The Sialoblastoma is a rare malignant tumor of the epithelial cells of the salivary glands, with less than 100 cases reported. Its main location is in the parotid gland, but it may affect other salivary glands. The diagnose should be investigated in cases of a congenital tumor in the topography of these salivary glands and may be confirmed by open biopsy, or after complete excision. Due to rarity of the disease, there is no consensus for the conduct in the literature, but surgical treatment shown better outcomes. The adjuvant treatment with chemotherapy may be feasible to advanced metastatic cases.

Objective Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is an illness that has a heterogeneous nature. Recently, obsessions have been classified as autogenous and reactive obsessions according to their cognitive development characteristics. In this study, it was aimed to compare the cognitive functions of reactive and autogenous OCD groups. Methods 67 OCD patients were divided into autogenous and reactive subgroups and the difference between the groups in terms of cognitive functions was examined. Patients with depression and other major mental illnesses were excluded from the study. A comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests consisting of the Rey auditory verbal learning test (AVLT), the Wisconsin card sorting test (WCST), and the Stroop test were administered to evaluate the attention, memory, and executive functions of the patients. Results There is no significant difference for gender, mean age, years of education, marital status and medication between two groups. As a result, BDI scores of autogenous OCD patients were significantly higher than those of reactive OCD patients. Reactive OCD patients were found to have lower AVLT -Rey 6 subtest scores, which are indicative of memory and proactive interference, than in the autogenous group. Conclusion The existence of possibly different neurobiological basis between autogenous and reactive OCD groups suggests that, there may be differences in cognitive functions among these patient groups. It is thought that there is a need for studies to be carried out in larger sample groups with more specific neuropsychological tests.

Esophageal foreign bodies are common in clinical practice, with fishbone-associated esophageal foreign bodies being the most common ones in adults. Asia shows a higher incidence compared with western countries.While a case of the foreign body-induced esophageal perforation and rupture of the posterior wall of the left atrium, which causes periatrial abscess and eventually results in systemic embolism is quite rare. Therefore, here we report a case of acute cerebral infarction secondary to a fishbone piercing the left atrium and periatrial abscess formation.

Cardiac calcified amorphous tumor is a rare, non-neoplastic, pedunculated, intra-cavity mass, with very high preponderance of distal embolisation. Differentiation from calcified atrial myxoma or calcified thrombi is very difficult. Histo-pathologic examination is the mainstay of diagnosis. Treatment is emergency excision. A 46-year-old female presented with heart failure. On echocardiography, 1.9x1.7 cm pedunculated mobile mass in left ventricle attached to intraventricular septum was seen. On cardiac MRI lesion was isointense. The mass was excised. Histopathology revealed fibrin deposition with eosinophilic amorphous material in the centre with calcification in the periphery without any myxomatous tissue. A final diagnosis of CAT was established.

Sweetpotato is an emerging food crop that ensures food and nutrition security in the face of climate change. Alpha-linoleic acid (ALA) is one of the key factors affecting plant stress tolerance and is also an essential nutrient in humans. In plants, ALA is synthesized from linoleic acid (LA) by fatty acid desaturase 8 (FAD8). Previously, we identified the cold-induced IbFAD8 gene from RNA-seq of sweetpotato tuberous roots stored at low-temperature. In this study, we investigated the effect of IbFAD8 on the low-temperature storage ability and ALA content of the tuberous roots of sweetpotato. Transgenic sweetpotato plants overexpressing IbFAD8 (TF plants) exhibited increased cold and drought stress tolerance and enhanced heat stress susceptibility compared with non-transgenic (NT) plants. The ALA content of the tuberous roots of TF plants (0.19 g/100 g DW) was ca. 3.8-fold higher than that of NT plants (0.05 g/100 g DW), resulting in 8–9-fold increase in the ALA/LA ratio in TF plants. Furthermore, tuberous roots of TF plants showed better low-temperature storage ability compared with NT plants. These results indicate that IbFAD8 is a valuable candidate gene for increasing the ALA content, environmental stress tolerance, and low-temperature storage ability of sweetpotato tuberous roots via molecular breeding.

