Background: Facial angiofibromas (FAs) are common skin manifestations of tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) that occur in up to 80% of patients. Rapamycin seems to be effective in decreasing FAs. Objective: The aim of our study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of topically applied rapamycin in TSC patients with FAs. Methods: The methods and the results were carried out according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Statement. PubMed/MEDLINE, SCOPUS, and Cochrane database were systematically searched until April 21, 2022, using the PICO tool (Patient, Interventions, Comparisons, Outcome). Studies regarding efficacy and/or safety of topical sirolimus for the treatment of FAs in TSC with a published full-text in English were included. Safety was assessed based on adverse effects and sirolimus’ blood levels, and efficacy was documented by clinical improvement and reduction of Facial Angiofibroma Severity Index (FASI). For Meta-analysis, Review Manager (RevMan) 5.4.1 software was used, using random-effects model and standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: Twenty-one final studies were included. Regarding safety, in the included studies the observed adverse effects were mainly local, while the blood levels of rapamycin were within safe limits, decreasing the likelihood of systemic immunosuppression. The meta-analysis revealed a statistically significant decrease in post-treatment FASI (SMD: -1.31, 95% CI: [-1.85,-0.77], p-value <0.00001). Subgroup and sensitivity analyses indicated similar findings. No publication bias was found to this association. Conclusion: The application of topical sirolimus to FAs can safely decrease their severity in patients with TSC.

This paper proposes a unified creep rupture life prediction method based on continuous damage mechanics under multiaxial stress state. Instead of the traditional method, this method can calculate the skeletal point location for different size of notches in a uniform way. We also conducted creep tests on Ni-based superalloy round bar specimens with different notch parameters, which verified the accuracy of the method. Meanwhile, we carried out creep rupture mechanism analysis for different notch sizes by combining finite element simulation with experiment, which analyzed the stress, damage, and explained the void growth based on triaxial stress.

Abstract Objective To explore the value of serum aquaporin 8 (AQP8) expression in evaluating the degree of hydrolabyrinth and predicting prognosis in patients with Meniere’s disease. Methods 105 patients with Meniere’s disease in our hospital were included in the Meniere’s disease group.Another 102 healthy subjects in our hospital were included as the control group. The multivariate Logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of poor prognosis in patients with Meniere’s disease. Results The expression of serum AQP8 mRNA in the Meniere’s disease group was greatly higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). Serum AQP8 mRNA expression in severe hydrops group was greatly higher than that in mild hydrops group and no endolymphatic hydrops group, and serum AQP8 mRNA expression in mild hydrops group was greatly higher than that in no endolymphatic hydrops group (P<0.05). The course of disease, the proportion of severe hydrops and the expression of serum AQP8 mRNA in the poor prognosis group were greatly higher than those in the good prognosis group (P<0.05). The area under the curve (AUC) of serum AQP8 mRNA for predicting poor prognosis in Meniere’s disease patients was 0.812 (95%CI: 0.702-0.922), with a sensitivity of 81.0% and a specificity of 70.2%. AQP8 mRNA was an independent risk factor for poor prognosis in patients with Meniere’s disease (P<0.05). Conclusion AQP8 mRNA is associated with the degree of hydrolabyrinth in patients with Meniere’s disease, and has a high performance in predicting prognosis.

Aims: This study aims to evaluate the drug-drug interaction（DDI） between hetrombopag and cyclosporine in healthy Chinese subjects. Methods: Twenty-six eligible subjects enrolled in this single-center, single-sequence, open-label, DDI study with three treatment periods, receiving 5 mg hetrombopag once on day 1, 100 mg cyclosporine twice daily from day 11 to day 15, and 5 mg hetrombopag + 100 mg cyclosporine on day 16. Serial blood samples were collected for pharmacokinetic evaluation. Adverse events were monitored throughout the study. Results: The plasma hetrombopag geometric mean ratios (GMRs) (90% CI) of Cmax, AUC0-t and AUC0-∞ of co-administration of hetrombopag with cyclosporine vs hetrombopag alone are 95.97% (70.08%, 131.43%), 105.75% (75.04%, 149.04%) and 104.19% (74.71%, 145.32%), respectively, indicating multiple doses of cyclosporine had minimal effects on hetrombopag exposure. The GMRs (90% CI) of Cmax and AUCss,tau for blood cyclosporine of co-administration vs cyclosporine alone were 100.49% (91.89%, 109.89%) and 100.81% (107.88%, 103.82%), respectively, suggesting a single dose of hetormbopag had no impact on the exposure of cyclosporine. Co-administration of hetormbopag with cyclosporine was generally well tolerated. Conclusion: No clinically significant DDI was observed when co-administration of hetrombopag with cyclosporine. No additional dose adjustment is warranted for this combination.

