COVID-19 has caused hundreds of millions of infections and hundreds of deaths, and even though vaccinations are increasing, the mutation of the virus makes the pandemic even difficult to control. Existing manual, operator and Bluetooth-based technologies for epidemiological investigation and close contact tracing suffer from high cost, low accuracy, and difficulty in scaling up. Viruses such as Delta variants have a greater ability to survive and spread, making many of the existing human-human close contacts tracing less effective. Also, it is easy to overlook the fact that there is still a large segment of the world's population that does not have access to the Internet and is proficient in using smartphones, which makes the performance of smart device-based tracing much less effective. Inspired by Health Code and Tracetogether, which have been widely accepted in China and Singapore, we propose a LoRa and blockchain-based contact tracing method LBTrace, which is low-power, lightweight, and operation-free. The experimental results demonstrate the high stability and accuracy of our proposed method, which can be used as a complement to existing methods to help some governments effectively control COVID-19 and future outbreaks under certain emergency conditions.

Our patient had previously been diagnosed with Ulcerative colitis. the clinical manifestations of the patient along with laboratory tests such as anti-dsDNA and proteinuria were also positive. Therefore, the clinical manifestation was consistent with SLE. in the following work up monoclonal gammopathy in serum electrophoresis was also detected.

Cold acclimation in plants is a complex phenomenon involving numerous stress-responsive transcriptional and metabolic pathways. Existing gene expression studies have primarily addressed cold acclimation responses in herbaceous plants, and few have focused on perennial evergreens, such as conifers, that survive extremely low temperatures during winter. Relative to Arabidopsis leaves, the main transcriptional response of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst) needles exposed to cold was delayed, and this delay was associated with slower development of freezing tolerance. Despite this difference in timing, our results indicate that, similar to herbaceous species, Norway spruce principally utilizes early response transcription factors (TFs) of the APETALA 2/ethylene-responsive element binding factor (AP2/ERF) superfamily and NAM (no apical meristem)/ATAF (Arabidopsis Transcription Factors)/CUC (cup shaped cotyledon) (NACs). The needles and root of Norway spruce showed contrasting results, in keeping with their different metabolic and developmental states. Regulatory network analysis identified conserved TFs, including a root-specific bHLH101 homolog, and other members of the same TF family with a pervasive role in cold regulation, such as homologs of ICE1 and AKS3, and also homologs of the NAC (anac47 and anac28) and AP2/ERF superfamilies (DREB2 and ERF3), providing new functional insights into cold stress response strategies in Norway spruce.

We read with interest the case report by Ackah and colleagues1.We previously reported, in a cohort study 2, our experience in the management of coronary injury post valve procedures

Obstructive uropathy is one of the leading causes of urosepsis. In the patients with severe hydronephrosis, underlying sepsis and renal dysfunction should be treated with caution. Each additional hour of delay in antibiotics administration was found to lower the survival rate.

Type of Study : Letter to EditorFull Title : High Flow Nasal Cannula (HFNC) during flexible bronchoscopy, is it cost-effective?Gaurav Gautam MD, Prawin Kumar MD, Jagdish P. Goyal MDDepartment of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences Jodhpur, Rajasthan, IndiaAbbreviated title: HFNC during flexible bronchoscopy

In this paper, we study the symmetry on a class of multiparameter Markov Processes in Khoshnevisan (2002), and obtain some important and interesting results.

