Notes

Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) pertaining to biofilm treatment options. Possible synergy between aPDT along with pulsed power areas.
Influenza B virus (IBV) causes respiratory infectious disease. Cytokines are important immune mediators during infectious diseases. Cortisol and stress have been related to respiratory infection susceptibility and cytokine regulation. Little is known about systemic cytokines, cortisol, and perceived stress in the early stages of IBV infection. We researched the systemic cytokines and cortisol, as well as the perceived stress and blood cell count in patients infected with IBV. The diagnosis was established using the Luminex xTAG RVP kit and confirmed with qRT-PCR for IBV viral load. The perceived stress was evaluated using the perceived stress scale (PSS-10). Twenty-five plasma cytokines were determined using multiplex immunoassay and cortisol by ELISA. b-AP15 cell line The leukocyte differential count was measured with a standard laboratory protocol. Th1, Th17, and IL-10 cytokines were higher in IBV infected patients (P less then 0.05). Leukocytes and neutrophil count negatively correlated with viral load (P less then 0.05). Perceived stress had a negative effect on monocyte and systemic cytokines in IBV infected patients (P less then 0.05). Cortisol was higher in patients infected with IBV and correlated positively with CCL20 (P less then 0.05). Cortisol showed a positive effect on most of the systemic cytokines (P less then 0.05). In conclusion, a cytokine pattern was found in IBV infected patients, as well as the possible role of leukocyte counts in the control of IBV. Our results suggest the importance of cortisol and perceived stress on systemic cytokines in patients infected with IBV, but more studies are needed to understand their role in cytokine production in respiratory infectious disease.
Omentin-1 and vaspin are novel adipokines, and their association with atherosclerosis is still under investigation. The present study aimed to assess the relationship of those adipokines with preclinical, non-significant carotid atherosclerosis and the impact of statin therapy on their levels, suggesting a link between adiposity and atherosclerosis.

Eighty-four statin-free subjects with non-significant, preclinical carotid atherosclerosis and elevated LDL- cholesterol levels (>130mg/dl) were recruited to receive atorvastatin (from 10 to 80mg per day) (atorvastatin group - AG group). Forty-six age- and gender-matched healthy individuals, without any chronic disease served as controls (control group - CG). Clinical parameters, metabolic profile, serum omentin-1, vaspin concentrations and ultrasound measurements of carotid thickening were obtained at the beginning and after 12months.

At baseline, AG showed lower omentin-1 and vaspin serum levels than CG (p≤0.001). Along the entire study population at bagnificant carotid atherosclerosis. Notably, atorvastatin administration significantly increased both adipokines, but the underlying mechanisms and the clinical impact of those changes requires further investigation.
The overall clinical outcome of inflammatory conditions is the result of the balance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory mediators. Because nuclear factor kappa B (NF-ĸB) is at the bottom of many inflammatory conditions, methods to evaluate the net effect of inflammation modulators on this master regulator have been conceptualized for years.

Using an ex vivo NF-ĸB reporter cell line-based assay, plasma samples of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (n=27), psoriasis (n=15), or severe coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) (n=21) were investigated for NF-ĸB activation compared to plasma samples from 9 healthy volunteers.

When separated by C-reactive protein (CRP) threshold levels, samples of patients exhibiting increased CRP levels (≥5 mg/l) activated NF-ĸB more efficiently than samples from patients with levels below 5mg/l (P=0.0001) or healthy controls (P=0.04). Overall, there was a moderate association of CRP levels with NF-ĸB activation (Spearman r=0.66; p<0.0001). Plasma from COVID-19 patients activated NF-ĸB more efficiently (mean 2.4-fold compared to untreated reporter cells) than samples from any other condition (healthy controls, 1.8-fold, P=0.0025; rheumatoid arthritis, 1.7-fold, P<0.0001; psoriasis, 1.7-fold, P<0.0001). In contrast, effects of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, or healthy volunteer samples did not differ.

This study shows that a NF-ĸB reporter cell line can be used to evaluate the net inflammatory effect of clinical plasma samples. Patients with chronic but stable rheumatoid arthritis or psoriasis do not exhibit increased plasma levels of NF-ĸB-activating compounds as opposed to COVID-19 patients with high inflammatory burden.
This study shows that a NF-ĸB reporter cell line can be used to evaluate the net inflammatory effect of clinical plasma samples. Patients with chronic but stable rheumatoid arthritis or psoriasis do not exhibit increased plasma levels of NF-ĸB-activating compounds as opposed to COVID-19 patients with high inflammatory burden.As alternative transportation is getting more and more fashionable, and more people worldwide are "shifting" to walking trips, even for their daily commuting, traffic crashes suffered by pedestrians are still a great concern for road safety and public health researchers and practitioners. In this regard, risky or "aberrant" road behaviors have emerged, during the last few years, as a key issue to be considered for crash prevention. Nevertheless, the idea of a "generic pedestrian" is getting re-evaluated, and analyzing key features, such as gender, seems to be crucial for understanding pedestrians' performance and safety outcomes.
The objective of this study was to examine the effect of gender on pedestrians' both deliberate (traffic violations) and undeliberate (errors) risky walking behaviors, considering a set of theoretically based demographic and psychosocial variables as their potential predictors.

For this cross-sectional study, data from 1070 Spanish pedestrians (60 % females and 40 % males, aged bepport the influence of gender in the statistical explanation of both deliberate and undeliberate walking risky road behaviors, also depicting the differential role of certain demographic and psychosocial factors when we compare male and female pedestrians.
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