Intro: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most frequently diagnosed arrhythmia in practice. Current guidelines on management of AF suggest that patients should be treated with antiarrhythmic drugs (AAD) as first-line therapy, our meta-analysis aims to assess the benefit of using of Cryoablation as a first line therapy for people with atrial fibrillation. Methods: We conducted an electronic search using Medline, Embase, CINAHL and google scholar along with other clinical trial registries. Results: 2 studies out of 9,244 studies fit our eligibility criteria. A total of 521 subjects were included in both studies and 4 distinct meta-analyses were performed. In terms of recurrence CA was superior to AAD with a RR of 0.6. For serious adverse events CA was also superior to AAD with a RR of 0.66 and for treatment related SAE the results were insignificant. Conclusion: CA proved to be superior in terms of recurrence and adverse effects versus AAD.

Background: Our knowledge about SARS-CoV2 infection is still evolving, its effects and complications on children and adolescents with cancer need to be studied more. The aim of this study is to present our experience with SARS-CoV2 infection in this population and to highlight specific complications and outcomes. Methods: This is a retrospective and prospective observational study, involved 21 cancer patients below the age of 18 years in north Jordan. Data regarding age, sex, cancer type, phase of treatment, duration between infection and chemotherapy and others were collected and reviewed. Results: A total of 21 patients with malignancy were included. Mean age of 8.5 years. Two patients (9.5%) had died; 4.7% is COVID related mortality and 4.7% related to cancer progression. Four patients had disease progression following SARS-CoV2 infection. Six cases developed hematological malignancy weeks to months after SARS-CoV2 infection and one patient was diagnosed with malignancy concomitantly with COVID-19 infection. Out of 15 patients with pre-existing malignancy, 1 patient (7%) developed pulmonary embolism, 4 (27%) patients were diagnosed with pneumonia and one patient was diagnosed with pericarditis (7%), 2 (13%) patients were admitted to pediatric intensive care unit. Regarding oxygen requirements; a total of 3 (20%) patients required some form of Oxygen supplementation. Conclusion: Diagnosis of COVID19 should not distract physicians from investigating new malignancy or relapse as they may come together or may be the result of COVID-19 infection. More studies and investigations are needed to identify the contribution of corona virus in pathogenesis of cancer.

Introduction: Spatial orientation refers to the fact that the brain integratively recognizes its own position, posture and motion in space through several sensory systems. Vestibular, visual and somatosensory inputs with various motion are constantly integrated in central nervous system to determine the spatial orientation. Among the various parameters of spatial orientation, there has been no study about tilt perception and the memory of tilt perception. Methods: The following subjects participated in these experiments; normal volunteers under 65 years of age (Control group) and bilateral no response to the Caloric test (Bilateral group). Procedure was measurement of the short term memory of tilt perception that were reproduction of 0°and reproduction of right by 5°and left by 5°with improved electric goniometer. Results: Control group: There were no significant differences in the time course, or right and left direction of tilt for any of the age groups. Bilateral group: There were no significant differences in any of the tasks in the procedures between the control group and the bilateral group. Conclusion: Although tilt perception is formed from the vestibular and somatosensory input, it became clear that the vestibular are less important than the somatosensory input, because the bilateral group could also successfully remember tilt positions. It also is clear that such information is remembered for at least a short period of time.

Background: Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) is a vasculitis with multi-organ involvement. Some cases of gynecologic involvement have been described, but there are no systematic reviews in the literature. Objectives: to provide a systematic review of the literature of GPA patients with gynecological involvement. Search Strategy: PubMed and Embase, were searched from inception to July 2012 for GPA patients with gynecological involvement Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and free-text terms. Selection Criteria: Patients with GPA and primary gynecologic involvement, and/or genital recurrence. Exclusion criteria were other language, review articles, pregnancy, fertility or male patients. Data Collection and Analysis: Data were extracted on clinical evolution, symptoms, examinations findings, diagnosis delay, treatment, outcome, patient status, and follow-up. The main limitation of the studies was the high heterogeneity, which resulted in a narrative review and could lead to publication bias. Main Results: Seventeen studies included data from patients with GPA and primary or relapsed gynecological involvement. In GPA patients, the genitourinary system is affected in <1%. 61% of the authors of this review thought the patient had cancer. The main gynecological symptom is bleeding, but exclusive gynecologic symptomatology is rare (ENT: 63%, lungs: 44%, kidneys-urinary tract: 53%). GPA could affect all areas of the genital tract, but the most frequent location is the uterine cervix. Medical treatment for GPA is effective. Conclusions: GPA of the female genital tract must be considered when biopsies of an ulcerated malignant-appearing cervical or vaginal mass are negative for malignancy even when they are unspecific. Rheumatology consultation is indicated.