Cowpea is a major grain legume crop mostly grown in sub–Saharan Africa, Asia, and South America. Drought and nutrient deficiency affect the growth and yield of cowpea. To address this challenge, we studied the phytobeneficial effects of stress tolerant rhizobacteria on the biomass yield of cowpea under water and nutrient deficit conditions. Among the bacteria isolated, two rhizobacillus genotypes, Bacillus filamentosus (C8) and Bacillus aryabhattai (C29) were evaluated for the improvement of seed germination and growth of cowpea under stress. Our study revealed that C8 protected cowpea from stress by facilitating phosphorus and potassium uptake, protecting from oxidative damage, reducing transpiration and enhancing CO2 assimilation. A 17% increase in root biomass upon C8 inoculation was concomitant with the induction of stress tolerance genes in cowpea root that are predominantly involved in growth and metabolic processes, cell wall organization, ion homeostasis and cellular responses to phosphate starvation. Our results indicate metabolic reprogramming in cowpea root triggered by B. filamentosus, leading to efficient nutrient reallocation in the host plant. We propose inoculation with B. filamentosus as an effective strategy for improving yield of cowpea in low-input agriculture, where chemical fertilization and irrigation are less accessible to resource-poor farmers.

Hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia is a heritable disease, characterized by hypodontia, hypotrichosis, and anhidrosis. This clinical report demonstrates prosthetic rehabilitation of a patient complaining of impaired mastication and the odd appearance of her jaws. Maxillary telescopic-overdenture and implant-supported mandibular prostheses were fabricated to improve mastication, speech, and aesthetics of the patient.

The presence of the Chinese caterpillar fungus (CCF) depends on the distribution of its host insects and host plants. However, its distribution pattern in response to climate change and interspecific relationships in geographical distribution is unknown. We used the MaxEnt model to obtain areas suitable for the CCF, considering its host insects and host plants under different historical climate backgrounds. We then superimposed and analyzed them to explore the range shift in response to climate change of Chinese caterpillar fungus based on species redundancy. From the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) to 2050, the suitable distribution pattern of the CCF is estimated to change from fragmentized to concentrated and connected. The high redundancy area (HRA) continued to increase from the Middle Holocene (MH) to the present and 2050, with an increased area of 31.46×104 km2. The suitable area moved to the northwest and the total movement distance of its average coordinates was about 500 km. The altitude of the suitable area increased continuously from the LGM to the present and to 2050, and the average altitude of HRA increased from 2740.89 m (LGM) to 4246.76 m (2050). The distribution pattern and changes of CCF under different climatic conditions provides a reference for the current and future geographical regional planning for conservation and sustainable utilization. The distribution pattern similarity of the CCF suitable area, suitable area for host insects, and host plants HRA of distribution area, might be the result of their long-term co-evolution. The decreasing trend of CCF yield under human disturbance was not as severe as expected, suggesting that climate change may be beneficial to distribution expansion of the CCF.

Recently, the rovibronic absorption and emission spectra of diatomic molecules dressed by medium-intensity laser fields have been discussed. By computing the total absorption probability as a function of dressing wavelength an asymmetric line shape has been obtained strongly resembling to the well-known Fano line shape. Applying two-state analytical and three-state numerical models the shape of the total absorption probability function is explained. Further confirmation of the model based results is provided by high resolution accurate numerical computations using large number of basis functions.

In this paper, we investigate the decay properties of the thermoelastic Bresse system in the whole space. We consider many cases depending on the parameters of the model and we establish new decay rates. We need to mention here that, in some cases we don't have the regularity-loss phenomena as in the previous works in the literature. To prove our results, we use the energy method in the Fourier space to build a very delicate Lyapunov functionals that give the desired results.

A case with non-small cell lung cancer exhibited extreme hyperglycemia after lorlatinib treatment, whose adverse effects on hyperglycemia is little known. But, the lorlatinib could be continued by intensifying diabetes treatment, indicating the importance of glucose monitoring during lorlatinib administration, and of adequate intensification of treatment for such hyperglycemia.

