Endometrial preparation is crucial in in vitro fertilization (IVF) protocols to create optimal conditions for embryo implantation and pregnancy. Successful embryo nidation requires a receptive endometrium, which is influenced by factors such as endometrial thickness, hormonal environment, autocrine and paracrine growth factors, and the presence of resident and non-resident stem cells within the endometrium basalis. Synchronization between endometrial and embryonic development is also essential. Endometrial preparation, whether achieved through spontaneous cycles, natural cycles with minimal support, ovulation induction, or hormone replacement therapy (HRT), results from a combination of biochemical and biophysical conditions, each independent of the others. These conditions are difficult to pinpoint within a fixed period (Window of Implantation, WOI) using any specific examination due to the variability in estrogen and progesterone production rates, their metabolic clearance rates (MCR) when administered exogenously, and their metabolism when given systemically, topically, or orally. These variations also occur in different phenotypes and over different durations. Moreover, the synchronization of endometrial preparation with incomplete decidualization and the uncertain duration of the implantation window pose challenges. It is also unknown if there are compliance mechanisms similar to diapause seen in other species. This review aims to outline a clinical approach that, while not an absolute clinical recommendation due to the lack of definitive certainties, assists in understanding complementary phenomena and provides a useful orientation for clinical practice.

An observational cohort study of patients diagnosed with endometrial cancer (EC) stage IA G1, or atypical endometrial hyperplasia (AHE), undergoing organ-preserving treatment, was conducted. Objective of the study: to determine CDO1, PITX2, and CDH13 gene methylation levels in early endometrial cancer and atypical hyperplasia specimens obtained before organ-preserving treatment in the patients with adequate response and with insufficient response to hormonal treatment. Materials and methods: 41 endometrial specimens obtained during diagnostic uterine curettage in women with EC (n=28) and AEH (n=13), willing to preserve reproductive function, were studied; 18 specimens of endometrial cancer IA stage G1 from peri- and early postmenopausal women (comparison group) were included in the study. The control group included 18 endometrial specimens from healthy women obtained by diagnostic curettage for missed abortion and/or intrauterine adhesions. Methylation levels were analyzed using the modified MS-HRM method. Results: All 13 women with AEH had complete response (CR) to medical treatment. In the group undergoing organ-preserving treatment for uterine cancer IA stage G1 (n=28), 14 patients had complete response (EC CR group) and 14 had not (non-CR). It was found that all groups had statistically significant differences in CDO1 gene methylation levels with the control group (p<0.001) except for the EC CR group (p=0.21). The p-value of difference between EC CR and EC non-CR groups was <0.001. The differences in PITX2 gene methylation levels between the control and study groups were also significantly different (p<0.001), except for AEH group (p=0.21). For the difference between EC CR and EC non-CR groups, the p-value was 0.43. For CDH13 gene methylation levels, statistically significant differences were found between the control and EC non-CR groups (p<0.001), and the control and EC comparison groups (p=0.005). When comparing the EC CR group with EC non-CR group, the p-value for this gene was <0.001. Simultaneous assessment of CDO1 and CDH13 genes methylation allowed to accurately distinguish between EC CR and EC non-CR groups (AUC=0.96). Conclusion: Assessment of CDO1 and CDH13 gene methylation in endometrial specimens from patients with endometrial cancer (IA stage G1), planned for medical treatment, can predict the treatment outcome.

Background Endometrial cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer in the world. Due to the prevalence and high morbidity, it is of key importance to make a quick and accurate diagnosis and effective therapy. The use of photodynamic therapy (PDT) in the treatment of endometrial cancer is a significant challenge in conducting clinical trials. PDT is non-invasive, with few side effects, damaging only neoplastic tissue, leaving healthy adjacent structures intact. Thanks to numerous experiments (also in vitro), PDT is gaining more and more recognition as a potential tool in endometrium cancer treatment. Objective The aim of the study was to analyze the effectiveness of photodynamic therapy on endometrial cancer tissue samples Methods In the in vitro experiment of PDT, sections of endometrial cancer tissue taken from female patients were subjected to. Rose Bengal was used as a photosensitizer in order to assess the usefulness of the applied PDT and to introduce these solutions into the in vivo test procedure. Results Changes on the cellular substrate, such as: chromatin condensation, disturbed structure and shape of cell nuclei were observed in all tissues subjected to PDT. Conclusions The PDT experiment in vitro offers opportunities and hopes for using the chosen procedure also in vivo. Keywords endometrial cancer; photodynamic therapy; in vitro; treatment; rose bengal

Although suicide is a major public health issue worldwide, we understand little of the onset and development of suicidal behavior. Suicidal behavior is argued to be the end result of the complex interaction between psychological, social and biological factors. Epidemiological studies resulted in a range of risk factors for suicidal behavior, but we do not yet understand how their interaction increases the risk for suicidal behavior. A new approach called network analysis can help us better understand this process as it allows to visualize and quantify complex association between many different symptoms or risk factors. A network analysis of data contain information on suicidal patients can help us understand how risk factors interact and how their interaction is related to suicidal thoughts and behaviour. A network perspective has been successfully applied to the field of depression and psychosis, but not yet to the field of suicidology. In this theoretical article, I will introduce the concept of network analysis to the field of suicide prevention, and offer directions for future applications and studies.

Hydrogen has a leading role in accomplishing a net zero green-house gas emission future. Today’s challenge is producing green hydrogen to cover the fuel demand of transportation and industry, to gain independence from fossil fuels. This review’s goal is to demonstrate critically the existing methods of biomass treatment and assess their ability to scale up. Biomass is an excellent hydrogen carrier and biomass-derived processes are the main target for hydrogen production as it is an innovative pathway to green hydrogen production. Comparing the existing processes, thermochemical treatment is found to be far more evolved than biological or electrochemical treatment especially with regard to scaling prospects.

Conventional MRI sequences are standard methods to monitor patients with brain tumors but have significant limitations especially after irradiation. Currently, the role of FET-PET in radiotherapy of glioblastoma is emerging, starting from target definition, response assessment and in distinguishing progression from post-irradiation changes. Recently a PET RANO criteria have been published providing optimal strategy for treatment evaluation with amino-acid PET. Earlier, a PET/RANO group reported contribution of PET imaging to radiotherapy planning and monitoring in glioma patients. Also, increasing evidence have showed advantages of amino-acid PET vs. RANO MRI for prediction of overall survival. In this narrative review we aimed to summarize published data on FET-PET based treatment response assessment to radiotherapy and focused on details in protocols.

Seed potato treatment is vital for plant protection, yield enhancement, and product quality. In the conducted research, the plant biostimulator Supporter was applied to evaluate its impact on potato yields. Field studies were conducted in Northeastern, Northwestern, Western, and Southwest Poland from 2015 to 2017, using a randomized complete block design with a split-plot arrangement. The use of seed treatment technology with the Supporter product resulted in increased overall and commercial potato yields and improved yield tuber structure compared to traditional cultivation methods without tuber treatment before planting. Conclusion: The application of the plant biostimulator Supporter in seed potato treatment technology brings significant benefits, including, increased potato yield and improved yield structure. The cultivation location significantly influences potato yield and tuber structure. Understanding these differences can aid in better adapting cultivation practices and selecting varieties to specific local conditions, potentially leading to increased potato crop productivity. In terms of efficiency and yield quality, further research into its application in agricultural practice is recommended, which may contribute to further increasing potato production efficiency and quality. Developing more ecological and efficient farming practices can help meet society's growing food needs.

To date, only a few studies focused on carbon monoxide (CO) production during waste composting; all targeted on CO inside piles. Here, the CO net emissions from compost piles and the assessment of worker’s occupational risk of exposure to CO at large-scale composting plants are shown for the first time. CO net emissions were measured at two plants processing green waste, sewage sludge, or undersize fraction of municipal solid waste. Effects of the location of piles (hermetised hall vs. open yard) and turning (before vs. after) were studied. Higher CO net emission rates were observed from piles located in a closed hall. The average CO flux before turning was 23.25 and 0.60 mg‧m-2‧h-1 for hermetised and open piles, respectively, while after – 69.38 and 5.11 mg‧m-2‧h-1. The maximum CO net emissions occurred after the compost was turned (1.7x to 13.7x higher than before turning). The top sections of hermetised piles had greater CO emissions compared to sides. Additionally, 5% of measurement points of hermetised piles switched to ‘CO sinks’. The 1-h concentration in hermetised composting hall can reach max. ~50 mg CO∙m-3 before turning, and >115 mg CO∙m-3 after, exceeding the WHO thresholds for a 1-h and 15-min exposures, respectively.

We previously reported nano-pulse treatment (NPT), a pulsed power technology, resulted in 4T1-luc mammary tumor elimination and a strong in situ vaccination, thereby completely protecting tumor-free animals against a second live tumor challenge. The mechanism whereby NPT mounts effective antitumor immune responses in the 4T1 breast cancer predominantly immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) remains unanswered. In this study, orthotopic 4T1 mouse breast tumors were treated with NPT (100 ns, 50 kV/cm, 1000 pulses, 3 Hz). Blood, spleen, draining lymph nodes and tumors were harvested at 4-hour, 8-hour, 1-, 3-, 7-day. Additional studies were conducted over 3-month posttreatment intervals for the analysis of frequencies, death and functional markers of various immune cells in addition to suppressor function of regulatory T cells (Tregs). NPT was verified to elicit strong in situ vaccination (ISV) against breast cancer and promoted both acute and long-term T cell memory. NPT abolished immunosuppressive dominance systemically and in the TME by substantially reducing Tregs, myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). NPT induced apoptosis in Tregs and TAMs. It also functionally diminished the Treg suppression capacity, likely explained by the downregulation of activation markers, particularly 4-1BB and TGFβ, and a phenotypic shift from predominantly activated (CD44+CD62L-) to naïve (CD44-CD62L+) Tregs. Importantly, NPT selectively induced apoptosis in activated Tregs and spared effector CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. These changes were followed by a concomitant rise in CD8+CD103+ tissue-resident memory T cells and TAM M1 polarization. These findings indicate that NPT effectively switches the TME and secondary lymphatic systems from an immunosuppressive to an immunostimulatory state allowing cytotoxic T-cell function and immune memory formation to eliminate cancer cells and account for the NPT in situ vaccination.

The per capita availability of freshwater resources on a global scale is gradually decreasing due to population growth, rapid urbanization, industrialization, and modern lifestyles. In this situation, wastewater management becomes a major concern. Conventional treatment processes used to treat wastewater discharges are not adequate for the advanced removal of pollutants, especially refractory organic pollutants, which are mainly organic compounds that are not easily biodegradable in the environment. The use of photocatalytic membrane reactors (PMRs) for tertiary wastewater treatment has attracted much interest in recent periods, and various configurations have been investigated. The performance of a PMR using an iron doped titanium photo catalyst and Polysulfone-based polymeric membrane for municipal wastewater treatment was evaluated under natural and simulated solar light. Obtained results proved that solar driven PMRs can remove organic loading (COD) with high efficiencies and may represent a suitable alternative for the tertiary treatment step of municipal wastewater.

Background: Several studies recently confirmed the emergence of resistance to antimalarial drugs in sub-Saharan Africa. Multiple first-line treatment (MFT) is one of the measures envisaged to respond to the emergence and spread of this resistance. The aim of this study was to identify perceived advantages and disadvantages of several MFT deployment strategies and to better understand potential implementation drivers and barriers. Methods: A qualitative survey was conducted in seven sub-Saharan countries amongst key opinion-leaders, national decision-makers, and end users. A total of 200 individual interviews were conducted and findings were analyzed following a thematic inductive approach. Results: From a policy perspective, the new MFT intervention would require endorsement at the global, national, and regional levels to ensure its inclusion in guidelines. Funding of the MFT intervention could be a bottleneck due to costs associated with additional training of healthcare workers, adaptation of drug delivery mechanisms, and higher costs of drugs. Concerning the MFT deployment strategies, a slight preference for the segmentation strategy was expressed over the rotation and geographic approaches, due to the perception that a segmentation approach is already in place at country level. Conclusions: The findings highlighted the need for a collective approach to MFT deployment through the engagement of stakeholders at all levels of malaria management.