Waste water fed pisciculture is nowadays a feature that is common in aquaculture belts across the globe. East Kolkata Wetlands (EKW) is a nature’s wonder where waste water fed natural aquaculture belt is active for more than 70 years now and is efficiently operating as a natural waste management system.The peri urban wetland is also a site of international importance and is listed in Ramsar. Field and lab-based investigations were carried out with three commonly edible carp variety of fishes such as Rohu (Labeorohita), Catla(Catlacatla) and Nile Tilapia (Oreochromisniloticus) collected from ponds (bheries) of the wetland located on the eastern fringes of Kolkata, India. The lab-based analysis reveals the presence of many toxic heavy metals like Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr), and Mercury (Hg) in the samples with the seasonal order of accumulation being monsoon >post-monsoon >winter >pre-monsoon in the successive years 2016, 2017 and 2018. The order in which toxic metals are bio-accumulated in fishes is Tilapia>Rohu>Catla. Bioaccumulation of toxic heavy metals shows the trend Pb>Cd>Cr>Hg across all the seasons and years.The ambient media is also investigated to better understand the bioaccumulation pattern at different trophic levels of the ecosystem. Water and sediments were analyzed to evaluate the contamination of toxic heavy metals from point as well as non-point sources. In this study, the observed bioaccumulation pattern of the toxic heavy metals in one of the fragile ecosystems raises questions of environmental management. This study further raises considerable doubt on environmental safety of daily consumed food items.

Objective: Clinical symptoms of COVID-19 patients differ in regions. Our objective is to explore the characteristics of TCM symptoms and prescriptions of COVID-19 patients in Wanzhou area of Chongqing. Methods: We investigated hospitalized cases of COVID-19 in Wanzhou, Chongqing. The primary outcomes of interest were TCM symptoms and prescriptions, while the secondary outcomes included chest computed tomography (CT), white blood cell counts, lymphocyte levels, and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels.Results: Among the 196 included patients with COVID-19, the top five TCM symptoms were: poor appetite (82.14%), cough (65.31%), fatigue (17.86%), aversion to cold (16.84%), and fever (17.35%). Their five most common TCM prescriptions were: Sashen Radix Ophipodonis Decoction (38.22%), Sijunzi Decoction (37.7%), Maxing Shigan Decoction (31.94%), Sanren Decoction (15.71%), and Xiaochaihu Decoction (12.04%). Participants’ TCM symptom scores before hospital discharge were lower than on admission (P < 0.05). There were also statistically significant differences in white blood cell counts, lymphocyte levels, and CRP levels before or after discharge from hospital as compared with before admission (P < 0.05).Conclusion: The dominant clinical symptoms of patients with COVID-19 in Chongqing were poor appetite, cough, and fatigue, which may be related to the geography and climate of Wanzhou. The TCM prescriptions given to the patients were consistent with their most common symptoms and the fact that the lung and spleen are the main viscera invaded by COVID-19. Traditional Chinese Medicine had a positive effect on patients with COVID-19.

Introduction Disruption of the intestinal epithelial barrier has been shown to occur following burn injury. This process can lead to translocation of pathogens from the gut lumen to the systemic circulation and distant organs thereby increasing the risk for sepsis. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of amifostine (WR-2721) on bacterial translocation in a rat burn injury model. Materials and Methods A total of 27 male Wistar albino rats were divided into three groups of nine. Group I was a control group. Group II was subjected to third-degree burns over 30% of the total body surface area, and group III was administered amifostine 200 ml/kg intraperitoneally, followed by a 10 ml/kg/day maintenance dose after undergoing third-degree burns. After 48 hours, tissue and blood samples were obtained and cultured from the liver, spleen, mesenteric lymph nodes, and cecum. Results Blood cultures were negative in all groups. In the control group, colonization appeared only in the cecum, but in groups II and III, colonization was found in the liver, spleen, mesenteric lymph nodes, and cecum. While bacterial colonization was most frequently found in the cecum and mesenteric lymph nodes, bacterial counts did not significantly differ in the cecum (P = 0.298) and mesenteric lymph nodes (P = 0.418) between groups II and III. Conclusions Amifostine alone is not effective in controlling bacterial translocation associated with burn injuries. These results should be interpreted with caution as there are a number of factors that affect bacterial translocation.

