Aim. Assess the association of plasma vitamin D levels or vitamin D supplementation in the outcomes of COVID- 19. Methods. PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were searched. Studies with COVID-19 patients that reported an association between plasma vitamin D levels or vitamin D supplementation and mortality, need of hospitalization, ICU admission, or ventilation requirement published until December 8, 2020, were included. The risk ratio (RR) and confidence interval (CI) were pooled using a fixed-effects model. Results. A total of 16 studies were included in the meta-analysis, eleven cohorts, one case-control, one randomized clinical trial, and two quasi-experimental studies. Low plasma vitamin D levels in patients with COVID-19 were associated with mortality (RR=1.42, 95%CI 1.14 – 1.71), need for ICU admission (RR=1.76, 95%CI 1.03-2.49), and need for ventilation (RR=3.58, 95%CI 1.45-5.70). Regular supplementation showed a decreased risk of death, and vitamin D supplementation in patients with COVID-19 showed a decrease in the need for ICU admission. Conclusion. Sufficient vitamin D level is associated with better outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Vitamin D supplementation in patients with COVID-19 appears to reduce the risk of ICU admission and regular supplementation reduces mortality.

Some patients retested positive for SARS-CoV-2 following negative testing results and discharge. However, the potential risk factors associated with redetectable positive test results in a large sample of patients who recovered from COVID-19 have not been well estimated. A total of 745 discharged COVID-19 patients were enrolled between January 30, 2020, and September 9, 2020, in Guangzhou, China. Data on the clinical characteristics, comorbidities, drug therapy, RT-PCR testing, and contact modes to close contacts were collected. Patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 after discharge (positive retest patients) were confirmed by guidelines issued by China. The repositive rate in different settings was calculated. Among 745 discharged patients, 157 (21.1%; 95% CI, 18.2% to 24.0%) retested positive, of which 55 (35.0%) were asymptomatic, 15 (9.6%) had mild symptoms, 83 (52.9%) had moderate symptoms and 4 (2.6%) had severe symptoms at the first admission. The median time from discharge to repositivity was 8.0 days (IQR, 8.0 to 14.0 days). Most positive retest patients were without clinical symptoms, and lymphocyte cell counts were higher than before being discharged. The likelihood of repositive testing for SARS-CoV-2 RNA was significantly higher among patients who were younger age (OR, 3.88; 95% CI, 1.74 to 8.66, 0 to 17 years old), had asymptomatic severity (OR, 4.36; 95% CI, 1.47 to 12.95) and did not have clinical symptoms (OR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.32 to 2.70, without fever). We found that the positive retest rate of COVID-19 was relatively high, and these patients tested positive again with a median of 8.0 to 14.0 days after discharge. Positive retest results were mainly observed in young patients without severe clinical symptoms. These findings suggest that a significant proportion of patients could carry viral fragments for a long time, and effective management, such as a prolonged quarantine phase for discharged patients, is necessary.

An experimental compound (CNS004), reported to have various biological activities including antiviral, antimalarial, antiprotozoal and immunomodulatory effects, has been identified to potentiate NMDA subtype of glutamate receptors that are expressed in human lungs and central nervous system. We hypothesize that potentiating NMDA receptors will increase calcium ion influx and promote downstream signaling mechanisms associated with cellular contractions which is disrupted in severe acute respiratory syndrome. Pharmacological effects generated by triggering central nervous system glutamate receptor function, coupled with concurrent stimulation of the respiratory tract, may produce a synergetic effect in improving the airway smooth muscle function. Further, an antiviral activity combined with immunomodulatory effect of this experimental compound may improve the symptoms of viral diseases. This novel multipronged intervention to simultaneously inhibit viral proteins and promote host cell functions would be helpful to develop clinically useful compounds for the treatment of emerging viral diseases that deteriorate peripheral and central nervous system function before causing death in human beings.