Seed longevity is a crucial trait for the seed industry and genetic resource preservation. To develop excellent cultivars with extended seed lifespans, it is important to understand the mechanism of keeping seed germinability long-term and to find useful genetic resources as prospective breeding materials. This study was conducted to identify the best cultivars with a high and stable seed longevity trait in the germplasm of rice (Oryza sativa L.) and to analyse the correlation between seed longevity and embryonic RNA integrity. Seeds from 69 cultivars of the world rice core collection selected by the NIAS in Japan were harvested in different years and subjected to long-term storage or controlled deterioration treatment (CDT). The long-term storage (4 °C, RH under 35%, 10 years) was performed on seeds harvested in 2010 and 2013. The seeds harvested in 2016 and 2019 were used for CDT (36 °C, RH of 80%, 40 days). Seed longevity and embryonic RNA integrity were estimated by a decrease in germination rate and RNA integrity number (RIN) after long-term storage, or CDT. The RIN value was obtained by electrophoresis of total RNA extracted from seed embryos. Seeds of ‘Vandaran (Indica)’, ‘Tupa 729 (Japonica)’, and ‘Badari Dhan (Indica)’ consistently showed higher seed longevity and embryonic RNA integrity both under long-term storage and CDT conditions, regardless of the harvest year. A strong correlation (R2 = 0.93) was observed between germination rates and RIN values of the seeds after long-term storage or CDT among nine cultivars selected based on differences in their seed longevity. The study findings revealed the relationship between rice seed longevity and embryo RNA stability and suggested potential breeding materials, including both Japonica and Indica cultivars, for improving rice seed longevity.

Cocoa (Theobroma Cacao, L.) represents an important market that gained relevance and became an esteemed commodity thanks to cocoa powder, chocolate, and other related products. This work has analyzed 59 cocoa powder samples from the European market. Three distinct subgroups were identified: organic or conventional, alkalized or not alkalized, and raw or roasted processing. The impact of the technological process was evaluated on the pH, color, and compositional traits, as content of biogenic amines and salsolinol. The phenolic fraction was also investigated trough both common and emerging methods. Results depict that the influence of the agronomical practices (organic/conventional) did not affect significatively (p<0.05) the composition of cocoa powders; similarly, the roasting process was not discriminative for the compounds traced. On the other hand, the alkalinization process greatly impacted on color, and pH, no matter of cocoa provenience, obtention, or other processes, also resulting reducing the phenolic fraction of treated samples. Principal components analysis confirmed that the alkali process acts on pH, color, and phenolic composition, but not on other bioactives molecules (BAs and salsolinol). All samples resulted safe while alkalized powders have a great reduction in beneficial biocompounds. A novel strategy could be to emphasize non-alkalized powders in the label, to meet the demand for more beneficial products.

Background and Objective: Patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) treated with a dis-ease-modifying therapy (DMT) are often classified as responders or non-responders based on at-tainment of a specific improvement threshold on validated functional scales. This categorization may significantly impact treatment reimbursement in some countries. The aim of this research is to evaluate the perception of treatment benefit by patients considered as responder or non-responder. Methods: In this non-commercial multicenter study, 99 post-symptomatically treated SMA type I-III patients with a median age of 11.2 (0.39-57.4) years at treatment initiation were stratified into three groups based on their treatment outcomes, i.e. those exhibiting clinically significant improvement (N=41), those with non-clinically significant improvement (N=18), or those show-ing no improvement (N=40). Fifteen months after treatment initiation patients or patients’ care-givers were assessed using a patient-rated scoring system based on the Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC) scale, comprising 22 questions targeting important aspects and tasks in the daily life of patients with SMA. Results: We found no statistical difference in patient perception of treatment benefit in 17 out of 22 domains across patient groups. Conclusion: Our results suggest that functional motor scales do not recapitulate patients and pa-tients’ caregivers experience about the effect of nusinersen treatment in SMA.

Arguably the most important parameter in treating cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer’s disease is the length of time in which improvement, if achieved at all, is sustained. However, monotherapies such as donepezil and memantine are associated with a more rapid decline than no treatment in patients over multi-year follow-ups {Kennedy, 2018 #535}. Furthermore, anti-amyloid antibody treatment, which at best simply slows decline, is associated with accelerated cerebral atrophy [2], resulting in earlier dementia-associated brain volumes for those treated at the MCI stage than untreated patients. In contrast, a precision medicine approach, in which the multiple potential drivers of cognitive decline are identified for each patient and then targeted with a personalized protocol (such as ReCODE), has led to documented improvement in patients with cognitive decline [3]; [4]; [5], but long-term follow-up (>5 years) has not been reported previously. Therefore, we report here sustained cognitive improvement, in some cases for over a decade, in patients treated with a precision medicine protocol—something that has not been reported in patients treated with anti-cholinesterase, glutamate receptor inhibitory, anti-amyloid, or other therapeutic methods. These case studies warrant long-term cohort studies to determine how frequently such sustained cognitive improvements occur in patients treated with precision medicine protocols.

In this study, a new type of temperature sensor device was developed. The circular electrode of the thermal sensitive sensor was modified with TMT and O₂ plasma to enhance the conductivity by forming a thin SnOxCy layer on the electrode surface. The Nano-Au particles were subjected to O₂ plasma pretreatment to form peroxide groups on the surface. The thermally sensitive sensor was made by mixing the above-treated Nano-Au particles with N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) to form solution and then UV-induced grafting polymerization of the NIPAAm-containing solution onto the electrode substrate. The composite hydrogels on the electrode introduce thermo-sensitive polymeric surface films for temperature sensing. Using ambient environment resistance test to measure the resistance, the LCST (lower critical solution temperature) of Nano-Au (MUA) mixed with NIPAAm hydrogel was found to be 32 °C. At ambient temperatures higher than LCST, the electrode resistance decreases linearly.

.Celiac disease (CeD) is a chronic, autoimmune disorder triggered by the ingestion of gluten, affecting around 1% of the global population. It is a multifactorial disease involving both genetics and environ-mental factors. Nowadays, the only available treatment for CeD is a life-long gluten-free diet (GFD), which can cause a significant burden for patients, since symptoms and mucosal injury can persist de-spite apparent compliance with a GFD. That could also lead to psychological consequences and affect the quality of life of these patients. Thankfully, recent advances in understanding the pathogenesis of CeD and the availability of various targets have made it feasible to explore pharmaceutical treatments specific to CeD. Recently, the FDA has highlighted the unmet needs of adult patients on GFD who expe-rience ongoing symptoms attributed to CeD and also show persistent duodenal villous atrophy. This re-view will outline the limitations of a GFD, describe the targets of potential novel treatment of CeD and provide an overview of the primary clinical trials involving oral and injectable agents for a non-dietary treatment of CeD.

Monkeypox virus was named so because of its detection in monkeys in 1958. It belongs to the same family as smallpox and chickenpox viruses. There had been numerous outbreaks of this malady initially in the African continent and other parts of the world. The simultaneous spread in nineteen countries in 2022 has raised some serious concerns.Monkeypox is no more a rare disease and has the potential for bioweapon use. We discuss the various ways to prevent its spread, treatment options available, diagnosis, and differentiation from other closely related diseases. We also discuss if the present outbreak could be a bioattack or if this disease is here to stay.The literature suggests that we can effectively manage Monkeypox because of the availability of drugs and vaccination against smallpox. There is also a need for active surveillance against the new resistant recombinant viral strains. The possibility of this outbreak being a bioattack seems remote, although there are questions about the transmission which still need to be answered.

CKD in HF patients is very common condition, their dysfunction is closely linked and influence each other, so their management required multidisciplinary and personalized approaches. The diagnosis of HF and CDK relies on signs and symptoms. Several tools, such as blood-based biomarkers and echography help us to clarify and discriminate the main characteristics of these patients. Evidence in improving survival due to new drug-employment in HF, has increasingly challenged physicians to manage patients with multiple diseases, especially in patients with CKD. The difficulty is in the safe administration of these drugs in patients with HF and CKD. Knowing up to which values ​​of creatinine or renal clearance any drug can be administered is fundamental. We wanted to summarize, on this sizable and complex topic, the experiences of various prior study to get clearer ideas and a more precise reference about the assessment and management of HF and CKD.

We aimed to investigate the relationship between membrane material and development of membrane fouling in a membrane bioreactor (MBR) using membranes with different pore sizes and hydrophilicities. Batch filtration tests were performed using submerged single hollow fiber membrane ultrafiltration (UF) modules with different polymeric membrane materials including cellulose acetate (CA), polyethersulfone (PES), and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) with activated sludge taken from a municipal wastewater treatment plant. The three UF hollow fiber membranes were prepared by a non-solvent-induced phase separation method and had similar water permeabilities and pore sizes. The results revealed that transmembrane pressure (TMP) increased more sharply for the hydrophobic PVDF membrane than for the hydrophilic CA membrane in batch filtration tests, even when membranes with similar permeabilities and pore sizes were used. PVDF hollow fiber membranes with smaller pores had greater fouling propensity than those with larger pores. In contrast, CA hollow fiber membranes showed good mitigation of membrane fouling regardless of pore size. The results obtained in this study suggest that the surface hydrophilicity and pore size of UF membranes clearly affect the fouling properties in MBR operation when using activated sludge.

Galectins play a role in lung cancer oncogenic pathways including apoptosis, t-cell immune responses, and tumor metastasis. Biomarkers that diagnose, prognose, and assist with treatment remain important, and galectins represent biomarkers that have the potential to impact lung cancer management through these pathways. Using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) we examined galectin-1, -3, and -9 levels from lung cancer patient serum. Through comprehensive chart review: patient demographics, staging information, tumor biology, treatment data, and outcomes including overall survival (OS) and metastasis were retrospectively collected. Galectin levels were then compared to these numerous factors. Galectin-1, -3, and -9 levels did not correlate with cancer stage, however galectin-3 levels were lower in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and squamous cell lung cancer than in adenocarcinoma. There was no correlation between galectin levels and previous treatment or future metastasis. Patients that had an abnormal galectin-1 level had decreased OS. Furthermore, patients with curative surgically resectable NSCLC with abnormal galectin-1 levels had decreased OS, but there was no difference in those with SCLC or that were non-resectable treated palliatively. These findings provide insight into galectin levels in various lung cancer histology and highlight the potential for galectin-1 to assist in prognosis of surgically resectable NSCLC.

Traditional Medicine (TM) is a culturally-rooted healthcare practice, and its use, including for treating illnesses among children, has been reported in many countries. Despite the cultural significance of TM in managing children’s illnesses, evidence suggests that child mortality remains high in many settings. This indicates that the sole use of TM within families and communities might act as a barrier to using biomedical services, contributing to avoidable deaths. Globally, Indonesia is in the top 10 countries with the highest child mortality rates. In addition, Belu is a district in East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia that exhibits a high number of child deaths within the last three years. However, the use of TM for the treatment of illnesses among children in Indonesia has received minimal academic attention. This study aimed to understand parental beliefs, knowledge, views, and perceptions of TM and the impact on the use of TM and biomedical services in the treatment of illnesses among their children in Belu district, Indonesia. The participants (n=25) were parents with the real-life experiences of using TM for treating their children’s illnesses. They were recruited using the snowballing sampling technique. Data were collected using in-depth qualitative interviews. A thematic data analysis was performed and guided by a qualitative data analysis framework. The findings were grouped into four main themes: (i) parental beliefs, knowledge, views, and perceptions of TM, (ii) the influence of these factors on parental use of TM and biomedical services for the treatment of children’s illnesses, (iii) social and cultural influences on the use of TM and biomedical services among their children, and (iv) the impact of the sole use of TM or late medical diagnosis on the health condition and the death of children. The findings show that the use of TM is a common practice within families and communities in Belu, however evidence suggests that child mortality remains high in the setting, indicating less effectiveness of the sole use of TM. Thus, there is a need for the development of collaborative models of healthcare programs and service delivery fostering mutual respect and understanding between traditional healers and healthcare professionals, which could significantly contribute to improving parental use of biomedical services for the treatment of their children’s illnesses.