Background: Sufficient data pertaining to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric cancer patients is still currently lacking. The main aim of this prospective study was to describe clinical management and outcomes of COVID-19 in this vulnerable group. Methods: Conducted between May 1st and November 30, 2020, this study included 76 pediatric oncology patients with confirmed COVID-19. Remdesivir (RDV) was the antiviral therapy used. Results: The median age of patients was 9 years. Sixty patients were on first line treatment. Haematological malignancies constituted 86.8% of patients. 35.4% of cases had severe to critical infections. The commonest presentation was fever (93.4%). Chemotherapy was delayed in 59.2% of cases and doses were modified in 30.2%. The sixty-day overall survival (OS) stood at 86.6%, with mortalities occurring only among critically ill patients. Of sixteen acute leukaemia patients in the first induction phase of treatment, 13 survived and 10 achieved induction remission. A negative PCR within 2 weeks and improvement of radiological findings were statistically related to disease severity (p=0.008 and, 0.002 respectively). Better OS was associated with regression of radiological findings after 30 days from infection (p=0.002). Of the forty-five cases who received RDV, 70% were severe to critically ill cases with comparable outcome to patients who did not receive the drug. Conclusions: Most pediatric cancer patients with COVID-19 should have good clinical outcomes, except for those with critical form of infections. Newly diagnosed cases seem to tolerate induction therapy alongside COVID-19 treatment. RDV was well tolerated with no serious adverse events observed.

Aim: Bruxism is a common health problem in society. The treatment method to be preferred should be determined by the decision of the patient and the physician together. Individuals’ knowledge of the course of the disease, symptoms, and treatment options will contribute to the treatment process. There are many websites on the Internet that can guide patients about health and illness. The aim of this study is to evaluate the patient information texts about bruxism on web sites in terms of content and readability. Methods: Websites reached in a search using the keyword “Bruxism” on Google were evaluated in terms of readability and content. The readability assessment was classified according to the level of education. Text content accuracy was also evaluated according to information level separately. Results: Forty-four of the 100 websites examined were included in the study. Average grade level is 11.41 ± 0.82. The readability level of 79% (n = 35) of the 44 texts examined is at a difficult level. It is seen that the definition and etiology of the disease are mentioned in 68% (n = 30) of the texts examined in the study. Conclusion: Although the content of the English texts prepared to inform patients about bruxism on the Internet is sufficient, it has been found that the readability level is low.

ABSTRACT PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of 1.5T MRI using lesion length (LL) and tumor-capsule contact length (TCL) in detecting extraprostatic extension (EPE) in prostate cancer (PCa). MATERIALS and METHODS: A total of 110 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy due to PCa were enrolled. Preoperative MR images of the patients were evaluated retrospectively by two independent observerswho did not know the histopathological results. The observers evaluated LL and TCL. The radiological findings, including lesion location, were verified using histopathological mapping. RESULTS: Multiparametric MR examination of the prostate demonstrated low sensitivity but high specificity, with significant differencesfor detecting EPE (Observer 1, p < 0.0001; Observer 2, p = 0.003). The increased PI-RADS score correlated positively with the increased EPE rate. The LL and TCL demonstrateda statistically significant difference between patients with and without EPE. The TCL was a significant parameter for EPE, with high sensitivity and low specificity for both observers. Cut-off values were obtained for both the LL and TCL. CONCLUSION: The results revealed that 1.5T MRI demonstrated low sensitivity and high specificity in detecting EPE. The LL and TCL may be beneficial indirectly in detecting EPE. Keywords: Prostate Cancer; Capsular Invasion; Extraprostatic Extension; Multiparametric Prostate MR; Tumor-Capsule Contact Length

