Aims: Previous research showed that short-term second language training modulates children’s brain responses. However, little is known about how well young children’s brains process second language-related information acquired from short-term usage of language-immersive apps. Methodology: To examine this, we compared the auditory event-related potential (ERP) to non-native language words learnt via language-immersive applications (apps), as compared to those learnt via digital flash cards, in 3-5-year-old children. We also compared their auditory ERPs to known and unknown words. Data analysis: Thirty-two participants have completed the (audio) word-picture pair experiment while their electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded. We compared the auditory ERPs in the 200-300ms window and the 400-600ms window between the apps group and the flash-card group, and the response to the known and unknown words. Results: We found that the early positive potential (of the whole group) to the known words was significantly larger than that to the unknown words. Further, the early negative potential of the language immersed group was significantly larger than that of the flash card group. Conclusions: Short-term training from language-immersive apps has a positive impact on the developing brain.

Aging and obesity are closely related, and the prevalence of obesity and metabolic diseases are rapidly increasing with an aging population worldwide. A key change in the adipose tissue during the aging process is the decline of lipolysis, and the excitation of the sympathetic nerve system is a key pathway to promote lipolysis. Previous studies have shown that the total saponins from Panax japonicus (TSPJs) can prevent obesity in mice with high-fat diet by increasing fat decomposition. In this work, we examine the regulatory effects of TSPJs on lipolysis in the aging state and explore the possible mechanisms. TSPJs can promote the excitation of sympathetic nerves by increasing the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase in the adipose tissue, which positively regulates the expression of lipases to revitalize lipolysis. The results suggest that TSPJs can help to resist aging-induced obesity and may be a potential medication for weight management.

A document by Zuania Colón-Piñeiro. Click on the document to view its contents.

Wood serves crucial functions in plants, yet our understanding of the molecular regulation governing the composition, arrangement, and dimensions of its cells remains limited. The abrupt change in wood anatomy of lianas represents an excellent model to address the underlying mechanism, although consistent triggering factors for this process remain uncertain. In this study we examined how physical support attachment impacts the development of lianescent xylem anatomy in Bignonia magnifica (Bignoniaceae), employing a comprehensive approach integrating detailed anatomical analysis with gene expression profiling of cambium and differentiating xylem. Our findings demonstrate that attachment to physical supports triggers the formation of lianescent xylem, leading to increased vessel size, range of vessel sizes, broader vessel distribution, reduced fiber content, and higher potential specific water conductivity. These shifts in wood anatomy coincide with the downregulation of genes associated with cell division and cell wall biosynthesis, and the upregulation of transcription factors (TFs), defense/cell death, and hormone-responsive genes in the lianescent xylem. Based on our results, we propose a model delineating the molecular control underlying the formation of lianescent xylem, revealing how the increased complexity of lianescent anatomy reflects a more intricate transcriptional regulatory network encompassing a more diverse repertoire of TFs and hormone-responsive genes.

The performance of photovoltaic cells is determined by the transport and loss mechanisms within the cells. Thus, quantitative assessment of these mechanisms is fundamental for device optimization and the evaluation of new materials and interfaces. In this work we introduce a new method for in-depth quantitative mapping of loss and charge transport mechanisms under operando conditions. The spatial external luminescence efficiency (SELE) is defined as the probability for an electron-hole pair that is photo-generated at a specific depth within a device, to contribute to photoluminescence. By coupling incident wavelength-dependent external luminescence efficiency measurements with optical modeling, we demonstrate the extraction of the SELE of a GaAs wafer. The SELE directly maps the competition between radiative and non-radiative recombination within the device and can thus be used to study the properties of surfaces and interfaces. Moreover, since the external luminescence efficiency is related to the obtainable photo-voltage from the device, the SELE can be used to map the spatial contribution to the device photo-voltage. The SELE is also calculated using device simulations that account for charge transport and photon recycling. These simulations validate the extraction method and attribute features in the SELE profile to important physical quantities such as the surface recombination velocity and carrier lifetime.