A document by Mikel Urrutikoetxea-Gutierrez. Click on the document to view its contents.

High seed quality is key to agricultural production, which is increasingly affected by climate change. We studied the effects of drought and elevated temperature during seed production on key seed quality traits of two genotypes of malting barley ( Hordeum sativum L.). Plants of a “Hana-type” landrace (B1) were taller, flowered earlier and produced heavier, larger and more vigorous seeds that resisted ageing longer compared to a semi-dwarf breeding line (B2). Accordingly, a NAC domain-containing transcription factor (TF) associated with rapid response to environmental stimuli, was more abundant in B1 seeds. Drought significantly reduced seed yield in both genotypes, and elevated temperature reduced seed size. Genotype B2 showed partial thermodormancy that was alleviated by drought and elevated temperature, in line with lower abundance of the TF ABI5, a key regulator of seed dormancy and vigour. Metabolite profiling revealed clear differences between the embryos of B1 and B2. Drought, but not elevated temperature, affected the metabolism of amino acids, organic acids, osmolytes and nitrogen assimilation, in the seeds of both genotypes. Our study may support future breeding efforts to produce new lodging and drought resistant malting barleys without trade-offs that can occur in semi-dwarf varieties such as lower stress resistance and higher dormancy.

1. Animal abundance estimation is increasingly based on drone or aerial survey photography. Manual post-processing has been used extensively, however volumes of such data are increasing, necessitating some level of automation, either for complete counting, or as a labour-saving tool. Any automated processing can be challenging when using the tools on species that nest in close formation such as Pygoscelid penguins. 2. We present here an adaptation of state-of-the-art crowd-counting methodologies for counting of penguins from aerial photography. 3. The crowd-counting model performed significantly better in terms of model performance and computational efficiency than standard Faster RCNN deep-learning approaches and gave an error rate of only 0.8 percent. 4. Crowd-counting techniques as demonstrated here have the ability to vastly improve our ability to count animals in tight aggregations, which will demonstrably improve monitoring efforts from aerial imagery.

We report a case of haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis associated with acute myeloid leukaemia. The usual etiologies of haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, including viral infections, were negative. Haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis secondary to acute myeloid leukaemia is often underestimated and undiagnosed. Haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis may be masked by the tumour process, often making the diagnosis difficult.

DNA barcoding has become a dependable way to assign taxonomic identifications to otherwise unknown DNA samples. Metabarcoding using next-generation sequencing (NGS) maintains this same caliber of taxonomic identification and can occur on a mass scale in pooled, or multiplexed, samples from a wide variety of sources when properly multiplexed. However, this methodology has several pitfalls, including inaccurate source sample assignment, multi-step workflows that leave room for human error, and high costs. To combat these issues, library preparation protocols have been established for the popular Illumina sequencing platform which reduce sequence assignment errors to levels equivalent to background noise, while also greatly reducing cost. An equivalent protocol has yet to be established for the Ion Torrent sequencing ecosystem. Here, we present MetaPlex, a library preparation workflow and post-processing toolkit for efficient and accurate COI metabarcoding on Ion Torrent sequencers. These methods significantly decrease the costs of multiplexed sample sequencing by nearly 9x when compared to commercially available kits through the reduction of reagents needed for library preparation. In addition, our workflow provides increased reliability through elimination of laboratory processes which are known to negatively bias NGS outputs and source-sample tracing, limiting the common pitfall known as index jumps to 0.17%. Finally, our accompanying bioinformatic toolkit increases user accessibility by providing an easy-to-use command line tool for processing and correcting for errors in our, and others’, dual-indexed reads.