Objectives：To evaluate the efficacy and safety of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) combined with levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) or aromatase inhibitor (AI) in women with endometrial carcinoma (EC) and atypical endometrial hyperplasia (AEH) who wish to preserve their fertility. Design: A single-center restrospective study. Setting: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital Population：179 patients with early stage EC or AEH who wish to preserve their fertility. Methods: Patients were treated with the combination of GnRHa with LNG-IUS (group GLI: GnRHa IH every 4 weeks and LNG-IUS insertion constantly) or combination of GnRHa with AI (group GAI: GnRHa IH every 4 weeks and oral letrozole 2.5mg, daily). Histological evaluation was performed at the end of each course (every 3-4 months) by hysteroscopy and curettage. All patients were followed up regularly. Main outcome measures: Pathological response to treatmen, categorized as complete response (CR), partial response (PR), stable disease (SD), and progressive disease (PD). Results: Overall, 169 (94.4%) patients achieved CR, 96.7% in AEH and 93.3% in EC patients. The median time to CR was 6 (3-18) months, 4 (3-10) months in AEH and 8 (3-18) months in EC patients. After a median follow up of 27.5 months, 41 (24.3%) women developed recurrence with the median recurrence time of 17 (6-77) months. Of the patients with CR, 134 cases desired to conceive, and 42 (32.3%) patients became pregnant. Conclusion: GnRHa based fertility-sparing treatment achieved good treatment outcomes. Future larger multi-institutional studies should be designed to confirm these preliminary findings.

Light, one of the most important natural resources for plant species, significantly influences the biomass yield and nutrient uptake capacity in plants. However, the impacts of light treatment on the toxicity of metals in soils has rarely been reported. Light irradiation treatments were performed to evaluate the influence of red, yellow, and blue lights on the concentrations and fractions of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the rhizosphere soils of Arabidopsis thaliana. The results showed that monochromatic red light significantly raised the levels of DOM and proportions of hydrophilic fractionations in the rhizosphere of A. thaliana relative to the control, while monochromatic blue light had the opposite effect. Moreover, the proportions of hydrophobic acid, which can mobilize Cd effectively, also raised with increasing doses of red light, which stimulated Cd mobilization. The application of yellow light not only increased the levels of hydrophobic acid in monochromatic red light treatment, but also decreased the proportion of hydrophobic fractions in monochromatic blue light treatment, partially weakening the negative impacts of pure blue light on soil Cd activation. Moreover, DOM from the combined red, yellow, and blue lights resulted in a significantly stronger Cd extraction efficiency compared with the other light irradiation treatments, consequently enhancing the Cd phytoextraction efficiency of A. thaliana. The findings of this study demonstrated that a suitable light combination can enhance the phytoremediation effect of A. thaliana by activating soil Cd, and this method can be extrapolated to the real field, where light irradiation can be easily applied.

Despite clear evidence that a local accumulation of auxin is likewise critical for floral organ initiation than for vegetative tissues, much less is known about the molecular key players that regulate auxin-controlled flower development. Here, by an analysis of physiological and morphological parameters and by a spatial and temporal dissection of auxin fluxes and expression of key players of ABCB-mediated auxin transport in the Arabidopsis flower, we demonstrate a crucial role for the FKBP42, TWISTED DWARF1 (TWD1), in the regulation of flower development. Our analyses revealed that TWD1 promotes flower shape and number, stamen elongation, pollen maturation, nectary functionality and seed development. Most of the described developmental defects in twd1 are shared with the abcb1 abcb19 mutant, which can be attributed to the fact that TWD1 as a described ABCB chaperon is a positive regulator of ABCB1 and ABCB19-mediated auxin transport. We predict an overall housekeeping function for ABCB1 during earlier stages, while ABCB19 seems to be responsible for the key event of rapid elongation at later stages of stamen development. Our data indicate that TWD1 controls flower development by differential activation of ABCB-mediated auxin transport.

