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Cell phone Senescence in Idiopathic Lung Fibrosis.
Objectives ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) can affect all age groups. We aimed to show that differences in disease presentation and 6 month outcome between younger- and older-onset patients are still incompletely understood. Methods We included patients enrolled in the Diagnostic and Classification Criteria for Primary Systemic Vasculitis (DCVAS) study between October 2010 and January 2017 with a diagnosis of AAV. We divided the population according to age at diagnosis 65 years of age display a different pattern of organ involvement and an increased risk of significant damage and mortality compared with younger patients.Aims Several large studies have documented the outcome of transvenous lead extraction (TLE), focusing on laser and mechanical methods. To date there has been no large series addressing the results obtained with rotational lead extraction tools. This retrospective multicentre study was designed to investigate the outcomes of mechanical and rotational techniques. Methods and results Data were collected on a total of 2205 patients (age 66.0 ± 15.7 years) with 3849 leads targeted for extraction in six European lead extraction centres. The commonest indication was infection (46%). The targeted leads included 2879 pacemaker leads (74.8%), 949 implantable cardioverter-defibrillator leads (24.6%), and 21 leads for which details were unknown; 46.6% of leads were passive fixation leads. The median lead dwell time was 74 months [interquartile range (IQR) 41-112]. Clinical success was obtained in 97.0% of procedures, and complete extraction was achieved for 96.5% of leads. Major complications occurred in 22/2205 procedures (1%), with a peri-operative or procedure-related mortality rate of 4/2205 (0.18%). Minor complications occurred in 3.1% of procedures. A total of 1552 leads (in 992 patients) with a median dwell time of 106 months (IQR 66-145) were extracted using the Evolution rotational TLE tool. In this subgroup, complete success was obtained for 95.2% of leads with a procedural mortality rate of 0.4%. Conclusion Patient outcomes in the PROMET study compare favourably with other large TLE trials, underlining the capability of rotational TLE tools and techniques to match laser methods in efficacy and surpass them in safety.Rapid and accurate diagnosis of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is important for timely and appropriate therapy. In this study, a rapid and easy-to-perform molecular test that integrated polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and a specific 96-well microplate hybridization assay, called PCR-ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), were developed for detection of mutations in rpoB, katG, and inhA genes responsible for rifampin (RIF) and isoniazid (INH) resistance and prediction of drug susceptibility in Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates. We evaluated the utility of this method by using 32 multidrug-resistent (MDR) isolates and 22 susceptible isolates; subsequently, we compared the results with data obtained by conventional drug susceptibility testing and DNA sequencing. The sensitivity and specificity of the PCR-ELISA test were 93.7% and 100% for detecting RIF resistance, and 87.5% and 100% for detecting INH resistance, respectively. see more These results were comparable to those yielded by commercially available molecular tests such as the GenoType MTBDRplus assay. Based on the aforementioned results, we conclude that the PCR-ELISA microplate hybridization assay is a rapid, inexpensive, convenient, and reliable test that will be useful for rapid diagnosis of MDR-TB, for improved clinical care.Feed has been shown to be a vector for viral transmission. Four experiments were conducted to 1) determine if medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) are effective mitigants when applied to feed both pre- and post- porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) inoculation measured by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), 2) evaluate varying levels and combinations of MCFA measured by qRT-PCR, and 3) evaluate selected treatments in bioassay to determine infectivity. In Exp. 1, treatments were arranged in a 2×2+1 factorial with main effects of treatment (0.3% commercial formaldehyde product (CF), Sal CURB [Kemin Industries, Inc.; Des Moines, IA] or 1% MCFA blend (Blend) of 111 C6C8C10 [PMI, Arden Hills, MN]) and timing of application (pre- or post-inoculation with PEDV); plus a positive control (PC; feed inoculated with PEDV and no treatment). All combinations of treatment and timing decreased detectable PEDV compared to the PC (P less then 0.05). Pre-inoculation treatment elicited decreaseration of each MCFA combination decreased PEDV detectability (linear, P less then 0.012). In Exp. 4, feed was treated pre-inoculation with 1) no treatment (PC), 2) 0.3% CF, 3) 0.5% Blend, or 4) 0.3% C80 and analyzed via qRT-PCR and bioassay. Adding 0.5% Blend or 0.3% C80 resulted in decreased PEDV compared to PC and only PC resulted in a positive bioassay. Therefore, MCFA can decrease detection of PEDV in feed. Further, inclusion of lower levels of MCFA than previously evaluated are effective against PEDV.Introduction Quick Response codes, or "QR" codes, are used widely in China - for mobile payment, marketing, public transportation, and various other applications. In this study we examined the content of websites linked from QR codes on cigarette packs collected in China. Methods In February 2017, 738 unique cigarette packs were collected from 5 Chinese cities (Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Kunming, and Chengdu) using a systematic protocol. Cigarette packs were coded for presence of QR codes on packaging. Packs containing QR codes were then scanned using the WeChat app. Websites sourced from QR codes were coded for required verification, website type, age- and health-related statements, engagement strategies, and marketing appeals. Results From the sample of 738 unique packs, 109 packs (14.8%) had a QR code on the packaging. The QR codes were linked to 24 unique websites of which 23 could be analyzed. All 23 unique websites were either brand-specific or social media websites; none focused on health or quit information.
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