A possible association between night shift work and musculoskeletal disorder has been suggested. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of decreased night work on musculoskeletal pain. Difference-in-difference estimation was used to compare changes in musculoskeletal pain between shift workers (N = 122) and non-shift workers (N = 170) in a manufacturing company before and after the introduction of a new shift system eliminating overnight work. Musculoskeletal pain was measured by a questionnaire asking if workers had symptoms in specific body parts, including the neck, shoulder, arm/elbow, wrist/hand, back, and leg/foot, over the past year. Generalized estimating equation models were used to estimate changes in pre- versus post-intervention musculoskeletal pain rates between the treated and control group. In the difference-in-difference (DID) models, prevalence of musculoskeletal pain for shoulder (-10.3%), arm (-12.9%), all sites combined (-9.2%), and upper extremity combined (-14.8%) showed significant decreases from pre- to post-intervention among the treated group (shift workers) compared to the control group (non-shift workers) after controlling for age and weekly working hours. Decreasing night work was related to improvement in musculoskeletal pain in shift workers.So far, studies about targeted therapies and predictive biomarkers for vulva carcinomas are rare. The leucine zipper downregulated in cancer 1 gene (LDOC1) has been identified in various carcinomas as a tumor-relevant protein influencing patients’ survival and prognosis. Due to the lack of information about LDOC1 and its exact functionality, this study focuses on the expression of LDOC1 in vulvar carcinoma cells and its surrounding immune cells as well as its correlation to clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis. Additionally, a possible regulation of LDOC1 in vulvar cancer cell lines via the NF-κB signaling pathway was analyzed. Vulvar carcinoma sections of 157 patients were immunohistochemically stained and examined regarding LDOC1 expression by using the immunoreactive score (IRS). To characterize LDOC1-positively stained immune cell subpopulations, immunofluorescence double staining was performed. The effect of the NF-κB inhibitor C-DIM 12 (3,3′-[(4-chlorophenyl)methylene]bis[1 H-indole]) on vulvar cancer cell lines A431 and SW 954 was measured according to MTT and BrdU assays. Baseline expression levels of LDOC1 in the vulvar cancer cell lines A431 and SW 954 was analyzed by real-time PCR. LDOC1 was expressed by about 90% of the cancer cells in the cytoplasm and about half of the cells in the nucleus. Cytoplasmatic expression of LDOC1 was associated with decreased ten-year overall survival of the patient, whereas nuclear staining showed a negative association with disease-free survival. Infiltrating immune cells were mainly macrophages followed by regulatory T cells. Incubation with C-DIM 12 decreased the cell viability and proliferation of vulvar cancer cell line A431, but not of cell line SW 954. LDOC1 expression on mRNA level was twice as high in the cell line A431 compared to the cell line SW 954. Overexpression of LDOC1 was associated with unfavorable overall and disease-free survival. Tumor growth could be inhibited by C-DIM 12 in vitro if the expressed LDOC1 level was high enough.Snakebites are more frequent in the Brazilian Amazon than in other parts of Brazil, representing a high cost for the health system since antivenoms are only available through medical prescription from central municipal hospitals in most cases. The need for a cold chain and physicians usually restricts access to the only effective treatment of a snakebite, the antivenom. The complex topography of the rivers contributes to delays in treatment, and consequently increases the risk of severe complications, chronic sequelae and death. Thus, decentralization of antivenom treatment to primary healthcare facilities in the interior would increase access by indigenous population groups to proper healthcare. To standardize and evaluate the decentralization to low complexity indigenous healthcare units, we suggest the (i) development and validation of standardized operational procedures, (ii) training of professionals in the validated protocol in a referral health unit, (iii) implementation of the protocol in an indigenous healthcare unit, (iv) assessment of perceptions towards and acceptability of the protocol, and (v) estimation of the impact of the protocol’s implementation. We expect that antivenom decentralization would shorten the time between diagnosis and treatment and, as such, improve the prognosis of snakebites. As health cosmology among indigenous populations has an important role in maintaining their way of life, the introduction of a new therapeutic strategy to their customs must take into account the beliefs of these peoples. Thus, antivenom administration would be inserted as a crucial therapeutic tool in a world of diverse social, natural and supernatural representations. The information presented here also serves as a basis to advocate for support and promotion of health policy initiatives focused on evidence-based care in snakebite management.The stem cell marker Musashi1 (MSI1) is highly expressed during neurogenesis and in glioblastoma (GBM). MSI1 promotes self-renewal and impairs differentiation in cancer and non-malignant progenitor cells. However, a comprehensive understanding of its role in promoting GBM-driving networks remains to be deciphered. We demonstrate that MSI1 is highly expressed in GBM recurrences, an oncologist’s major defiance. For the first time, we provide evidence that MSI1 promotes the expression of stem cell markers like CD44, co-expressed with MSI1 within recurrence-promoting cells at the migrating front of primary GBM samples. With GBM cell models of pediatric and adult origin, including isolated primary tumorspheres, we show that MSI1 promotes stem cell-like characteristics. Importantly, it impairs CD44 downregulation in a 3’UTR- and miRNA-dependent manner by controlling mRNA turnover. This regulation is disturbed by the previously reported MSI1 inhibitor luteolin, providing further evidence for a therapeutic target potential of MSI1 in GBM treatment.Emotional eating (EE) patterns have been shown to play a relevant role in the development of overweight problems. However, there is a gap in research aimed at validating questionnaires to assess EE in specific populations. The aim of the study was to analyze factor structure and psychometric properties of Emotional Eater Questionnaire (EEQ) in Spanish universities. EEQ, state-anxiety subscale of STAI and a questionnaire about health habits were filled out by 295 students. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) by using Unweight Least Squares (ULS) method was carried out. To determine factor numbers we used eigenvalues, parallel analysis, and goodness of fit statistics. Cronbach’s alpha and Spearman correlations were used to analyze reliability, convergent, and concurrent validity. The parallel analysis and goodness of fit statistics showed that unifactorial structure of seven items was the most appropriate what accounted for 57% of the variance. Internal consistency was good (α = 0.753), as well as convergent validity (r = 0.317; p less then 0.001). Concurrent validity was significant for three of the five criteria (r = -0.224; p less then 0.001 and r = -0.259; p less then 0.001). The results suggest some differences in the structure of the psychometric assessment of EE in sub-clinical population in comparison with previous studies carried on with an overweight population, what could be relevant to obesity prevention.The structure of a microresonator will affect the vibration characteristics and the performance of the system. Inspired by the structural characteristics of the human tympanic membrane, this paper proposed a microresonator with the bionic structure of a tympanic membrane. The structure of a tympanic membrane was simplified to a regular shape with three structural parameters diameter, height, and thickness. To imitate the tympanic membrane, the contour surface of the bionic structure was modeled based on the formula of transverse vibration mode of a circular thin plate. The geometric model of the bionic structure was established by using the three structural parameters and the contour surface equation. The dynamic properties of the bionic model were studied by the finite element method (FEM). We discuss the modal characteristics of the bionic structure and study the effect of structural parameters and scale on the dynamic properties. The advantages of the bionic structure were investigated by a comparison with circular plate microresonators. The results illustrate that the bionic structure can significantly improve the resonant frequency and have a much larger effective area of vibration displacement.Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is a highly potent sphingolipid metabolite, which controls numerous physiological and pathological process via its extracellular and intracellular functions. The breast is mainly composed of epithelial cells (mammary gland) and adipocytes (stroma). Adipocytes play an important role in regulating the normal functions of the breast. Compared to the vast amount studies on breast epithelial cells, the functions of S1P in breast adipocytes are much less known. Thus, in the current study, we used human preadipocyte cell lines SGBS and mouse preadipocyte cell line 3T3-L1 as in vitro models to evaluate the effects of S1P on cell viability, differentiation, and gene expression in adipocytes. Our results showed that S1P increased cell viability in SGBS and 3T3-L1 preadipocytes but moderately reduced cell viability in differentiated SGBS and 3T3-L1 adipocytes. S1P was also shown to inhibit adipogenic differentiation of SGBS and 3T3-L1 at concentration higher than 1000 nM. Transcriptome analyses showed that S1P was more influential on gene expression in differentiated adipocytes. Furthermore, our network analysis in mature adipocytes showed that the upregulated DEGs (differentially expressed genes) were related to regulation of lipolysis, PPAR (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor) signaling, alcoholism, and toll-like receptor signaling, whereas the downregulated DEGs were overrepresented in cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, focal adhesion, starch and sucrose metabolism, and nuclear receptors pathways. Together previous studies on the functions of S1P in breast epithelial cells, the current study implicated that S1P may play a critical role in modulating the bidirectional regulation of adipocyte-extracellular matrix-epithelial cell axis and maintaining the normal physiological functions of the breast.Cell response to novel coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) is currently a widely researched topic. The assessment of leukocytes population and the maturation of both B and T lymphocytes may be important in characterizing the immunological profile of COVID-19 patients. The aim of the present study was to evaluate maturation of B and T cells in COVID-19 patients with interstitial lesions on chest X-ray (COVID-19 X-ray (+)), without changes on X-ray (COVID-19 X-ray (-)) and in healthy control. The study group consisted of 23 patients divided on two groups COVID-19 X-ray (+) n = 14 and COVID-19 X-ray (-) n = 9 and control n = 20. The flow cytometry method was performed. We observed a significantly higher percentage of plasmablasts and lower CD4+ lymphocytes in COVID-19 X-ray (+) patients than in COVID-19 X-ray (-) and control. In the COVID-19 X-ray (+) patients, there was a lower proportion of effector CD4+ T cells, naïve CD8+ T cells and higher central memory CD4+ cells and effector CD8+ T cells than control. The above results showed that the assessment of selected cells of B and T lymphocytes by flow cytometry can distinguish patients with COVID-19 and differentiate patients with and without changes on chest X-ray.

