Transvenous lead extraction (TLE) has seen a rapid expansion in the past 20 years. The procedure has changed from early techniques involving simple manual traction that frequently proved themselves ineffective for chronically implanted leads, and carried significant periprocedural risks including death, to the availability of a wide range of more efficacious techniques and tools, providing the skilled extractor with a well-equipped armamentarium. The reduction in morbidity and mortality associated with these new extraction techniques has widened indications to TLE from prevalent use in life-threatening situations, such as infection and sepsis, to a more widespread use even in noninfectious situations such as malfunctioning leads. Powered sheaths have been a remarkable step forward in this improvement in TLE procedures and recent registries at high-volume centers report high success rates with exceedingly low complication rates. This review is aimed at describing technical features of powered sheaths as well as reported performance during TLE procedures.The recently discovered hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites have been suggested for high-performance optoelectronic applications. Owing to the mechanical flexibility of these compounds, they demonstrate structural fluctuation at finite temperatures that have been widely discussed with respect to their optical properties. However, the effect of temperature-induced structural fluctuation is not clear until now, with respect to the equally important charge transport properties. In the present study, through ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of cubic-phase CH3 NH3 PbI3 at different temperatures, the temperature-dependent electronic structure and charge carrier transport properties are examined. Compared with the significant structural fluctuation of organic cations, the structural change of the inorganic framework is minor. In addition, because the band edge states at R point are mainly influenced by the anti-bonding character of the Pb-I bond, CH3 NH3 PbI3 demonstrates relatively small deformation potentials as well as low temperature dependence of band gaps (ΔEg  ≈ 50 meV from 330 K to 400 K) and electron-phonon coupling strengths, despite the large structural fluctuation of organic cations. Furthermore, the effective mass of the valence band increases with the increase of temperature. The predicted mobilities of CH3 NH3 PbI3 can reach above 75 cm2 V-1 s-1 near room temperature, exhibiting an appropriate optoelectronic potential, while the temperature dependence is steeper than T-1.5 of the traditional semiconductors because of the enhanced effective masses.

Protocols for crossmatch reactions vary in veterinary medicine, particularly regarding the use of recipient serum vs plasma. Sources suggest that major crossmatch results might differ when recipient plasma is used instead of serum, but there are conflicting reports as to the exact effects on the results.

The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and degree of discrepancy, if any, between canine major crossmatch reactions using serum versus EDTA plasma, performed via a standard tube method.

One hundred duplicate canine major crossmatch reactions were performed with both serum and EDTA plasma from 100 different „recipient” dogs against erythrocytes from a single, healthy „donor.” Decreasing concentrations of a rabbit anti-dog erythrocyte antibody were added to generate strong positive, weak positive, and negative results for each crossmatch reaction. Crossmatch results were followed through the following phases immediate spin, cold, warm, albumin, and Coombs. Semi-quantitative results were compared between reactions using serum vs EDTA plasma.

Weak positive, major crossmatch reactions were significantly more likely to demonstrate stronger agglutination in EDTA plasma compared with serum in the immediate spin phase, cold phase, warm phase, and albumin phase (P<0.001). There was no statistically significant difference between serum and EDTA plasma results in the Coombs’ phase (P=0.313).

In this experimental setting, EDTA plasma and serum were both deemed acceptable for use in canine major crossmatch reactions. EDTA plasma might be preferable to detect weak agglutination with more sensitivity and reduce recipient blood volumes needed to complete the crossmatch reaction.

In this experimental setting, EDTA plasma and serum were both deemed acceptable for use in canine major crossmatch reactions. EDTA plasma might be preferable to detect weak agglutination with more sensitivity and reduce recipient blood volumes needed to complete the crossmatch reaction.The lymphatic vasculature has been widely described and explored for its key functions in fluid homeostasis and in the organization and modulation of the immune response. Besides transporting immune cells, lymphatic vessels play relevant roles in tumor growth and tumor cell dissemination. Cancer cells that have invaded into afferent lymphatics are propagated to tumor-draining lymph nodes (LNs), which represent an important hub for metastatic cell arrest and growth, immune modulation, and secondary dissemination to distant sites. In recent years many studies have reported new mechanisms by which the lymphatic vasculature affects cancer progression, ranging from induction of lymphangiogenesis to metastatic niche preconditioning or immune modulation. In this review, we provide an up-to-date description of lymphatic organization and function in peripheral tissues and in LNs and the changes induced to this system by tumor growth and progression. We will specifically focus on the reported interactions that occur between tumor cells and lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs), as well as on interactions between immune cells and LECs, both in the tumor microenvironment and in tumor-draining LNs. Moreover, the most recent prognostic and therapeutic implications of lymphatics in cancer will be reported and discussed in light of the new immune-modulatory roles that have been ascribed to LECs.

COVID-19 has created unique challenges for the intensivist, as high ventilatory demands and prolonged hypermetabolism make it difficult to sustain nutritional status. The purpose of this survey was to determine current practices in nutritional therapy and identify barriers to its delivery.