Out of a worldwide annual incidence of ~150 million cases for urinary tract infection (UTI), >25% of outpatient prescriptions of oral antimicrobial treatment (OAT) are for cystitis not complicated by sepsis. OAT aids the immune cells infiltrating urothelium to eliminate uropathogens attaching and invading urothelium amidst hyperosmotic urine. This adaptability of uropathogens and the short interval between Penicillin sale and the first antimicrobial resistance (AMR) report suggests that AMR is a 3.8 billion years old evolutionary conserved heritable trait of surviving environmental threats through exponential proliferation of mutant strains selected by Darwinian principle. Therefore, OAT success with minimal AMR can be ensured by antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) following the principle of 5Ds -drug, dose, duration, drug-route, and de-escalation. While convenient to administer, the onset of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for OAT in urine is a window of opportunity for uropathogens to survive the first contact with OAT and the descendant colonies armed with AMR are likely to survive subsequent higher urine OAT levels. Meanwhile, intravesical antimicrobial treatment (IAT) delivers the first strike well above MIC. The root cause analysis of AMR dovetails with the strengths, weaknesses, opportunity, and threat (SWOT) analysis of OAT in this interdisciplinary review.

The aim of this study was to investigate the performance of the developed real-time controlled bio-liquor circulation system (BCS) on a farm-scale to optimize bioreactor operation for manure treatment, and to subsequently reduce both manure-related malodor and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from slurry pits. The BCS was operated sequentially as per swine manure inflow (anoxic, aerobic, and settling) circulation to the slurry pit. The duration of each operational phase was self-adjusted in real-time using a novel algorithm for detecting the control point on the oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) and pH (mV)-time profiles, the nitrogen break point (NBP), and the nitrate knee point (NKP) in the aerobic and anoxic phases, respectively. The NH₄-N in the slurry manure was thoroughly removed (100%) in the bioreactor, optimizing the duration of each operational phase by accurately detecting real-time control points. The newly-developed real-time BCS decreased the nitrogen and organic matter content in the slurry pit manure by > 70%, and the potential ammonia and methane emissions by 75% and 95%, respectively. This study highlights that the this improved BCS that utilizes ORP tracking and pH (mV)-time profiles can effectively optimize BCS operation, and thereby reduce malodor and GHG emissions from swine farms.

We wanted to investigate the current knowledge on the impact of diet on anti-TNF response in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), to identify dietary factors that warrant further investigations in relation to anti-TNF treatment response, and, finally, to discuss potential strategies for such investigations. PubMed was searched using specified search terms. One small prospective study on diet and anti-TNF treatment in 56 patients with CD found similar remission rates after 56 weeks among 32 patients with good compliance that received concomitant enteral nutrition and 24 with poor compliance that had no dietary restrictions (78% versus 67%, p = 0.51). A meta-analysis of 295 patients found higher odds of achieving clinical remission and remaining in clinical remission among patients on combination therapy with specialised enteral nutrition and Infliximab (IFX) compared with IFX monotherapy (OR 2.73; 95% CI: 1.73–4.31, p < 0.01, OR 2.93; 95% CI: 1.66–5.17, p < 0.01, respectively). In conclusion, evidence-based knowledge on impact of diet on anti-TNF treatment response for clinical use is scarce. Here we propose a mechanism by which Western style diet high in meat and low in fibre may promote colonic inflammation and potentially impact treatment response to anti-TNF drugs. Further studies using hypothesis-driven and data-driven strategies in observational, animal and interventional studies are warranted.

We are proposing, for any interested investigator, a randomized open clinical trial for mild and mild-to-moderate Covid-19 comparing a treatment regimen with standard of care, and eventually with another investigational regimen, if ongoing or will be implemented. The patients could be hospitalized or ambulatory but not requiring admission to intensive care units and mechanical ventilation. The proposed therapeutic regimen consists of doxycycline (an antimicrobial having also anti-inflammatory properties, probable antioxidant and possible some antiviral effects), and pentoxifylline, a hemorheological compound used in occlusive arterial diseases but also having proven anti-inflammatory properties. Doxycycline is included in the WHO’s list of essential medicine being an effective, safe, widely available, and inexpensive medication and widely accessible. It will be administered at a dosage of 100 mg orally twice daily for ten days. Pentoxifylline, in clinical use since 1972, and also widely accessible, will be given at a dosage of 400 mg orally, also twice daily, for ten days. The primary outcome measures are: 1) Progression of disease to a severe form requiring intensive care admission and mechanical ventilation; 2) Fatality rates and 3) Time to clinical recovery.This proposal was presented to the National Directors and Core Leads meeting of the Canadian Trials Network (CTN) on May 6, 2020. The interventional trial template suggested by CTN was used for designing the trial.

The scarcity and pollution of freshwater are extremely crucial issues today and the expansion of water reuse have been considered as an option to reduce its impact. This study aims to assess the efficiency of an integrated greywater treatment system and hydroponic lettuce production as a part of a green wall structure and to evaluate the health risk associated with the production and consumption of lettuce through quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) and chemical health risk assessment. The study was conducted based on the unique configuration of source separation system; on-site greywater treatment system; green wall structure as a polishing step; and hydroponic lettuce production in the green wall structure. The final effluent from the system was used to grow three lettuce varieties by adding urine as a nutrient solution. Both water samples and plant biomass were collected and tested for E. coli and heavy metals contamination. The system has gained a cumulative 5.1 log10 reduction of E. coli in the final effluent and no E. coli found in the plant biomass. QMRA results indicated that the system attained the health-based targets, 10–6 DALYs per person per year. Similarly, health risk index (HRI) and targeted hazard quotient (THQ) results did not exceed the permissible level, thus the chemical health risk concern was insignificant.

This work aimed to develop an anionic cellulose nanofiber (CNF) bio-adsorbent from palm date tree waste and to investigate its removal efficiency against cationic methylene blue dye from contaminated water. Palm date pulp was first prepared from palm date leaves through acid hydrolysis using H2SO4, followed by hydrolysis in a basic medium using KOH, in which the process completely removed the components of hemicellulose, lignin, and silica. To obtain anionic CNF, the resulting pulp was further treated with H2SO4, followed by centrifugation. Biogel formation of the CNF suspension was promoted by sonication, where its removal efficiency of methylene blue dye was studied as a function of dye concentration, temperature, contact time, and pH value. Two equilibrium models, the Langmuir and Freundlich models were employed, and the Langmuir model was found to be consistent with the experimental data. The highest removal efficiency was obtained at 60oC and was 5mg/gm. Furthermore, several kinetic models were used to gain insight into the adsorption mechanism. The pseudo-second-order model provided an accurate description of the adsorption process, while the Elovich equation suggested a chemical reaction between methylene blue dye and CNF. The study’s findings were in agreement with the pseudo-second-order model, indicating general chemical reactions. The study indicates that CNF adsorbents derived from renewable natural waste sources such as palm date leaves can be effective in removing cationic contaminants such as methylene blue dye.

This review examines from a services perspective strategies for preparedness and response to mental health impacts of three types of climate-related events: 1) acute climate-related events such as hurricanes, floods and wildfires, 2) sub-acute or long-term changes in the environment such as drought and heat stress; and 3) the existential threat of long-lasting changes, including higher temperatures, rising sea levels and a permanently altered and potentially uninhabitable physical environment. Strategies for acute events include development and implementation of guidelines and interventions for monitoring and treating adverse mental health outcomes and strengthening individual and community resilience, training of non-mental health professionals for services delivery, and the mapping of available resources and locations of at-risk populations. Additional strategies for sub-acute changes include advocacy for mitigation policies and programs and adaptation of guidelines and interventions to address the secondary impacts of sub-acute events such as economic loss, threats to livelihood, health and well-being, population and family displacement, environmental degradation and collective violence. Strategies for long-lasting changes include implementation of evidence-based risk communication interventions that address the existential threat of climate change, promoting the mental health benefits of environmental conservation, and promoting positive mental health impacts of climate change.

The management of carbapenem-resistant infections is often based on colistin, tigecycline, aminoglycosides and their combinations. However, in a recent systematic review we found that Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) co-resistant to carbapanems, aminoglycosides, colistin and tigecycline (CACT-resistant) are increasingly being reported worldwide. Clinical data to guide the treatment of CACT-resistant GNB are scarce and based exclusively on few case reports and small case series but seem to indicate that appropriate (in vitro active) antimicrobial regimens, including newer antibiotics and synergistic combinations, may be associated with lower mortality. In this review we consolidate the available literature to inform clinicians dealing with CACT-resistant GNB about treatment options by considering the mechanisms of resistance to carbapenems. In combination with rapid diagnostic methods that allow fast detection of carbapenemase production, the approach proposed in this review may guide a timely and targeted treatment of patients with infections by CACT-resistant GNB. Specifically, we focus on the three most problematic species, namely Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii. Several treatment options are currently available for CACT-resistant K. pneumonia. Newer β-lactam-β-lactamase combinations, including the combination of ceftazidime/avibactam with aztreonam against metallo-β-lactamase-producing isolates, appear to be more effective compared to combinations of older agents. Options for P. aeruginosa (especially metallo-β-lactamase-producing strains) and A. baumannii remain limited. Synergistic combination of older agents (e.g. colistin- or fosfomycin-based synergistic combinations) may represent a last resort option but their use against CACT-resistant GNB requires further study.

Background: In treatment-refractory cancers, tumor tissues damaged by therapy initiate the repair response; therefore, tumor tissues must be exposed to an additional burden before successful repair. We hypothesized that an agent recognizing a molecule that responds to anticancer treatment–induced tissue injury could deliver an additional antitumor agent including a radionuclide to damaged cancer tissues during repair. We selected the extracellular matrix glycoprotein tenascin-C (TNC) as such a molecule, and three antibodies recognizing human and murine TNC were employed to evaluate X-irradiation–induced changes in TNC uptake by subcutaneous tumors. Methods: TNC expression was assessed by immunohistochemical staining of BxPC-3 tumors treated with or without X-irradiation (30 Gy) for 7 days. Antibodies against TNC (3-6, 12-2-7, TDEAR) and a control antibody were radiolabeled with 111In and injected into nude mice having BxPC-3 tumors 7 days after X-irradiation, and temporal uptake was monitored for an additional 4 days by biodistribution and single-photon emission computed tomography with computed tomography (SPECT/CT) studies. Intratumoral distribution was analyzed by autoradiography. Results: The immunohistochemical signal for TNC expression was faint in nontreated tumors but increased and expanded with time until day 7 after X-irradiation. Biodistribution studies revealed increased tumor uptake of all three 111In-labeled antibodies and the control antibody. However, a statistically significant increase in uptake was evident only for 111In-labeled 3-6 (35%ID/g for 30 Gy vs. 15%ID/g for 0 Gy at day 1, P &lt; 0.01; ID, injected dose), whereas limited changes in 111In-labeled TDEAR2, 12-2-27, and control antibody were observed (several %ID/g for 0 and 30 Gy). Serial SPECT/CT imaging with 111In-labeled 3-6 or control antibody provided consistent results. Autoradiography revealed noticeably stronger signals in irradiated tumors injected with 111In-labeled 3-6 compared with each of nonirradiated tumors and the control antibody. The signals were observed in TNC-expressing stroma. Conclusion: Markedly increased uptake of 111In-labeled 3-6 in irradiated tumors supports our concept that an agent, such as an antibody, that recognizes a molecule, such as TNC, involved in tissue-injury repair could enhance drug delivery to therapy-experienced tumor tissues. The combination of antibody 3-6 coupled to a tumoricidal drug and conventional therapy has the potential to achieve better outcomes for patients with refractory cancer.