A document by Önder Halis Bettemir. Click on the document to view its contents.

Shake flask cultivation, a cornerstone in bioprocess research encounters limitations in supplying sufficient oxygen and exchanging gases, restricting its accuracy in assessing microbial growth and metabolic activity. In this communication, we introduce an innovative gas supply apparatus that harnesses the rotational motion of a shaking incubator to facilitate continuous air delivery, effectively overcoming these limitations. We measured the mass transfer coefficient (kLa) and conducted batch cultures of Corynebacterium glutamicum H36LsGAD using various working volumes to assess its performance. Results demonstrated that the gas supply apparatus significantly outperforms conventional silicone stoppers regarding oxygen delivery, with kLa values of 584.8 h-1 compared to 22.1 h-1. Moreover, in batch cultures, the gas supply apparatus enabled substantial improvements in microbial growth, maintaining exponential growth even at larger working volumes. Compared to the existing system, an increase in final cell mass by a factor of 3.4-fold was observed when utilizing 20% of the flask’s volume, and a remarkable 9-fold increase was achieved when using 60%. Furthermore, the gas supply apparatus ensured consistent oxygen supply and efficient gas exchange within the flask, overcoming challenges associated with low working volumes. This approach offers a simple yet effective solution to enhance gas transfer in shake flask cultivation, bridging the gap between laboratory-scale experiments and industrial fermenters. Its broad applicability holds promise for advancing research in bioprocess optimization and scale-up endeavors.

An algorithm is proposed to implement digital peeling to determine dominant time constants of an exponential transient process. The method is simpler to implement and reduces computational time to a large extent in comparison to other techniques widely used. Apart from a synthetic test function, the algorithm has been implemented on reported experimental transient decay curves of Cs 2HfCl 6 (CHC) single crystal scintillation to verify its efficacy. Finally, drain current detrapping transients of unpassivated AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) are analysed to determine the trap energy levels and concentrations. The validation of this digital peeling technique is also carried out by comparing with conventional method of time constant extraction from HEMT current transients. The extracted exponentials from the transient data efficiently fits well with the experimental data and can be extensively used for transient analysis. The digital peeling technique has wide applicability and can be used to analyze all exponential processes which occur in all domains of science.

Natural convective heat transfer is of paramount importance in cooling of low power electronic devices or devices in a restricted space. In the current study, unsteady natural convective heat transfer from both sides of thin, isothermal, horizontal plates of simple and complex shapes have been numerically investigated. The plates at 400K were exposed to air at ambient conditions. The Boussinesq approximation was adopted, i.e., all fluid properties, except density, were assumed to be constant. The simulation models were solved using the commercial CFD software ANSYS FLUENT. Mean heat transfer rates from the upper and lower surfaces of the plate were calculated using three length scales namely; width of the plate, square root of single side surface area and 4*Total area/Total perimeter and were expressed in terms of the transient Nusselt number for the Rayleigh numbers ranging between 10 2 to 10 5. At the lowest Rayleigh number, the heat transfer was found to be primarily through conduction. At higher Rayleigh numbers, the Nusselt number first decreased to a minimum and then increased to the steady state value, indicating a combined process of conduction and convection. Unlike width and root area, 4A/P as the characteristic length scale yielded transient Nusselt number variation, largely independent of plate shape and size. The minor variations of heat transfer amongst plates of different shapes at higher Rayleigh numbers has been explained in terms of the pressure coefficient.