Although the importance of assessing inspiratory flow in the selection of treatments for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is understood, evaluation of this factor is not yet widespread or standardized. The objective of the present work was to evaluate the peak inspiratory flow (PIF) of patients with COPD and to explore the variables associated with a suboptimal PIF.

An observational, cross-sectional study was carried out at specialized nursing consultations over a period of 6 months. We collected clinical data as well as data on symptoms, treatment adherence, and patient satisfaction with their inhalers via questionnaires. PIF was determined using the In-Check Dial G16

device (Clement Clarke International, Ltd., Harlow, UK). In each case, the PIF was considered suboptimal when it was off-target for any of the prescribed inhalers. The association with suboptimal PIF was evaluated using multivariate logistic regression and the results were expressed as the odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI).

A total of 122 COPD patients were included in this study, of whom 34 (27.9%) had suboptimal PIF. A total of 229 inhalers were tested, of which 186 (81.2%) were dry powder devices. The multivariate analysis found an association between suboptimal PIF and age (OR = 1.072; 95% CI (1.019, 1.128);

= 0.007) and forced vital capacity (OR = 0.961; 95% CI (0.933, 0.989);

= 0.006).

About a third of patients in complex specialized COPD care have suboptimal PIFs, which is related to age and forced vital capacity.

About a third of patients in complex specialized COPD care have suboptimal PIFs, which is related to age and forced vital capacity.In this work, we study the electrochemical oxidation of methyl red, a dye present in textile industrial effluents, which is selected as the model for the degradation of Contaminants of Emerging Concern. The influence of the initial pollutant concentration (1-5 mg dm-3), applied current density (2-15 mA cm-2), and the coupling of ultraviolet or ultrasound radiation have been studied using a titanium plate as anode. The results show that electrochemical oxidation is able to efficiently remove methyl red, and the process efficiency decreases with the initial pollutant concentration. At high applied current densities, efficiency drastically decreases due to a less effective mass transfer of the pollutant on the anodic surface. On one hand, the coupling of ultrasound entails an antagonistic effect on the process efficiency, which is probably due to a massive formation of oxidant radicals followed by a fast recombination process. On the other hand, the coupling of ultraviolet radiation increases the process efficiency. Concomitantly to the oxidation processes, titanium electrode produces rising TiO2-anatase nanoparticles, boosting the mineralization process. This new finding sets up a significant improvement over conventional photocatalysis treatments using TiO2-anatase as a catalyst due to synergistic effects coming from the coupling of the electrochemical oxidation and photocatalysis process with Ti anode.

many people with different diagnoses, including eating disorders, have suffered traumatic experiences in childhood.

a case-control study was performed. The objective of this study was to evaluate the presence of child trauma and dissociative symptoms in people with eating disorders and compare the results obtained with a control group. Participants were administered the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) and the Structured Clinical Interview for Personality Disorders (SCID-II) to confirm diagnostic criteria and explore possible comorbidities. Traumatic experiences in childhood were evaluated with the Child Trauma Questionnaire in its abbreviated version (CTQ-SF), psychoform dissociation was measured with the Scale of Dissociative Experiences (DES-II) and somatoform dissociation with the Somatoform Dissociation Scale (SDQ-20).

women with eating disorders reported a greater severity and higher prevalence of child trauma than the control group. Significant differences were found by groups in dissociative symptoms.

our results, in a Spanish sample, confirm the findings of previous studies.

