Notes

Downregulation of PUMA underlies effectiveness against FGFR1 inhibitors within the come mobile or portable leukemia/lymphoma symptoms.
By addressing the dilemma between the shuttle chemistry and incomplete discharge of S/Se, the new electrolyte configuration demonstrates its feasibility to trigger higher capacity retention of the cathodes. As a result, Li-S and Li-Se cells with high energy and long cycle lives are realized, showing promise for practical use. © 2020 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.BACKGROUND To determine whether discontinuing the Undergraduate Medicine and Health Sciences Admissions Test (UMAT) in 2011 for selection and changes to the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) requirements in 2012 when the new Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR) was introduced, impacted on students' accumulative level of achievement and performance in the Bachelor of Oral Health (BOH) program. METHODS Board of Examiner's course results for end of year performance were collected for BOH cohorts 2006 to 2017 (n=347). Overall performance and achievement level attained were calculated and formed the dependent variables, Performance and Achievement. Group-based trajectory modelling (GBTM) characterised trajectories of yearly academic achievement and the likelihood of each case belonging to the latent group classified as individual group membership. Chi square (or Fischer's Exact) tests were conducted on groups and selected independent variables, using SAS 9.4. RESULTS A 2-group academic Performance trajectory was selected as Consistent (n=290; (83.6%) and Inconsistent (n=57; 16.4%) and Achievement level (credit number) trajectory as Low (n=154; 44.4%), and High (n=193; 55.6%). Statistically significant findings in relation to achievement level were found; female students, those who enrolled after UMAT was discontinued, students enrolled since SACE changes, and those who nominated BOH as their first career preference, were more likely to achieve higher grades than their counterparts. CONCLUSION Discontinuing the UMAT for selection and SACE changes have shown no adverse changes in students' level of achievement in the BOH program, although enrolling in a course not their first preference was shown to affect performance level. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.The present work aimed to study the anatomy, histology, cytology and some biochemical parameters (urea, osmolality, haematocrit, serum natrium, serum kalium) of the kidney of Gerbillus tarabuli. The investigated animals (n = 16) were collected from the desert, weighed and transferred alive to the laboratory in separate cages. A blood sample was taken by puncture at the retro-orbital sinus of each animal using a Pasteur-type capillary pipette capillary. They were anaesthetized with urethane injection (25%), after which they were carefully dissected; their organs were taken out and prepared for the histological and cytological studies. Pasteur pipette capillary type the kidney of the Gerbillus tarabuli is subdivided into three regions Cortex (1193.625±60μm), Outer Medulla (1316.72±73μm), Inner Medulla (2525.08±85 μm). Pasteur pipette capillary type the kidney of the Gerbillus tarabuli is subdivided into three regions Cortex (1193.625±60μm), Outer Medulla (1316.72±73μm), Inner Medulla (2525.08±85 μm). The concentration of the biochemical parameters of urea (0.41 ± 0.02 g/L), osmolality (300.75 ± 3.33 mOs/kg), haematocrit (34.18 ± 1.3%), serum natrium (141.37 ± 2.31 mmol/L) and serum kalium (7.69 ± 0.39 mmol/L) is in the interval of the norm compared with several studies on desert and semi-desert rodents and also on the Wistar rat. These findings revealed the adaptive morphology and physiological function in the kidney of G. tarabuli to the desert environment. © 2020 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.The outer membrane (OM) is an essential barrier that guards Gram-negative bacteria from diverse environmental insults. Besides functioning as a chemical gatekeeper, the OM also contributes towards the strength and stiffness of cells and allows them to sustain mechanical stress. Largely influenced by studies of Escherichia coli, the OM is viewed as a rigid barrier where OM proteins and lipopolysaccharides display restricted mobility. Here the discussion is extended to other bacterial species, with a focus on Myxococcus xanthus. In contrast to the rigid OM paradigm, myxobacteria possess a relatively fluid OM. It is concluded that the fluidity of the OM varies across environmental species, which is likely linked to their evolution and adaptation to specific ecological niches. Importantly, a fluid OM can endow bacteria with distinct functions for cell-cell and cell-environment interactions. © 2020 WILEY Periodicals, Inc.Microbial keratitis is a rare but potentially severe sight-threatening condition, associated with societal burden, cost and morbidity. Compared with microbial keratitis without lens wear, the disease in contact lens wear is more common, occurs at an earlier age, has lower morbidity and is more often caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acanthamoeba spp. Resistance to common antibiotics is infrequent in contact lens-related isolates and there is little evidence to suggest increasing bacterial resistance over time. There is some evidence for increased reporting of cases of Acanthamoeba keratitis internationally. The incidence of contact lens-related microbial keratitis has remained stable over time. Rates vary with wear modality, with the lowest risk of severe disease in daily disposable and rigid gas permeable contact lens wear; however, there are limited studies in daily wear silicone hydrogel and in contemporary daily disposable contact lenses. Risk factors for contact lens-related microbial keratitis can beaediatric population. © 2020 Optometry Australia.INTRODUCTION Biallelic mutations in TBC1-domain containing kinase (TBCK) lead to hypotonia, global developmental delay with severe cognitive and motor deficits, and variable presentation of dysmorphic facial features and brain malformations. It remains unclear whether hypotonia in these individuals is purely neurogenic, or also caused by progressive muscle disease. METHODS Whole exome sequencing was performed on a family diagnosed with non-specific myopathic changes via histological analysis and immunohistochemistry of muscle biopsy samples. RESULTS A novel homozygous truncation in TBCK was found in two sisters diagnosed with muscle disease and severe psychomotor delay. TBCK was completely absent in these patients. DISCUSSION Our findings identify a novel early truncating variant in TBCK associated with a severe presentation and add muscle disease to the variability of phenotypes associated with TBCK mutations. Inconsistent genotype/phenotype correlation could be ascribed to the multiple roles of TBCK in intracellular signaling and endolysosomal function in different tissues. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.Agminated nevus refers to a clustered group of melanocytic nevi confined to a localized area of the body. It rarely involves acral skin, but recognition of acquired agminated nevus (AAN) in the acral area is clinically important because it may mimic acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM). However, acral AAN has only been described in a few case reports and its clinical characteristics remain unclear. We report three additional cases of acral AAN to further analyze the differential points between ALM. Clinical images, including those of dermoscopy, of three cases of acral AAN were reviewed. The lesions were located on the sole or lateral border of the foot. All acral AAN were flat and large in size (>20 mm in greatest dimension), and associated with asymmetry and irregular border. However, no parallel ridge pattern suggesting ALM was observed on dermoscopy. In two patients, the lesions on the sole were totally resected; microscopic evaluation of these two lesions confirmed junctional nests of banal melanocytes. AAN lesions on the sole with chronic mechanical pressure are slightly larger and more diffuse; thus, they may be more likely to be overdiagnosed as malignancy upon inspection than those in the non-acral area. Understanding the concept of the disease and careful dermoscopic evaluation leads to an accurate diagnosis. © 2020 Japanese Dermatological Association.In the analysis by electrospray (+) of an extract of hemp sprouts put in a polypropylene vial, we found a large contamination of a plastic additive. It was characterized by multiple-stage MSn experiments (MS ÷ MS10 ) and identified as tris(2,4-di-tert-butylphenyl)phosphate, also known with the synonyms F32IRS6B46, oxidized Naugard 524, and others. The MS2 ÷ MS7 spectra are characterized by consecutive eliminations of six isobutene molecules from the tert-butyl moieties, some of them also occurring in the ion source. The first three are calculated to occur preferentially from the ortho positions, whereas eliminations from the para positions are estimated to be less favored at about 5-6 kcal/mol in each step. Once the first three isobutene molecules are eliminated, the remaining three are lost from the tert-butyl moieties in para positions (MS5 ÷ MS7 ), yielding protonated triphenylphosphate, whose structure has been confirmed by the MS2 spectrum of triphenylphosphate standard the latter spectrum is almost superimposable with the MS8 spectrum of the analyte under investigation. MS8 and MS9 spectra show main losses of water and C6 H4 molecules. The MS10 spectrum of precursor ions at m/z 215 shows the gas-phase addition of water and methanol and ions at m/z 168, attributable to the loss of a phosphorus oxide radical. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations (Becke 3LYP [B3LYP] 6-311+G(2d,2p)) have been used to evaluate structure and stability of different ionic and neutral species involved in the decomposition pathways and to calculate thermochemical data of the decomposition reactions. This multistep mass analysis combined with theoretical calculations resulted to be particularly useful and effective, yielding chemical, thermochemical, and mechanistic data of significant utility in the structural characterization and identification of the unknown analyte as well as to define its gas-phase reactivity under a multistep low-energy collision-induced dissociation regime. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.INTRODUCTION Dysferlin-deficient murine muscle sustains severe damage after repeated eccentric contractions. METHODS With a robotic dynamometer, we studied the response of dysferlin-sufficient and -deficient mice to 12 weeks of concentrically- or eccentrically-biased contractions. We also studied whether concentric contractions before or after eccentric contractions reduced muscle damage in dysferlin-deficient mice. RESULTS After 12 weeks of concentric training, there was no net gain in contractile force in dysferlin-sufficient or -deficient mice, whereas eccentric training produced a net gain in force in both mouse strains. However, eccentric training induced more muscle damage in dysferlin-deficient versus -sufficient mice. Although concentric training produced minimal muscle damage in dysferlin-deficient mice, it still led to a prominent increase in centrally-nucleated fibers. Prior exposure to concentric contractions conferred slight protection on dysferlin-deficient muscle against damage from subsequent eccentric contractions. DISCUSSION Concentric contractions might help dysferlin-deficient muscle derive the benefits of exercise without inducing damage. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.AIM To examine and increase understanding of diverse aspects of hope as experienced by the next of kin when someone close to them is critically ill in intensive care unit (ICU). DESIGN A qualitative study with a phenomenological approach. METHOD The data were collected through five in-depth interviews with next of kin at the ICU in Central Norway. Data were interpreted to gain a deeper understanding on hope in an acute and critical context. RESULTS The analysis presents five main themes (i) hope for survival, (ii) hope is fostered by signs of improvement, (iii) hope keeps fear for the worst at bay, (iv) hope that things will turn out well and (v) hope for the return to a normal life. Hope kept next of kin going during a difficult time and was strengthened when they saw their close family member responding positively to treatment provided by the ICU. © 2020 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Nordic College of Caring Science.BACKGROUND Epidemiological data of coeliac disease are lacking from the central Asian region. AIMS To verify the occurrence of coeliac disease amongst four major ethnic groups