Grapevine embodies a fascinating species as regards phenotypic plasticity and genotype-per-environment interactions. The terroir, namely the set of agri-environmental factors to which a variety is subjected, can influence the phenotype at the physiological, molecular, and biochemical level, representing an important phenomenon connected to the typicality of productions. We investigated the determinants of plasticity by conducting a field-experiment where all terroir variables, except soil, were kept as constant as possible. We isolated the effect of soils collected from different areas, on phenology, physiology, and transcriptional responses of skin and flesh of a red and a white variety of great economic value: Corvina and Glera. Molecular results, together with physio-phenological parameters, suggest a specific effect of soil on grapevine plastic response, highlighting a higher transcriptional plasticity of Glera in respect to Corvina and a marked response of skin compared to flesh. Using a novel statistical approach, we identified clusters of plastic genes highly subjected to the specific influence of soil. These findings represent an issue of great applicative value, posing the basis for targeted agricultural practices to enhance the desired characteristics for any soil/cultivar combination, to improve vineyards management for a better resource usage and to valorize vineyards uniqueness maximizing the terroir-effect.

Drought and flooding occur at opposite ends of the soil moisture spectrum yet resulting stress responses that occur in plants share many similarities. Drought limits root water uptake to which plants respond with stomatal closure and reduced leaf gas exchange. Flooding limits root metabolism due to soil anoxia, which also limits root water uptake and leaf gas exchange. As drought and flooding can occur consecutively in the same system and resulting plant stress responses share similar mechanisms, a single theoretical framework that integrates plant responses over a continuum of soil water conditions from drought to flooding is attractive. Based on a review of recent literature, we integrated the main plant eco-physiological mechanisms in a single theoretical model with a focus on plant water transport, plant oxygen dynamics, and leaf gas exchange. We used the Soil-Plant-Atmosphere-Continuum model as “backbone” for our theoretical framework development, and subsequently incorporated interactions between processes that regulate plant water and oxygen status, levels of abscisic acid and ethylene hormones and resulting acclimation strategies in response to drought, waterlogging, and complete submergence. Our theoretical framework provides a basis for the development of mathematical models to describe plant responses to the soil moisture continuum from drought to flooding.

Geopolymer concrete shares similar mechanical properties with ordinary Portland cement (OPC) concrete, and is even provided with better performances in high temperature and high corrosion circumstances. However, geopolymer binder is still subject to the disadvantages of large shrinkage and high brittleness, which greatly limit its application. Fiber reinforcement is widely used in various geopolymer systems to overcome the brittleness issue, but retains the high strength. Over the past 10 years, a significant advance has been made in the research of fiber reinforced geopolymers in terms of toughening efficiency and durability improvement. This paper, as a mini review, focuses on three types of fibers, i.e., inorganic fiber, natural fiber and synthetic fiber, in geopolymers, and their specific effects on compressive, flexural and tensile strengths, fractural toughness, shear strength and durability including shrinkage, chemical and freezing-thaw resistances. The recement understanding of bonding mechanism and fiber-geopolymer interface are also discussed, and knowledge gaps and future work challenges are correspondingly pointed out.

