iron transport), RGS12 (protein-coupled receptor signalling), and TLR3 (immune response) were increased, while that of EDNRB (corpus luteum maintenance) was decreased. In embryos, the methylation levels of ADIPOR2 (metabolic homeostasis) and DNMT1 (DNA methylation maintenance) were increased. The levels of methylation in other studied endometrial and embryonic genes were unchanged. DNA methylation levels in both the peri-implantation pig endometrium and embryos may be altered in response to female nutritional restriction.


The differential effects of statins on the metastatic behaviour of prostate cancer.
Although statins do not affect the incidence of prostate cancer (CaP), usage reduces the risk of clinical progression and mortality. Although statins are known to downregulate the mevalonate pathway, the mechanism by which statins reduce CaP progression is unknown. Bone marrow stroma (BMS) was isolated with ethical approval from consenting patients undergoing surgery for non-malignant disease. PC-3 binding, invasion and colony formation within BMS was assessed by standardised in vitro co-culture assays in the presence of different statins. Statins act directly on PC-3 cells with atorvastatin, mevastatin, simvastatin (1 μM) and rosuvastatin (5 μM), but not pravastatin, significantly reducing invasion towards BMS by an average of 66.68% (range 53.93-77.04%; P<0.05) and significantly reducing both number (76.2±8.29 vs 122.9±2.48; P=0.0055) and size (0.2±0.0058 mm(2) vs 0.27±0.012 mm(2); P=0.0019) of colonies formed within BMS. Statin-treated colonies displayed a more compact morphology containing cells of a more epithelial phenotype, indicative of a reduction in the migrational ability of PC-3 cells. Normal PC-3 phenotype and invasive ability was recovered by the addition of geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP). Lipophilic statins reduce the migration and colony formation of PC-3 cells in human BMS by inhibiting GGPP production, reducing the formation and the spread of metastatic prostate colonies.


Latex allergy and filaggrin null mutations.
Natural rubber latex (NRL) contains over 200 proteins of which 13 have been identified as allergens and the cause of type I latex allergy. Health care workers share a high occupational risk for developing latex allergy. Filaggrin null mutations increase the risk of type I sensitizations to aeroallergens and it is possible that filaggrin null mutations also increase the risk of latex allergy. The aim of this paper was to examine the association between filaggrin null mutations and type I latex allergy. Twenty latex allergic and 24 non-latex allergic dentists and dental assistants, occupationally exposed to latex, were genotyped for filaggrin null mutations R501X and 2282del4. Latex allergy was determined by a positive reaction or a historical positive reaction to a skin prick test with NRL. 41 individuals were successfully genotyped. Three individuals were filaggrin mutation carriers. One (2.4%) was a 2282del4 heterozygote and two (4.9%) were R501X heterozygote. No homozygote or compound heterozygote carriers were detected. No association between filaggrin null mutations and type I latex allergy was found (p=0.24). Patients with type I latex allergy more often reported contact dermatitis. This is the first study to examine a highly plausible association between filaggrin null mutations and type I latex allergy. The study subjects were occupationally exposed to latex but no association between latex allergy and filaggrin mutations were detected. Sensitization to latex in the cases in this study may not have occurred through direct skin contact but through the respiratory organs via latex proteins that are absorbed in glove powder and aerosolized.


Screening for Prognostic microRNAs Associated with Treatment Failure in Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma.
Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) treatment with R-CHOP regimen produces 5-year progression-free survival and overall survival of around 60-70%. Our objective was to discover prognostic biomarkers allowing early detection of the remaining 30-40% with poor long-term outcome. For this purpose, we applied a novel strategy: from a cohort of DLBCL patients, treated with standard therapy, a discovery group of 12 patients with poor prognosis (advanced stage III-IV, R-IPI > 2) was formed, consisting of six chemoresistant (refractory/early relapse < 12 months) and six chemosensitive (complete remission > 3 years) subjects. By using microarray assays, the most differentially expressed miRNAs were defined as an initial set of prognostic miRNA candidates. Their expression was then analyzed in a validation cohort of 68 patients and the three miRNAs with the most significant impact on event-free and overall survival were selected. In the DLBCL cell line U-2932 the transfection with miR-1244 and miR-193b-5p, but not miR-1231, blocked the effect of CHOP on cell viability. A subsequent gene set enrichment analysis in patients revealed the implication of the first two miRNAs in cell cycle control and chemoresistance-related pathways, whereas the last one was involved in immunological processes. In conclusion, this novel strategy identified three promising prognostic markers for DLBCL patients at high risk of failure with standard therapy.


Solid phase C1q microassay for the rapid detection of circulating immune complexes.
A C1q solid phase microassay was designed for the rapid detection of circulating immune complexes. Its level of sensitivity is comparable to that of the Raji cell and greater than the C1q binding assay; furthermore, it is faster and low in cost. These conditions make it more practical and applicable in the clinical setting.


Repair technique for fractured anterior facings.
A technique for repairing the anterior region with use of aluminous porcelain-bonded-to-platinum-foil has been described. This technique produces a strong replacement and maintains the esthetic appearance of the original prosthesis.


Increased xanthine oxidase during labour--implications for oxidative stress.
Xanthine dehydrogenase/oxidase (XDH/XO) produces uric acid. When in the oxidase form, this production is coupled with the generation of free radicals. Hypoxia-reperfusion enhances conversion of XDH to XO. Since the placenta is exposed to short periods of hypoxia reperfusion during labour, 17 placentae of pregnancy terminated by elective caesarean section and five placentae of pregnancies terminated by caesarean section during labour were examined for XDH/XO activity. It was found that XO activity was higher in the placentae of labouring women (P = 0.003), which suggests that labour enhances conversion of XDH to XO, facilitating free radical production.