of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomus Region, China. METHODS 2277 in-patients with gastrointestinal symptoms (1391 Han, 608 Uyghur, 146 Kazakh and 132 Hui; mean age 54 ± 12.8 years) were included. Total IgA, anti-deamidated gliadin peptide (DGP)-IgG, and anti-tissue transglutaminase (anti-tTG)-IgA were analysed. All antibody-positive subjects were further tested for endomysial (EMA) antibodies and were HLA genotyped. All subjects with antibody positivity were asked to undergo intestinal biopsy. In addition, a subset of antibody-negative subjects were tested for HLA-DQA1and DQB1. RESULTS Among the 2277 subjects, 29 subjects were defined as coeliac disease autoimmune (positive results for anti-tTG IgA and EMA-IgA) (1.27%; 95% confidence interval, 0.81%-1.73%), eight of them underwent biopsy and all showed coeliac disease histology (0.35%; 95% Cl, 0.11%-0.59%). The frequency of coeliac disease autoimmunity was lowest among the Han (0.79%), followed by the Uyghur (1.81%), the Kazakh (2.05%) and the Hui (3.03%). The frequency of the HLA-DQ2 and/or DQ8 haplotype was highest in the Uyghur (52.1%), followed by the Hui (44.4%), the Kazakh (40.0%) and the Han (39.4%). Besides, a three times higher frequency of coeliac disease autoimmunity was found among rural living subjects with significantly higher wheat consumption compared to urban living subjects (3.16% vs 0.97%, P less then 0.01). CONCLUSIONS In Xinjiang, coeliac disease does occur, especially in the rural area. The HLA haplotype and environment play key roles in the development of coeliac disease. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.High-frequency ultrasonography (HFUS) represents a useful adjunct for dermatologists in the diagnosis of capillary malformation-arteriovenous malformation (CM-AVM) syndrome. We present a paediatric case series of 6 patients with confirmed RASA1 gene mutation in whom HFUS demonstrated AVM beneath cutaneous CM-like lesions greater than 1.5 cm. © 2020 The Australasian College of Dermatologists.BACKGROUND We have designed a patient-based real-time quality control (PBRTQC) procedure to detect analytical shifts and review analytical trends of measurement procedures. METHODS All the nine months' patient results of total thyroxine (TT4), total triiodothyronine (TT3), free thyroxine (FT4), free triiodothyronine (FT3), and thyrotropin (TSH) measured by three identical analyzers were divided into three groups according to the source of inpatient patients, outpatient patients, and healthy people. The data in each group were truncated by optimized Box-Plot method and normalized by Box-Cox method if necessary. The z-score charts of internal quality control (IQC) samples' results and PBRTQC data were drawn by IQC levels and groups, respectively. The analytical shifts and analytical trends were detected by multi-rules of 2-2S rules and moving average rules. The performances of PBRTQC were compared with the BIQC in which IQC samples were measurand only once per day at the beginning of the analytical batch. Twelvis not larger than its coefficient of variation in IQC. Further optimization and validation of PBRTQC are still needed. © 2020 The Authors. Journal of Clinical Laboratory Analysis published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.BACKGROUND Current study aimed to explore the value of P53, MutS homologs 2 (MSH2), and tropomyosin-4 (Tm-4) combined with inflammatory factors, life-history traits in the differential diagnosis of alpha-fetoprotein-negative hepatocellular carcinoma (AFP-Negative HCC). METHODS A testing cohort including 280 AFP-Negative HCC patients and 300 controls was included. Three external validation cohorts from 3 centers were used to assess the novel logistic regression model including 400 AFP-Negative HCC patients and 400 controls. RESULTS Compared with the control group, the levels of P53, MSH2, and Tm-4 protein in si-P53 group, si-MSH2 group, and si-Tm-4 group were significantly reduced (P less then .05). The P53, MSH2, Tm-4, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocytes to lymphocyte ratio (MLR), hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6) levels, and the smoking, drinking, and occupational exposure to chemicals rates in patients were significantly higher than those in controls (P less then .05). ROC analyses showed that the area under curve (AUC) of NLR, MLR, hs-CRP, TNF-α, IL-6, P53, MSH2, Tm-4, drinking, smoking, and occupational exposure to chemicals were 0.798, 0.803, 0.560, 0.644, 0.808, 0.681, 0.830, 0.694, 0.582, 0.581, and 0.567, respectively. A novel logistic regression model was built and has a high value in identifying AFP-Negative HCC with AUC of 0.917, sensitivity of 85.2%, and specificity of 88.3%. In the validation cohorts, this model also showed good diagnostic efficiency (AUC = 0.898 with Dazu Branch cohort, AUC = 0.924 with Jinshan Branch cohort, and AUC = 0.907 with Liangping Branch cohort). CONCLUSION Current model has potential significance for the noninvasive diagnosis of AFP-Negative HCC. © 2020 The Authors. Journal of Clinical Laboratory Analysis published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.Hypothyroidism and obesity are two highly prevalent conditions that appear to be closely related. Hypothyroidism is correlated with weight gain, loss of appetite, constipation, and a higher incidence of obesity. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of synbiotic supplementation on anthropometric indices, appetite, and constipation in subjects with hypothyroidism. Sixty subjects with hypothyroidism were assigned into two groups to receive either 500 mg/day of synbiotic (n = 30) or a placebo (n = 30) per day for 8 weeks. Anthropometric indices, appetite, and constipation were assessed at study baseline and end of the trial. At the end of trial, waist-to-hip ratio was significantly decreased in the synbiotic group (p = .030), whereas there were no significant differences between groups. We did not observe any statistically significant change in appetite or other anthropometric indices (p > .05). Compared with the placebo synbiotic supplementation led to a significant reduction in constipation (p = .048). The results of the present trial indicated that synbiotic supplementation may have favorable results in constipation among subjects with hypothyroidism for 8 weeks. Further studies with larger sample size and longer duration are needed to confirm our findings. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.In response to the increased demand to screen patients with symptoms concerning for COVID-19, we created a risk assessment triage process for our internal medicine clinic that utilizes residents' clinical reasoning skills without direct exposure to high-risk patients. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.When the number of baseline covariates whose imbalance needs to be controlled in a sequential randomized controlled trial is large, minimization is the most commonly used method for randomizing treatment assignments. The lack of allocation randomness associated with the minimization method has been the source of controversy, and the need to reduce even minor imbalances inherent in the minimization method has been challenged. The minimal sufficient balance (MSB) method is an alternative to the minimization method. It prevents serious imbalance from a large number of covariates while maintaining a high level of allocation randomness. In this study, the two treatment allocation methods are compared with regards to the effectiveness of balancing covariates across treatment arms and allocation randomness in equal allocation clinical trials. The MSB method proves to be equal or superior in both respects. In addition, type I error rate is preserved in analyses for both balancing methods, when using a binary endpoint. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.BACKGROUND Probiotic therapies, mainly live bacteria, have been proven to be effective in treating atopic dermatitis (AD) with some controversies. Killed probiotics, or postbiotics would have immunomodulatory effect in allergic diseases including AD. This study was performed to evaluate the therapeutic effect and safety of tyndallized Lactobacillus rhamnosus (IDCC 3201, isolated from the feces of a Korean breastfed-infant, repeated heat treated and incubated, RHT3201) in children with AD. METHODS In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, RHT3201 at a dose of 1.0 x 1010 CPU/day or placebo was given in children (aged 1 to 12 years) with moderate AD for 12 weeks. SCOring of AD (SCORAD) scores, allergic inflammatory markers, and safety parameters were evaluated. RESULTS For evaluating the therapeutic effects of RHT3201, 33 subjects in each group were analyzed. The change of SCORAD total score at 12 week (primary outcome) from baseline was significantly greater in RHT3201 group (-13.89 ± 10.05) compared to the control group (-8.37±9.95). Levels of eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) and interleukin (IL)-31 showed tendency to decrease in RHT3201 group, and significant decreases in subgroup analysis in AD for ≥ 50 months. For safety analysis, a total of 100 subjects (50 in treated, 50 in control group) were evaluated, and there were no significant differences in safety parameters between two groups. CONCLUSION In children with moderate AD, oral administration of RHT3201 showed the therapeutic effect on AD, and the effects in part correlated with decrement of ECP and IL-31, and the effect was more remarkable in subgroup analysis. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.Recently, two-dimensional (2D) organic-inorganic hybrid lead halide perovskites have attracted intensive attentions in solid state luminous fields as single-component white light emitters, and it is still significant to rationally optimize the photoluminescence (PL) performances through accurate structural design strategies. Herein, by carefully choosing homologous aliphatic amines as templates, we rationally designed two isotypical perovskites, [DMEDA]PbCl 4 ( 1 ) and [DMPDA]PbCl 4 ( 2 ), displaying tunable and stable broadband bluish white-light emission properties. Intriguingly, the subtle regulation on organic cations leads to higher distortion levels of 2D [PbCl 4 ] 2- layers and enhanced photoluminescence quantum efficiencies (PLQEs) ( less then 1% for 1 and 4.9% for 2 ). The broadband light emissions can be ascribed to the self-trapped excitons (STEs) based on detailed studies of structural characterizations, time-resolved PL, temperature-dependent PL emissions, theoretical calculation and so on. This work gives a new guidance to rationally optimize the PL properties of low-dimensional halide perovskites and affords a platform to probe into the structure-property relationship. © 2020 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.NEW FINDINGS What is the central question of this study? Does the combination of methazolamide and theophylline reduce symptoms of acute mountain sickness (AMS) and improve aerobic performance in acute hypobaric hypoxia? What is the main finding and its importance? The oral combination of methazolamide (100 BID) and theophylline (300 BID) improved arterial oxygen saturation but did not reduce symptoms of AMS and impaired aerobic performance. We do not recommend this combination of drugs for prophylaxis against the acute negative effects of hypobaric hypoxia. ABSTRACT A limited number of small studies have suggested that methazolamide and theophylline can independently reduce symptoms of acute mountain sickness (AMS) and, if taken together, can improve aerobic exercise performance in normobaric hypoxia. We performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study to determine if the combination of oral methazolamide and theophylline could provide prophylaxis against AMS and improve aerobic perTT was ∼3% worse when taking the drugs (P less then 0.01). CONCLUSIONS The combination of methazolamide and theophylline in the prescribed dosages is not recommended for use at high altitude as it appears to have no measurable effect on AMS and can impair aerobic performance. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.Intentional weight loss can increase health risk in the long-term, despite short-term benefits, because human adipose tissue is widely contaminated with various lipophilic environmental contaminants, especially persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Recently, chronic exposure to low POPs has emerged as a new risk factor for common metabolic diseases and cardiovascular diseases. The amount of POPs released from adipocytes to the circulation increases during weight loss, thereby increasing POPs exposure of other critical organs. Possible harmful effects due to release of POPs during weight loss are opposite to those usually expected from losing weight. It is speculated that this tradeoff can explain recent puzzling findings on intensive weight loss. The presence of POPs in adipose tissue adds a challenge to weight management and an optimal strategy of weight management needs to consider both fat mass and dynamics of POPs. © 2020 WILEY Periodicals, Inc.BACKGROUND Engaging in meaningful activity is an important contributor to well-being in late life. This study aimed to develop a new measure of meaningful and enjoyable activities in people living with mild dementia. METHODS The study consisted of four phases 1) a review of measures of meaningful activity in older people; 2) interviews with people with dementia and their carers (n = 32), 3) expert opinion; and 4) feasibility testing in a pilot randomised controlled trial (n = 63). RESULTS The development process resulted in a 20-item questionnaire. The Meaningful and Enjoyable Activities Scale (MEAS) evidenced appropriate levels of internal consistency (α = 0.79). Higher scores correlated with higher functional independence (r = -.605, P  less then  .001), patient (r = .330, P = .010) and carer-rated patient quality of life (r = .505, P  less then  .001). Multiple regression analyses showed that functional independence made a significant independent contribution in predicting higher levels of meaningful activity (F[7,45] = 6.75, P  less then  .001, R2 = .512; β = -.444, P = .001). Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that a revised three-factor 9-item model provided good fit for the data (X2 = 22.74, P = 0.54, GFI = 0.93, RMSE = 0.00), with leisure-time physical activity, social engagement and mentally stimulating activities as the key dimensions. CONCLUSION Our study provides support for the construct of meaningful activity in people with mild dementia. Although we find preliminary evidence that the MEAS has adequate psychometric properties, future large scale studies are required to test its validity further and responsiveness to change. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.AIMS This systematic review aimed to identify school-based interventions for ensuring mental health and well-being of adolescents, synthesize existing interventions and summarize the quality of identified studies. DESIGN A systematic review, analysis and synthesis were performed. DATA SOURCES Search was performed in Cochrane Library, PsychARTICLES, Web of Science, CINAHL and Medline. REVIEW METHODS Literature search was performed in March 2019 using inclusion and exclusion criteria. PRISMA guidelines were followed. Identified records were reviewed by title, abstract and by the full text by two independent researchers. Three authors independently made a quality assessment of the included studies. Included studies were extracted and synthesized. A systematic review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42019128919). RESULTS The initial search yielded 1199 articles. Of them, 57 articles were included in the final analysis and synthesis. Only four studies were assessed as high quality. Identified themes were mental healrepresents a list of effective school interventions for the promotion of adolescents' mental well-being. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.Chemists and industrialists are continuously attempting to develop greener and more environmentally benign chemical processes to extract essential oils and bioactive metabolites of high purity, finding various applications in cosmetics, detergents, nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals. An increase preference for natural products over synthetic ones has made supercritical fluid technology a primary alternative for the generation of high-value bioactive ingredients. This effective technique requires only moderate temperatures, eliminates clean-up steps, and avoids the use of harmful organic solvents. In this context, our study was focused on the chemical analysis of Calamintha nepeta subsp. nepeta aromatic extracts obtained with supercritical Carbon Dioxide (CO2 ). The effect of different operating conditions on the capacity of the lipophilic solvent to extract the targeted volatile components was also studied. The process was carried out at fairly low constant temperature of 40 °C, and with varying the pressure from 90 to 300 bar. The chemical composition of the extracts was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). The results showed that the composition pattern, the concentrations of individual components and the quality of the extractable analytes, are affected by pressure increase. The extraction yields varied from 0.73 % to 1.21 % (wt.) at 90 bar and 300 bar, respectively. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.OBJECTIVES Most persons living with dementia (PLWD) will develop neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) at some point. NPS are often clustered into subsyndromes with other, related symptoms, but the evidence supporting commonly-used clusters is insufficient. We reexamine behavioral clusters in community-dwelling PLWD, and identify associated risk factors and potential contributors. METHODS This study used baseline data from a longitudinal behavioral intervention study of 250 community-dwelling older adults with dementia and their caregivers. Using exploratory factor analysis (principal component analysis), the factor structure of NPS frequency scores of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI-C) was evaluated. Multiple linear regressions assessed the association of the derived behavioral clusters with caregiver burden, caregiver depression, and quality of life of the PLWD. RESULTS Principal component analysis yielded eight behavioral clusters (factors) 1 = Aggression/Rejection of Care, 2 = Apathy/Withdrawal, 3 = Restlessness/Agitation, 4 = Anxiety, 5 = Impulsivity/Disinhibition, 6 = Psychosis, 7 = Circadian Disturbance, and 8 = Depression. In multiple linear regressions, caregiver burden was significantly influenced by the anxiety cluster, caregiver depression was significantly influenced by the apathy/withdrawal cluster, and quality of life of the PLWD was significantly associated with the anxiety and circadian disturbance clusters. CONCLUSIONS Our eight derived behavioral clusters suggest that commonly accepted clusters of NPS may not reflect the clinical reality for community-dwelling PLWD. Behavioral clusters appear to differentially impact and put caregivers and PLWD at risk such that personalized intervention strategies are warranted. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.Most women positive for human papillomavirus (HPV) are cytology normal. The optimal screen-management of these women is unclear given their risk of developing precancer. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of progression rates to precancer and cancer for HPV-positive, cytology normal women. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Scopus for prospective studies measuring the cumulative incidence of precancer and cervical cancer in HPV-positive, cytology/histology normal women. Record screening was performed independently by two reviewers. We modeled the cumulative incidence over time using a multilevel random-effects meta-regression model. We used the model to predict HPV type-specific risks of precancer and cancer over follow-up. Data from 162 unique records were used in our analysis. The average incidence rate of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 or cancer (CIN3+) in high-risk HPV positive but cytology/histology normal women was 1.0 per 100 women-years (95% CI 1.0 to 1.1). This corresponds to an average cumulative risk at 1, 3, and 5 years of 2.1% (95% prediction interval 0.0 to 9.5), 4.3% (95% prediction interval 0.0 to 11.5), and 6.4% (95% prediction interval 0.0 to 13.5). HPV type was a strong predictor of the risk of oncogenic progression. There was substantial heterogeneity in the background precancer risk across studies (p-value less then 0.0001). Our HPV type-specific progression risk estimates can help inform risk-based cervical cancer screening guidelines for HPV-positive women. However, precancer and cervical cancer risks are highly variable and may not be generalizable between populations. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.In personalized medicine, it is often desired to determine if all patients or only a subset of them benefit from a treatment. We consider estimation in two-stage adaptive designs that in stage 1 recruit patients from the full population. In stage 2, patient recruitment is restricted to the part of the population, which, based on stage 1 data, benefits from the experimental treatment. Existing estimators, which adjust for using stage 1 data for selecting the part of the population from which stage 2 patients are recruited, as well as for the confirmatory analysis after stage 2, do not consider time to event patient outcomes. In this work, for time to event data, we have derived a new asymptotically unbiased estimator for the log hazard ratio and a new interval estimator with good coverage probabilities and probabilities that the upper bounds are below the true values. The estimators are appropriate for several selection rules that are based on a single or multiple biomarkers, which can be categorical or continuous. © 2020 The Authors. Statistics in Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.PURPOSE To investigate the impact of different breath-holding conditions on the results of renal artery Doppler ultrasonography (RADS). METHODS In 45 healthy volunteers, we performed RADS examination during breath-holding while breathing naturally and after a deep inspiration. We measured and compared peak systolic flow velocity (PSV), end diastolic velocity (EDV), and resistance index (RI) of the right (RRA) and left (LRA) renal artery, and PSV, EDV, RI, acceleration time and acceleration index (AI) of the right and left interlobar arteries. RESULTS The RRA and LRA PSV were, respectively, 76 ± 13 cm/s and 77 ± 15 cm/s under natural breathing and 93 ± 18 cm/s and 89 ± 24 cm/s after deep inspiration (P ≤ .001). The RRA and LRA EDV were also greater at deep inspiration (P  less then  .001 and P = .019, respectively). There was no significant difference in RRA or LRA RI. The PSV, RI, and AI of the right and left interlobar arteries were greater after deep inspiration (P ≤ .001), without difference in AI. CONCLUSION Breath-holding conditions may influence Doppler measurements of renal artery flow velocity and should be reported and taken into account. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.BACKGROUND Locally advanced malignancies of the upper torso and shoulder girdle (UT-SG) necessitate extensive resection and complex reconstruction. Due to the infrequent nature of these operations, a global reconstructive algorithm has not been defined. METHODS A retrospective review of all patients who received reconstructive surgery following malignant tumor extirpation in the UT-SG from 2008 to 2018 at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Factors predicting the need for flap reconstruction and risk for postoperative complications were evaluated. RESULTS In total, 252 procedures met inclusion criteria. The most common pathology was sarcoma (76%) and 52% were primary tumors. The median defect area was 112 cm2 (range 4-1350 cm2 ). Reconstructive techniques included pedicled flaps (46%), local tissue rearrangement (38%), and free flaps (16%). On univariate analysis, the probability of needing a free flap increased 39% when the defect size increased by 100 cm2 . The strongest independent predictors of requiring a free flap were major vessel exposure (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 4.92, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.36-17.84, P = .015) and major peripheral nerve exposure (adjusted OR = 3.2, 95% CI, 1.1-9.2, P = .031). CONCLUSION Despite the aggressive nature of their malignancies, patients requiring an UT-SG resection demonstrate high survival rates and therefore demand a durable reconstruction. Exposed critical structures and defect size were predictive of free tissue transfer. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.It has been recently demonstrated that yeast cells are able to partially regress chromosome segregation in telophase as a response to DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), likely to find a donor sequence for homology-directed repair (HDR). This regression challenges the traditional concept that establishes anaphase events as irreversible, hence opening a new field of research in cell biology. Here, the nature of this new behavior in yeast is summarized and the underlying mechanisms are speculated about. It is also discussed whether it can be reproduced in other eukaryotes. Overall, this work brings forwards the need of understanding how cells attempt to repair DSBs when transiting the latest stages of mitosis, i.e., anaphase and telophase. © 2020 WILEY Periodicals, Inc.BACKGROUND As common risk factors of dementia, nine factors (low education, hearing loss, obesity, hypertension, smoking, depression, physical inactivity, diabetes and social isolation) were proposed. However, the joint impact of these factors on incident dementia is still uncertain; hence, we aimed to examine this impact. METHODS We conducted a cohort study of 9017 cognitively intact individuals aged ≥ 65 years in the Swedish Twin Registry. The main exposure was the total number of reported risk factors (ranging from 0 to 9). Data on dementia diagnoses were based on clinical workup and national health registers. After estimating the adjusted hazard ratios of incident dementia, the population attributable fraction (PAF) was calculated. We then conducted additional analyses, including APOE ε4 status in a genotyped subsample (n = 2810) to check the relative impact of the main exposure and discordant twin pair (n = 1158) analysis to consider confounding by familial effects (shared genetic or familial environmental factors). RESULTS The number of dementia cases was 1950 (21.6%). A dose-response relationship between the number of risk factors and incident dementia was observed; hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) per one-unit increment in number of risk factors was 1.07 (1.03 to 1.11). The PAF for the combination of the nine risk factors was 10.4%. The PAF of all nine risk factors was smaller than that of APOE ε4 genotype (20.8%) in the subsample. Discordant pair analysis suggested that the observed association was not likely explained by familial effects. CONCLUSION The nine risk factors may have considerable impact as modifiable factors on incident dementia. © 2020 The Authors. Journal of Internal Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Association for Publication of The Journal of Internal Medicine.OBJECTIVE To identify cognitive phenotypes in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and test their reproducibility in a large, multi-site cohort of patients using both data-driven and clinically driven approaches. METHOD Four-hundred seven patients with TLE who underwent a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation at one of four epilepsy centers were included. Scores on tests of verbal memory, naming, fluency, executive function, and psychomotor speed were converted into z-scores based on 151 healthy controls (HCs). For the data-driven method, cluster analysis (k-means) was used to determine the optimal number of clusters. For the clinically driven method, impairment was defined as >1.5 standard deviations below the mean of the HC, and patients were classified into groups based on the pattern of impairment. RESULTS Cluster analysis revealed a three-cluster solution characterized by (a) generalized impairment (29%), (b) language and memory impairment (28%), and (c) no impairment (43%). Based on the clinical criteria,g a novel taxonomy of neuropsychological status in TLE. © 2020 International League Against Epilepsy.The number of teats is a morphological trait that influences the mothering ability of the sows and thus their reproduction performances. In this study, we carried out GWASs for the total number of teats and other 12 related parameters in 821 Italian Large White heavy pigs. All pigs were genotyped with the Illumina PorcineSNP60 BeadChip array. For four investigated parameters (total number of teats, the number of teats of the left line, the number of teats of the right line and the maximum number of teats comparing the two sides), significant markers were identified on SSC7, in the region of the vertnin (VRTN) gene. Significant markers for the numbers of posterior teats and the absolute difference between anterior and posterior teat numbers were consistently identified on SSC6. The most significant SNP for these parameters was an intron variant in the TOX high mobility group box family member 3 (TOX3) gene. For the other four parameters (absolute difference between the two sides; anterior teats; the ratio between the posterior and the anterior number of teats; and the absence or the presence of extra teats) only suggestively significant markers were identified on several other chromosomes. This study further supported the role of the VRTN gene region in affecting the recorded variability of the number of teats in the Italian Large White pig population and identified a genomic region potentially affecting the biological mechanisms controlling the developmental programme of morphological features in pigs. © 2020 Stichting International Foundation for Animal Genetics.BACKGROUND The COVID-19 global pandemic has resulted in a plethora of guidance and opinion from surgical societies. A controversial area concerns the safety of surgically created smoke and the perceived potential higher risk in laparoscopic surgery. METHODS The limited published evidence was analysed in combination with expert opinion. A review was undertaken of the novel coronavirus with regards to its hazards within surgical smoke and the procedures that could mitigate the potential risks to healthcare staff. RESULTS Using existing knowledge of surgical smoke, a theoretical risk of virus transmission exists. Best practice should consider the operating room set-up, patient movement and operating theatre equipment when producing a COVID-19 operating protocol. The choice of energy device can affect the smoke produced, and surgeons should manage the pneumoperitoneum meticulously during laparoscopic surgery. Devices to remove surgical smoke, including extractors, filters and non-filter devices, are discussed in detail. CONCLUSION There is not enough evidence to quantify the risks of COVID-19 transmission in surgical smoke. However, steps can be undertaken to manage the potential hazards. The advantages of minimally invasive surgery may not need to be sacrificed in the current crisis. © 2020 The Authors. British Journal of Surgery published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of BJS Society Ltd.Social media has overtaken mainstream media in terms of strength of public engagement. News and debate on hot topics trend on Twitter much before visual or print media. Scientists and researchers are increasingly utilizing various