In this manuscript we use an exactly solvable stochastic binary model for regulation of gene expression to analyse the dynamics of response to a treatment aiming to modulate the number of transcripts of RKIP gene. We demonstrate the usefulness of our method simulating three treatment scenarios aiming to reestablish RKIP gene expression dynamics towards pre-cancerous state: i. to increase the promoter’s ON state duration; ii. to increase the mRNAs’ synthesis rate; iii. to increase both rates. We show that the pre-treatment kinetic rates of ON and OFF promoter switching speeds and mRNA synthesis and degradation will affect the heterogeneity and time for treatment response. Hence, we present a strategy for reducing drug dosage by simultaneously targeting multiple kinetic rates. That enables a reduction of treatment response time and heterogeneity which in principle diminishes the chances of emergence of resistance to treatment. This approach may be useful for inferring kinetic constants related to expression of antimetastatic genes or oncogenes and on the design of multi-drug therapeutic strategies targeting master regulatory genes.

Lyme disease is a highly prevalent tick-borne infection caused by Borrelia burgdorferi spirochetes in North America and Eurasia. Diagnosis of the early disease remains difficult with the currently approved serological tests in the absence of noticeable tick bite or erythema migrans due to presentation of non-specific symptoms and the absence of antibodies early in infection. Furthermore, it is difficult to distinguish persistence of disease and reinfection in the endemic regions. If not treated early, infection spreads throughout the body and affects most organs with disease manifestations including arthritis, musculoskeletal pain, neuroborreliosis and acrodermatitis chronicum atrophicans. Although most patients recover after antibiotic treatment, ~10-12% of show recurrence of symptoms known as post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS). Various causes of PTLDS are not well-defined; however, the spirochete persisters, antigenic debris, dysregulation of immunological response in individuals or a combination of these factors are proposed to result in continuation of Lyme disease manifestations. Based on these considerations, this review highlights currently employed treatment approaches with antimicrobials and vaccines being tried for prevention of B. burgdorferi infection. We also summarize combinatorial approaches that could be employed to alleviate symptoms to improve the quality of life of the individuals suffering from long Lyme disease.

The eutrophication of open water bodies, especially in coastal water area, has received intensive public focuses in recent years. Biological treatment of organic pollutants in industrial and domestic wastewater requires microbial flora to participate. The environmental impact of these microbes, particularly in regard to the spread of antibiotic resistance genes and pathogenicity in coastal water, remains largely unknown. We initiate studies to examine antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in microbial flora and study the mode of antibiotic spread in the coastal waters of Bohai Bay, North China by using high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrum analysis and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The metabolic features of bacteria related to the presence of ARGs in the coastal area showed the enrichment of Pseudomonadale species with triple resistance properties (ampicillin, kanamycin and gentamycin) at the estuary site locating adjacent to a coastal sewage treatment plant where both type I and type II polyketide synthase genes and b-lactam type antibiotics are detected. Pseudomonadale order is phylogenetically belonged to Proteobacteria Phylum, Gamma-proteobacteria Class and contains Pseudomonadaceae family and Pseudomonas genus. QPCR analysis suggests that the percent occupation of Pseudomonadale species to total Proteobacteria in the examined stations is close to several sampling stations close to sewage treatment plants, where consistent release of organic wastes occurred.

Background Binge eating disorder (BED) is the most common eating disorder, categorized in DSM-V, but many patients are not diagnosed, because of the difficulty to consider BED distinct condition from obesity. Its identification is important for targeting individuals at high risk of obesity, adverse metabolic pattern, and cardiovascular disease. In this review we have highlighted the main aspects of screening, diagnosis and treatment of patients with BED and Obesity.

The objective of the described activity is to develop technologies or proposals that can be implemented within the cycle to enhance the relationship between climate change, water, energy, and food. The focus is on analyzing natural treatment systems for wastewater (NTSW) within the context of Macaronesia, considering factors such as life cycle assessment (LCA), carbon footprint, impacts, and mitigation capacity. The analysis of real case data from the Canary Islands and Cape Verde will inform the development of appropriate technologies tailored to different areas and scales within Macaronesia. This work includes a comprehensive life cycle analysis of the Santa Catarina (Cape Verde) NTSW. This analysis encompasses: a) Inventory analysis of the construction phase: This involves the assessment of inputs and outputs associated with the construction of the NTSW, including materials, energy consumption, transportation, and waste generation. The maintenance and operation phase is then evaluated, with a focus on the ongoing maintenance and operation activities required for the NTSW, including energy consumption, water usage, chemical inputs (if any), labour, and equipment maintenance. Finally, the impacts of the NTSW are evaluated. The environmental, social, and economic impacts generated by the NTSW are assessed. This includes an analysis of factors such as carbon emissions, water usage, land use, ecosystem impacts, human health effects, and economic costs. By conducting a comprehensive analysis of the Santa Catarina NTSW, the document aims to provide insights into the environmental performance and sustainability of the system. This information can then be used to identify areas for improvement, develop mitigation strategies, and inform decision-making processes regarding wastewater treatment technologies in Macaronesia. Furthermore, lessons learned from real case studies in the Canary Islands and Cape Verde can be applied to similar regions within the Macaronesia archipelago.

Background: Mental synthesis is the conscious purposeful process of synthesizing a novel mental image from objects stored in memory. In our everyday use of language, we rely on mental synthesis to communicate an infinite number of images with a finite number of words. In typical children, the timeline of mental synthesis acquisition is highly correlated with an increasing vocabulary. Children with ASD, on the other hand, may learn hundreds of words but never acquire mental synthesis. In these individuals, tests assessing vocabulary comprehension may fail to demonstrate the profound deficit in mental synthesis and the resulting inability to understand flexible syntax and spatial prepositions. Objective: We developed a 20-question parent-reported evaluation tool designed to quantitatively assess mental synthesis ability and to serve as a complimentary scale for Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC). Results: Internal reliability was good (Cronbach’s alpha > .9), and the MSEC exhibited adequate test-retest reliability after a three- and nine-months follow up period. The MSEC results positively correlated with the ATEC communication subscale, providing support for construct validity. Moreover, MSEC scores were significantly different for children of different ASD severity levels confirming the known groups validity. Conclusions: This study represents the first step toward the development of an instrument to measure mental synthesis in children with ASD. Although the current empirical evaluation demonstrated strong evidence of excellent psychometric properties, such as validity and reliability, additional studies should be performed to replicate these findings.

Background and Objective: China has managed to control the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) with confinement measurements and treatment strategies, while other countries are struggling to contain the spread. This study discusses the guidelines related to COVID-19 in China in order to provide important references for other countries in the fight against COVID-19. Methods: Chinese guidelines relevant to COVID-19 were systematically searched via the China National Knowledge Infrastructure database, YiMaiTong database, and World Health Organization (WHO) COVID-19 database on March 20^th, 2020. Guideline information was extracted, including date of publication, source, objectives and the target population. Guidelines specific to the pharmacological treatment of COVID-19 were further investigated to identify the types of antivirus drugs recommended and to report on how treatment recommendations for COVID-19 have evolved overtime. Results: A total of 114 guidelines were identified, of which 87 were national guidelines and 27 were regional guidelines. The scope of included guidelines consisted of: the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19, the management of hospital departments and specific diseases during the outbreak of COVID-19. Sixty-four of the included guidelines targeted all COVID-19 patients, while the remaining guidelines concentrated on special patient populations (i.e., geriatric population, pediatric population, and pregnant population) or patients with coexisting diseases. Twenty-three guidelines focused on the pharmacological treatments for all COVID-19 patients. Interferon, Lopinavir/Ritonavir, Ribavirin, Chloroquine, and Umifenovir represented the most recommended antivirus drugs. With the emergence of encouraging results from preclinical and preliminary clinical studies, Chloroquine Phosphate was recommended in the national Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol for Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia (6^th version) on February 19^th, 2020. Thereafter, more detailed guidelines regarding the adjustment of dosage regimens and the monitoring of adverse events of Chloroquine Phosphate were published. To date, 8 Chinese guidelines have recommended Chloroquine Phosphate or Hydroxychloroquine as mainstream antivirus drug for the treatment of COVID-19. Conclusions: China has generated a plethora of guidelines covering almost all aspects of COVID-19. Chloroquine, as one widely affordable treatment, holds great potential to become the gold standard choice as more clinical evidence is shared by researchers from China as well as other countries.

Probiotics are now being looked at as a possible addition to cancer treatments in both study and clinical settings. This study tries to give an overview of probiotic research as it relates to cancer, with a focus on how it might help avoid cancer, treat it, and improve the health of cancer patients. We look at developmental studies that use cell culture and animal models to look at how well probiotics work in cancer. We focus on how probiotics change the immune system, inflammation, and gut bacteria. The results of clinical studies that looked at probiotics as an add-on therapy for cancer patients are looked at to see how they affected the treatment success, side effects, and quality of life of the patients. We look at the possible benefits of probiotics for certain types of cancer, such as colorectal cancer, breast cancer, and stomach tumors. We also find the best probiotic strains for each type of cancer. We also look at the synergistic benefits of combining probiotics with standard cancer treatments like chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy to improve the effectiveness of treatment and lower side effects. Lastly, we talk about the present problems and future directions of probiotic research for cancer. We focus on personalized methods, ideal doses and treatment plans, finding signs of treatment success, and making probiotic-based therapies. By learning more about how probiotics could be used to treat cancer, we can create personalized, successful, and well-tolerated probiotic treatments to improve cancer outcomes.

The patellofemoral joint (PFJ) is a complex articulation between the patella and the femur, in-volved in the extensor mechanism of the knee. Patellofemoral disorders can be classified into ob-jective patellar instability, potential patellar instability, and patellofemoral pain syndrome. An-atomical factors such as trochlear dysplasia, patella alta, and tibial tuberosity-trochlear groove (TT-TG) distance contribute to instability. Patellofemoral instability can result in various types of dislocations, and the frequency of dislocation can be categorized as recurrent, habitual, or per-manent. Primary patellar dislocation requires diagnostic framing, including physical examina-tion and imaging. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is essential for assessing the extent of damage, such as bone bruises, osteochondral fractures, and medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) rupture. Treatment options for primary dislocation include urgent surgery for oste-ochondral fragments or conservative treatment for cases without lesions. Follow-up after treat-ment involves imaging screening and assessing principal and secondary factors of instability. Detecting and addressing these factors is crucial for preventing recurrent dislocations and opti-mizing patient outcomes.

Introduction: Myasthenia gravis (MG), an immune disorder affecting nerve-muscle transmission, often necessitates tailored therapies to alleviative longitudinal symptom fluctuations. Here, we aimed to examine and compare the treatment cycle intervals and efficacy of efgartigimod in four patients. This case series mainly offers insights into personalized treatment cycle intervals and efficacy of efgartigimod for patients with MG in our facility in Japan. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed four patients with MG (2 patients with early-onset, 1 with late-onset, and 1 with seronegative MG, mainly managed with oral immunosuppressants as prior treatments) who completed four or more cycles of efgartigimod treatment from January 2022 to September 2023. We focused on changes in serum immunoglobulin (IgG) level, acetylcholine receptor antibody (AChR-Ab) titer, and quantitative MG (QMG) score. Results: Efgartigimod, administered at a median of 5.0 [IQR 5.0, 7.5] weeks between cycles, led to decreased serum IgG level in all patients and reduced AChR-Ab titers in seropositive patients. All patients showed sustained MG symptom improvement, with considerably reduced QMG scores before efgartigimod treatment. None of the patients required rescue medications or developed treatment-related adverse events. Conclusion: Customized efgartigimod administration intervals effectively enhanced clinical outcomes in patients with MG without notable symptom fluctuations, demonstrating the benefits of individualized treatment approaches and validating the safety of efgartigimod during the study period.