Abstract Background: The primary breast sarcoma (PBS) was described in 1887. It was a generic term given to malignant breast tumors. The presentation of a sarcoma of the breast, it is a palpable, growing rapidly mass, with or without nipple discharge, or palpable axillary lymph nodes. The PBS can form masses up to 30cm in diameter. There are many risks factors for developing sarcoma of the breast. Clinical Case: A 57-year-old female presented with a 30 x 30cm tumor of the right breast, bleeding with necrosis of two years evolution. biopsy of the lesion is taken where moderately differentiated chondrogenic sarcoma is reported. Wide resection plus chest wall reconstruction (dorsal flap rotation plus partial thickness graft) was performed. A 45 x 40 cm right chest wall tumor is observed, intraoperative without palpable lymphadenopathy. She discharged from the hospital and continues to be monitored. Conclusion: Breast chondrosarcoma is rare and only a few cases are reported in the literature. The role of adjuvant therapy in these patients is still unclear due to the unusual nature of this tumor.

Introduction: Cancer is the second most common cause of death globally. It has been demonstrated that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) may play an essential role in cancer development. The lncRNA growth arrest-special 5 (GAS5) is a critical tumor suppressor in many types of human cancers. We have therefore conducted a meta-analysis to determine the association of lncRNA GAS5 rs145204276 indel polymorphism and cancer risk. Methods: A comprehensive literature search in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Knowledge were conducted up to July 1, 2019. Eligible studies were included in a meta-analysis. All statistical analyses were conducted using the Metagenyo online tool. Results: Our results showed no significant association between the lncRNA GAS5 rs145204276 and cancer risk using all genetic models. In subgroup analysis, the polymorphism demonstrated a significant association with a lower risk of gastric cancer. Sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of our results. No publication bias was also identified. Conclusions: Although the lncRNA GAS5 polymorphism is not associated with increased cancer risk, but its polymorphism was associated with a reduced risk of gastric cancer in subgroup analysis. Further studies with larger sample sizes across different ethnicities need to be performed to explore the association’s strength.

The development of SAW transducers requires a series of steps ranging from material selection, geometry design, as well as, the selection of fabrication techniques for their characterization and validation process. Here, we use the finite element method in COMSOL Multiphysics to present a methodology and a detailed analysis of the design of a SAW transducer in a delay line configuration. First, we simulate single-finger and double-finger configurations of IDTs on LiNbO3 in 64°YX and LiNbO3 128°YX orientation, with the objective of 1) comparing the simulation results with the analytical delta model to validate the simulation process, presenting Pearson correlation values ranging from 0. 76 to 0.84. 2) calculate a maximum frequency value obtainable for those configurations from a resolution of 5 microns in the photolithography technique, used for the fabrication of SAW transducers. Next, we extended the analysis to study a specific transducer design made to operate at a resonant frequency of 97 MHz. In order to determine the influence of piezoelectric material and IDT configuration we compared identical designs on 128°YX and 64°YX orientations of LiNbO3 with single and double finger configurations and adding the SPUDT configuration. We observed the best results for the single-finger IDT configuration in 128°YX LiNbO3 orientation compared to the other variants through its insertion loss level of -7.29 dB, its average sidelobe level of 18.63 dB, and its average transition band slope for the main lobe of 119.59 dB/MHz. The results obtained can serve as a guide for new researchers or students to expand the use of numerical tools in the design of SAW transducers and SAW devices.

In this paper, we design and simulate single ended Colpitts Oscillator (CO) in integer and fractional order domains. The oscillators are realized in 32 nm node conventional MOSFET and carbon nanotube field effect transistors (CNTFET) technologies. Therefore, four COs have been designed, simulated and rigorously compared. These include integer order conventional MOSFET based CO, fractional order MOSFET based CO, CNTFET based integer order CO and CNTFET based fractional order CO, all based on 32 nm technology nodes. The fractional order approach has been used as it results in better control over the phase and frequency of the oscillator. Herein fractional order capacitors of various orders, used in realizing the fractional order COs, are realized and their frequency responses are studied. This is being done to ensure whether the designed pseudo-capacitances have fractional behavior or not in the desired frequency and phase spectrum. It has been observed that the variation of fractional order (α) from 0.4 to 0.81 has resulted in a slight reduction of oscillation frequency from 1.68GHz (α=0.4) to 1.351GHz (α=0.81) keeping the pseudo-capacitance same at 0.3nF in MOS based topology. Further, CNTFET based integer order as well as fractional order COs have been designed to address the power consumption and the complexity issues of the fractional order COs. The CNTFET based fractional order CO retains the advantages of fractional order domain as well as power efficiency of CNTFETs. Furthermore, it has been observed that integrating fractional order capacitor (FOC) with the CNTFET CO results in much larger constant phase zone (CPZ), an important performance measuring parameter. A rigorous comparative analysis of the four COs designed in this work has been performed.