Background The present study aimed to identify the predictive factors of acute respiratory events (ARE), including severe hypoxia, during initial induction chemotherapy in patients with newly diagnosed advanced neuroblastoma. Method The medical records of 75 consecutive patients in whom stage III or IV neuroblastoma was newly diagnosed between January 2003 and December 2018 at two medical institutions were retrospectively reviewed. The outcome was ARE concomitant with severe hypoxia between the first and 14th days of initial induction chemotherapy. Severe hypoxia was defined as grade 3 or higher according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4 (CTCAE v4.0) or decreased oxygen saturation at rest (e.g., pulse oximeter < 88% or PaO2 ≤ 55 mmHg). Possible predictive factors on admission were first screened for using univariate analyses with a P value of 0.05, then models of the predictive power of the outcome were evaluated by generating receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results Eleven patients (14.7%) had the outcome, including three (4.0%) who required respiratory support in the intensive care unit. The area under the curve of the ROC for the predictive factors screened by univariate analyses were 0.84 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.73-0.95) for lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and 0.90 (95% CI: 0.82-0.98) for the disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) score. Conclusion The LDH value and DIC score on admission may be clinically useful predictors of ARE during initial induction chemotherapy in patients with advanced neuroblastoma.

Acute myocardial infarction is mostly caused by coronary atherosclerotic stenosis or thrombosis. Myocardial infarction directly caused by left fascicular pacing is rarely reported.We reported a 60-year-old male patient who accepted left bundle branch pacing (LBBP). After operation, this patient experienced acute myocardial infarction (AMI), Adams-stokes syndrome and was treated successfully at last.

Aim: Decubitus ulcers are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality, and a source of considerable expense in health expenditures. Bacteremia is a frequently seen complication of decubitus ulcers, although its incidence has yet to be well defined, and there are scarce studies on the subject. The aim in the present study is to assess the frequency of bacteremia of decubitus ulcer origin as an indicator in decisions to start systemic antibiotics in patients with decubitus ulcers. Material and metods: Included in the study were all patients over the age of 18 years receiving palliative care in hospital, and with a decubitus ulcer. All decubitus wounds were washed with sterile saline and a sample was taken using a sterile cotton swab from the deepest and the most solid part of the wounds. we included 76 patients whose 40 (52.6%) were male and 36 (47.4%) were female, with a mean age of 70.8±15.6 (18-95) years. Among the 76 patients, 75 (65.2%) had decubitus ulcer infections at 115 different sites of the body. Result: The rate of bacteremia in decubitus ulcers was 13.9% (16/115) , and the agents were found to be polymicrobial in the wound cultures of 42 (55.2%) of the patients. The most common accompanying bacteria were acinetobacter, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and E.coli. Among the decubitus ulcers, 49 (42.6%), 60 (52.4%) and 6 (5.2%) were evaluated as stage 4, 3 and 2 decubitus ulcers, respectively. Conclusion: The causative agent of decubitus infections was found to be the agent causing bacteremia in 13.9% of the patients with decubitus ulcers in the present study. The agent growing in the wound culture was rarely found to be the causative agent of bacteremia when deciding whether to treat decubitus ulcer infections.

Several central nervous system complications in pediatric patients with hematological malignancies have been reported. We analyzed the frequency and the correlation with central nervous system involvement and intrathecal therapy. The frequency was 13 % (11/85), being almost equal to those in literature. We investigated high intensity areas, which indicated leukoencephalopathy, in the white matter by T2-weighted and/or fluid attenuated inversion recovery images (FLAIR) of the brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Incidence of white matter lesions was higher in patients who received over 10 times of intrathecal therapy (p = 0.018). Patients who received repetitive intrathecal therapy should undergo close MRI to find out if they need cognitive functioning test. However, it may be possible to omit brain MRI in patients with acute myeloid leukemia and lymphoma who have received intrathecal therapies less than five times in a consideration of their burden in terms of sedation and cost.