Ovine papillomaviruses (OaPVs) were detected and quantified, for the first time, using droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) and real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) via liquid biopsy of 165 clinically healthy sheep. OaPV DNA was detected in 126 blood samples (~76.4%). DdPCR detected OaPV DNA in 124 samples; in only two additional samples positive for real-time qPCR, ddPCR failed to detect the presence of any OaPVs. In 70 of the positive samples (~55.6%), a single OaPV infection was observed, 12 of which were caused by OaPV1 (~17.1%) and 14 by OaPV2 (20%). OaPV3 was responsible for 19 single infections (~27.1%), and OaPV4 for 25 single infections (~35.7%). Multiple OaPV coinfections were observed in 56 (~44.4%) positive samples. OaPV coinfections caused by two genotypes were observed in 31 positive samples (~55.4%), with dual OaPV3/OaPV4 infection being the most prevalent as seen in 11 blood samples. In addition, five OaPV1/OaPV4, four OaPV1/OaPV2, four OaPV2/OaPV3, four OaPV1/OaPV3, and three OaPV2/OaPV4 dual coinfections were also detected. OaPV coinfections by triple and quadruple genotypes were detected in 24 (~42.8%) and only one (~1.8%) of coinfected blood samples, respectively. Multiple infections caused by OaPV1/OaPV3/OaPV4 genotypes were the most prevalent, as observed in 12 (50%) blood samples harboring triple OaPV infections. This study showed that ddPCR is the most sensitive and accurate assay for OaPV detection and quantification thus outperforming real-time qPCR in terms of sensitivity and specificity. Therefore, ddPCR may represent the molecular diagnostic tool of choice, ultimately providing useful insights into OaPV molecular epidemiology and field surveillance.

The task of this work is to study the scattering of SH waves by homogeneous lining structures in unbounded inhomogeneous medium. The shear modulus is assumed to be a function of coordinates (x,y). A two-dimensional scattering model is established. Based on the complex function theory, the expressions of wave field in the lining medium are derived. Meanwhile, a displacement auxiliary function and a pair of mapping functions are introduced to obtain the wave field expressions in inhomogeneous media. The unknown coefficients in the expression can be solved by boundary conditions on the lining structure. The stress concentration phenomenon on the lining structure is discussed in numerical examples. The distributions of dynamic stress concentration factor on the inner and outer boundary are analyzed under different influencing factors. Finally, it is found that the inhomogeneous parameters and reference wave numbers of the medium have an obvious influence on the distribution of dynamic stress concentration factor.

Objectives: In this study, it was aimed to determine the prevalence and clinical features of obesity and metabolic syndrome, which are long-term effects of survivors after treatment in children with leukemia and lymphoma. Patients&Method: Patients with leukemia and lymphoma, who were diagnosed between 2000 and 2012 (at least 2 two years after remission) were included. Data obtained through reviewing the family history, demographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, and laboratory parameters (blood glucose, lipid, and insulin levels) were analyzed and compared at the time of diagnosis, after the treatment and at time of the study. Results: Eighty nine patients (45 boys, 44 girls) were included (mean age: 14.7 ± 4.3 years): 77.5% had acute lymphoblastic leukemia, 11.2% had acute myeloid leukemia, and 11.2% had lymphoma. Overall, 46% patients had received radiotherapy, 7% had undergone surgery, and 2.2% had received stem cell transplantation in addition to chemotherapy. The mean duration of treatment was 2.4 years, and the time elapsed after treatment was 4.9 years. While only one had obesity at the diagnosis, a significant increase in obesity (20%), hypertension (15.7%), hyperglycemia (15%), insulin resistance (35%) were observed at the time of study, and family history of hypertension, dyslipidemia, and cardiovascular diseases were significantly higher in this subgroup. Conclusion: The prevalence of metabolic syndorme is higher in children with leukemia and lymphoma after treatment, and begins to increase with the initiation of treatment and continues to increase over time. These children should be followed-up for late-effects including metabolic syndrome through life-long period.