Background: The Covid-19 pandemic affected healthcare delivery globally. The impact was more for individuals with chronic diseases requiring regular visits to the hospital. This study aimed to assess the impact of the pandemic on care for patients with Sickle cell disease (SCD) in Nigeria. Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey involving 435 SCD patients from the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. Data was collected through pre-tested and validated, semi-structured questionnaires using Google forms online and face-to-face interviews at the Clinic. Results: Teaching hospitals were the most utilised health facility by the respondents 269 (61.8%). Bone pain was the most frequent crisis 318 (70.7%) with a significant increase in frequency during the pandemic when compared with the preceding year, p=0.004. Many of the respondents 227(52.2%) required hospitalization during the pandemic. Major concerns expressed for accessing care include fear of exposure to Covid-19-infected patients or health workers who have been exposed to Covid and conversion of regular health facilities to Covid-19 treatment centres. During the Pandemic, 102 (23.4%) respondents had easy access to their doctors and telemedicine was available to 87(20%) but 56 (12.9%) and 97 (22.3%, ) had difficulties in getting blood transfusion and accessing laboratory tests respectively. Up to 139(32.9%) did not have difficulties getting pain relief, 169 (38.9%) had their routine medications while 166 (38.2%) had their income significantly affected during the pandemic. Conclusion: The findings revealed challenges in accessing routine medical care, concerns about exposure to COVID-19, and disruptions in healthcare services. This article discusses the implications of the survey results and proposes strategies to strengthen sickle cell care in preparation for future pandemics.

Group D PAH-CHD is a problematic increasingly recognized group of patients, in which pulmonary hypertension continues to progress despite the correction of a significant cardiac lesion with pulmonary overflow. Early and non-invasive testing that can predict this subset of patients, prior to correction of their underlying cardiac lesion, is still non-established in practice and under-investigated in literature. Serum markers and angiogenic molecules denoting apoptosis resistance, can be game changer to the standard practice in this context. We hope that this letter can encourage researchers concerned with PAH-CHD to start investigating the diagnostic accuracy and cut-off values of these biomarkers.

Introduction: Children with tracheostomies are high risk for morbidity and mortality. Pediatric resident physicians are not routinely taught skills to care for this vulnerable patient population. Few reports link educational interventions to improved patient outcomes. This study evaluates the impact of an intensive educational training program on pediatric residents’ observed skills and tracheostomy-dependent patient outcomes. Methods: Pediatric post-graduate year 2 (PGY2) resident physicians rotating through the inpatient pediatric pulmonology month at Children’s Hospital Colorado July 2018-2019 participated in the Pediatric Resident Education in Pulmonary (PREP) Boot Camp, an intensive educational program with an interactive lecture and simulation experience on patients with tracheostomy-dependence. PGY2s who partook in PREP and PGY3s who rotated prior to PREP initiation were invited to be studied. Primary outcomes included: 1) resident skills assessed by direct observation during simulation encounters and 2) rates of intensive care unit (ICU) transfers in tracheostomy-dependent patients following acute events before and after introduction of PREP. We hypothesized that increased education would enhance resident skills and improve patient outcomes by decreasing the rate of ICU transfers. Results: PGY2 residents retained skills learned during PREP up to 11 months following initial participation, and significantly outperformed their PGY3 counterparts. There was a significant decrease in ICU transfer rate in patients with tracheostomies admitted to the pulmonary team during the 19 months following initiation of PREP. Conclusions: Enhanced early education improves resident physicians’ ability to care for complex patients with tracheostomies and improves outcomes in this high-risk population.