“Never waste a crisis”. A commentary on the COVID-19 pandemic as a driver for innovation in maternity careLauri M.M. van den Berg1, Gill Thomson2, Ank de Jonge1, Marie-Clare Balaam2, Gill Moncrieff 2, Anastasia Topalidou2 and Soo Downe2 - on behalf of the ASPIRE COVID-19 team (details below)

Abstract: The GS-GOGAT pathway is a key metabolic pathway of glutamate and glutamine. Optimising this pathway, leading to metabolic flux to glutamine, can increase glutamine production and reduce the production of the by-product glutamate. The NH4+-limited fermentation process limits the concentration of NH4+ to increase the activity of GS and further increase the yield of glutamine. The GS-GOGAT pathway was optimised by knocking out the GOGAT genes NCgl0181 and NCgl0182 and the glutaminase genes NCgl2395 and NCgl2500 and by integrating a copy of the GS gene glnAbsu from Bacillus subtilis and a copy of the glutamine synthase gene glnAlcb from Lactobacillus acidophilus into the genomic NCgl0182 and NCgl2500 sites. Furthermore, the pXT01 plasmid with the strong promoter tuf was used to overexpress glnAbsu and glnAlcb. To obtain an optimal NH4+-limited fermentation process, the effects of starting feeding with (NH4)2SO4 at different times of fermentation and three (NH4)2SO4 feeding strategies on glutamine fermentation were studied, and a NH4+-limited fermentation process that was the most suitable for glutamine fermentation was determined. After optimising the GS-GOGAT pathway, Corynebacterium glutamicum G-6 was subjected to the NH4+-limited fermentation process to greatly increase the production of glutamine. The yield of glutamine reached 98.7 g/L, which was 104.8% higher than that in the original strain GM34; the content of glutamate reached 4.5 g/L, which then decreased by 85.2%; the GS activity increased significantly, and the sugar-acid conversion rate reached 41.2%.

Aim/Objective: To assess short term clinical outcomes based on peri-operative troponin T levels (before start of surgery, 2 hours and 12 hours after coming of CPB) of adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery using the del Nido cardioplegia technique compared with st thomas conventional blood cardioplegia Material and method: This was a prospective randomized study with a sample size of 100, which included patients with valvular heart disease requiring single valve replacement in our center from February 2019 to march 2020. Simple randomization technique was used for dividing into two groups of 50 patients each and were given del-nido or st Thomas II cardioplegia accordingly. Perioperative TROPONIN levels, TEE ejection fraction, post-operative inotrope requirement was analyzed. Results: Total of 100 Patients were enrolled in the studie. Mean troponin T immediate post CPB was 559.76 in del nido and 531.14 in blood showing no significance (P 0.146) and 24hrs post-surgery where 290.08 and 231.6 respectively with no significant (0.089) difference. Other parameters like coming of pump need for defibrillation(p-0.629), change in EF measured pre and post CPB (p-0.678) did not show any signifance. Conclusion: Myocardial protection in open cardiac surgery is still evolving. Del-nido cardioplegia is a viable alternative to st thomas cardioplegia which has proven to be statically equivalent in myocardial protection in adult population also. Further studies are required to look into the long-term outcome of use of del nido and to expand the use of del-nido cardioplegia in other adult open cardiac surgeries.

Oxylipins are lipid-derived molecules that are ubiquitous in eukaryotes and whose functions in plant physiology have been widely reported. They appear to play a major role in plant immunity by orchestrating reactive oxygen species (ROS) and hormone-dependent signalling pathways. The present work focuses on the specific case of fatty acid hydroperoxides (HPOs). Although some studies report their potential use as exogenous biocontrol agents for plant protection, evaluation of their efficiency in planta is lacking and no information is available about their mechanism of action. In this work, the potential of 13(S)-hydroperoxyoctadeca-(9Z,11E)-dienoic acid (13-HPOD) and 13(S)-hydroperoxy-(9Z,11E,15Z)-octadecatrienoic acid (13-HPOT), as plant defence elicitors and the underlying mechanism of action are investigated. Arabidopsis thaliana leaf resistance to Botrytis cinerea was observed after root application with HPOs. They also activate early immunity-related defence responses, like ROS. As previous studies have demonstrated their ability to interact with plant plasma membranes (PPM), we have further investigated the effects of HPOs on biomimetic PPM structure using complementary biophysics tools. Results show that HPO insertion into PPM impacts its global structure without solubilizing it. Relationship between biological assays and biophysical analysis suggests that lipid amphiphilic elicitors that directly act on membrane lipids might trigger early plant defence events