Understanding protein structure is important not just for an accurate mechanistic understanding of its function, but also for the extraction of protein structural features for further downstream applications. Geometrically, Cartesian coordinate system (CCS) and spherical coordinate system (SCS, ρ, θ and φ) are two interconvertible coordinate systems, and are like two sides of one coin. As an alternative to the default CCS approach, this perspective puts forward an inter-atomic SCS (IASCS) approach towards protein structure description with just two parameters, i.e., θ and φ. In addition, this perspective argues that since CCS has been the default approach for the past 50 years, the time is now ripe to take a look at the other side of the coin, and that this IASCS approach can find its potential applications in protein structure prediction, structural comparison and side chain placement in future.

Ocean acidification (OA) adversely impacts initial shell formation of bivalve larvae. Despite many studies observing large differences in developmental success between distinct genetic populations of bivalves exposed to OA, few studies have investigated the molecular mechanisms that enable resilient larvae to build their initial shell. This knowledge is key to their ecological and economical conservation. Herein, we used a genetic-selection program for Crassostrea gigas to produce a resilient and susceptible larval lineage to OA. The resilient and susceptible larvae were sampled every 3-hours over a 24-hour period in OA and control conditions. The susceptible lineage failed to develop a larval shell in OA conditions, whereas 52 % of the resilient lineage developed to D-larvae by 24 hours post fertilisation. We measured the expression of 23 genes involved in initial shell formation by RTqPCR, which revealed significant genotype-by-time and environment-by-time interactions for the transcription of these genes. OA upregulated a single gene encoding a protein involved in ion transport, Na+ K+ ATPase, in both the resilient and susceptible lineage. These results were corroborated by a second experiment involving 25 pair-mated C. gigas families exposed to OA and control conditions. Our findings indicate C. gigas have a fixed capacity to modulate expression of genes involved in initial shell formation in response to OA. Thus, phenotypic differences to OA between the resilient and susceptible lineage are likely explained by other cellular processes, such as bioenergetics or protein translation.

The Biosecurity Authority of Fiji is reporting the presence of larval parasitoids of fruit fly, Bactrocera kirki (Froggatt) (Diptera: Tephritidae), on Rotuma Island, Fiji, located in the South Pacific Ocean, 400 miles (640km) north-northwest of Suva. Leptopilina victoriae (Hymenoptera: Figitidae) were found foraging and emerging from host rearing experimental test fruits, Ochrosia oppositifolia infested by B. kirki at and around the coastal areas of Rotuma island. Here we report the phylogeny of Fijian L. victoriae attacking B. kirki in early larval stages, based on COI, sequences. Reliable with molecular analysis, followed by morphological examination confirms that this is the only species of parasitoids, L. victoriae occurring in the island of Rotuma, Fiji. The geographical distributions over the Rotuma Island region of L. victoriae are illustrated. This study confirms the first parasitoid’s that have been detected in an area-wide, in association with B. kirki.

Freshwater fishes are threatened by habitat modification, overfishing, pollution, invasive species, and climate change. Hence, habitat assessment using geospatial technology is essential in predicting the distribution of threatened candidates. Tor putitora, an endangered game fish is declining due to indiscriminate fishing and habitat destruction. Meager attempts have been made so far to understand habitat predilection of the species. In this study, we used Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) model with occurrence records and environmental variables. The occurrences and environmental variables were collected from survey and secondary sources and used after removing biases, multicollinearity test and contribution analysis. The model performed well with area under curve (AUC) 0.867 and true skill statistic (TSS) 0.756. The main contributing variables were upstream elevation (35.3%) and flow length (21.4%). The model predicted 10% suitable, 33% slight to moderate suitable and 57% unsuitable. So, modelling is useful in identifying river networks for conservation and eco-restoration of freshwater fishes.