our results, in a Spanish sample, confirm the findings of previous studies.The skin is a critical barrier that protects against damage and infection. Within the epidermis and dermis reside γδ T cells that play a variety of key roles in wound healing and tissue homeostasis. Skin-resident γδ T cells require T cell receptor (TCR) ligation, costimulation, and cytokine reception to mediate keratinocyte activity and inflammatory responses at the wound site for proper wound repair. While both epidermal and dermal γδ T cells regulate inflammatory responses in wound healing, the timing and factors produced are distinct. In the absence of growth factors, cytokines, and chemokines produced by γδ T cells, wound repair is negatively impacted. This disruption in γδ T cell function is apparent in metabolic diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. This review provides the current state of knowledge on skin γδ T cell activation, regulation, and function in skin homeostasis and repair in mice and humans. As we uncover more about the complex roles played by γδ T cells in wound healing, novel targets can be discovered for future clinical therapies.In 2020, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain a leading cause of mortality and morbidity, contributing to the burden of the already overloaded health system. Late or incorrect diagnosis of patients with CVDs compromises treatment efficiency and patient’s outcome. Diagnosis of CVDs could be facilitated by detection of blood-based biomarkers that reliably reflect the current condition of the heart. In the last decade, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) present on human biofluids including serum, plasma, and blood have been reported as potential biomarkers for CVDs. This paper reviews recent studies that focus on the use of ncRNAs as biomarkers of CVDs.Adenosine deaminases acting on RNA (ADAR) catalyze the hydrolytic deamination of adenosine (A) to produce inosine (I) in double-stranded RNA substrates. A-to-I RNA editing has increasingly broad physiological significance in development, carcinogenesis, and environmental adaptation. Perionyx excavatus is an earthworm with potent regenerative potential; it can regenerate the head and tail and is an advantageous model system to investigate the molecular mechanisms of regeneration. During RNA sequencing analysis of P. excavatus regenerates, we identified an ADAR homolog (Pex-ADAR), which led us to examine its spatial and temporal expression to comprehend how Pex-ADAR is linked to regeneration. At first, in domain analysis, we discovered that Pex-ADAR only has one double-stranded RNA-binding domain (dsRBD) and a deaminase domain without a Z-DNA-binding domain (ZBD). In addition, a comparison of the core deaminase domains of Pex-ADAR with those of other ADAR family members indicated that Pex-ADAR comprises the conserved three active-site motifs and a glutamate residue for catalytic activity. Pex-ADAR also shares 11 conserved residues, a characteristic of ADAR1, supporting that Pex-ADAR is a member of ADAR1 class. Its temporal expression was remarkably low in the early stages of regeneration before suddenly increasing at 10 days post amputation (dpa) when diverse cell types and tissues were being regenerated. In situ hybridization of Pex-ADAR messenger RNA (mRNA) indicated that the main expression was observed in regenerating muscle layers and related connective tissues. Taken together, the present results demonstrate that an RNA-editing enzyme, Pex-ADAR, is implicated in muscle redifferentiation during earthworm regeneration.With the rapid development of social economy and global climate warming, scarce transboundary water resources, as one of the basic resources for socio-economic development, have increasingly become the focus of basin countries. To investigate the socio-economic impacts of different water diversion quantity from transboundary river basins, we used a system dynamics (SD) model to reflect interactions between population, water resources, and socio-economic development, and applied it to a case study in Xinjiang to simulate its change tendency from 2011 to 2030 from the temporal dimension. Then, four water diversion quantity of transboundary river basins and four alternative socio-economic development patterns were designed to comprehensively evaluate these impacts of water diversion quantity change on the socio-economy of the region along the river under different socio-economic development patterns. The results indicate that (1) there was a positive correlation between water diversion quantity and the economic ease in water diversion quantity. Therefore, appropriate water diversion quantity, reasonable adjustment of industrial production growth rate, reduction of water consumption quotas of different industries and domestic water quota, and improvement of collection and treatment rate for sewage should be given priority in water resources management decision-making in Xinjiang or other arid regions along transboundary river basins.The relationship between moisture transportation and efflorescence in sodium hydroxide- or sodium silicate-activated fly ash/slag geopolymers was investigated. The results show that the efflorescence products are sodium carbonate hydrates, mainly composed of natron, heptahydrate, trona and sodium carbonate. The efflorescence induces compressive strength loss, water absorption increases and pore structure degradation in the geopolymer. When the curved surface of a geopolymer cylinder is covered with plastic film, the moisture transportation drives the free alkalis to the top surface to initiate efflorescence. In comparison, the efflorescence occurring on the curved surface of an uncovered geopolymer cylinder results in a more intensive alkalinity loss. For the uncovered geopolymers prepared with sodium hydroxide activator, efflorescence deposits are formed on the lower half of cylinder. A low capillary absorption capacity developed in the pore structure can only drive the moisture to the middle of cylinder, which is confronted with the drying front. More efflorescence products are formed on the upper