Objective: It is not known whether appendectomy for acute appendicitis (AA) increases the Cesarean section (CS) rate and whether CS increases the likelihood of AA and appendectomy in the early puerperium. In this study, delivery type and delivery outcomes and appendectomy during pregnancy and puerperium were analyzed. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional retrospective study was performed on 11513 women, delivered during 2015-2020. Inclusion criteria were patients submitted to appendectomy for AA during pregnancy and the first six weeks after delivery. Evaluating parameters were age, parity, gestational week at birth, delivery type, and babies’ birth weight. Results: Thirty-two patients underwent appendectomy: 12 during pregnancy (2 in the first trimester, 6 in the second trimester, 4 in the third trimester) and 20 women during puerperium. 58.2% of pregnant women and 65% of puerperal women were submitted to CS. Conclusions: Half of the women who underwent appendectomy for AA during pregnancy may require urgent CS. The cause of acute abdomen in the postpartum period, especially in the first week, could be AA, especially in women delivered by CS.

Background: Favipiravir, first used for novel influenza strains, is being used today in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). While many studies have been reported in the literature on hydroxychloroquine’s (HQ) arrhythmogenic adverse effects, data on favipiravir are limited. The authors purposed to demonstrate that the arrhythmic effects of favipiravir are not negligible. Methods: The researchers conducted a retrospective observational study on 194 COVID-19 patients. The study population was classified into two groups based on the treatment regimen: favipiravir (n=101) and HQ (n=93). Pre/post-medication electrocardiograms were evaluated for arrhythmic events. Results: Twenty of 101 (19.8%) subjects in the favipiravir group and 13 of 93 (13.9%) subjects in the HQ group had arrhythmogenic events (p=0.42). The most frequent arrhythmic events in the favipiravir group were sinus bradycardia (13 of 20, 65%) and third-degree atrioventricular block (4 of 20, 20%). Corrected QT (QTc) prolongation was the most seen arrhythmogenic adverse effect (9 of 13, 69%) in the HQ group. The proportion of patients with prolonged QTc were higher in the HQ group than the favipiravir group (9 vs. 3, p=0.04). However, the difference between final and baseline QTc did not differ between the HQ and the favipiravir group (11 [IQR:-9—57] vs. 12 [IQR:-7—103], p=0.59, respectively). The change between pre and post-treatment heart rate was more remarkable in the favipiravir group than the HQ group (12 [IQR:-6—70] vs. 5 [IQR:-8—41], p<0.001, respectively). Conclusions: Favipiravir was significantly associated with sinus bradycardia requiring drug withdrawal. Clinicians should more routinely implement arrhythmia monitoring for patients receiving favipiravir.

A major fraction of biodiversity on Earth resides in soils. This diversity consists of prokaryotes (bacteria and archaea) and eukaryotes (fungi, protists and metazoa). Especially the prokaryotic diversity is almost entirely studies using molecular tools, with a recent transfer also to eukaryotes.. Eukaryotes differ from prokaryotes in many additional characteristics such as genomic organization and mode of evolution, which together determine the methods to study their diversity. As such, approaches that have been designed for prokaryotes like environmental sequencing cannot simply be transferred to eukaryotes. Indeed, methodological and analytical differences between domains range from how the basic diversity units are measured to interpretation of community taxonomic composition and quantitative data. Jurburg et al. (“All together now: Limitations and recommendations for the simultaneous analysis of all eukaryotic soil sequences” Molecular Ecology Methods, 2021 https://doi.org/10.1111/1755-0998.13401) have highlighted some important eukaryote-specific technical issues that need consideration into account in DNA-based studies. We here highlight additional domain-specific considerations that should be taken into account in eukaryote-focused studies. Only that will allow to reliably and comprehensively unravel the entire eukaryotic biodiversity in soils.

Quantifying interspecific variations of tree resilience to drought and revealing the underlying mechanisms are of great importance to the understanding of forest functionality particularly in water-limited regions with foreseeable increase in temperature and the associated drought stress. So far, comprehensive studies incorporating investigations in interspecific variations of long-term growth patterns of trees and the underlying physiological mechanisms are very limited. Here, in a semi-arid site of northern China, tree radial growth rate, inter-annual tree-ring growth responses to climate variability, as well as physiological characteristics pertinent to xylem hydraulics, carbon assimilation and drought tolerance were analyzed in seven pine species growing in a common environment. Considerable interspecific variations in radial growth rate, growth response to drought and physiological characteristics were observed among the studied species. Higher hydraulic efficiency is related to greater photosynthetic capacity but not higher tree radial growth rate. Rather, radial growth of species with higher hydraulic conductivity and photosynthetic capacity was more sensitive to drought stress that is at least partially due to a trade-off between hydraulic efficiency and safety across species. This study thus demonstrates the importance of drought resilience rather than instantaneous water and carbon flux capacity in determining tree growth in water-limited environments.