Crystalline silver thin layers were obtained by high-energy pulsed laser ablation without heating of the deposition substrate. The fluid Plateau-Rayleigh (PRI), Rayleigh – Taylor (RTI) and Richtmyer – Meshkov (RMI) instabilities, as well as crown splash induced during pulsed laser deposition (PLD) in high energy regime, resulting in ring and pearl shaped structures, offer the benefit of increased sorption surface. These morphological structures obtained for the silver thin layers make them of interest for catalytic applications. The study presented with this work addresses both the fundamental and applied issues on the morphological structures obtained for the silver thin layer and their catalytic function in organic processes. In this sense, the catalytic action of the thin silver layer was highlighted by modifications of the Reactive Blue 21 dye (C.I.) in aqueous solution with sodium bicarbonate. Specific investigations and analyzes were carried out by electron microscopy and elemental analysis (SEM-EDX), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and profilometry, mass spectrometry, ablation plasma diagnosis, diffractograms (XRD), as well as IR spectroscopy (FTIR). In addition to the experimental investigation and analyzes, simulation of the ionization energy threshold was conducted in COMSOL for complementary evaluation on the involved processes and phenomena.

SARS-CoV-2 is severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 which induces severe pneumonia that has considerable death rate. In this article, we summarised the evolution of SARS CoV-2 from alpha to omicron variant. The origin, transmission capability, and innate immunity potential of the Omicron variety remain unknown in the aftermath of its appearance. It's also unclear whether further varieties based on Omicron may emerge in the future. However, there is no question that the Omicron version of SARS-CoV-2 would not be the last. The COVID-19 pandemic has become more difficult to control due to the constant appearance of new SARS-CoV-2 mutations. We have discussed about the epidemiology, treatment plans for SARS CoV-2 and preventive strategies for future pandemic.

Hip fractures are the most frequently treated fractures in the world. Of these, intertrochanteric fractures (ITFs) account for almost 50%. After surgical fixation of ITFs, nonunion is rare. Nonunions are commonly produced from mal-reduction (in varus) and/or inadequate stability of the bone-implant construct and/or fatigue failure of the implants. Other causes of nonunion include posteromedial comminution and osteoporosis. The published incidence of ITF nonunion is 1%-2%. Mechanical complications of ITFs include cut-out, excessive shortening of the proximal femur, delayed union, nonunion, early implant fracture, nail toggle and cut through/medial migration. That is why a fundamental goal in the treatment of ITFs is to achieve stable fixation in osteoporotic bone, allowing early weight bearing. Intraoperative determination of fracture stability is essential. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) clinical practice guidelines for the management of intertrochanteric fractures (ITF) in patients older than 55 years are the following: 1) In patients with stable ITF, the use of either a sliding hip screw (SHS) or a cephalomedullary nail (CMN) is advised (strong strength of evidence). 2) In patients with reverse obliquity fractures, a CMN is recommended (strong strength of evidence). 3) Patients with unstable ITF should be treated with a CMN (strong strength of evidence). 4) In patients with ITF, a short or long CMN may be considered (limited strength of evidence).

Thin film transistors (TFTs) using In-Ga-Zn Oxide (IGZO) as active layer and the gate insulator was treated with NH3 plasma and N2O plasma, respectively, which is fabricated on flexible PI substrate in this work. The performance of IGZO TFTs with different plasma species and treatment time are investigated and compared. The experiment results show that the plasma species and treatment time play an important role in the threshold voltage, field-effect mobility, Ion/Ioff ratio, sub-threshold swing (SS) and bias stress stability of the devices. The TFT with a 10 seconds NH3 plasma treatment shows the best performance; specifically, threshold voltage of 0.34 V, field-effect mobility of 15.97 cm2/Vs, Ion/Ioff ratio of 6.33×107, and sub-threshold swing of 0.36 V/dec. The proposed flexible IGZO-TFTs in this paper can be used as driving devices in the next-generation flexible displays.

(1) Methadone is a chiral synthetic opioid primarily used to treat heroin and prescription-opioid addiction: the (R)-enantiomer (Levomethadone) activates the µ-opioid receptor more potently than the (S)-enantiomer, which is a more potent blocker of the hERG potassium channels, resulting in QTc prolongation. The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of methadone on the QTc interval and to investigate the benefits of Levomethadone. (2) The electrocardiograms of 165 patients taking methadone at various dosages and for different periods of time were examined: the QTc value was manually measured and then adjusted using Bazett's formula. (3) Data analysis revealed a linear association between the dosage of methadone and QTc length; no correlation was found between the QTc value and gender, age, or duration of therapy. 14% of the sample (23 patients) showed a prolongation of the QTc interval. 10 of the 23 patients with QTc elongation underwent a change of therapy from Methadone to Levomethadone: in 90% of these patients, a normalization in the QTc length was established. (4) This study confirmed the role of methadone, specifically its dosage, in QTc prolongation and the efficiency of Levomethadone as an adequate therapeutic substitute in these circumstances. This study validates the importance of a careful electrocardiographic monitoring in methadone-treated patients.

African swine fever (ASF) is a notifiable viral disease of domestic and wild suids. Despite intensive re-search efforts, the pathogenesis of the disease is still far from being understood. Analysis of biomarkers in different body fluids may supplement traditional pathogenesis studies. As reliable protocols are often es-tablished in laboratories with lower biosafety, reliable inactivation of samples is crucial. The objective of this study was to find a procedure that inactivates the virus while preserving the biomarkers for down-stream analyses. To this means, three different inactivation protocols were employed, namely Tergitol-type NP-40 (NP-40) and polyoxyethylene-p-t-octylphenol (Triton X-100), respectively, and one with 95 °C heating. It could be demonstrated that all samples treated with 0.5% (v/v) concentration of both deter-gents showed absence of virus infectivity. The same was true for heated samples. However, heated serum was not suitable for analyses. Next, the treatment impact on biomarker readouts was assessed. While all protocols had an impact on the detection of biomarkers, correlation was retained. Especially NP-40 could be the desired detergent for more accurate measurements while achieving efficient virus inactivation. Based on these studies, samples can be reliably inactivated for most biomarker analyses and thus broader interdisciplinary cooperation is possible.

The aim of this research involves investigating the elimination of nitrogen ions from groundwater through the application of dynamic permeable reactive barriers (PRB) utilizing A400-nZVI. The aim also implyies determining barrier parameters, as well as assessing the overall retention capacity of nitrogen ions through percolation with a potassium nitrate solution. The research involves obtaining zero valent iron nanoparticles (nZVI), which were synthesized and doped onto an anionic resin support material (A400) through the reduction reaction of ferrous ions with sodium borohydride (NaBH4). This was achieved by preparing a ferrous sulfate solution, contacting it with the ion exchange resin at various solid-liquid mass ratios, and gradually adding sodium borohydride under continuous stirring in an oxygen-free environment to create the A400-nZVI barrier. The outcomes of this study, focusing on the development of permeable reactive barriers composed of nanovalent iron and ion exchangers, demonstrate significant potential in purification processes when appropriately dimensioned. The research specifically evaluated the efficacy of NO3- removal using the A400-nZVI permeable reactive barrier, conducting laboratory tests that simulated a naturally stratified aquifer with high nitrate contamination.

Abstract: (1) Background and rationale: To validate the reported therapeutic coverage, a lymphatic filariasis post-mass drug administration (MDA) campaign survey was conducted in the Lukonga health zone from 10 June to 15 July 2023. (2) Materials and methods: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study conducted at the community level in 30 villages in the Lukonga health zone from 10 June to 15 July 2023. The study population included all individuals from the visited com-munities. The study variables included age, sex, drug use (ivermectin + albendazole), adverse events, and adherence to MDA guidelines for supervised drug use. Questionnaires were administered on Android phones using the SurveyCTO platform. Stata version 17 was used for data analysis. (3) Results: Of the 1092 respondents, 54.8% were female and one-third were between the ages of 5 and 14. Two-thirds of the households surveyed, or 64%, had more than six people living in them, and 1031 individuals, or 94%, reported being present during the community mass drug distribution. Notably, 678 individuals, or 66%, reported taking the drugs offered, and 66.4% of those who took the drugs reported doing so in the presence of drug distributors. Thus, the survey coverage was 65.7% [95% CI: 62.9–68.7]. The results of this study show that the survey coverage was above the 65% threshold recommended by the WHO but below the 82.3% reported by the Lukonga health zone. The main reason for non-compliance was a fear of ivermectin-related side effects (47%). Supervised or directly observed treatment was not adhered to (66.4%). (4) Discussion and conclusions: Key challenges to further increase treatment coverage include assessing data quality, building capacity, motivating drug distributors, improving data reporting tools, proper recording by drug distributors, and ac-curate reporting on non-residents who take the drugs during the MDA. In addition, harmonization of the numerator for calculating drug coverage in the health zone is critical.

Shanghai is experiencing water supply problems caused by heavy pollution of its raw water supply, deficiencies in its treatment processes and water quality deteoriation in the distribution system. However, little attention has been paid these problems of water quality in raw water, water treatment and household drinking water. Based on water quality data we show that the raw water sources of the Huangpu River and the Changjiang (Yangtze River) estuary are polluted by microbes (TBC), eutrophication (TP, TN and NH3-N), heavy metals (Fe, Mn and Hg) and organic contamination (chemical oxygen demand [COD], detergent and volatile phenols [VP]). The average concentrations of these contaminants in the Huangpu River are almost double that of the Changjiang estuary forcing a rapid shift to the Changjiang estuary for raw water. In spite of filtering and treatment, TN, NH3-N, Fe, COD and chlorine maxima of the treated water and drinking water still exceed the Chinese National Standard (GB5749). We determine that the relevant threats from water source to household water in Shanghai are: 1) eutrophication arising from highly concentrated TN, TP, COD and algal density in the raw water; 2) increasing salinity in the river estuary, especially at the Qingcaosha Reservoir (currently the major freshwater source for Shanghai); 3) more than 50% of organic constituents and by-products remain in treated water; 4) bacteria and turbidity increase in the course of water delivery to users. The analysis presents an holistic assessment of the water quality threats to metropolitan Shanghai in relation to the city’s rapid development.

To achieve the required mechanical properties in the heat treatment of steel, it is necessary to have an adequate cooling rate and to achieve the desired final temperature of the product. This should be achieved with one cooling unit for different product sizes. In order to provide high variability of the cooling system, different types of nozzles are used in modern cooling systems. Designers often use simplified, inaccurate correlations to predict the heat transfer coefficient, resulting in oversizing of the designed cooling or failure to provide the required cooling regime. This typically results in longer commissioning times and higher manufacturing costs of the new cooling system. Accurate information about the required cooling regime and the heat transfer coefficient of the designed cooling is critical. This paper presents a design approach based on laboratory measurements. Firstly, the way to find or validate the required cooling regime is presented. The paper then focuses on nozzle selection and presents laboratory measurements that provide accurate heat transfer coefficients as a function of position and surface temperature for different cooling configurations. Numerical simulations using the measured heat transfer coefficients allow the optimum design to be found for different product sizes.

Arsenic is naturally present in many geological formations around the world and is a major source of groundwater contamination. Bolivia is not exempt from this problem. Physical-chemical studies of water quality in deep and shallow wells have determined the presence of arsenic in some areas of the Bolivian Altiplano, valleys, and plains. In the Lake Poopó basin, water from shallow wells (up to 30 m) has arsenic concentrations that exceed the Bolivian drinking water standard and the WHO recommendation of 10 μg-As/l by up to 25 times. In peri-urban areas of Cochabamba, the arsenic content in groundwater is up to 113 μg-As/l. chronic exposure to arsenic is associated with neurological and dermatological problems and carcinogenic effects. To date, no measures have been taken to mitigate the arsenic problem for the rural population, who often rely on arsenic-contaminated water as their only source of drinking water. This contamination represents a serious threat to the health and economic well-being of the inhabitants and ecosystem in these areas. In this work, for arsenic removal, iron and iron oxide nanoparticles obtained from recycling metal chips by top-down and bottom-up technology have been used for arsenic adsorption in an experimental filter combined with other artisanal filtering materials in the form of layers. The results have shown that water contaminated with arsenic after passing through the filter reduces the concentration of total arsenic filtered from 83, 52 ppb to less than 5 ppb, less than the Bolivian standard 512 of 10 ppb for drinking water.