AbstractThe mass media play a crucial role in informing the masses about various health issues, they are the main source of health information. The media’s portrayal of electronic cigarette news, therefore, plays a crucial role in shaping audience attitudes and understanding of electronic cigarettes. This narrative review focused on content analytical studies on electronic cigarettes in different countries and regions as published in various peer-reviewed journals and available on Google Scholar. In the instances where electronic cigarette consumption is presented with negative frames, the accompanying overall story topics are mostly related to policy issues and the most commonly used news sources are government officials and legislators. On the other hand, news framing in other countries is somewhat balanced and this could be attributed to mounting scientific findings about the health impact of e-cigarettes. Doctors and scientists are likely to be the main and most frequently used sources of information in such cases.Keywords: Portrayals, electronic cigarettes, vaping, news media, content analysis, frame building.BackgroundElectronic cigarette use has become an international phenomenon in recent years (Gravely et al., 2018, p. 86), with many countries reporting an increase in the number of electronic cigarette users. In research from Jerzyński et al. (2021, p. 6), the estimated number of electronic cigarette users in 2018 was 58.1 million worldwide. Rooke and Amos (2013, p. 1) state that electronic cigarettes have recently been attracting interest for their potential as a less harmful alternative to smoking, their rising popularity, and the regulatory issues they raise.Due to the increased popularity of electronic cigarettes, media coverage of the topic has also increased (Kim et al., 2017, p. 443). Mass media provides the main source of health information, in that ”approximately 80% of the public rely on general media for information about health topics, greater than the percentage of those who rely on physicians” (Chang, 2011, p. 117). This means that the media plays a crucial role in informing the masses on various health issues.On the other hand, Larson (2018, p. 309) argues that disseminating conflicting information, and manipulated information in the media should be viewed as a threat to public health. Godshall (2015, p. 9) believes that biased media coverage of electronic cigarettes is one of the contributing factors leading to the formulation of unfavorable policies in some countries. For instance, in Africa, the sale of electronic cigarettes is banned in Uganda, Gambia, Mauritius, and Ethiopia. However, little effort has been done to understand the media framing of electronic cigarettes in African countries.It is therefore important to conduct an analysis of news portrayals, particularly at this early stage of public adoption and use, as news media play an important role in shaping public perceptions and may inform the direction of future government policies on electronic cigarettes Kim et al. (2017, p. 444). As suggested by Hivon et al. (2009, p. 44), it is also important that media provide their audiences with comprehensive and accurate information on issues related to health, science, and technology.MethodsThe review focused on the types of frames that dominate coverage of electronic cigarette use and health in general. It also examined how balanced the reporting is and finally examined the potential impact of reporting on public perceptions.The narrative review included relevant articles published through 2022. The data sources included journal articles on Google Scholar and the search terms used include portrayals, electronic cigarettes, vaping, news media, content analysis, and frame building.The inclusion criteria include published papers that provide information regarding news framing of electronic cigarettes in various countries and regions and the exclusion criterion was all other data sources that do not provide information regarding the framing of electronic cigarettes.Results and discussionThe literature review notes that several studies examining how the media presents e-cigarettes in their reporting have been done in various countries and regions of the world. However, no study to my knowledge has been done to establish the trends anywhere in Africa. Besides, little has been done to understand the underlying reasons why media presents electronic cigarettes in certain ways.Frames and tones that dominate news coverageKim et al. (2017) in their study on news media presentations of electronic cigarettes in South Korea reveal that news coverage and framing of electronic cigarettes concentrated more on drawbacks than on the potential positive health outcomes. Similarly, Lyu et al. (2021) examined longitudinal changes in media frames and media tones about e-cigarettes in Chinese newspapers and it was found that the tone of the large majority of news articles was unfavorable towards electronic cigarettes. Additionally, East et al. (2022) found that between 2017 and 2020, youth exposure to negative news stories, and perceptions of vaping harms, increased in England, Canada, and the United States of America.Negative framing by the media may mean both a public panic and an immediate response from the government whether leaders are prepared to respond at the time or not.On the other hand, content analysis studies from (Lyu et al., 2021) and (Kim et al, 2017) reveal that media coverage framed electronic cigarette use more as a policy than a health issue. Kim et al. (2017) suggest that the issue was framed as a policy issue because the primary news sources on electronic cigarettes were mostly government officials and lawmakers, entailing that journalistic practices on choices of news sources by news writers could have an impact on how news is framed.Kang et al. (2021b) also analyzed how arguments regarding e-cigarettes are presented in the print news media in the United States of America (USA), the United Kingdom (UK), and Korea. The study found that the most salient argument in the USA and UK was that e-cigarettes are less harmful than combustible cigarettes. Although both USA and UK news recognized electronic cigarettes as a smoking cessation tool, USA news framed electronic cigarettes from a negative viewpoint. Whilst in Korean news, the dominant argument concerned electronic cigarette ingredients.Inconsistencies in dominant frames across the three countries could be attributed to regional differences which may include differences in priorities and investment in scientific research on the health impacts of electronic cigarette use. For example, in contrast to USA and Korea, several reputable public health agencies in the UK such as Public Health England have conducted independent and landmark research concluding that electronic cigarettes are a safer means of consuming nicotine as compared to combustible cigarettes (Public Health England, 2015).Impartiality in reportingKim et al. (2017) found that government officials and lawmakers were either cited or referenced most often than doctors, scientists, average citizens, and others. Some scholars suggest that journalists oftentimes provide a partial picture by only capturing the point of view of government officials and lawmakers, overlooking the points of view of health experts and vulnerable concerned participants (Hivon et al., 2009). In this case, the sidelined views of vulnerable stakeholders are the views of electronic cigarette users, meaning that they are given less chance to explain the health benefits and negative consequences they experience firsthand through electronic cigarettes.Schudson (1989) concludes that news representation is selective and news writers color the news to advance a political, economic, or ideological aim. This implies that people’s perception of electronic cigarettes is shaped by the perspectives of the social-political elite and not the voice of the consumer who has firsthand information about electronic cigarette use.The impact of coverage on people’s perceptionsThe study by Chang (2011) on news coverage on health-related issues found that health news, in