Introduction: QT interval represents the ventricular depolarization and repolarization. Its accurate measurement is critical since prolonged QT can lead to sudden cardiac death. QT is affected by heart rate and is corrected to QTc via several formulae. QTc is commonly calculated on the ECG and not the 24-hour Holter. Methods: 100 patients presenting to our institution were evaluated by an ECG followed by a 24-hour Holter. QTc measurement on both of these platforms using Bazett and Fridreicia formulae was recorded and compared. Results: Mean age was 14.09 years, with the majority being males. Mean heart rate was 125.87. In the ECG, the mean QTc interval via Bazett formula was 0.40 seconds compared to 0.38 seconds using the Fridreicia formula. The mean corrected QT via Bazett formula was 0.45, 0.39 and 0.42 seconds for the shortest RR, longest RR and the average RR respectively. In contrast to Fridreicia formula, the corrected QT interval was 0.40, 0.39, and 0.40 seconds for the shortest RR, longest RR and the average RR respectively. Using Bazett, highest specificity reached during longest RR interval (92.2%) while highest sensitivity was recorded during shortest RR interval (40%). As for Fridreicia, sensitivity always reached 0% while highest specificity was reached during average RR interval. Conclusion: QTc measured during Holter ECG reached a high specificity regardless of RR interval using the Fridreicia and during long and average RR interval for Bazett formula. The consistently low sensitivity reveals that Holter ECG should not be used to rule out prolonged QT.

Objective: To assess the efficacy of a mini-short tandem repeat (mini-STR)-based next-generation sequencing (NGS) method for non-invasive prenatal paternity testing (NIPPT). Design: Methodological study. Setting and population: NIPPT was performed for 28 families, which consisted of pregnant women, their husbands, and infants. Methods: Plasma DNA from 28 pregnant women was extracted and cell-free foetal DNA (cffDNA) genotyping was performed at 23 mini-STR loci using the Illumina NextSeq 500 system. For each mini-STR locus, the cffDNA genotype was validated by determination of infant DNA genotype. The mini-STR loci with high accordance rates were selected for comparison of STR genotyping results between cffDNA and biological father DNA or random male DNA for each family. Main outcome measures: The mini-STR-based NGS method can be used for NIPPT. Results: The biological relationship was validated between alleged fathers and infants in all 28 families using the capillary electrophoresis (CE) method. Moreover, the accordance rates of STR genotypes D5S818, D19S253, and D21S1270 were less than 50% in 23 autosomal STR loci. The STR genotype matching probability was calculated using 20 STR loci with more than 60% accordance rate. There was a significant difference in the STR genotype matching probability between cffDNA and the DNA from the biological father (75–100%) or from random males (25–70%) (P < 0.0001). Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that mini-STR can be used for NGS-based NIPPT. Furthermore, this method can be used for crime control purposes using the STR data available from the national forensic DNA databases.

Erosive vulvovaginal lichen planus is usually treated medically with steroids and immunosuppressants. Surgery is indicated if vaginal scarring leads to labial fusion causing urethral obstruction or vaginal obliteration but carries a high risk of recurrence. We present a lady who presented with urethral obstruction due to recurrent vaginal obliteration after previous surgical division of labial agglutination. Vaginoplasty was performed to restore the vaginal orifice and included the use of sodium carboxymethylcellulose antiadhesion gel with a vaginal mould. A strict post-operative regime of topical anti-adhesion gel and topical steroids with regular vaginal dilator usage contributed to sustained results at one year