half of the uncovered geopolymer cylinder prepared with sodium silicate activator. A relatively higher capillary absorption capacity, developed in the more compact pore structure, transports the moisture from the bottom to the top of cylinder, so no drying line is observed in the cylinder.This work focused on the recovery bioactive compounds from jaboticaba peels and to develop ultrafine fibers from zein incorporated with the jaboticaba extract by electrospinning technique. Jaboticaba peel extracts (JPE) were obtained by maceration according a central composite rotational design (CCDR) and characterized with respect to total phenolic content (TP), antioxidant activity (AA) and total anthocyanin (TA). The optimal condition for the extraction was obtained using a desirability function in order to maximize the presence of bioactive compounds. Under these conditions the amount of cyanidin-3-glucoside (Cn-3-Glu) and the antimicrobial inhibition (AI) of E. coli were evaluated. Ultrafine fibers were obtained by electrospinning technique using zein in an aqueous ethanol as solvent and freeze-dried JPE at different concentrations (1.7% and 3.3%) to produce a composite membrane. The apparent viscosity and electrical conductivity of the polymer solutions, as well as the morphology, thermal stability and functional groups of the ultrafine fibers, were evaluated. The optimal conditions for extraction were 88 °C and pH 1. Under these conditions, a high amount of Cn-3-Glu was obtained (718.12 mg 100 g-1), along with 22.2% antimicrobial inhibition against E. coli. The addition of JPE into composite membranes did not affect the morphology of fibers, which presented a homogeneous and continuous format. Therefore, fibers containing JPE showed interesting characteristics for the food packaging industry.Dental implants are widely utilized for the replacement of missing teeth and are increasingly being placed in patients with systemic diseases, as well as in those who are medically healthy. Furthermore, it is recognized that peri-implant mucositis and peri-implantitis are highly prevalent, affecting large numbers of patients with implants, and it is pertinent to consider whether there may be any systemic impact of these conditions, given that there are known links between periodontitis and a number of chronic inflammatory diseases. In this article, we propose that the potential systemic complications of peri-implant diseases should be investigated in future clinical research, together with studies to identify whether systemically-administered host modulation therapies (HMTs) may be of benefit in the treatment of peri-implant diseases. These „HMTs” may prove a useful adjunct to routinely employed debridement and disinfection protocols, as well as potentially being of benefit in reducing risks of systemic complications. We also consider the use of chair-side diagnostic tests for active matrix metalloproteinase-8 (aMMP-8) in the detection of peri-implant disease given the ability of such tests to detect active tissue breakdown associated with peri-implantitis and periodontitis before conventional clinical and radiographic measurements indicate pathologic changes. These novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies are relevant to consider as they may improve the management of peri-implant disease (beyond local debridement procedures), especially in those patients in whom systemic inflammation might be of concern.Leukemia is a blood or bone marrow cancer with increasing incidence in developed regions of the world. Currently, there is an ongoing need for novel and safe anti-leukemic agents, as no fully effective chemotherapy is available to treat this life-threatening disease. Herein, are reported the isolation, structural elucidation, and anti-leukemic evaluation of twenty-nine withanolide-type steroids (1-29) from Withania aristata. Among them, the new isolated withanolides, withaperoxidins A-D (1-4) have an unusual six-membered cyclic peroxide moiety on the withasteroid skeleton as a structural novelty. Their structures have been elucidated by means of spectroscopic analyses, including 2D NMR experiments. In addition, extensive structure-activity relationships and in silico ADME studies were employed to understand the pharmacophore and pharmacokinetic properties of this series of withasteroids. Compounds 15, 16, and 22 together with withaferin A (14) were identified as having improved antiproliferative effect (IC50 ranging from 0.2 to 0.7 μM) on human leukemia HL-60 cell lines compared with the reference drug, etoposide. This cytotoxic potency was also coupled with good selectivity index (SI 33.0-9.2) on non-tumoral Vero cell line and in silico drug likeness. These findings revealed that these natural withasteroids are potential candidates as chemotherapeutic agents in the treatment of leukemia.In treatment-refractory cancers, tumor tissues damaged by therapy initiate the repair response; therefore, tumor tissues must be exposed to an additional burden before successful repair. We hypothesized that an agent recognizing a molecule that responds to anticancer treatment-induced tissue injury could deliver an additional antitumor agent including a radionuclide to damaged cancer tissues during repair. We selected the extracellular matrix glycoprotein tenascin-C (TNC) as such a molecule, and three antibodies recognizing human and murine TNC were employed to evaluate X-irradiation-induced changes in TNC uptake by subcutaneous tumors. TNC expression was assessed by immunohistochemical staining of BxPC-3 tumors treated with or without X-irradiation (30 Gy) for 7 days. Antibodies against TNC (3-6, 12-2-7, TDEAR) and a control antibody were radiolabeled with 111In and injected into nude mice having BxPC-3 tumors 7 days after X-irradiation, and temporal uptake was monitored for an additional 4 days by biodistrils were observed in TNC-expressing stroma. Markedly increased uptake of 111In-labeled 3-6 in irradiated tumors supports our concept that an agent, such as an antibody, that recognizes a molecule involved in tissue injury repair, such as TNC, could enhance drug delivery to tumor