Background: Glucose metabolism is frequently impaired in patients with Cushing’s syndrome (CS), which is caused by chronic exposure to glucocorticoid excess. Inflammation plays a central role in the pathophysiology of diabetes mellitus (DM). The present study aimed to investigate the potential associations of inflammatory blood cell parameters, including white blood cell (WBC) count, neutrophils count, neutrophilic granulocyte percentage (NEUT%), lymphocyte count (LYM), lymphocyte proportion (LYM%) with diabetes mellitus in Cushing’s syndrome patients. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed in Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, China. A total 150 patients with Cushing’s syndrome were retrospectively screened from 2017-2019. The demographic, clinical data, and blood samples were documented (lipids, adrenal, glucose, inflammatory blood cell parameters). Statistical analyses were carried out by using SPSS software package version 13.0. Results: The prevalence of diabetes mellitus was 38.7% in Cushing’s syndrome. Patient with DM had higher WBC, neutrophils, NEUT% levels than patients without DM (P < 0.05). As the NEUT% increased, there was a step-wise increase in glucose and HbA1c level. Additionally, in the multivariate logistic regression, NEUT% was an independent risk factor for the development of DM, regardless of gender, age, BMI, triglyceride and 12MN cortisol level (OR=2.542, 95%CI 1.337-4.835, P<0.001). Conclusions: In conclusion, elevated NEUT% level was associated with diabetes in patients with Cushing syndrome. The neutrophils granulocyte percentage may be used as a new predictor for diabetes in Cushing’s syndrome patients.

The device of oil-water separation enhanced by electromagnetic synergy could potentially play a pivotal role in realizing the green oil gathering and transportation pretreatment in the future. In this paper, the high-speed microscopic experiment shows that the migration mode of a single droplet under the action of the polarized electromagnetic force is not consistent with the previous theoretical analysis. Theoretical analysis shows that the longitudinal migration mode of a droplet under the polarized electromagnetic force is oscillatory displacement. However, the experimental results show that the longitudinal movement direction of a droplet remains unchanged, and there is no oscillatory displacement. Moreover, the effect of the polarized electromagnetic force on a droplet is reflected in the form of enhancing longitudinal displacement. In addition, by solving the motion equation, the velocity difference of the droplet after a period is obtained, and the influence mechanism of the polarized electromagnetic force is discussed.

Following the drop oscillation breakup mechanism, a theoretical model for drop breakup probability is proposed based on the three-dimensional Maxwell velocity distribution. The model considers both the interfacial energy increase constraint and viscous energy increase constraint. The model shows that for low-viscous drops, the breakup probability is determined by the Weber number (WeL), and for intermediate or high viscous drops, the breakup probability is determined by the combined influence of the Weber number (WeL) and the Ohnesorge number (Oh). By combining the theoretical model of drop breakup time constructed in our previous work, the breakup frequency model is obtained based on the statistical description framework. The accuracy and generality of the model were then validated using the direct experimental data. Moreover, effects of the drop diameter, turbulent energy dissipation rate, and interfacial tension on the predicted drop breakup frequency were analyzed in detail.

By using the Brownian dynamics simulation method, the bounce-off effect of aerosol particles on their initial collection efficiencies in fibrous filtration is investigated in the present work. Based on the simulation results and available aerosol filtration experimental data, two new correlations for predicting the initial collection efficiency are derived. It is found that the correlations developed in this work provide accurate agreement with available experimental results.