Background and purpose: Precisely controlled synaptic glutamate concentration is essential for normal function of the N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors expressed in the brain. Atypical fluctuations in synaptic glutamate homeostasis lead to aberrant NMDA receptor activity that results in pathogenesis of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Therefore, glutamate concentration dependent NMDA receptor modulators will be clinically useful agents with less on-target adverse effects. Experimental approach: Two electrode voltage clamp and patch clamp electrophysiology techniques were used for pharmacological characterization. Dynamic Ca2+ and Na+ imaging were performed using cultured rat brain neurons. MTS cell viability assay was used for to study neurotoxicity. Key results: Identified a compound (coded as CNS4) that potentiates NMDA receptor currents based on the glutamate concentration. This compound increases both glycine and glutamate potency, and exhibits no voltage dependent effect. Electrophysiology recordings confirmed agonist concentration dependent changes in peak and steady state currents. Dynamic Ca2+ and Na+ imaging assays using rat brain cortical, striatal and cerebellar neurons revealed CNS4 mediated region specific disproportionate influx of Na+ compared to Ca2+ in native NMDA receptors. Direct exposure of CNS4 unaltered the viability of cultured cortical or striatal neurons, neither augmented NMDA induced neuronal death. Conclusion and implications: CNS4 is novel in chemical structure, mechanism of action and agonist concentration biased modulatory effect. This compound or its future analogs will be useful for the treatment of brain disorders associated with hypoglutamatergic neurotransmission.

Purpose Traditional medicine and herbal therapy, as a health-care approach of traditional medicine, are receiving increased attention from both the public and scientific society. The number of articles presented on traditional medicine and its applications is increasing rapidly. However, compared with extensive ongoing herbal research, achievements are not remarkable. The objective of the present article is to highlight some existing research gaps, which bridging the gaps will increase the quality and validity of the results of herbal research. Methods Iranian and non-Iranian articles on Allium sativum L. were reviewed for compliance with standards and requirements for herbal research. Results Botanical nomenclature, the processing and the extraction procedures, and the history of traditional medicine were the most important gaps in the herbal research. Conclusions Traditional and herbal medicines are rich and promising sources for drug development. Researchers and authors should consider that the familiarity with the history, characteristics, and potentials of traditional medicine systems is an important factor, accelerating the process of natural-based drug development. Moreover, essential standards with a high impact on the validity and reliability of the results of herbal research must not be ignored. Also, numerous fields remain to be considered by scientists and researchers, including the status of medicinal herbs, toxicological assessments, biological and pharmacological mechanisms of disease, and research questions.

We measured bidirectional N transfer and quantified the amount of transferred N between Eucalyptus urophylla × grandis (Eucalyptus) and Dalbergia odorifera (Dalbergia), to determine whether the facilitation process from N transfer could improve Eucalyptus productivity and nodulation of Dalbergia. A 15N leaf-labeling study was conducted by using a pot experiment with Dalbergia and , and 15N was traced in the labeled species as well as in neighboring trees at 90, 135 and 180 days after labeling. Bidirectional N occurred between Eucalyptus and Dalbergia, the amount of net transferred N was 21.8–127.0 mg plant-1 N from Dalbergia to Eucalyptus, which was equal to 1.5–21.2 % of the total N accumulated in Eucalyptus plants to increase the biomass of Eucalyptus. The results also showed that the nodule number of Dalbergia increased by 19.4–107.4 % in the intercropping system and further improved its N2-fixation. The concentration of soil nitrogen, especially the concentration of N-NH4+, was a major factor affecting N transfer in this system. This study indicated that the advantage in Eucalyptus and legume intercrops relates to ‘complementary N use’, which provide a significant amount of N required for Eucalyptus productivity, and maintain ecological sustainability.

Aim We aimed to review cases of Syndrome of Irreversible Lithium-Effectuated Neurotoxicity (SILENT) characterized by neurological sequelae following acute lithium toxicity and to explore whether cerebellar sequelae are more frequent in cases presenting with fever and/or infection. Methods Case reports were identified from: (i) 6 reviews published up to 2005; (ii) MEDLINE, Web of Sciences, Cochrane Library and PsycINFO search. Results We identified 123 SILENT cases published from 1965 to 2019, in which cerebellar sequelae were observed in an overwhelming proportion (79%). Nearly two out of three cases (63%) had maximal lithium plasma level <2.5 mEq/l (low/mild toxicity). Fever and/or infection were reported in nearly half of the patients (48%). The likelihood of presenting with cerebellar vs. other neurological sequelae was independently increased by elevated plasma lithium level ( 2.5 mEq/l) (OR=4.36, 95%CI 1.31-14.52, p = 0.02) and by a history of fever and/or infection (OR=6.48, 95%CI 2.0-21.0, p = 0.002). Conclusions During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, prescribers have to be aware of the risks of cerebral sequelae associated with infection and fever in lithium users, and should warn them of the need to consult in case of fever to adjust their lithium dosage. As the occurrence of SILENT is exceptional, there is no need to modify lithium treatment preventively because of the pandemic as the benefit/risk balance of this drug remains largely positive.