Factors predicting the instant effect of motor function after subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation in Parkinson's disease.
Subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) is an effective treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD), the predictive effect of levodopa responsiveness on surgical outcomes was confirmed by some studies, however there were different conclusions about that through long- and short-term follow-ups. We aimed to investigate the factors which influence the predictive value of levodopa responsiveness, and discover more predictive factors of surgical outcomes. Twenty-three PD patients underwent bilateral STN-DBS and completed our follow-up. Clinical evaluations were performed 1 week before and 3 months after surgery. STN-DBS significantly improved motor function of PD patients after 3 months; preoperative levodopa responsiveness and disease subtype predicted the effect of DBS on motor function; gender, disease duration and duration of motor fluctuations modified the predictive effect of levodopa responsiveness on motor improvement; the duration of motor fluctuations and severity of preoperative motor symptoms modified the predictive effect of disease subtype on motor improvement. The intensity of levodopa responsiveness served as a predictor of motor improvement more accurately in female patients, patients with shorter disease duration or shorter motor fluctuations; PD patients with dominant axial symptoms benefit less from STN-DBS compared to those with limb-predominant symptoms, especially in their later disease stage.


Is angiographic spasm real spasm?
Systematic morphological study of the cerebral arteries was made in six autopsy cases of ruptured aneurysms. The time course of the arterial luminal narrowing was observed by repeated angiograms, and segments of the narrowed arteries were studied histologically. Various histological changes were found consistent with the angiographic findings. We have devided these into three stages according to the duration of the disease. In the acute stage (less than one day) the contraction of the medial smooth muscle cells may be the main cause of the luminal narrowing. In the subacute stage, arteries showed a reduction in lumen size with medial thickening, marked corrugation of the internal elastic lamina, and thrombus formation attached to the endothelial surface. If vasoconstriction remained localized to the same segment for several days, the intimal or medial thickening and thrombus might produce the luminal narrowing consistent with the angiographic narrowing. In the chronic stage (more than two weeks), most cases showed dilatation of the arterial lumen on angiography. These arteries showed frank necrosis of the smooth muscle cells histologically. In a case which demonstrated progressive luminal narrowing on angiograms over 2 weeks, the arterial wall showed luminal narrowing with cellulofibrous thickening of the intima and organization of the thrombus. The presence of these structural changes in the narrowed arteries seen at angiography seems to be very important for proper understanding and treatment of vasospasm.


COVID-19: Histopathological correlates of imaging patterns on chest computed tomography.
Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia present with typical findings on chest computed tomography (CT), but the underlying histopathological patterns are unknown. Through direct regional correlation of imaging findings to histopathological patterns, this study aimed to explain typical COVID-19 CT patterns at tissue level. Eight autopsy cases were prospectively selected of patients with PCR-proven COVID-19 pneumonia with varying clinical manifestations and causes of death. All had been subjected to chest CT imaging 24-72 h prior to death. Twenty-seven lung areas with typical COVID-19 patterns and two radiologically unaffected pulmonary areas were correlated to histopathological findings in the same lung regions. Two dominant radiological patterns were observed: ground-glass opacity (GGO) (n = 11) and consolidation (n = 16). In seven of 11 sampled areas of GGO, diffuse alveolar damage (DAD) was observed. In four areas of GGO, the histological pattern was vascular damage and thrombosis, with (n = 2) or without DAD (n = 2). DAD was also observed in five of 16 samples derived from areas of radiological consolidation. Seven areas of consolidation were based on a combination of DAD, vascular damage and thrombosis. In four areas of consolidation, bronchopneumonia was found. Unexpectedly, in samples from radiologically unaffected lung parenchyma, evidence was found of vascular damage and thrombosis. In COVID-19, radiological findings of GGO and consolidation are mostly explained by DAD or a combination of DAD and vascular damage plus thrombosis. However, the different typical CT patterns in COVID-19 are not related to specific histopathological patterns. Microvascular damage and thrombosis are even encountered in the radiologically normal lung.


Grading the severity of obstruction in mixed obstructive-restrictive lung disease.
The severity of obstructive pulmonary disease is determined by the FEV(1) % predicted based on the American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society (ATS/ERS) guidelines. In patients with coexisting restrictive lung disease, the decrease in FEV(1) can overestimate the degree of obstruction. We hypothesize that adjusting the FEV(1) for the decrease in total lung capacity (TLC) results in a more appropriate grading of the severity of obstruction. We examined a large pulmonary function test database and identified patients with both restrictive (TLC < 80% predicted) and obstructive (FEV(1)/FVC < the lower limit of normal) lung disease. FEV(1) % predicted was adjusted for the degree of restriction by dividing it by TLC % predicted. We compared the distribution of severity grading between adjusted and unadjusted values according to ATS/ERS criteria and determined how the distribution of severity would change based on asthma and COPD guidelines. We identified 199 patients with coexisting restrictive and obstructive lung disease. By ATS/ERS grading, the unadjusted data categorized 76% of patients as having severe or very severe obstruction and 11% as having mild or moderate obstruction. The adjusted data classified 33% with severe or very severe obstruction and 44% with mild or moderate obstruction. Of the corrected values, 83% resulted in a change to less severe obstruction by ATS/ERS guidelines, and 44% and 70% of patients, respectively, would be reclassified as having less severe obstruction by current asthma and COPD guidelines. This method results in a more appropriate distribution of severity of obstruction, which should lead to more accurate treatment of obstruction in these patients.