social media platforms including Facebook , Twitter and WhatsApp to engage readers. There are several barriers to social media usage by researchers like lack of time, poor understanding of the potential of social media, fear of criticism or not being tech-savvy. The benefits of social media for academics and research are potentially huge and largely untapped. Many specialists on Twitter, for example, actively educate others (sharing research or explaining difficult concepts through #tweetorials), discuss and critique research articles, live-tweet presentations during conferences, promote new ideas and trends, and collaborate with peers. Posting published articles on social media can increase readership, engagement and boost visibility for the journal (1). It is not surprising that new popular metrics in scientific publication like Altmetrics include social media mentions (2). This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.OBJECTIVE To investigate the value of platelet count in evaluating the degree of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). METHODS A total of 158 CHB patients who underwent liver biopsy in our hospital were included, and the clinical characteristics of these patients were retrospectively analyzed. The diagnostic values of platelet count, aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI), and the fibrosis index based on four factors (FIB-4) for significant fibrosis (F ≥ 2) and early cirrhosis (F = 4) stages in CHB patients were assessed by the use of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. RESULTS The median (F0 221.0; F1 210.0; F2 188.0; F3 171.0; and F4 155.5) and mean rank (F0 120.4; F1 100.1; F2 82.2; F3 67.9; and F4 49.5) of platelet count decreased along the aggravation of fibrosis (F0-F4). The areas under the ROC curve for the platelet count in diagnosis of significant fibrosis stage was 0.70, which had no significant difference with FIB-4 (0.73) and APRI (0.68) in diagnostic efficacy (P = .428). The areas under the ROC curve of platelet count in diagnosis of early cirrhosis were 0.72, which had no significant difference with FIB-4 (0.76) and APRI (0.68) (P = .094). CONCLUSION The platelet count, as a simple and non-invasive index, could evaluate the degree of liver fibrosis in CHB individuals. At the same time, the diagnostic efficiency of platelet count to evaluate the significant liver fibrosis and early cirrhosis is comparable to FIB-4 and APRI. © 2020 The Authors. Journal of Clinical Laboratory Analysis Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Throughout the history of humanity, major global events have caused great changes in human practices. As the outbreak of COVID-19 has developed worldwide, various big events of the world are either cancelled or postponed like the Olympics, religious events, award ceremonies, etc. Numerous dermatological organizations have been monitoring daily recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization, along with the numerous travel restrictions issued by companies and medical institutions. It has been a very difficult but necessary decision for all the organizers to cancel the meetings last minute or a few months in advance. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.BACKGROUND The alcohol cue reactivity paradigm is increasingly used to screen medications for the treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD) and other substance use disorders. Yet, its prospective association with craving and naturalistic drinking outcomes in clinical trials remains unknown. This study embedded repeated human laboratory assessments of alcohol cue reactivity within the context of a randomized controlled trial to examine the effects of varenicline tartrate (Chantix® ), a partial agonist of α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, on alcohol craving among treatment-seeking heavy drinkers with AUD. Our main objectives were to test whether varenicline, as compared to placebo, blunts alcohol-cue elicited craving and test whether alcohol cue reactivity observed in the human laboratory predicts subsequent alcohol craving and use during the remainder of the trial. DESIGN AND METHODS This double-blind, randomized, two-site study compared the effects of varenicline (up to 2 mg/day) and placebo on responses to in vivo alcohol cue and affective picture cue exposure in the human laboratory. Forty-seven volunteers (18 females, 29 males), ages 23 to 67 years (M = 43.7, SD = 11.5), were recruited from the community via advertisements to participate in a clinical trial designed to study the effects of varenicline on alcohol use. Participants were randomized to either varenicline or placebo for 6 weeks. RESULTS Varenicline did not attenuate cue-induced alcohol craving relative to placebo, but craving captured during the cue reactivity paradigm significantly predicted subsequent alcohol use in real-world settings during the clinical trial. Higher craving predicted heavier alcohol use. CONCLUSIONS Our results are among the first to show alcohol cue-induced craving captured during a human laboratory paradigm predicts drinking outcomes in the context of a clinical trial. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.Industrial applications require enzymes to be highly stable and economically viable in terms of reusability. Enzyme immobilization is an exciting alternative to improve the stability of enzymatic processes. Immobilization of β-1,4-xylanase produced by Bacillus licheniformis S3 is performed by using two polymer supports (agar-agar and calcium alginate). The maximum enzyme immobilization yield was achieved at a concentration of 3% agar, whereas a combination of sodium alginate, 4%, and calcium chloride, 0.3 M, was used for the formation of immobilized beads. The immobilization process increased the optimum reaction time from 10 min to 35 and 40 min for agar and calcium alginate, respectively, and the incubation temperature increased from 55°C to 60°C for agar, but it remained unchanged for calcium alginate. The pH profile of free and immobilized xylanase was quite similar in both cases. Both the techniques altered the kinetic parameters of immobilized β-1,4-xylanase as compared with the free enzyme. The diffusion limit of high molecular weight xylan caused a decline in Vmax of the immobilized enzyme, whereas there was an increase in the Km value.
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