The light harvesting capacity and thermal conductivity properties of photothermal materials play a vital role in the photothermal conversion of solar energy. However, most materials do not possess both of these characteristics simultaneously or efficiently. Here, we design and prepare a composite material with both light harvesting capacity and thermal conductivity properties, which polypyrrole is loaded on the surface of thermal conductivity rod-shaped boron nitride to form h-BN/PPy composites. The composites can be dispersed in a mixed solution of glycol-water and can exist stably. The photothermal conversion efficiency reach 82.84% when the concentration is 0.05 wt%. While combining this composite with PVA-1799 can form a hybrid membrane, which can still exhibits high photothermal conversion performance, and its photothermal conversion efficiency can reach up to 82.05%. And exhibits high stability and corrosion resistance in seawater. Thus may be potentially applied in the solar desalination field.

Slag viscosity is one of the most important parameters for the operation of an entrained-flow gasifier. Complementary to established empirical viscosity models, this paper presents a structure-based viscosity model considering individual structure effects of major components. Based on the degree of polymerization and bond energy, a structural parameter RS, which reflects the network stability of melts, is calculated using a molecular dynamics simulation and correlated with the viscosity. The model coefficients are developed according to the viscosities of 54 published samples. A comparison is made with two commonly used viscosity models, the Urbain model and the modified Urbain model. The results indicate that the new model offers better predictions. Furthermore, 32 experimental samples used to verify the new model. This model also reveals that the network stability (RS) can be regarded as a direct structural parameter for quantitative correlations with slag properties.

A dendritic PdCu/Ce0.3Zr0.7O2 (PdCu/CZ-3) catalyst was prepared for boosting the catalytic performance of CO2 hydrogenation to methanol (MeOH). The open dendritic pore channels and small particle sizes increase the accessibility between the active sites (PdCu alloy and oxygen vacancy) and the reactants (H2 and CO2). More spillover hydrogen could be generated due to the highly dispersed PdCu active metals over the PdCu/CZ-3 catalyst. PdCu/CZ-3 can stimulate the generation of more Ce3+ cations, which is beneficial to produce more oxygen vacancies on the surface of the CZ-3 composite. Spillover hydrogen and oxygen vacancy could promote the formate and methoxy routes over PdCu/CZ-3, which were the primary intermediates to produce MeOH. PdCu/CZ-3 displayed the highest CO2 conversions (25.5 %), highest MeOH yield (6.4 %), highest PdCu- TOFMeOH (7.7 h-1) and superior 100 h long-term stability than those of other PdCu/CexZr1-xO2 analogs and the reference PdCu/CeO2 and PdCu/ZrO2 catalysts.

The combustion behavior and kinetics of tackifying resins (such as glycerol ester of colophony/hydrogenated colophony and C9/hydrogenated C9 petroleum resin, namely GEC, GEHC, C9PR and HC9PR, respectively) were investigated by TG-FTIR and density functional theory (DFT) analyses. The calorific values of different resins are higher than that of standard coal, indicating tackifying resins and their wastes are a promising fuel for generating energy. The average activation energies obtained by Friedman method for GEC, GEHC, C9PR and HC9PR were 223.51, 162.16, 166.52 and 116.20 kJ/mol, respectively, revealing that (H)C9PR were more readily combustible than GE(H)C, and their hydrogenated products burned more easily than their unhydrogenated ones, which were strongly supported by the TG-FTIR results. DFT calculations also show that the bond dissociation energy of C-C bond of GEC is higher than those of C9PR and GEHC. The best appropriate reaction mechanism evaluated by the master plots method is R3 model.