Globally, an approximate of 380,000 patients succumbed to death due to the pandemic COVID-19 which also infected more than six million people since December 2019. Not sparing anyone, COVID-19 infections are widely reported among healthcare professionals, sanitation workers and researchers too while global leaders and various governments are providing their best in defending their citizens against this airborne and contact spread virus. In order to contain the virus and protect millions of lives from this deadly coronavirus, there is a need to have a combination of advanced engineering technology and medical facilities. Application of applied science, engineering and technology diffuse almost every aspect of contemporary living. Grasping the fundamentals to determine humanity's most imperative and forthcoming challenges is essential. Artificial Intelligence, the technology that learns, adapts and reciprocates the actions according to the situations, finds optimum position in the fight against corona virus and acts as a powerful tool against this pandemic. In this research article, the authors discusses how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be leveraged to fight the deadly virus. The research paper further discusses the efficient utilization of AI across the globe to help in testing, treating and serving the population in these hard times. This manuscript focuses on the potential impact of the process in which AI can be implemented to prevent, test and treat.

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) is widely used for studying proteins and protein-containing objects. However, it is employed most frequently as a qualitative method rather than a quantitative one. In this paper, we show the feasibility of routine digital image acquisition and mathematical processing of electrophoregrams for protein quantification. Both the well-studied model protein molecules (bovine serum albumin) and more complex real-world protein-based products (casein-containing isolate for sports nutrition), which were subjected to mechanical activation in a planetary ball mill to obtain samples characterized by different protein denaturation degrees, were used as study objects. Protein quantification in the mechanically activated samples was carried out. The degree of destruction of individual protein was shown to be higher compared to that of protein-containing mixture after mechanical treatment for an identical amount of time. The methodological approach used in this study can serve as guidance for other researchers who would like to use electrophoresis for protein quantification both in individual form and in protein mixtures. The findings prove that photographic imaging of gels followed by mathematical data processing can be applied for analyzing the electrophoretic data.

The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of converting potato peel waste into bio ethanol using an in-house produced multi-enzyme preparation. To achieve this, a variety of pre-treatment strategies, including thermal, chemical, and thermo-chemical methods, were applied to the potato peels. These included boiling for 30 and 60 min, steam at varying pressures and times, and different concentrations of chemicals such as H2SO4, HNO3, CH3COOH, HCl, NaOH, Ca(OH)2, KOH, NH3, and H2O2, either alone or in combination with steam. The pre-treated potato peels were then enzymatically hydrolyzed using a crude multi-enzyme cocktail derived from solid-state fermentation of wheat bran by a natural variety of Aspergillus niger P-19, containing cellulases, hemicellulases, pectinase, and amylases. The most effective pre-treatment combination was found to be 3% H2SO4 followed by steam under pressure and enzymatic hydrolysis using the crude multi-enzyme preparation. This combination resulted in the highest yield of reducing sugars (141.04 ±12.31 g/l) with a 98.49% carbohydrate conversion at a 20% substrate loading, giving an ethanol yield of 43.2 g/l. Furthermore, supplementing the medium with peptone, (NH4)(H2PO4), and ZnSO4 at 0.1%w/v each with 22% and 24% solid, respectively, resulted in appreciable yields of 51.67 and 54.75 g/l, further enhancing the ethanol yield.

Pollutants accumulate in aquatic habitats as a result of mining activities. Lemna gibba and Lemna minor were used in this study to examine the accumulation capacities of Mo+, Pb+, and Cu++ in the acid fluids of the copper mining. Duckweed family includes water plants like L. minor and L. gibba. These are tiny, delicate, free-floating aquatic plants. Two reactors were assigned to L. gibba and L. minor, respectively. Throughout the course of eight days, these plants and reactor water were gathered every day. The acid mine water's pH, temperature, and electric conductivity were also tested every day. The L. gibba and L. minor were cleaned, dehydrated, and burned in a drying oven for a whole day at 300 oC. ICP-MS (Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy) was used to determine the Mo+, Pb+, and Cu++ content of the plant and water samples. The concentrations of Mo, Pb, and Cu in the acid mine fluids of the copper mining were 30±4, 260±12, and 15535±322 μg L−1, respectively.in that order. When it came to extracting Mo, Pb, and Cu from the acidic fluids of the copper mining, L. gibba and L. minor performed well and efficiently compared to control samples; they did so 29 and 177 times for Mo, 30 and 109 times for Pb, and 495 and 1150 times for Cu. Considering all these findings, it has been shown that L. gibba and L. minor have the ability to efficiently remove Mo, Pb and Cu in acid mine fluids and can be good rehabilitation plants for polluted waters.

Background The evolution of treatment patterns in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) warrants investigation into the impact of patients’ adherence to anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment on visual outcomes. This retrospective, non-randomized, non-comparative study aimed to investigate real-world adherence to anti-VEGF treatment. Methods Patients (eyes) (≥ 50 years) with a diagnosis of nAMD who had a first injection of aflibercept or ranibizumab between January 2016 and December 2018 and 12 months of follow-up were included. Visual acuity (VA; logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution letters) and duration of injection intervals were recorded. Adherence was defined as < 20% of visits deviating from the schedule by ≥ 14 days. Results Overall, 133 patient eyes were included: 129 adherent, 4 non-adherent. Mean (± standard deviation) baseline VA was 57.0 (± 23.6) and 53.8 (± 35.3) letters in adherent and non-adherent patient eyes, respectively. Mean change in VA by month 12 was higher in adherent (6.3 letters) than non-adherent patient eyes (−11 letters). In non-adherent patient eyes, no improvement in VA was recorded following completion of the loading period (month 3). Compared with the previous visit, adherent visits were associated with a mean increase in VA of 0.67 letters and non-adherent visits with a decrease of 2.30 letters. Conclusions These results emphasize the importance of adherence to appropriate dosing regimens to optimize visual outcomes in patients with nAMD.

Spinal cord tumors, though rare, present formidable challenges in clinical management due to their intricate nature. Traditional treatment modalities like surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy have been the mainstay for managing these tumors. However, despite significant advancements, challenges persist, including the limitations of surgical resection and the potential side effects associated with radiation therapy. In response to these limitations, a wave of innovative approaches is reshaping the treatment landscape for spinal cord tumors. Advancements in gene therapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy are offering groundbreaking possibilities. Gene therapy holds the potential to modify the genes responsible for tumor growth, while immunotherapy harnesses the body's own immune system to fight cancer cells. Targeted therapy aims to strike a specific vulnerability within the tumor cells, offering a more precise and potentially less toxic approach. Additionally, novel surgical adjuncts are being explored to improve visualization and minimize damage to surrounding healthy tissue during tumor removal. These developments pave the way for a future of personalized medicine for spinal cord tumors. By delving deeper into the molecular makeup of individual tumors, doctors can tailor treatment strategies to target specific mutations and vulnerabilities. This personalized approach offers the potential for more effective interventions with fewer side effects, ultimately leading to improved patient outcomes and a better quality of life. This evolving landscape of spinal cord tumor management signifies the crucial integration of established and innovative strategies to create a brighter future for patients battling this complex condition.

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) electric wires were subjected to dechlorination in subcritical water at three different temperatures in a high-pressure reactor. About 2.09, 73.08 and 95.96 wt. % of chlorine in PVC wires was removed during dechlorination at 200, 250 and 300 °C, respectively. The solid residues were analyzed and characterized by thermogravimetry, at three different heating rates (5, 10 and 20 °C/min) in inert and oxidizing atmosphere. With the purpose of studying the emission of chlorinated pollutants, pyrolysis experiments at 850 °C were also performed in a laboratory scale reactor with the dechlorinated materials, as well as with the original PVC electric wire. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) formation increased, but chlorobenzenes (ClBz) and chlorophenols (ClPh) formation decreased as the temperature of dechlorination increased; naphthalene was the most abundant PAH and monochlorobenzene and monochlorinated phenols (3-+4-) were the most abundant chlorinated compounds.

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease with a high morbidity burden. Incidence of this disease is rising due to the increasing number of antibiotic-resistant strains. Neisseria gonorrhoeae has shown an extraordinary ability to develop resistance to all antimicrobials introduced for its treatment. In fact, it was recently classified as a “Priority 2” microorganism in the WHO Global Priority List of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria to Guide Research, Discovery and Development of New Antibiotics. Seeing as there is no gonococcal vaccine, control of the disease relies entirely on prevention, diagnosis and, especially, antibiotic treatment. Different health organizations worldwide have established treatment guidelines against gonorrhea, mostly consisting in dual therapy with a single oral or intramuscular dose. However, gonococci continue to develop resistances to all antibiotics introduced for treatment. In fact, the first strain of super-resistant N. gonorrhoeae was recently detected in the United Kingdom, which was resistant to ceftriaxone and azithromycin. This increasing detection of resistant gonococcal strains may lead to a situation where gonorrhea becomes untreatable. Seeing as drug resistance appears to be unstoppable, new treatment options are necessary in order to control the disease. Three approaches are currently being followed for the development of new therapies against drug-resistant gonococci: (1) novel combinations of already existing antibiotics, (2) development of new antibiotics and (3) development of alternative therapies which might slow down the appearance of resistances. N. gonorrhoeae is a public health threat due to the increasing number of antibiotic-resistant strains. Current treatment guidelines are already being challenged by this Superbug. This has lead the scientific community to develop new antibiotics and alternative therapies in order to control this disease.

A drug repositioning effort supported the possible use of the anti-HIV drug etravirine as a treatment for Friedreich Ataxia (FRDA). Etravirine increases frataxin protein and corrects the biochemical defects in cells derived from FRDA patients. Because of these findings, and since etravirine displays a favorable safety profile, we conducted this pilot open-label phase 2 clinical trial assessing the safety and potential efficacy of etravirine in FRDA patients. Thirty-five patients were stratified into 3 severity groups and randomized to etravirine 200 mg/day or 400 mg/day. They were treated for 4 months. Efficacy endpoints were represented by changes in peak oxygen uptake and workload as measured by incremental exercise test, SARA score, cardiac measures, measures of QoL and disability. Data were collected 4 months before the start of the treatment (T-4), at the start (T0), at the end (T4) and 4 months after the termination of the treatment (T+4). Etravirine was well tolerated. Etravirine completely stopped the progression of the SARA score during the 4-months treatment period, compared to the 4 months pre and post treatment. It increased peak workload, while the improvement of peak oxygen uptake was not statistically significant. No changes in the cardiac measures were observed. Health and QoL measures showed a worsening at the suspension of the drug. In this open trial etravirine significantly improved neurological function and was generally safe and reasonably tolerated. This suggests that etravirine represents a potential therapeutic agent in FRDA deserving testing in a randomized placebo controlled clinical trial.

The opioid epidemic is an ongoing public health crisis, and the United States health system is overwhelmed with increasing numbers of opioid-related overdoses. Methocinnamox (MCAM) is a novel mu-opioid receptor antagonist with an extended duration of action and potential to reduce the burden of the opioid epidemic through overdose rescue and could treat opioid use disorder (OUD) long-term. We compared the efficacy and effects of MCAM to the current treatments available to treat OUD including naloxone, naltrexone, methadone, and buprenorphine which have their own limitations including short duration of action, patient non-compliance, and diversion. A literature review was conducted using PubMed and Google Scholar databases covering the history of the opioid epidemic, pain receptors, current OUD treatments and the novel drug MCAM. MCAM could potentially be used as both a rescue and long-term treatment for opioid misuse. This is due to its pseudo-irreversible antagonism of the mu opioid receptor, abnormally long duration of action of nearly two weeks, and the possibility of using kappa or delta opioid receptor agonists for pain management during OUD treatment. MCAM’s novel pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties open a new avenue for treating the opioid crisis.