general, is more likely to use alarm than coping frames. For example, in a related content analysis on Ebola by Wallis & Nerlich (2005), the study found that health issues like diseases are depicted as killers, plagues, or hostile combatants in war. Such frames are more likely to cause fear and vulnerability to the general public as supported by the all-powerful media effects theory which suggests that audiences passively accept media messages and show predictable responses in response to the messages (Shaw, 1979).Chang (2011) further states that newsworthiness determines what gets covered, and threats are highly likely to gain media attention. News writers and media houses could deliberately be using such frames on the topic to gain public attention and maximize profit (McManus, 1992). In so doing, they forego the journalistic norm of objectivity. Such behavior of the media is also well explained by Chong (2017, p. 5), he argues that objectivity is embedded in organizational constraints, making the norm ambiguous, contextual, and unattainable.However, Chang (2011) suggests that frames that are most likely to promote public health effects are probably mixed frame that features both high alarm information and high coping information.ConclusionThe narrative review reveals how the media in different regions and countries frame stories about electronic cigarette use and speculates the possible implications of framing on the audience’s perceptions but little is done to understand the underlying reasons for news framing in a certain way. In the instance where electronic cigarette use is framed as a policy issue, the key and commonly used sources are mostly government officials and legislators. It can thus be speculated that a story framed as a health issue is likely to have doctors, researchers, and public health institutions as primary and commonly used sources. This entails that journalistic practices could have an implication on news framing and in turn influence the perception of the audiences.AcknowledgmentsThe author received no funding to develop this paper.Conflict of interestThe author declares no competing interests.Ethics statementThis narrative review is part of the main study titled ”portrayals of electronic cigarette use; a content analysis of news coverage by online news sites in Africa” which received ethics clearance through the National Health Sciences and Research Committee in Malawi (protocol # 22/08/2953).Author contributionsThis paper was conceptualized and developed by Chimwemwe Ngoma. Written drafts were reviewed by thesis supervisor, Dr. Francis Chikunkhuzeni until the final version was agreed.Data availability statementThis is a review article and all sources used have been properly cited.ReferencesChang, C. (2011). News Coverage of Health-Related Issues and Its Impacts on Perceptions: Taiwan as an Example. Health Communication ,27 (2), 111–123.https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2011.569004Chong, P. (2017). Valuing subjectivity in journalism: Bias, emotions, and self-interest as tools in arts reporting. Journalism ,20 (3), 427–443.https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884917722453East, K., Reid, J. L., Burkhalter, R., Wackowski, O. A., Thrasher, J. F., Tattan-Birch, H., Boudreau, C., Bansal-Travers, M., Liber, A. C., McNeill, A., & Hammond, D. (2022). Exposure to Negative News Stories About Vaping, and Harm Perceptions of Vaping, Among Youth in England, Canada, and the United States Before and After the Outbreak of E-cigarette or Vaping-Associated Lung Injury (‘EVALI’). 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Use of electronic cigarettes across 13 ITC countries with different regulatory environments. Tobacco Induced Diseases , 16 (1).https://doi.org/10.18332/tid/84279Hivon, M., Lehoux, P., Denis, J.-L., & Rock, M. (2009). Marginal voices in the media coverage of controversial health interventions: how do they contribute to the public understanding of science? Public Understanding of Science , 19 (1), 37–51.https://doi.org/10.1177/0963662508088668Jerzyński, T., Stimson, G. V., Shapiro, H., &Król, G. (2021). Estimation of the global number of e-cigarette users in 2020. Harm Reduction Journal , 18 (1).https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-021-00556-7Kang, J. A., Schulz, P., Hubbard, G. T., Hwang, J., Muldrow, A., Barber, B., & Lochner, C. (2021a). News framing of e-cigarettes: A cross-national study of the US, UK, and Korea. Communication Studies , 72 (5), 937–956.https://doi.org/10.1080/10510974.2021.1975142Kim, S.-H., Thrasher, J. F., Kang, M.-H., Cho, Y. J., & Kim, J. K. (2017). News Media Presentations of Electronic Cigarettes: A Content Analysis of News Coverage in South Korea. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly , 94 (2), 443–464.https://doi.org/10.1177/1077699017696881Larson, H. J. (2018). The biggest pandemic risk? Viral misinformation.Nature , 562 (7727), 309.https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-018-07034-4Lyu, J. C., Wang, D., Mao, Z., & Ling, P. M. (2021). Evolution of media frames about e-cigarettes from 2004 to 2019: a content analysis of newspapers in China. Health Education Research , 36 (4), 456–466. https://doi.org/10.1093/her/cyab019LYU, J. C., WANG, D., HUANG, P., & LING, P. (2021). News Media Coverage of E-Cigarettes: An Analysis of Themes in Chinese Newspapers.International Journal of Communication . https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/16487Moldoveanu, S. C., Scott, W. A., & Lawson, D. M. (2016). Nicotine Analysis in Several Non-Tobacco Plant Materials. BeiträgeZur Tabakforschung International/Contributions to Tobacco Research ,27 (2), 54–59.https://doi.org/10.1515/cttr-2016-0008McManus, J. (1992). Serving the Public and Serving the Market: A Conflict of Interest? Journal of Mass Media Ethics , 7 (4), 196–208.https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327728jmme0704Molina, M. D., Sundar, S. S., Le, T., & Lee, D. (2019). “Fake News” Is Not Simply False Information: A Concept Explication and Taxonomy of Online Content. American Behavioral Scientist , 65 (2), 180–212.https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764219878224Niaura, R. (2016). Re-thinking nicotine and its effects. Truth Initiative , 3.https://truthinitiative.org/sites/default/files/media/files/2019/08/ReThinking-Nicotine_0.pdfPublic Health England. (2015, August 19). E-cigarettes around 95% less harmful than tobacco estimates landmark review . GOV.UK.https://www.gov.uk/government/news/e-cigarettes-around-95-less-harmful-than-tobacco-estimates-landmark-reviewRooke, C., & Amos, A. (2013). 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The healthy development of the urban water cycle requires the integrated consideration of natural and socioeconomic factors and is vital for sustainable regional socioeconomics. This study adopted Yinchuan City as a typical arid city in Northwest China and constructed a urban water cycle evaluation indicator system, considering the ecological status, environmental quality, abundance, and utilization of water. The analytic hierarchy process combined with the entropy method were used to determine the weights of the 15 indicators identified. The overall evaluation of the health of the water cycle in Yinchuan City from 2009 to 2017 was then conducted. The results indicated that the water cycle of Yinchuan City was in a sub-healthy state in 2009–2014, with a health score of 3.65~3.95. The water cycle was in a healthy state in 2015–2017, with a health score of 4.07~1.13, and the health score in 2015–2017 increased yearly. In addition, water utilization and water abundance were the main dimensions affecting the development of the health of the water cycle of Yinchuan City, and the indicators of their effects were per-capita water resource and drainage pipe density, respectively. Improving the health status of the water cycle of Yinchuan City will require increased rationality of the development and utilization of water resources and a reduction in water deficits. In turn, the health of the water cycle of Yinchuan City is expected to further improve.