Background: The aim of this study was to document the clinical features of children with mosquito allergy and investigate the possible associations between demographic features and type of reactions in this population. Methods: Children with large local or unusual reactions after mosquito bites who attended to our outpatient pediatric allergy department were enrolled in the study along with control subjects. Results: A total of 180 children (94 with mosquito allergy and 86 age and sex-matched control subjects) with a median age of 6.8 years (IQR 5.5-9.3) were enrolled. Atopy (35.1% vs. 11.6%, p<0.001) and grass pollen sensitization (28.7% vs. 8.1%, p<0.001) were significantly more frequent in children with mosquito allergy. Skin prick test with mosquito allergen was positive in only 6 children (6,4%). Grass pollen sensitization was most common in children (28.7%) followed by sensitization to house dust mite (9.6%). 30 children (31.9%) had an accompanying atopic disease such as allergic rhinitis, asthma or atopic dermatitis. Bullae were significantly more frequent in children with asthma (41.7% vs.15.9, p=0.034). The median duration of symptoms after onset were significantly longer in patients with ecchymosis, with immediate wheals and in children whose symptoms start in 20 min to 4 hours after mosquito bites. Conclusions: The role of commercially available tests in the diagnosis of children with mosquito allergy is limited. There is an association between unusual, large local or exaggerated reactions after mosquito bites and allergic diseases in children. The severity of reactions increases with age and particularly in children with atopic background

Plants use odors not only to recruit other organisms for symbioses, but to ‘talk’ to each other. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from “emitting” plants inform the “receiving” (listening) plants of impending stresses or simply of their presence. However, the receptors that allow receivers to perceive the clue are elusive. Most likely, plant receptors are odorant bind proteins (OBPs), as in animals, and few OBPs are known to bind “stress-induced” VOCs. We investigated whether OBPs may bind volatile isoprenoids that make the most important class of constitutive and stress-induced plant VOCs. First, we performed a data base search that generated a list of candidate plant OBPs. Second, we investigated in silico the ability of the identified candidate plant OBPs to bind VOCs by molecular simulation experiments. Our results show that monoterpenes can bind the same OBPs that were described to bind stress-induced VOCs. Whereas, the constitutive hemiterpene isoprene does not bind any investigated OBP and may not have an info-chemical role. We conclude that, as for animal OBPs, plant OBPs may bind different VOCs. Despite being generalist and not specialized, plant OBPs may play an important role in allowing plants to eavesdrop messages sent by other plants.

Background and Purpose: Day to day updates for increasing resistant cases even against artemisinin-based combination therapies has necessitated the need to develop new antiplasmodials. We evaluated the impact of crude ethanol extract of Bergenia ciliata (winter bignonia) rhizomes (EREBC), conventionally used as an antipyretic in the Himalayan region against the malaria parasite. Experimental Approach: HPTLC was performed to identify and quantify three marker compounds in EREBC. The in vitro antimalarial activity was evaluated by schizont maturation inhibition assay. MTT assay was employed to test the cytotoxicity of EREBC. Peter’s 4-day test and Peters method was employed to discern the suppressive and preventive activity of the extract respectively. Key Results: HPTLC analysis revealed the presence of bergenin, epicatechin and gallic acid in EREBC. It exhibited considerable inhibition (IC50<5µg/mL) of schizont maturation of both RKL-9 and MRC-2 strains of P. falciparum. EREBC was non-toxic to both HeLa cells and normal dermal fibroblasts (CC50>1000µg/mL). Selectivity index was >200 for both the strains. EREBC exhibited considerable in vivo suppressive activity with 96.48% inhibition at 500mg/kg in comparison to chloroquine (96.08%). The ED50 of the extract was <50mg/kg. No mortality was evident in mice administered with different doses of EREBC (50-500mg/kg) throughout the follow up period of 28 days. EREBC was also safe to liver and kidney function of mice as observed from biochemical analysis. Conclusions and implications: Overall, the study illustrates marked efficacy of EREBC as an antimalarial agent with bergenin, epicatechin and gallic acid as the major constituents of the extract.