tissues that have undergone therapy. The combination of antibody 3-6 coupled to a tumoricidal drug and conventional therapy has the potential to achieve better outcomes for patients with refractory cancer.In this paper, a wideband four port 2-6 GHz antenna is proposed. One-, two-, and four-port antennas are implemented and characterized between 2 and 6 GHz. The isolation between the ports is improved by connecting and optimizing the ground plane sections. The results show that the antennas’ reflection coefficients are better than 10 dB in the frequency band. The measured isolation between the ports is greater than 15 dB (between 2.3 and 6 GHz) and 10 dB in the whole band for two- and four-port antennas, respectively, however, it is more than 20 dB around 2.4 and 5-6 GHz for both antennas. The calculated correlation coefficient between ports is below -30 dB (>2.14 GHz) and -15 dB for the two- and four-port antennas, respectively. The measured gain and efficiency scale are 3.1-6.75 dBi and 62-98%, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, an antenna both being wideband from 2 to 6 GHz and having independent four ports is only addressed in this work. The four-port antenna can be used for MIMO systems or smartphones operating on many wireless systems simultaneously such as 3G/4G/5G Sub-6 GHz and WLAN including the next generation WiFi7 with full-duplex operation.Inflammation is a biological response of the immune system to defend the body from negative stimulation. However, the excessive inflammatory response can damage host tissues and pose serious threats. Exopolysaccharide (EPS), one of the postbiotics, is secreted from lactic acid bacteria. Although many studies have described the beneficial effects of EPS, such as its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects, its underlying mechanisms have remained to be poorly understood. Thus, we identified that EPS obtained from Lactobacillus plantarum L-14 was a homogeneous polysaccharide primarily comprised of glucose. To examine these anti-inflammatory effects, an inflammatory response was induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration to mouse macrophage RAW 264.7 cells that were pretreated with EPS. The anti-inflammatory effects of EPS were identified by analyzing the changes within inflammatory markers at the molecular level. We demonstrate here that EPS suppressed proinflammatory mediators, such as cyclooxygenase-2, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-1β, and downregulated the expression of an inducible nitric oxide synthase known to lead to oxidative stress. It was also confirmed that EPS had anti-inflammatory effects by blocking the interaction of LPS with Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), as demonstrated by using the known TLR4 inhibitor TAK-242. In addition, we found that EPS itself could suppress the expression of TLR4. Consequently, our data suggest that EPS can be a potential target for the development of natural product-derived medicine for treating inflammatory diseases related to TLR4.Basin big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata subsp. tridentata) is a keystone species of the sagebrush steppe, a widespread ecosystem of western North America threatened by climate change. The study’s goal was to develop an in vitro method of propagation for this taxon to support genome sequencing and genotype-by-environment research on drought tolerance. Such research may ultimately facilitate the reintroduction of big sagebrush in degraded habitats. Seedlings were generated from two diploid mother plants (2n = 2x = 18) collected in environments with contrasting precipitation regimes. The effects of IBA and NAA on rooting of shoot tips were tested on 45 individuals and 15 shoot tips per individual. Growth regulator and individual-seedling effects on percent rooting and roots per shoot tip were evaluated using statistical and clustering analyses. Furthermore, rooted shoot tips were transferred into new media to ascertain their continued growth in vitro. The results suggest that A. tridentata is an outbred species, as shown by individuals’ effect on rooting and growth. IBA addition was the most effective method for promoting adventitious rooting, especially in top-performing individuals. These individuals also have high survival and growth rates upon transferring to new media, making them suitable candidates for generating biomass for genome sequencing and producing clones for genotype-by-environment research.Epilepsy is a common clinical manifestation and a source of significant morbidity in patients with brain tumors. Neuroimaging has a pivotal role in neuro-oncology practice, including tumor detection, differentiation, grading, treatment guidance, and posttreatment monitoring. In this review, we highlight studies demonstrating that imaging can also provide information about brain tumor-associated epileptogenicity and assist delineation of the peritumoral epileptic cortex to optimize postsurgical seizure outcome. Most studies focused on gliomas and glioneuronal tumors where positron emission tomography (PET) and advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques can detect metabolic and biochemical changes associated with altered amino acid transport and metabolism, neuroinflammation, and neurotransmitter abnormalities in and around epileptogenic tumors. PET imaging of amino acid uptake and metabolism as well as activated microglia can detect interictal or peri-ictal cortical increased uptake (as compared to non-epileptic cortex) associated with tumor-associated epilepsy. Metabolic tumor volumes may predict seizure outcome based on objective treatment response during glioma chemotherapy. Advanced MRI, especially glutamate imaging, can detect neurotransmitter changes around epileptogenic brain tumors. Recently, developed PET radiotracers targeting specific glutamate receptor types may also identify therapeutic targets for pharmacologic seizure control. Further studies with advanced multimodal imaging approaches may facilitate development of precision treatment strategies to control brain tumor-associated epilepsy.