Background. The effect of metabolic syndrome (MetS), defined as insulin resistance along with two or more of: obesity, atherogenic dyslipidaemia and elevated blood pressure, on post-operative complications after isolated heart valve intervention remains controversial. We hypothesized that MetS may negatively influence the post-operative course in these patients. Methods. Patients from 10 cardiac units who underwent isolated valve intervention (mitral ± tricuspid repair/replacement (MVS) or aortic valve replacement (SAVR), or transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) were included. MetS was defined according to the WHO criteria. Primary outcome was in-hospital mortality and overall post-operative length of stay. Relevant post-operative complications were also recorded. Results. From 2010 to 2019, 17283 patients underwent valve intervention. The MVS, SVAR and TAVR accounted for the 39.4%, 48.2% and 12.3% respectively of the whole. MetS compared to no-MetS was associated to higher mortality in the MVS group (6.5% vs. 2%, p<0.001), but not in the SAVR and TAVR group. In both surgical cohorts, MetS was associated with increased complications including red blood cells transfusion, renal failure, mechanical ventilation time, intensive care and overall post-operative length of stay (11 (9) vs. 10 (6), p<0.001 and 10 (6) vs. 10 (5) days, p=0.002, MVS and SAVR)). No differences were found in the TAVR cohort, with similar mortality and complications. Conclusion. MetS was associated to more post-operative complications, with higher mortality in the MVS group. In the TAVR cohort, post-operative complications and mortality rate did not differ between patients with and without MetS, however length of stay was longer in the MetS group.

