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Cardiac Sarcoidosis: Could it be More Common that face men?
We report on a 70-year-old Japanese man with complaints of worsening left visual acuity who was diagnosed with ocular ischemic syndrome (OIS) associated with internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis. A gonioscopy examination showed rubeosis iridis and elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) in the left eye (50 mmHg) at the baseline visit. The optic nerve head (ONH) and choroidal blood flow measured by laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG) was impaired in the left eye compared with that in the right eye. Additionally, the blowout score (BOS), which indicates the variation of the mean blur rate (MBR) during systolic and diastolic periods, was decreased in the left eye. After treatment with an injection of bevacizumab and administration of Rho-associated kinase-inhibitor ripasudil eye drops, both ocular blood flow and BOS in each vascular bed gradually increased along with IOP reduction. The visual acuity also improved. The current case demonstrated increased blood flow and decreased fluctuation of blood flow in the ONH and choroid before and after the treatment in OIS with rubeosis iridis. The LSFG technique is useful to non-invasively assess the ocular circulation and pulse waveform in OIS.Since December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has attracted worldwide attention for its rapid and exponential diffusion. The long-term psychological impact, of both the spread of the virus and the restrictive policies adopted to counteract it, remains uncertain. However, recent studies reported a high level of psychological distress and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms. The purpose of this study is to assess the psychometric properties of a new questionnaire, to evaluate PTSD risk related to the COVID-19 emergency. A total of Italian people completed a web-based cross-sectional survey broadcasted through different social-media. Demographic data and some psychological dimensions, such as general distress and sleep disturbance, were collected. A new self-report questionnaire (COVID-19-PTSD), consisting of 19 items, was developed starting from the PTSD Check List for DSM-5 (PCL-5) questionnaire, and it was administered in order to analyze its psychometric properties. The results highlighted the adequate psychometric properties of the COVID-19-PTSD questionnaire. The confirmatory factor analysis indicated that a seven-factor model (Intrusion, Avoidance, Negative Affect, Anhedonia, Dysphoric arousal, Anxious arousal and Externalizing behavior) best fits the data. Significant correlations were found among COVID-19-PTSD scores, general distress and sleep disturbance. A high percentage of PTSD symptomatology (29.5%) was found in the Italian population. COVID-19-PTSD appears to be effective in evaluating the specific stress symptoms related to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Italian population. These results are relevant from a clinical point of view because they suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic could be considered as a traumatic event. Psychological interventions to counteract short- and long-term psychopathological effects, consequent to the COVID-19 pandemic, appear to be necessary.Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection with associated chronic liver diseases is a major health problem worldwide. Here, we designed hepatitis B virus (HBV) small surface antigen (sHBsAg) virus-like particles (VLPs) presenting different epitopes derived from the HCV E2 glycoprotein (residues 412-425, 434-446, 502-520, and 523-535 of isolate H77C). Epitopes were selected based on their amino acid sequence conservation and were previously reported as targets of HCV neutralizing antibodies. Chimeric VLPs obtained in the Leishmania tarentolae expression system, in combination with the adjuvant Addavax, were used to immunize mice. Although all VLPs induced strong humoral responses, only antibodies directed against HCV 412-425 and 523-535 epitopes were able to react with the native E1E2 glycoprotein complexes of different HCV genotypes in ELISA. Neutralization assays against genotype 1-6 cell culture infectious HCV (HCVcc), revealed that only VLPs carrying the 412-425 epitope induced efficient HCV cross-neutralizing antibodies, but with isolate specific variations in efficacy that could not necessarily be explained by differences in epitope sequences. In contrast, antibodies targeting 434-446, 502-520, and 523-535 epitopes were not neutralizing HCVcc, highlighting the importance of conformational antibodies for efficient virus neutralization. Thus, 412-425 remains the most promising linear E2 epitope for further bivalent, rationally designed vaccine research.Research regarding ways to increase solar cell efficiency is in high demand. Mechanical deformation of a nanowire (NW) solar cell can improve its efficiency. Here, the effect of uniaxial compression on GaAs nanowire solar cells was studied via conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) supported by numerical simulation. C-AFM I-V curves were measured for wurtzite p-GaAs NW grown on p-Si substrate. Numerical simulations were performed considering piezoresistance and piezoelectric effects. Solar cell efficiency reduction of 50% under a -0.5% strain was observed. The analysis demonstrated the presence of an additional fixed electrical charge at the NW/substrate interface, which was induced due to mismatch between the crystal lattices, thereby affecting the efficiency. Additionally, numerical simulations regarding the p-n GaAs NW solar cell under uniaxial compression were performed, showing that solar efficiency could be controlled by mechanical deformation and configuration of the wurtzite and zinc blende p-n segments in the NW. M3814 datasheet The relative solar efficiency was shown to be increased by 6.3% under -0.75% uniaxial compression. These findings demonstrate a way to increase efficiency of GaAs NW-based solar cells via uniaxial mechanical compression.Ibrutinib is an orally available, small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Its main purpose is to inhibit Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK), an enzyme that is crucial in B cell development. It is FDA approved for the treatment of certain hematological malignancies. Several promising off-target drug effects have led to multiple, mostly preclinical investigations regarding its use in solid tumors. Unfortunately, data on its effectiveness in gynecological malignancies are limited, and (systematic) reviews are missing. The objective of this review was to summarize the existing literature and to analyze the evidence of ibrutinib as a treatment option in gynecological malignancies, including breast cancer. Studies were identified in MEDLINE and EMBASE using a defined search strategy, and preclinical or clinical research projects investigating ibrutinib in connection with these malignancies were considered eligible for inclusion. Our findings showed that preclinical studies generally confirm ibrutinib's efficacy in cell lines and animal models of ovarian, breast, and endometrial cancer.
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