Background: Pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common childhood cancer worldwide. Developed countries have a 90% 5-year overall survival rate with proper treatment, while LMICs have a poor rate of around 30-50%. AIM: The research aims to identify mutations in frequently mutated genes’ hotspot regions to design appropriate treatment plans based on patients’ somatic makeup. Methods: Sanger sequencing was conducted on TP53, PAX5, and JAK2 gene hotspot regions in 60 Patients with ALL diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, categorized into B-ALL and T-ALL subtypes. Results: The exon mutation rate was 8.33%. The mutation frequency for PAX5 was 5%, while for TP53, it was 3.33%. New mutations found in TP53 and PAX5 genes intron region. None of these mutations was found significant to have a poor prognosis either on the whole cohort or chemotherapy recipient patients. Among the mutated samples, Chr17:7674089 (A→C) and Chr17:7674109 (G→A) were found to have a worse prognosis in patients diagnosed with T-ALL. Chemotherapy treatment response is significant with p = 0.011, and there was a linkage between chemotherapy response and the overall mutation in chemotherapy patients (p=0.0013). The TP53 mutation in chemotherapy patients is related to poor survival (p=0.001) rather than the PAX5 mutation (p=0.087). Conclusion: TP53 gene mutation is associated with poor chemotherapy response, and subtypes specific study is required for the precise treatment plan for Bangladeshi pediatric patients with ALL.

A rare case of bilateral perineal hernia has been reported in a 24-years-old Italian Trotter mare. This condition is described as a protrusion of retroperitoneal fat, abdominal or pelvic viscera through the pelvic diaphragm which supports the rectal wall. It is commonly recorded in uncastrated old male dogs, occurs very rarely in large ruminants and, to the author’s knowledge, it has never been described in horses. Chronic weight loss was the main clinical signs, even if the main concerns regarded the entrapment and the strangulation of the bowel content. Palpation demonstrated that the swelling was painless, soft and reducible. Diagnosis consists in clinical signs, palpation, ultrasound evaluation and rectal examination. The chosen approach in all the described cases of perineal hernia in large ruminants was the appositional herniorrhaphy; for that reason it has been used as the first surgical choice in our case. Due to its failure, a new surgical approach was carried out. The second procedure involved the transposition of the semimembranosus muscle. The short-term outcome after the second surgery presented no recurrence or complications. It is therefore necessary to consider perineal hernia among the various differential diagnosis of perineal swellings in horses and to take in account the muscle transposition technique as a valid surgical alternative. Further cases are required to determine its benefits.

Transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) caused due to the antibodies HLA-DRB1* 07:01 and HLA-DQB1*02:02: a case report

Infective endocarditis with splenic abscesses remains a complex and unusual clinical scenario. We present a rare case of splenic hematoma caused by puncture and drainage of splenic abscess with infective endocarditis. The puncture drainage of the splenic abscess may lead to bleeding or the spread of infection. So when infective endocarditis is complicated with splenic abscess, splenectomy rather than drainage of the splenic abscess is preferred to lower the risk of splenic hemorrhage and eradicate the source of infection.