The prevalence of antibiotic resistant bacteria causing neonatal diarrhoea in calves has become a serious problem in the control of infection. Due to increasing antibiotic resistance, the bacteriophages with probiotics are considered the best alternative. The aim of study was to evaluate the using a suppository with probiotic strains of Lactobacillus spp. and bacteriophages specific for pathogenic E. coli in young calves with diarrhoea. The study evaluated therapeutic and prophylactic effects. The study was carried out on 24 female HF calves, aged 2 to 7 days and weighing from 35-46 kg. The calves were divided into four groups (n=6) each: Group 1 – healthy control, received no medicine; Group 2 – positive control with diarrhoea; Group 3 – healthy calves received medicine; Group 4 – calves with diarrhoea received medicine.The animals received suppositories with Lactobacillus spp. and bacteriophages specific for pathogenic E. coli for five days. On the first day, calves received the suppositories twice– in the morning and 12 hours later; subsequently they were administered once a day. The health status of calves was observed for 11d after the first application of suppositories. A protective and preventive effect of the experimental therapy was obtained in the research. The probiotic-phage suppositories reduced the duration of diarrhoea in calves, completely eliminating it within 24-48 hours after application The used therapy stimulated the activation of immune mechanisms in calves, which translated into an enhanced specific and non-specific response and increased resistance to infection.

In this paper, we concern the modified Schr\“{o}dinger equations $$\ -{\varepsilon}^{2}\Delta u+V(x)u-\varepsilon^{2}u\Delta u^2=|u|^{22^*-2}u+g(u), \ x \ \in \mathbb{R}^N.$$ First, a existence result of ground state positive solutions is given. Next, we research multiplicity and concentration of positive solutions. Where $N\geq 2$, $\varepsilon$ is positive parameters and $2^*=\frac{2N}{N-2}$ is the critical exponent, $V \in C(\mathbb{R}^N, \mathbb{R^{+}})$, $g \in C(\mathbb{R}, \mathbb{R})$. Our results improve corresponding results in \cite{HQZ} (X. He, A. Qian, W. Zou, Existence and concentration of positive solutions for quasilinear Schr\”{o}dinger equations with critical growth, Nonlinearity, 26(2013), 3137-3168).

Background: Despite significant advances in the treatment of heart failure, the prognosis of acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema (ACPE) continues to be a serious problem. The objective of this study is to determine the risk factors affecting in-hospital mortality in patients with ACPE. Methods: We enrolled 305 patients who were hospitalized with cardiogenic pulmonary edema as a diagnosis. Clinical, biochemical and echocardiographic variables were collected and analysed. The patients were divided into two groups according to the presence of mortality. Both groups were evaluated in terms of clinical features during admission to the emergency department (ED) and factors affecting in-hospital mortality. Results: Forty-two patients died and the mortality rate was 13.8%. To determine the factors affecting mortality, multiple logistic regression analysis was performed. In the regression analysis, it was seen that age at admission to the ED (OR:1.75, 95% CI 1.18-3.05, p:0.014), systolic blood pressure (OR:0.95, 95% CI 0.31-0.98, p:0.040), presence of acute myocardial infarction (OR:4.17, 95% CI 1.85-7.13, p:0.001), positive troponin (OR:5.47, 95% Cl 1.07-7.46, p:0.011), atrial fibrillation rhythm (OR;3.16, 95% CI 1.81-8.02, p:0.010), inotropic drug usage (OR;5.61, 95% CI 1.87-9.24, p:0.013) increased in-hospital mortality. Conclusion: Our findings might help clinicians in identifying patients with poor prognosis early in the presence of identified risk factors.