Pituitary apoplexy is a rare, potentially life-threatening complication which has been described after both on and off-pump CABG. However, never before has pituitary adenoma recurrence after prior resection and subsequent apoplexy leading to severe ophthalmoplegia following on-pump CABG been described. We present the case of a patient who previously underwent transsphenoidal resection of a pituitary adenoma who experienced oculomotor nerve palsy following on-pump CABG and was ultimately found to have a recurrent pituitary adenoma and apoplexy.

Nowadays, the high pollution rate in many industrialized countries requires the implementation of environmental standards in the industrial process. But most composite materials have a very low recyclability rate based on thermosetting polymers. As a result, the world of research is now interested in the development of biocomposites based on natural resources, several recent studies of which have highlighted the environmental benefits (low ecotoxicity, biodegradability). Currently, plant fibers such as flax, sisal and hemp are used and can compensate for the disadvantages of using traditional fibers. In this context, the work presented in this article is part of a project to develop biocomposite materials based on high-performance mechanical flax fibers for the manufacture of automotive parts. Hence, the current paper presents results from the experimental study as well as encountered in the literature. The objective is to understand on the one hand the state of damage and the evolution of rigidity relative to the knee point position identified in the stress tensile curves of woven fabric flax/PP and on the other hand the evolution of dissipative phenomena that may take place depending

Abstract Background and Purpose: Indisulam, a synthetic sulfonamides drug, has been reported to harbor anticancer activity in multiple tumor models, especially in colorectal cancer, lung cancer and Glioblastoma. However, the efficacy of indisulam has still not been tested in human cervical carcinoma cells. Experimental Approach: The human cervical carcinoma HeLa cell lines were treated with different concentration of indisulam. Cell viability, cell cycle and apoptosis analysis, Western blot, RNA-seq sequencing, bioinformatics analysis and immunofluorescent staining were performed. Key Results: We found that indisulam is highly efficacious against HeLa cells, leading to significantly reduced cell growth and post-translational RBM39 protein degradation in a dose dependent manner. RNAseq and proteomics analysis also highlighted a disruption to transcription, mRNA splicing, cells cycle arrest and apoptotic process related pathways. In addition, treatment of HeLa cells with indisulam lead to G1/S phase arrest by inhibiting expression of CDK2 and Cyclin E1. High concentration of indisulam treatment can induce pro-apoptotic p73 isomers splicing and subsequent cell apoptosis of mitochondrial pathway. Conclusion and Implications: Our data suggests that indisulam has therapeutic potential in cervical cancer, representing an attractive strategy that should be further investigated.