A survey questionnaire about delivering nutritional therapy to critically ill patients with COVID-19 disease was sent to clinicians at both academic and community hospitals from September through December 2020.

Of 440 who viewed the survey link, 198 (45%) completed the questionnaire. Respondents were comprised of 30% physicians and 70% registered dietitians (RD), with 51% representing community programs, 43% academic, and 6% Veterans Affairs Centers. Barely half (49%) had protocols for managing critically ill patients with COVID-19, and only 21% had a protocol for nutritional therapy. While most respondents (83%) attempted to feed by the intragastric route, only 9% indicated that energy/protein needs were met. The bigN have been largely unsuccessful in meeting the energy/protein needs of critically ill patients with COVID-19 disease. It is likely that these barriers exist in providing nutrition to critically ill patients in genetal. Intensivists need to develop protocols which optimally deliver intragastric EN, consider post-pyloric infusion early, and address reluctance to add supplemental PN in the face of deteriorating nutritional status. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.Marine pharaoh cuttlefish Sepia pharaonis (family Sepiidae) is regarded as an economically important class of cephalopod in the coastal Mediterranean and Asian regions. Bioassay-guided chromatographic purification of solvent extract of S. pharaonis led to the identification of a trans-decalin based spirolactone, spiropharanone, which was characterized as 1-hydroxy-7-(4′-methoxy-3-methylbut-2-enyl)-3,9,15-trimethyl-8-oxo-octahydro-5H-spiro[furan-8,9-naphtho]-8-yl-acetate by spectroscopic techniques. Spiropharanone exhibited significantly greater anti-inflammatory activity by attenuating pro-inflammatory 5-lipoxygenase (IC50 1.02 mM) than the non-steroidal drug ibuprofen (IC50 4.61 mM, p ≤ .05). Superior antioxidant properties of spiropharanone against free radicals (EC50 ~1.20 mM) and other oxidants (hydroxyl [EC50 0.97 mM] and superoxide [EC50 1.47 mM] scavenging) also reinforced its promising anti-inflammatory activity. The studied spiropharanone also exhibited significant attenuation toward insulin secretioic fractionation. Spiropharanone displayed promising antioxidant potential along with attenuation properties against inducible pro-inflammatory 5-lipoxygenase and insulin secretion regulating enzyme dipeptidyl peptidase-4. This study established the ameliorating potential of a naturally derived marine food constituent against inflammatory and diabetic ailments, and thus anticipated as functional food lead in pharmaceutical formulations towards inflammation and maintaining glucose homeostasis.

Both neuromuscular junction (NMJ) dysfunction and altered electrophysiological properties of muscle fibers have been reported in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients. ALS-related preclinical studies typically use rodent SOD1

overexpression models, but translation to the human disease has been challenged. The present work explored NMJ function and cellular electrophysiological properties of muscles fibers in SOD1

overexpression rats.

Longitudinal studies of compound muscle action potentials (CMAPs) were performed in SOD1

rats. Cellular studies were performed to evaluate electrophysiological properties of muscle fibers, including the resting membrane conductance (G

) and its regulation during prolonged action potential (AP) firing.

SOD1

rats showed a substantial loss of gastrocnemius CMAP amplitude (35.8 mV, P< .001) and a minor increase in CMAP decrement (8.5%, P= .002) at 25 weeks. In addition, SOD1

EDL muscle fibers showed a lower baseline G

(wild-type, 1325 μS/cm

; SOD1

, s of muscle fibers were not markedly affected, and an elevated Gm , as has been reported in motor neuron disease (MND) patients, was not replicated in SOD1G93A muscles. Collectively, the neuromuscular pathology of SOD1G93A rats appears to differ from that of ALS/MND patients with respect to neuromuscular transmission defects and electrophysiological properties of muscle fibers.In this study, the cell-free extracts (CFE) of Lactobacillus acidophilus NX2-6 were utilized to treat oleic acid (OA)-induced hepatic steatosis. It was found that CFE treatment improved lipid metabolism in OA-induced hepatic steatosis model by downregulating several lipogenic genes but increasing expression levels of lipolysis-related genes. In addition, gene expression analysis revealed that CFE treatment promoted mitochondrial biogenesis and fission by upregulating the mRNA levels of PGC-1α, PGC-1β, Sirt1, NRF1, and Fis1. CFE treatment also increased protein expression of p-AMPKα, PGC-1α, ACOX1, and Sirt1 in OA-treated cells, suggesting that CFE possessed ability to improve energy metabolism. Furthermore, CFE treatment also reversed OA-induced oxidative stress by increasing CAT activity and protein level of Nrf-2 as well as reducing protein expression of ATF6, XBP1, GRP78, p50, and p-ERK, indicating that CFE could inhibit endoplasmic reticulum stress and sterile inflammation. Thus, L. acidophilus NX2-6 had potential to fight against NAFLD.