Spinal cord injury is a major cause of lifelong morbidity. Functional micturition problems are common while the management choices are comparatively narrow. Some patients are refractory to the combination of the available therapeutics, namely the anticholinergics and a beta-adrenergic named mirabegron. In this paper we report our results of using gabapentin as an add-on treatment in the refractory overactive detrusor cases secondary to spinal cord injury. Material and Methods A total of 27 patients who had spinal cord injury between the levels of second thoracic and fourth lumbar vertebrae and had an overactive detrusor in urodynamic studies were included in this retrospective study. The patients were selected as they also had not responded to a combination of an anticholinergic and mirabegron and had neuropathic pain. Gabapentin treatment was added to the previous therapy. Demographics, previous treatments, chronic conditions, urodynamic findings, clinical and urodynamic responses are reported in this paper. Results We observed the response in the urodynamic studies of 11 patients (40.17%), in terms of decreased detrusor contractions, maximal detrusor pressure, and the number of the incontinence episodes. Sixteen patients did not respond to the gabapentin add-on therapy and were referred for Botulinum Toxin injections to the bladder. Conclusion Gabapentin add-on therapy can be considered as an option in neurogenic overactive detrusor patients who did not respond to the combination of anticholinergics and mirabegron. The approved usage of gabapentin for neurogenic pain justifies its usage in this area. In our selected patient group, who had not responded to the combination therapy, we observed a clinical benefit in one-third of the patients.

In this paper, regular Sturm-Liouville problems with eigenparameter-dependent boundary conditions and interface conditions are investigated. We obtain that the eigenvalues of the problems depend not only continuously but also smoothly on the parameters of the problem: the coefficients, the boundary conditions, the interface conditions as well as the endpoints. Moreover, we find the differential expressions for each parameters, respectively.

Heavy metal pollution is one of the most serious environmental problems. Nanofiltration is an effective and potential membrane separation technology for removal of heavy metal ions from water. However, the separation performance and chlorine resistance of the nanofiltration membrane should be further improved in industry. In this study, positively charged polyamide (PA-PDMC) nanofiltration membranes were fabricated to remove heavy metal ions from water. The obtained membrane had high flux and chlorine resistance by grafting methacryloxyethyltrimethyl ammonium chloride (DMC) on the surface of 2-bromoisobutyryl bromide (BIBB) immobilized polyamide (PA-Br1) membranes via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP). The retentions to divalent cations of the as-prepared PA-PDMC membrane was above 90% with the flux of 82.5 L m-2 h-1. Furthermore, the PA-PDMC membrane showed a stable separation performance during a long-time filtration process of 168 h, which exhibited an exceptional chlorine resistance.

Background: Paediatric acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is heterogeneous. Frequency of cytogenetic abnormalities varies from adults. Methods: Children with de novo AML were included. Peripheral blood was analysed for complete blood counts and bone marrow was analysed by fluorescence in situ hybridisation for genetic abnormalities. Results: 53.6% patients had cytogenetic abnormalities. Recurrent genetic abnormalities were seen in 34.7%. Commonest recurrent genetic abnormality was RUNX1-RUNX1T1 rearrangement seen in 14.4%, followed by PML-RARA rearrangement seen in 8.6%, MLL gene rearrangement in 8.6% and CBFB-MYH11 rearrangement in 2.8% patients. In children aged more than five years, PML-RARA and RUNX1-RUNX1T1 were commonest whereas, in children aged five and less, RUNX1-RUNX1T1 and MLL rearrangements were the only recurrent genetic abnormalities. Patients with cytogenetic abnormalities differed significantly with respect to hemoglobin, total leucocyte count and platelet count. Conclusion: FISH alone can classify patients into AML with common recurrent genetic abnormalities. However, other methods are required for complete classification.