The objective of this review is to determine the evidence or, conversely, the absence of evidence regarding the effectiveness of progestogens in treating premenopausal women with uterine fibroids. In particular, the goal is to address recurring questions as to whether they are effective or not for managing symptoms commonly attributed to fibroids.

A review of the most relevant papers (

= 63) on the efficacy of progesterone and progestogens as medical therapy for uterine fibroids.

Having reviewed the most significant papers on the relationship between uterine fibroids and progesterone/progestogens, it is clear that there is biochemical, histological and clinical evidence that progesterone and progestogens play a critical role in the pathogenesis of myomas.

Since progesterone is already implicated in the pathogenesis of this entity, using progestogens to manage fibroids is like constantly adding fuel to the fire, rendering this treatment ineffective.

Since progesterone is already implicated in the pathogenesis of this entity, using progestogens to manage fibroids is like constantly adding fuel to the fire, rendering this treatment ineffective.Inertial navigation systems provides the platform’s position, velocity, and attitude during its operation. As a dead-reckoning system, it requires initial conditions to calculate the navigation solution. While initial position and velocity vectors are provided by external means, the initial attitude can be determined using the system’s inertial sensors in a process known as coarse alignment. When considering low-cost inertial sensors, only the initial roll and pitch angles can be determined using the accelerometers measurements. The accuracy, as well as time required for the for the coarse alignment process are critical for the navigation solution accuracy, particularly for pure-inertial scenarios, because of the navigation solution drift. In this paper, a machine learning framework for the stationary coarse alignment stage is proposed. To that end, classical machine learning approaches are used in a two-stage approach to regress the roll and pitch angles. Alignment results obtained both in simulations and field experiments, using a smartphone, shows the benefits of using the proposed approach instead of the commonly used analytical coarse alignment procedure.Silver-Russell syndrome (SRS) is a rare growth-related genetic disorder that is mainly associated with prenatal and postnatal growth retardation. Molecular causes are not clear in all cases, the most common ones being loss of methylation on chromosome 11p15 (≈50%) and maternal uniparental disomy for chromosome 7 (upd(7)mat) (≈10%). However, pathogenic variants in genes such as CDKN1C, HMGA2, IGF2, or PLAG1 have also been described. Previously, two families and one sporadic case have been reported with PLAG1 alterations. Here, we present a case of a female with clinical suspicion of SRS (i.e., intrauterine and postnatal growth retardation, triangular face, psychomotor delay, speech delay, feeding difficulties). No alterations in methylation or copy number were detected at chromosomes 11p15 and 7 using methylation-specific multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MS-MLPA). The custom panel study by next-generation sequencing (NGS) revealed a frameshift variant in the PLAG1 gene (NM_002655.3c.551delA; p.(Lys184Serfs *45)). Familial studies confirmed that the variant was inherited from the mother and it was also present in other family members. New evidence of pathogenic alterations in the HMGA2-PLAG1-IGF2 pathway suggest the importance of studying and taking into account these genes as alternative molecular causes of Silver-Russell syndrome.In spite of the impressing cytotoxicity of thapsigargin (Tg), this compound cannot be used as a chemotherapeutic drug because of general toxicity, causing unacceptable side effects. Instead, a prodrug targeted towards tumors, mipsagargin, was brought into clinical trials. What substantially reduces the clinical potential is the limited access to Tg and its derivatives and cost-inefficient syntheses with unacceptably low yields. Laser trilobum, which contains a structurally related sesquiterpene lactone, trilobolide (Tb), is successfully cultivated. Here, we report scalable isolation of Tb from L. trilobum and a transformation of Tb to 8-O-(12-aminododecanoyl)-8-O-debutanoylthapsigargin in seven steps. The use of cultivated L. trilobum offers an unlimited source of the active principle in mipsagargin.The bacterial cell division protein, FtsZ, has been identified as a target for antimicrobial development. Derivatives of 3-methoxybenzamide have shown promising activities as FtsZ inhibitors in Gram-positive bacteria. We sought to characterise the activity of five difluorobenzamide derivatives with non-heterocyclic substituents attached through the 3-oxygen. These compounds exhibited antimicrobial activity against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), with an isopentyloxy-substituted compound showing modest activity against vancomycin resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE). The compounds were able to reverse resistance to oxacillin in highly resistant clinical MRSA strains at concentrations far below their MICs. Three of the compounds inhibited an Escherichia coli strain lacking the AcrAB components of a drug efflux pump, which suggests the lack of Gram-negative activity can partly be attributed to efflux. The compounds inhibited cell division by targeting S. aureus FtsZ, producing a dose-dependent increase in GTPase rate which increased the rate of FtsZ polymerization and stabilized the FtsZ polymers. These compounds did not affect the polymerization of mammalian tubulin and did not display haemolytic activity or cytotoxicity. These derivatives are therefore promising compounds for further development as antimicrobial agents or as resistance breakers to re-sensitive MRSA to beta-lactam antibiotics.The aim of this paper is to introduce a NUT model (NUT network-uncertainty-trust) that aids the decrease of the uncertainty of measurements in autonomous hybrid Internet of Things sensor networks. The problem of uncertainty in such networks is a consequence of various operating conditions and varied quality of measurement nodes, making statistical approach less successful. This paper presents a model for decreasing the uncertainty through the use of socially inspired metaphors of reputation, trust, and confidence that are the untapped latent information. The model described in the paper shows how the individual reputation of each node can be assessed on the basis of opinions provided by other nodes of the hybrid measurement network, and that this method allows to assess the extent of uncertainty the node introduces to the network. This, in turn, allows nodes of low uncertainty to have a greater impact on the reconstruction of values. The verification of the model, as well as examples of its applicability to air quality measurements are presented as well. Simulations demonstrate that the use of the model can decrease the uncertainty by up to 55% while using the EWMA (exponentially weighted moving average) algorithm, as compared to the reference one.Pre-operative nutrition screening is recommended to identify cancer patients at risk of malnutrition, which is associated with poor outcomes. Low muscle mass (sarcopenia) and lipid infiltration to muscle cells (myosteatosis) are similarly associated with poor outcomes but are not routinely screened for. We investigated the prevalence of sarcopenia and myosteatosis across the nutrition screening triage categories of the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment Short Form (PG-SGASF) in a pre-operative colorectal cancer (CRC) cohort. Data were prospectively collected from patients scheduled for surgery at two sites in Edmonton, Canada. PG-SGASF scores ≥ 4 identified patients at risk for malnutrition; sarcopenia and myosteatosis were identified using computed-tomography (CT) analysis. Patients (n = 176) with a mean age of 63.8 ± 12.0 years, 52.3% male, 90.3% with stage I-III disease were included. Overall, 25.2% had PG-SGASF score ≥ 4. Sarcopenia alone, myosteatosis alone or both were identified in 14.0%, 27.3%, and 6.4% of