Silent left ventricular thrombus(LVT) in people with normal cardiac function without any history of cardiac diseases is rare and dangerous. The current standard treatment strategy for LVT is anticoagulation therapy. Nevertheless, surgical intervention should be considered if systemic embolism emerged.

Background: Pediatric hematology-oncology (PHO) and bone marrow transplantation (BMT) units have high use of antimicrobials. Objectives: To survey antimicrobials used in Greek PHO and BMT units before and after an intervention involving education on the 2017 clinical practice guidelines (CPG) for the management of febrile neutropenia in children with cancer and hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients. Methods: Antibiotic prescribing practices were prospectively recorded between June 2016 and November 2017. In December 2017, education for the CPG took place and antibiotic prescribing practices were followed for one more year. For antibiotic stewardship, days of therapy and length of therapy were calculated. Results: Five of six PHO units and the single pediatric BMT unit covering >92% of children with hematologic and oncologic diseases in Greece participated. Administration of ≥ 4 antibiotics simultaneously and of antibiotics with overlapping activity for ≥ 2 days was significantly more common in PHO units located in general compared to pediatric hospitals. Use of at least one antifungal was recorded in approximately 47% of the patients before and after the intervention. De-escalation and/or discontinuation of antibiotics on day 6 of initial treatment increased significantly from 43% to 53.5% (p=0.032). Although the number of patients requiring support in the intensive care unit for sepsis did not change, a significant drop was noted in all-cause mortality after the intervention (p=0.008). Conclusion: Our surveillance was able to accurately document the antibiotic prescribing practices of Greek PHO and BMT units. Moreover, it identified areas in immediate need for improvement in antibiotic stewardship.

Phytoremediation exerts enormous function on the remediation of heavy metals. Excavation and authentication of pivotal genes connected with Cd accumulation and tolerance is prerequisite for gene engineering enhanced plants for cadmium phytoremediation. In the present study, PtrAREB3, ABA Responsive Element Binding protein, was identified from the Populus trichocarpa. PtrAREB3 was principally expressed in the leaves and was markedly induced during ABA and Cd stress. PtrAREB3 acts in the nucleus and specifically bind to ABA Responsive Element (ABRE) in the promoters of target genes. Under cadmium stress, poplar PtrAREB3 will be activated, and the PtrAREB3 directly regulates target genes (SDI1, CAX3, ABCG25, ABA2, Peroxidase, and HUP32) expression by combining the CACGT motif of its promoter. Moreover, activated target genes can increase the tolerance of plants to cadmium stress by reducing the production of oxides, reducing chlorophyll degradation, and increasing the synthesis of proline and activating the antioxidant system. Furthermore, PtrAREB3 may regulate the expression of genes (ZIP2, CCH1.1, NRAMP1, ABCC1 and MTP1) related to Cd uptake, transport and detoxification, thus increasing the accumulation of cadmium in plants. Overall, overexpressing PtrAREB3 in poplar enhanced cadmium accumulation and cadmium tolerance through direct or indirect regulation of downstream gene transcription.

At the beginning of the current pandemic, it was believed that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection would induce lifelong immunity and that reinfections would be unlikely. However, after several cases of reinfection were documented in previously infected patients, this was understood to be a false assumption, and this waning humoral immunity has raised significant concerns. Accordingly, long-term and durable vaccine-induced antibody protection against infection have also become a challenge, as several breakthroughs of COVID-19 infection have been identified in individuals who were fully vaccinated. This review discusses the current evidence on breakthrough COVID-19 infections occurring after vaccination.