Background: Resistance to antimalarial drugs often used in emerging countries, including combination therapies, has forced scientists to search for and develop drugs with novel mechanisms of action, especially resistance to Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax, which are highly prevalent in Southeast Asia, Africa, and South America. Objective: evaluate whether there is a relationship between urinalysis and resistance to in-hospital treatment of malaria in Angola. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional, prospective study with a quantitative approach. Results: of the 214 patients, the resistance rate was 24.1%, men (53.6%), between 21 and 40 years old (72.7%), employees (46.4%), from peri-urban regions (77.7%), treated with artemether (90.9), with high parasitemia (57.7%) and after 5 days of treatment, remained hospitalized (61.4%). Was a significant relationship between resistance in unemployed individuals [OR: 0.03 (95% CI: 0.01-0.29), p =0.003] and high levels of parasitemia [OR: 1.09 (95% CI: 1.09-3.95), p=0.040], remained hospitalized for more than 5 days [OR: 5.28 (95% CI: 0.65-43.1), p=0.121] and death [OR: 2.59 (95% CI: 0.32-20.9), p=0.371] when compared with other subgroups. Was a significant relationship between resistance to clear urine [OR: 5.55 (95% CI: 0.72-42.7), p =0.016], few urinary crystals [OR: 11.3 (95% CI: 5.07-25.3), p <0.001] and who presented some microorganisms that were not bacteria or fungi [OR: 3.02 (95% CI: 1 .32-6.90), p=0.009]. Conclusion: urine results, especially the appearance of cloudy urine, the presence of few crystals, and the presence of other microorganisms that are not bacteria or fungi, may be clear signs of resistance to hospital treatment with injectable antimalarials.

Climate change, increasing global food needs, and decreasing global resources brought a new era to human every-day live with a strong turn to circular economy and sustainability. Food packaging and preservation is an important global sector where enchanced research is carried out. New methods such as active packaging and chemical preservatives replacement are of major interest. Many researchers were published studies about active packaging films, replacement of chemical preservatives with natural originated extracts, and novel incorporation procedures. Sequentially to our and other scientists’ previous work, in this paper we present the results of the improvement which was achieved by incorporating the developed nanohybrid of natural-halloysite/carvacrol-extract, the pure natural carvacrol extract and the commonly used low-density-polyethylene. The well known corona-treatment procedure was employed to produced the optimum final film and the results shown that the low-density-polyethylene incorporated with natural-halloysite/carvacrol-extract nanohybrid and coated external with extra carvacrol extract exhibited aproximatelly 100% higher Young-Modulus values, slightly decreased ultimate strength by 20%, and almost stable elonation at break properties. The water-vapor and oxygen barrier increased by 40%. Finally, the antioxidant activity of the corrona-treated film increased by 28% compared to the similar but untreated product because of the lower release rate of the carvacrol.

As the problem of traction injuries to brachial plexus is a common one and of high socio-economic significance, the analysis of the surgical outcomes in patients with this pathology is significant for neurosurgery, neurology, traumatology-orthopedics, and rehabilitation. The aim of the research is to compare the short-term outcomes of using various surgical methods for managing patients with closed traction injuries of brachial plexus. Material and methods. The research involved 61 patients with closed traction injury of brachial plexus divided into two groups homogeneous in sex, age and severity of their neurological deficit: Group I – 33 patients who underwent microsurgical neurolysis, Group II – 28 patients who underwent microsurgical neurolysis combined with one-level electrostimulation. The dynamic assessment of clinical and functional status of upper limbs was performed using scale methods and electrophysiological monitoring. Results. The research revealed a more evident recovery of the upper limb function in Group II patients suggesting the method of microsurgical neurolysis combined with electrostimulation to be preferable in case of closed traction injuries to brachial plexus. Conclusion. The combination of microsurgical neurolysis with one-level electrostimulation improves the short-term outcomes of surgical treatment in patients with closed traction injuries of brachial plexus due to a sooner decrease in pain in postoperative period, and positive dynamics of clinical and electrophysiological parameters.

Neuropathic pain is caused by a lesion or disease of the somatosensory system and is one of the most incapacitating pain types, representing a significant non met medical need. Due to the increase in research in the field and since innovative therapeutic strategies are required, namely in intractable neuropathic pain, neurostimulation has been used. Within this approaches, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) that uses a transient magnetic field to produce electrical currents over the cortex emerges in the literature. Since this is an area in expansion and due to the putative role of TMS, we performed a bibliometric analysis in Scopus with the primary objective of identify the scientific production related to the use of TMS to manage neuropathic pain. The research had no restrictions and the analysis focused on the characteristics of the literature retrieved, scientific collaboration and main research topics from inception to July 6, 2023. A total of 474 articles were collected. A biggest co-occurrence between the terms “neuropathic pain” and “transcranial magnetic stimulation” was obtained. The journal “Clinical Neurophysiology” leads the Top 5 most productive sources. The United States is the most productive country with 50% of the documents being “review articles” followed by France with 56% of the documents being “original articles”. Lefaucheur, JP and Saitoh, Y are the two most influents authors. The most frequent type of documents was “original article”. This study allows to perform a general overview in the field of TMS application for neuropathic pain and is useful to establish future directions of research in this field.

In this paper, we describe the surface modification of Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) through plasma treatment process. Several parameters including different active gases; RF power; dis-tance between the plasma source and sample; and plasma duration were optimized to reduce the hydrophobic nature of PTFE. Three different active gases were used [i.e., N2, O2 and (Ar+H2)], in which N2 was effective to reduce the hydrophobicity of PTFE within shorter plasma duration of 2 minutes. Several surface characterizations including ATR-FTIR, water contact angle, FE-SEM and XPS were utilized to verify the neat and modified PTFE surface after plasma treatment. The plasma treatment using N2 as an active gas improved the wettability of PTFE membrane, show-ing a water contact angle of 108° when compared with the neat PTFE (140°). The SEM images of plasma treated PTFE shows greater modifications on the surface indicating non-uniform fiber alignment and torn fibers at several places. The obtained results confirm the fact that plasma treatment is an effective way to modify the PTFE surface without altering its bulk property.

Cognitive rehabilitation is useful for many after traumatic brain injury (TBI), but we lack critical knowledge about which patients benefit the most from different approaches. Advanced neuroimaging techniques have provided important insight into brain pathology and systems plasticity after TBI and have potential to inform new practices in cognitive rehabilitation. In this study, we aimed to identify candidate structural brain measures with relevance for rehabilitation of cognitive control (executive) function after TBI. Twenty-eight patients (9 female, mean age 40.5 (SD = 13.04) years) with moderate/severe TBI (>21 months since injury) that participated in a randomized controlled cognitive rehabilitation trial (NCT02692352) were included in the analyses. Regional brain volume was extracted from T1-weighted MRI scans before treatment using tensor-based morphometry. Both positive and negative associations between treatment outcome (everyday cognitive control function) and regional brain volume were observed. The most robust structural brain measures with relevance for improvement in function were observed in midline fronto-parietal regions, including the anterior and posterior cingulate cortices. The study pro-vides proof of concept and valuable insight for planning future studies focusing on neuroimaging in cognitive rehabilitation after TBI.

Introduction In sacubitril-valsartan (sacub/v), the effects of an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) exerted by valsartan are strengthened by the addition of sacubitril, an inhibitor of neutral endopeptidases. PARADIGM - HF study proved this association to be superior to enalapril in reducing both all-cause death and cardiovascular mortality, as well as heart failure (HF) hospitalizations in patients with cardiac insufficiency and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction( HFREF) belonging to NYHA class II-IV. To test whether even in our experience sacub/v is associated with favorable outcomes concerning mortality and morbidity, an outpatient small population of HFREF patients was retrospectively studied, of whom one third was treated with sacub/v instead of conventional therapy with ACE -inhibitors or ARBs. Methods A retrospective cohort study was carried out to assess the effects of sacub/v in addition to beta-blocker and mineral receptor antagonist (MRA) in a group of HFREF patients in NYHA classes II-III compared with conventional therapy (comprising ACE inhibitor or ARB added to beta-blocker plus a MRA) administered in a second group of HFREF patients with comparable clinical features retrospectively enrolled as controls. In the two groups, the therapeutic regimen was established in accordance with the preferences of the treating physician. Additionally, in both groups, evidence-based drug therapy was supplemented by the adjunct of a loop diuretic, usually furosemide, at variable doses. The primary outcomes of interest were all-cause death and HF hospitalizations. Safety outcomes were symptomatic hypotension, angioedema, hyperkalemia and worsening renal function. Results Mortality at six months was 6.8% in patients under therapy with sacub/v versus 34% in those treated with conventional therapy (odds ratio[OR] = 0.14; 95% CI: 0.04-0.49). Moreover, HF hospitalizations in the observation period considered were 4.5% in sacub/v group versus 59% in the conventional therapy group (OR = 0.03; 95% CI: 0.01–0.14). Safety outcomes included in our study (angioedema, hyperkalemia, hypotension and worsening renal function) showed a comparable profile in the two groups, with evidence of good tolerability of sacub/v , except for the side - effect " hypotension" (PAS < 100 mm Hg) , found in 15.9% of patients under sacub/v versus 5.7% reported in controls (OR = 3.14; 95% CI: 0.94–10.55). Conclusions In our experience, sacub/v has yielded a strong protection against both all-cause death and HF hospitalizations at six months , in the absence of significant noxious side effects. Nevertheless, considering the retrospective character of the study and the relatively exiguous sample size, further post marketing observational studies would be desirable . In particular, studies aiming at exploring safety of the new pharmacologic principle, namely mainly focusing on hypotension and angioedema, are warranted, in order to validate further this very efficacious molecule for therapy of chronic HF, especially stable HFREF in NYHA classes II-III.

Statins prevent cardiovascular diseases, yet their use is limited by the muscle disturbances they cause. Rarely, statin-induced myopathy is autoimmune, but more commonly it is due to direct muscle toxicity. Available evidence suggests that statin-induced creatine deficiency may be a major cause of this toxicity, and that creatine supplementation prevents it. Statins inhibit guanidinoacetate methyl transferase (GAMT), the last enzyme in the synthesis of creatine, thus they decrease its intracellular content. Such decreased content could cause mitochondrial impairment, since creatine is the final acceptor of the phosphate group of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) at the end of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. Decreased cellular synthesis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) would follow. Accordingly, ATP synthesis is decreased in statin-treated cells. In vitro, creatine supplementation prevents the opening of mitochondrial permeability transition pore caused by statins. Clinically, creatine administration prevents statin myopathy in statin-intolerant patients. Additional research is warranted to hopefully confirm these findings. However, creatine is widely used by athletes with no adverse events, and has demonstrated to be safe even in double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of elder individuals. Thus, it should be trialed, under medical supervision, in patients who cannot assume statin due to the occurrence of muscular symptoms.

Cellulose in the nano regime, defined as nanocellulose, has been intensively used for water treatment. Nanocellulose can be produced in various forms including colloidal, water-re-dispersible powders, films, membranes, nano papers, hydrogels/aerogels, and three-dimensional (3D) objects. They were reported for the removal of water contaminants e.g., heavy metals, dyes, drugs, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, microbial cells, and other pollutants from water systems. This review summarized the recent technologies for water treatment using nanocellulose-based materials. A scientometric analysis of the topic was also included. Cellulose-based materials enable the removal of water contaminants, and salts offer advanced technologies for water desalination. They are widely used as substrates, adsorbents, and catalysts. They were applied for pollutant removal via several methods such as adsorption, filtration, disinfection, coagulation/flocculation, chemical precipitation, sedimentation, Reverse Osmosis (RO), ultrafiltration (UF), nanofiltration (NF), electrofiltration (Electrodialysis), ion-exchange, chelation, catalysis, and photocatalysis. Processing cellulose into commercial products enables the wide use of nanocellulose-based materials as adsorbents and catalysts.