Chinese COVID-19 vaccine named BBIBP-CorV (Sinopharm vaccine) is an inactivated whole virus vaccine to prevent COVID-19 disease. Previous studies concluded that inactivated COVID-19 vaccines do not increase the risk of thrombosis. In this report, we present the first upper limb DVT case after receiving this kind of vaccine.

Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is an uncommon disease with an unknown cause. The gold standard for a definite diagnosis is positive CD1a/CD207 and S100. The incidence rate of this disease is very low. We present a case of LCH in our paper and discuss its differential diagnosis and treatment.

A new unusual biotechnologically valuable laccase from the ascomycete Myrothecium (Paramyrothecium) roridum VKM F-3565 with a molecular weight of about 80 kDa, which exhibits the maximum oxidative activity against a number of phenolic compounds and phenylpropanoids under neutral-alkaline conditions (pH 6.5-7.8), was isolated and characterized. For the first time for laccases of ascomycetes, the production of new trimeric products of ferulic acid and coniferyl alcohol condensation has been shown, which presumably have a potential for use in pharmacology. The gene encoding the unusual alkaliphilic laccase has been isolated for the first time from fungi of the Myrothecium ( Paramyrothecium) genus. The high phylogenetic relationship between the M. roridum VKM F-3565 laccase gene and genes presumably encoding the laccases of ascomycetes of the genera of Colletotrichum, Verticillium, and Fusarium was shown. Homological modeling, calculation of the electrostatic potential on the molecular surface at pH5.0 and 7.0, and structural analysis of the studied laccase as well as the fungal alkaliphilic and acidophilic laccases with a known structure allowed finding a new intramolecular channel, different from the other known internal channels, located near the catalytic aspartate residue at the T2-copper atom. The amino acid residues of alkaliphilic laccases forming the found channel presumably serve as proton donors for the catalytic aspartate, ensuring its proper functioning.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes COVID-19. COVID-19 has shown syndromic complexity. COVID-19 effects on the respiratory system have been well described in the literature, but we now recognize that COVID-19 also affects several other organs, including the nervous system. The neurological manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection are growing rapidly, as evidenced by several reports. There are several mechanisms responsible for such manifestations in the nervous system. For instance, post-infectious immune-mediated processes, direct virus infection of the central nervous system (CNS), and virus-induced hyper-inflammatory and hypercoagulable states are commonly involved. Due to multifactorial and complicated pathogenic mechanisms, COVID-19 poses a large-scale threat to the whole nervous system. A complete understanding of SARS-CoV-2 neurological impairments is still lacking, but our knowledge base is rapidly expanding. Therefore, we anticipate that this comprehensive review will provide valuable insights in unfolding different neurological dimensions of COVID-19 and other CoV associated abnormalities.

A 59-year-old male with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation refractory to class IC and class III antiarrhythmic drugs was admitted to our hospital for radiofrequency catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation. During preoperative examination situs inversus totalis was revealed. Pulmonary vein (PV) isolation was successfully performed with atrial fibrillation termination and elimination of all PV potentials. The procedure was performed without any complications. Our report shows that PV isolation for treatment of drug-refractory atrial fibrillation can be safely performed in patients with dextrocardia and situs inversus totalis.

The iterative weighted shrinkage-thresholding algorithm (IWSTA) has shown superiority to the classic unweighted iterative shrinkage-thresholding algorithm (ISTA) for solving linear inverse problems, which address the attributes differently. This paper proposes a new entropy regularized IWSTA (ERIWSTA) that adds an entropy regularizer to the cost function to measure the uncertainty of the weights to stimulate attributes to participate in problem solving. Then, the weights are solved with a Lagrange multiplier method to obtain a simple iterative update. The weights can be explained as the probability of the contribution of an attribute to the problem solution. Experimental results on CT image restoration show that the proposed method has better performance in terms of convergence speed and restoration accuracy than the existing methods.