Ant Colony Optimization algorithm is one among the best optimization algorithm for Non deterministic polynomial-hard problems like maximum power for agitation and minimum of just suspension speed problems. The objective of this research is to satisfy the maximum power of Mechanical stirrer vessel equipment in mixing of solid and liquid phases with reference to solid particle diameter, jacketed vessel diameter and height, density of the slurry by varying the weight percentage. This effects the Zwietering's mass ratio, Kinematic viscosity of slurry, Reynolds's number and Froude number which varies the Zwietering's constant value, impeller diameter and just suspension speed for uniform distribution which should be less than the impeller speed. The developed algorithm had been justified with standard mathematical functions and found satisfactory in above stated problems, sensitivity analysis also conducted. Finally, it has been concluded that the developed algorithm solves the problem in less computation time efficiently.

Bird nests are essential structures that directly determine the fitness of an organism. While there is theory and evidence predicting an association between species nest traits and their habitat, few studies have comprehensively examined the macroevolutionary patterns driving nest evolution, species niche and their interrelation. Using information on 3174 species of songbirds, we show that species that build domed nests (i.e. nests with a roof) have smaller ranges, narrower thermal niches, are less likely to colonise urban environments and have potentially higher extinction rates compared to species that build open nests. Moreover, we show that these macroevolutionary patterns could be driven by the higher energetic demands when building domed nests, which consumes more time and might restrict breeding opportunities. These diverse strands of evidence suggest that the transition from domed to open nests in passerines represents an important evolutionary innovation behind the success of the largest radiation of birds.

Objectives Long-term outcomes of COVID-19 patients who discharge ICU are unclear. We investigated the effect of COVID-19 on lung structure, pulmonary functional, exercise capacity and quality of life in patients discharge from ICU and medical ward. Methods A prospective single-centre study conducted in PCR confirmed COVID-19 patients who has been discharged from University of Health Sciences, Dr. Suat Seren Chest Disease and Thoracic Surgery Teaching and Research Hospital between 15 January and 5 March 2021. Patients who followed up for more than 48 hours in ICU and more than 72 hours in medical ward were included the study. Computed tomography scores, pulmonary functional tests (PFT), 6-min walking distance and health related quality of life by SF-36 were compared between ICU and medical ward patients at 6 months after discharge. Results Seventy patients were included final analyses and 31 of them discharged from ICU. ICU patients had higher CT scores than non-ICU patients at admission (17 vs 11) and follow up visit (6 vs 0). Two-three of ICU patients had at least one abnormal finding at control CT. Advanced age (OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.02-1.15) and higher CT score at admission (OR 1.13, 95% CI 1.01-1.27) were risk factors for having radiological abnormalities at control CT. 90% of the patients discharged from the ICU had at least one persistent symptom. Conclusion A number of COVID-19 survivors could not fully recover after 6 months of hospital discharge. COVID-19 survivor needs to support therapies at recovery phase of the disease.

Castleman Disease is a rare non-clonal lymphoproliferative disorder that predisposes towards adults with very few reported cases in children. Presented is a 12-year-old male with progressive abdominal pain, vomiting, and fever. Laboratory testing showed elevated inflammatory markers, hemolysis, kidney injury, coagulopathy, thrombocytopenia, and refractory hypocalcemia. Imaging demonstrated an adrenal mass, hepatosplenomegaly, generalized lymphadenopathy, and increased bone marrow uptake without focality. The diagnosis of Castleman Disease was made with tissue biopsy and marked disease regression occurred after high dose steroids and interleukin-6 inhibition. Awareness of Castleman disease in a pediatric patient is essential to providing adequate and timely care.

Objective: In this study, we presented the clinical characteristics of the patients we performed arterial switch operation between 2018-2020 in our clinic and our experience in this regard. Methods: Arterial switch operations were performed in 29 patients in total with 13 simple and 16 complex transposition of the great arteries (TGA) diagnoses in two years. Ten patients in the simple TGA group were operated within the first 14 days after birth, and the other three patients were operated at 14-60 days of age. Eleven patients from the complex TGA group were operated within the first 14 days, and five patients within 14-60 days. Preoperative, operative process and postoperative short and long term results were evaluated in both groups. Our study was approved by the decision of the Ethics Committee dated 26.04.2021 and numbered 12.