Introduction: In patients with non-paroxysmal AF, various ablation strategies have been attempted to target non-pulmonary vein (PV) foci or to achieve substrate modification beyond pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). The efficacy of empirical ablation of the SVC, one of the most common non-PV foci, is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of additional superior vena cava (SVC) isolation in patients with non-paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) undergoing thoracoscopic surgical ablation. Methods and Results: A total of 191 patients with persistent or longstanding persistent AF was enrolled. All patients underwent total thoracoscopic surgical ablation for AF, and half of them also received empirical SVC isolation. We compared the atrial-tachyarrhythmia (ATa)-free survival rate and procedure-related complications in the two groups of patients. The 3-year ATa-free survival rate was 53% in the SVC-isolation group and 52% in the no-SVC-isolation group, (p = 0.644). There were no differences between the two groups with respect to AF type or LA size. Procedure-related complications occurred in 12 patients (6%). Pacemakers were implanted only in 3 patients from the SVC-isolation group. The only factor influencing recurrence of ATa was LA diameter. Conclusions: Empirical SVC isolation during thoracoscopic ablation for persistent AF did not improve patient outcomes.

Toward Better Risk Stratification of Asymptomatic Brugada Syndrome Patients? Najla Beydoun MD1 , Charbel Gharios MD2 , Marwan M. Refaat MD3 1 Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA2 Cardiovascular Imaging Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA3 Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology, and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, American University of Beirut Faculty of Medicine and Medical Center, Beirut, LebanonShort Title: Risk Stratification in Asymptomatic BrSWord Counts: 602

During the first pandemic wave, the dark figure of SARS-CoV-2 exposure was estimated to be high, however, an accelerated loss of antibodies was reported after about 6 months post infection. This study was performed to unveil the group of serological non-responders (NR) in PCR+ individuals 6-9 months after the first pandemic SARS-CoV-2 wave in spring 2020 and to evaluate their specific cellular immune response towards spike-molecule compared to PCR- and not PCR-tested (NT) household contact persons. SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies were quantified using a commercial ELISA kit. The synergistic binding strength was assessed as relative avidity index (RAI) using ammonium-thiocyanate as chaotropic agent. The specific IFNγ-production in response to spike-protein was determined in spot-forming-units (SFU) by ELISPOT-assay. In PCR- 50.0%, in PCR+ 35.3% and in NT 20.7% had undetectable IgG-anti-SARS-CoV-2 and were considered non-responders (NR). All seropositive responders from the PCR-, 45.5% of PCR+ and 43.0% of NT developed high avidity (RAI>60%). In serological responders, cellular responses were detected in 75.0% PCR-, 75.8% PCR+ and 66.7% NT. In serological NR, positive SFU were found in 75.0% PCR-, 22.2% PCR+ and 17.4% NT. Significantly higher stimulation-indices were seen in PCR+ responders compared to PCR+ serological NR. Our findings showed that also PCR- and household contact persons who were not tested (NT) developed SARS-CoV-2-specific humoral and cellular immune responses. The relatively large proportion of serological non-responders but also the proportion of cellular non-responders within the group of IgG-positive individuals after PCR+ infection underlines the need for COVID-19 vaccinations in the reconvalescent group.

Is Multipoint Pacing Superior to Optimized Single-Point Pacing?Rodolfo San Antonio1, MD; Jose María Tolosana2, MD, PhD; Lluís Mont2, MD, PhD.1Heart Institute, Teknon Medical Center, Barcelona, Spain; University of Barcelona, Spain2Institut Clínic Cardio-Vascular, Hospital Clínic, University of Barcelona, Spain; Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi I Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Enfermedades Cardiovasculares (CIBERCV), Madrid, Spain.Word count: 434