patients, respectively. Sarcopenia and/or myosteatosis were identified in 43.4% of those with PG-SGASF score less then 4 and in 58.5% of those with score ≥ 4. Overall, 32.9% of the cohort had sarcopenia and/or myosteatosis with PG-SGASF score less then 4. CT-defined sarcopenia and myosteatosis are prevalent in pre-operative CRC patients, regardless of the presence of traditional nutrition risk factors (weight loss, problems eating); therefore, CT image analysis effectively adds value to nutrition screening by identifying patients with other risk factors for poor outcomes.Students often experience the university period as a very stressful time. The teacher is a key figure who can cushion this stressful experience for the student. This study therefore aims to analyse the influence of teachers from the Self-Determination Theory perspective on academic stress, motivation, critical thinking, metacognitive strategies and academic performance in university students. The study involved 2456 university students with an average age of 22.51 years. A structural equation model was created to analyse the causal relationships between the variables. The results showed that the psychological controlling of the teacher positively predicted academic stress while autonomy support negatively predicted academic stress. Academic stress negatively predicted motivation, metacognitive strategies, critical thinking and academic performance. Academic motivation positively predicted metacognitive strategies and critical thinking. Finally, metacognitive strategies and critical thinking positively predicted academic performance. These results highlight the importance of the role that the teacher adopts during classes and the protective factor of academic motivation in the presence of stress.Scattering data for polymers in the non-crystalline state, i.e., the glassy state or the molten state, may appear to contain little information. In this work, we review recent developments in the use of scattering data to evaluate in a quantitative manner the molecular organization of such polymer systems. The focus is on the local structure of chain segments, on the details of the chain conformation and on the imprint the inherent chemical connectivity has on this structure. We show the value of tightly coupling the scattering data to atomistic-level computer models. We show how quantitative information about the details of the chain conformation can be obtained directly using a model built from definitions of relatively few parameters. We show how scattering data may be supplemented with data from specific deuteration sites and used to obtain information hidden in the data. Finally, we show how we can exploit the reverse Monte Carlo approach to use the data to drive the convergence of the scattering calculated from a 3d atomistic-level model with the experimental data. We highlight the importance of the quality of the scattering data and the value in using broad Q scattering data obtained using neutrons. We illustrate these various methods with results drawn from a diverse range of polymers.Considering the three-dimensional (3D) trajectory, 3D antenna array, and 3D beamforming of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a novel non-stationary millimeter wave (mmWave) geometry-based stochastic model for UAV to vehicle communication channels is proposed. Based on the analysis results of measured and ray tracing simulation data of UAV mmWave communication links, the proposed parametric channel model is constructed by a line-of-sight path, a ground specular path, and two strongest single-bounce paths. Meanwhile, a new parameter computation method is also developed, which is divided into the deterministic (or geometry-based) part and the random (or empirical) part. The simulated power delay profile and power angle profile demonstrate that the statistical properties of proposed channel model are time-variant with respect to the scattering scenarios, positions and beam direction. Moreover, the simulation results of autocorrelation functions fit well with the theoretical ones as well as the measured ones.Every colon cancer has its own unique characteristics, and therefore may respond differently to identical treatments. Here, we develop a data driven mathematical model for the interaction network of key components of immune microenvironment in colon cancer. We estimate the relative abundance of each immune cell from gene expression profiles of tumors, and group patients based on their immune patterns. Then we compare the tumor sensitivity and progression in each of these groups of patients, and observe differences in the patterns of tumor growth between the groups. For instance, in tumors with a smaller density of naive macrophages than activated macrophages, a higher activation rate of macrophages leads to an increase in cancer cell density, demonstrating a negative effect of macrophages. Other tumors however, exhibit an opposite trend, showing a positive effect of macrophages in controlling tumor size. Although the results indicate that for all patients the size of the tumor is sensitive to the parameters related to macrophages, such as their activation and death rate, this research demonstrates that no single biomarker could predict the dynamics of tumors.There has been an increase in the deterioration of buildings and infrastructure in dense urban regions, and several defects in the structures are being exposed. To ensure the effective diagnosis of building conditions, vision-based automatic damage recognition techniques have been developed. However, conventional image processing techniques have some limitations in real-world situations owing to their manual feature extraction approach. To overcome these limitations, a convolutional neural network-based image recognition technique was adopted in this study, and a convolution-based concrete multi-damage recognition neural network (CMDnet) was developed. The image datasets consisted of 1981 types of concrete surface damages, including surface cracks, rebar exposure and delamination, as well as intact. Furthermore, it was experimentally demonstrated that the proposed model could accurately classify the damage types. The results obtained in this study reveal that the proposed model can recognize the different damage types from digital images of the surfaces of concrete structures. The trained CMDnet demonstrated a damage-detection accuracy of 98.9%. Moreover, the proposed model could be applied in automatic damage detection networks to achieve superior performance with regard to concrete surface damage detection and recognition, as well as accelerating efficient damage identification during the diagnosis of deteriorating structures used in civil engineering applications.Non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (NIDCM) constitutes one of the most common causes to non-ischemic heart failure. Despite treatment, the disease often progresses, causing severe morbidity and mortality, making novel treatment strategies necessary. Due to the regenerative actions of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), they have been proposed as a treatment for NIDCM. This systematic review aims to evaluate efficacy and mode of action (MoA) of MSC-based therapies in NIDCM. A systematic literature search was conducted in Medline (Pubmed) and Embase. A total of 27 studies were included (3 clinical trials and 24 preclinical studies). MSCs from different tissues and routes of delivery were reported, with bone marrow-derived MSCs and direct intramyocardial injections being the most frequent. All included clinical trials and 22 preclinical trials reported an improvement in cardiac function following MSC treatment. Furthermore, preclinical studies demonstrated alterations in tissue structure, gene, and protein expression patterns, primarily related to fibrosis and angiogenesis. Consequently, MSC treatment can improve cardiac function in NIDCM patients. The MoA underlying this effect involves anti-fibrosis, angiogenesis, immunomodulation, and anti-apoptosis, though these processes seem to be interdependent. These encouraging results calls for larger confirmatory clinical studies, as well as preclinical studies utilizing unbiased investigation of the potential MoA.