Objective: To determine the therapeutic effects of silybin (SBI) and its synergistic effects with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in a lupus mouse model and to explore the therapeutic mechanisms. Methods: TLR7/8 agonist resiquimod (R848) was applied for the induction of lupus mice. R848-induced B6 mice were randomly divided into a normal saline control group, SBI group, MSCs group, and SBI plus MSCs group, and treated with daily SBI by gavage or received MSCs injection once via the tail vein. Mice were sacrificed at week 12, with urine, serum, kidney, and spleen collected. The proportion of cell subsets was detected by flow cytometry using splenocytes. Results: SBI treatment significantly decreased total IgG, anti-ds-DNA antibody, and urinary protein levels, as well as renal IgG and C3 deposition in R848-induced mice. It also increased the ability of MSCs to suppress splenomegaly and serum antinuclear antibody levels. In vivo and in vitro studies showed a decrease in the percentage of Tfh cells after SBI treatment, which was most pronounced when combined with MSC therapy. When splenocytes of R848-induced mice were treated with SBI and MSCs in vitro, the expression of genes related to Tfh cell differentiation, including IL-6, Stat3, and Bcl-6, was reduced, and the phosphorylation of AKT, S6, and STAT3 proteins in Tfh cells was decreased. Conclusion: SBI acts synergistically with MSCs to ameliorate lupus-like features in R848-induced mice. It may enhance the ability of MSCs to inhibit Tfh cell production by counteracting the activation of IL-6 and its downstream pathways.

Background and purpose Although the gut microbiota and its metabolites have significant protective effects against ischemic stroke(IS), the exact mechanism has yet to be fully elucidated. In this study,the function of intestinal microecology-kynurenine metabolism has been explored in IS rats and patients,which could help us deeply to understand the role of microbiota in the gut-brain axis. Experimental approach Combined serum metabolomics and 16S rRNA gene sequencing were used to reveal the distinctive changes between the gut microbiota and metabolites in rats with or without blueberry extract.Fecal microbiota transplantation(FMT) was employed to validate the protective role of gut microbiota in IS. Furthermore, the interaction between Prevotella and IS was also confirmed in patients. Key results A positive correlation between Prevotella and kynurenine (KYN) was obtained in IS rats. Although the study highlighted that KYN and its metabolites were strongly activated, the 5-HT pathway was not significantly altered.An intervention with Prevotella also significantly improved stroke symptoms by enhancing intestinal barrier function and attenuating the inflammatory response and decreased KYN levels in IS rats.FMT provided more evidences to support that the beneficial effects of blueberry extract on IS involved gut bacteria,especially Prevotella, which have been confirmed by microbiological analyses conducted on IS patients.Moreover, blueberry extract led to significant changes in kynurenic acid,tryptophan and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase protein through the interaction with Prevotella. Conclusion and implications Our study demonstrates for the first time that Prevotella and kynurenine metabolism play important roles in brain-gut signaling.And blueberry extract could modulate “intestinal microecology-kynurenine metabolism” to improve IS.

A document by Fouad Kasim Mohammad. Click on the document to view its contents.

Case Report: Finger Necrotizing Fasciitis and Septicaemia Caused by Vibrio VulnificusPengFei Hu 1 GuanYa Liu 1HuaiHong Xu 2 YuanTao Su 2*1Department of General Surgery, Huadong Hospital, Fudan University,Shanghai, China,2Department of General Surgery, Huadong Hospital, Fudan University,Shanghai, China* Correspondence: Yuantao Su suyuantao@sina.cnBackground : Vibrio vulnificus infections develop rapidly and have high mortality and disability rates. Vibrio vulnificus can cause local wound infection, gastroenteritis, or septicaemia.Case presentation : In this case, an 86-year-old male was accidentally stabbed in the middle of his right thumb while cleaning Whitewater fish and came to the emergency room with high fever and painful swelling of the right hand. Physical examination revealed haemorrhagic bullae in the right hand. Emergency surgery and bacterial culture were performed. Due to timely antibiotic use and surgical treatment, the patient eventually recovered and was discharged from the hospital.Conclusion : This case suggests that the possibility of V. vulnificus should be considered in cases of severe infection of the extremities, even without a history of seafood consumption or seawater exposure. Early recognition, rational choice of antibiotics, and timely wound debridement can substantially improve the prognosis of patients and reduce mortality.