Aims: To evaluate the interaction between Zuojin Pill (ZJP), a Chinese herbal formula preparation and antidepressant agent venlafaxine in healthy volunteers. Methods: Here, the potential pharmacokinetic interaction between ZJP and VEN was investigated. In eleven healthy male volunteers with CYP2D6*1/*1 genotypes, the pharmacokinetics of VEN (oral administration of 25 mg per individual) were compared before and after 7 days of administration with ZJP (3.0 g ZJP, Huanglian Zhixiang®, twice daily). Results: ZJP dosing resulted in a statistically significant increase in the mean area under the plasma concentration–time curve zero to infinity (AUC0-∞) of VEN from 247.8 ± 98.5 to 330.2 ± 125.3 ng×h/mL (P < 0.001). Furthermore, VEN clearance significantly decreased from 119.4±59.5 to 88.7±41.2 L/h (P = 0.003) after ZJP intake. However, the AUC0-∞ of VEN active moiety (VEN + ODV) slightly increased by 8.3% after ZJP administration (P = 0.197). In addition, the incidence of VEN-related side effects was significantly (P < 0.05) reduced after ZJP administration. Conclusion: These results suggested that concomitant use of VEN and ZJP could slightly increase the exposures for both VEN and VEN active moieties, accompanied by a decrease in VEN-related side effects. Therefore, rational concomitant use of both drugs would be promising in clinical practice.

Cardiac anxiety(CA) is a common finding in patients in the pre- and postoperative period of coronary artery bypass graft(CABG) surgery. Ventilatory restriction generated by pain and reduced muscle strength is associated with increased CA level.

Polyamines play important regulatory roles in mitigating salt damage to the plant in response to salt-alkali stress environment. To explore an effective pathway alleviating the osmotic damage to the plants, exogenous signal molecules had largely been applied. Spermidine, as one component of polyamine, was widely used to improve the plant tolerance to the abiotic stresses, but the regulatory mechanism of spermidine-mediated in alleviating ion toxicity still lacks detailed report. In this study, spermidine priming seeds was performed to unveil the physiological responsive effects of spermidine-triggered in Leymus chinensis under salt-alkali stress. Measurements show that spermidine priming seeds remarkably increased the antioxidant enzymatic activities and strengthened polyamines synthesis pathway, and simultaneously beneficially altered the accumulation of proline and soluble sugar, but reduced malondialdehyde accumulation, thus mitigating the oxidative damage in Leymus chinensis seedlings. Data also shows that spermidine priming seeds significantly inhibited the uptake of harmful Na+ but promoted the accumulation of K+ and Ca2+, thus lowering the osmotic damage to the plant cell membranes. This study provides novel insights into the regulatory pathway of exogenous spermidine-mediated in mitigating the oxidative and ion toxicity damages to Leymus chinensis.

Cancer is a commonly occurring disease, rising worldwide, so need to be a better approach for the world to cure this disease. Various risk factors effect incidence prevalence of cancer. Specialized metabolites from medicinal plants are promising alternative method available against those expensive methods available in the market. Treatment of cancer using plant products is an alternative and safe option. Studies have proven phytomolecules as important in preventing/treating cancer using several cell lines including blood, breast, colon, oral cancer cell lines etc. Some of the leads have been authenticated and validated in animal models also. Nanoparticles have been attempted as a novel, precised and safe option for various diseases. NPs have unique physical and chemical properties which provide unique applications in diseases prevention including anticancer. Newer approaches such as phyto-nanocarriers have been considered even more selective and effective in managing the cancer and could become an affective cancer phytotheraputics.

The threat of noncommunicable diseases has been recognized globally and the World Health Organization has set a target to reduce the overall mortality (from the 2013 baseline) from cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases by 25% by 2025. Several factors influence the occurrence of noncommunicable diseases including diet and lifestyle. As we presented the magnitude of noncommunicable diseases in our previous issues, the focus for this note is to discuss briefly about physical inactivity which is the major risk factor for non-communicable diseases. About 9% of all deaths globally are attributed to physical inactivity. Behavioral risk factors, such as tobacco use, physical inactivity, the harmful use of alcohol, and unhealthy diets all increase the risk of dying from noncommunicable diseases. The dietary habits of populations (including young adults) in low-to-middle income countries similarly have rapidly shifted to less-healthy diets (consisting of processed foods, away-from-home food intake, and increased use of edible oils and sugar-sweetened beverages) in line with the global nutrition transition. The presence of the metabolic syndrome increases the risk of developing noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, and cancer. Non-communicable diseases impact on women’s health and development across the lifecycle, causing morbidity and mortality, and compromising their socio-cultural status in communities.