Emotional eating (EE) can be understood as a manifestation of difficulties with emotion regulation (ER) among individuals with eating disorders. Existing interventions do not always successfully treat EE. We developed a novel ER intervention based upon virtual reality to improve EE among adults with an eating disorder diagnosis. The design pivoted to non-immersive virtual delivery to increase access, particularly given heightened demand during COVID-19 for EE treatment. The study aimed to investigate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary signals of effectiveness of this novel ER protocol that utilized evidence-based strategies such as mindfulness and imagery rescripting as well as innovative techniques such as virtual reality. Twenty-one adults with a history of an eating disorder diagnosis and self-reported EE were recruited from the Adult Eating Disorders Program within Stanford University to receive seven weekly one-hour virtual experiences (VE) focusing on ER. Participants chose between the novel VE-Emotion Regulation (VE-ER) intervention or continuing with their current treatment as usual. Before and after the seven sessions, participants completed an assessment by filling out online questionnaires. Overall, VE-ER treatment was feasible (100% completion), and participant and therapist acceptability of VE-ER treatment was fairly high. In terms of preliminary effectiveness, the results showed a significant reduction in the frequencies of disordered eating behaviors in both groups, but a greater improvement in EE in the VE-ER group. The VE-ER group also had a significant reduction in emotion dysregulation after the treatment.

Salivarian trypanosomes are extracellular parasites causing anthroponotic and zoonotic infections. Anti-parasite vaccination in considered the only sustainable method for global trypanosomosis control. Unfortunately, not a single field applicable vaccine solution has been successful so far. Active destruction of the host’s adaptive immune system by trypanosomes is believed to contribute to this problem. Here we show Trypanosome brucei brucei infection results in the lasting obliteration of immunological memory, including vaccine-induced memory against non-related pathogens. Using the well-established DTPa vaccine model in combination with a T. b. brucei infection and diminazene diaceturate anti-parasite treatment scheme, our result demonstrate that while the latter ensured the full recovery from the T. b. brucei infection, it failed to restore an efficacious anti-pertussis vaccine recall response. DTPa vaccine failure coincided with a shift in the IgG1/IgG2a anti-pertussis antibody ratio in favor of the latter, and a striking impact on all spleen immune cell populations. Interestingly, an increased plasma IFNy level in DTPa vaccinated trypanosome infected mice did result in a temporary antibody-independent improvement of early-stage trypanosomosis control. In conclusion, our results are the first to show that trypanosome inflicted immune damage is permanent, and is not restored by successful anti-parasite treatment.

In 2014, the outbreak of adenoviral pneumonia occurred in Korean military training center. However, there is limited data on characteristics of fever and its response to antipyretics therapy in immunocompetent adults with adenoviral positive community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Medical records of patients who were admitted to Armed Forces Chuncheon Hospital for treatment of CAP between January 2014 and December 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. We evaluated demographics, clinico-laboratory findings and radiologic findings at admission were compared between adenovirus positive (Adv) group and adenovirus negative (non-Adv) group. Out of 251 military personnel with CAP during the study periods, 67 were classified into Adv group while 184 were Non-Adv group. Patients with Adv group had a longer duration of fever after admission and symptom onset. Adv group patients had a higher mean temperature at admission and more observed over 40 and 39 to 40℃. Adv group patients had more commonly observed no response to antipyretic treatment and adverse events after antipyretics use. Length of hospital stay had no significant difference between two groups and no patient died in both groups. In our study, Adv positive CAP in patients with immunocompetent military personnel had distinct characteristics of fever and response to antipyretic treatment.

Solid spent nuclear fuel from nuclear power plants has 3.4% fission products (80-160amu), contributing to over 99.8% radioactivity. On the other hand, liquid high-level radioactive waste (HLRW) from spent fuel reprocessing has 98.9% bulk elements (0-60amu) with 0.1% radioactivity. A separation mechanism on the mass categories as groups presents unique opportunities in managing HLRW for the long term with a considerable cost reduction. This paper proposes a thermal plasma-based separation system incorporating atmospheric pressure plasma torches for HLRW mass separation into low-resolution mass groups. Several engineering issues, such as waste preparation, waste injection into the plasma and waste collecting after mass separation, need to be addressed. Using COMSOL Multiphysics simulation, the generic system can be studied using noble gas mass separation and further analyze the mass filter capabilities. This paper provides the history of plasma-based mass separation. Functional modelling of a thermal plasma mass separation system is proposed under atmospheric pressure. Finally, aspects of mass separation simulation using noble gas Argon and Helium inside the plasma mass separation system were studied in COMSOL Multiphysics.

VarroMed® is a soft acaricide registered for honey bees on the European Union market since 2017 for Varroa control. Researchers involved were partners of different countries of the Varroa control task force of COLOSS Association. Our goal was to evaluate performances (acaricide efficacy and toxic effects on honey bees) of VarroMed® in different climatic conditions. Our results in the tested apiaries showed an efficacy ranging from 71.2 to 89.3 % in summer/autumn, and from 71.8 % to 95.6 % in winter. No toxic effects on bees were observed, except in one apiary, where severe cold climatic conditions played a crucial role. The treatment could be efficiently applied in brood right as well as in broodless colonies. Integrated pest management (IPM) recommendations for bee-keepers are provided in order to apply the best Varroa control protocol.

Purpose: To determine whether pre-surgical treatment using long-acting somatostatin analogues (SSAs) may improve surgical outcomes in acromegaly. Methods: Retrospective study of 48 patients with acromegaly operated by endoscopic transsphenoidal approach and for first time. Surgical remission was evaluated based on the 2010 criteria. Results: Most patients, 83.3% (n=40), harboured macroadenomas and 31.3% (n=15) invasive pitu-itary adenomas. Fourteen patients were treated with lanreotide LAR and 6 with octreotide LAR, median monthly doses of 97.5 [range 60-120] and 20 [range 20-30] mg, respectively, for at least 3 months preoperatively. Presurgical variables were comparable between pre-treated and un-treatred patients (P>0.05). Surgical remission was more frequent in those pre-treated with monthly doses ≥90 mg of lanre-otide or ≥30 mg of octreotide than in untreated or pre-treated with lower doses (OR=4.64, P=0.025). However, no differences were found between pre-treated and untreated patients when lower doses were included or between those treated for longer than 6 months compared to those untreated or pre-treated for shorter than 6 months. Similarly, no differences were found either in terms of surgical or endocrine complications (OR=0.65, P=0.570)), independently of the doses and the duration of SSA treatment (P>0.05). Conclusions: The dose of SSAs is a key factor during pre-surgical treatment, since the beneficial effects in surgical remission were observed with monthly doses equal or higher than 90 mg of lanreotide and 30 mg of octreotide, but not with lower doses.

With heat treatments to control drywood termites (Blattodea: Kalotermitidae), the presence of heat sinks causes heat to be distributed unevenly throughout the treatment areas. Drywood termites may move to galleries in heat sink areas to avoid exposure to lethal temperatures. Our studies were conducted in Crytotermes brevis-infested condominiums in Honolulu, Hawaii to reflect real-world condominium scenarios; either a standard heat treatment performed by a heat remediation company or an improved heat treatment was used. For improved treatments, heated air was directed into the toe-kick voids of C. brevis infested cabinets to reduce heat sink effects and increase the heat penetration into these difficult-to-heat areas. Eight thermistor sensors placed inside toe-kick voids, treatment zone, embedded inside cabinets’ sidewalls, and in a wooden cube recorded target temperatures of above 46 °C or 50 °C for 120 minutes. A pretreatment and follow-up inspections were performed at 6 months posttreatment to monitor termite inactivity using visual observations and by recording the numbers of spiked peaks on a microwave technology termite detection device (Termatrac). In improved treatment condominiums, significantly higher numbers of spiked peaks were recorded at pretreatment as compared to 6 months posttreatment. Efficacious heat treatment protocols using the improved methods are proposed.

Semisolid casting of Aluminum alloys is growing. For magnesium alloys, Thixomoulding became the dominant process around the world. For aluminium processing, the situation is different as semisolid processing of aluminium is more technically challenging than for magnesium. Today three processes are leading the process implementation, The GISS method, the RheoMetal process and the SEED process. These processes have all strengths and weaknesses and will fit a particular range of applications. The current paper aims at looking at the strengths and weaknesses of the processes to identify product types and niche applications for each process based on current applications and development directions taken for these processes

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition caused by a dysregulated host response to an invading pathogen such as multidrug-resistant bacteria. Despite recent advancements, sepsis is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, resulting in a significant global impact and burden. This condition affects all age groups, with clinical outcomes depending mainly on timely diagnosis and appropriate early therapeutic intervention. Because of the unique features of nanosized systems, there is a growing interest in developing and designing novel solutions. Nanoscale-engineered materials allow a targeted and controlled release of bioactive agents, resulting in improved efficacy with minimal side effects. Additionally, nanoparticle-based sensors provide a quicker and more reliable alternative to conventional diagnostic methods for identifying infection and organ dysfunction. Despite recent advancements, fundamental nanotechnology principles are often presented in technical formats that presuppose advanced chemistry, physics, and engineering knowledge. Consequently, clinicians may not grasp the underlying science, hindering interdisciplinary collaborations and successful translation from bench to bedside. In this review, we abridge some of the most recent and most promising nanotechnology-based solutions for sepsis diagnosis and management using an intelligible format to stimulate a seamless collaboration between engineers, scientists, and clinicians.

Microbial electrochemical technologies (MET) rely on the presence of the metabolic activity of electroactive bacteria for the use of solid-state electrodes for oxidizing different kind of compound, that could lead to the synthesis of chemicals, bioremediation of polluted matrices, the treatment of contaminants of interest, as well as the recovery of energy. Keeping in mind those possibilities, since the beginning of the present century, there has been a growing interest in the use of electrochemical technologies for wastewater treatment, and if possible with simultaneous power generation. In the last years, there has been a growing interest to explore the possibility of merging MET with constructed wetlands, to offer a new option of intensified wetland system that could keep a high performance with a lower footprint. Based on that interest, this paper explains the general principles of MET, and the different known extracellular electron transfer mechanisms ruling the interaction between electroactive bacteria and potential solid-state electron acceptors. Also, the adoption of those principles for the development of MET set-ups for simultaneous wastewater treatment and power generation, and the challenges that the technology face. Ultimately, the most recent developments in set-ups that merges MET with constructed wetlands are presented and discussed.

Control of Theileria equi, the primary cause of equine theileriosis, is largely reliant on acaracide use and chemosterilization with imidocarb dipropionate (ID). However, it is currently unknown if ID is effective against Theileria haneyi, the recently identified second causative agent of equine theileriosis, or if the drug maintains effectiveness against T. equi in the presence of T. haneyi co-infection. The purpose of this study was address these questions using ID treatment of the following three groups of horses: 1. Five T. haneyi infected horses; 2. Three T. haneyi-T. equi infected horses; and 3. Three T. equi-T. haneyi infected horses. Clearance was first evaluated using nPCR for each Theileria sp. on peripheral blood samples. ID failed to clear T. haneyi in all three groups of horses, and failed to clear T. equi in 2/3 horses in group two. For definitive confirmation of infection status, horses in groups two and three underwent splenectomy post-treatment. The T. equi-nPCR-positive horses in group two developed severe clinical signs and were euthanized. Remaining horses exhibited moderate signs consistent with T. haneyi. Our results demonstrate that ID therapy lacks efficacy against T. haneyi, and T. haneyi-T. equi co-infection may interfere with ID clearance of T. equi.

Control of Theileria equi, the primary cause of equine theileriosis, is largely reliant on acaracide use and chemosterilization with imidocarb dipropionate (ID). However, it is currently unknown if ID is effective against Theileria haneyi, the recently identified second causative agent of equine theileriosis, or if the drug maintains effectiveness against T. equi in the presence of T. haneyi co-infection. The purpose of this study was address these questions using ID treatment of the following three groups of horses: 1. Five T. haneyi infected horses; 2. Three T. haneyi-T. equi infected horses; and 3. Three T. equi-T. haneyi infected horses. Clearance was first evaluated using nPCR for each Theileria sp. on peripheral blood samples. ID failed to clear T. haneyi in all three groups of horses, and failed to clear T. equi in 2/3 horses in group two. For definitive confirmation of infection status, horses in groups two and three underwent splenectomy post-treatment. The T. equi-nPCR-positive horses in group two developed severe clinical signs and were euthanized. Remaining horses exhibited moderate signs consistent with T. haneyi. Our results demonstrate that ID therapy lacks efficacy against T. haneyi, and T. haneyi-T. equi co-infection may interfere with ID clearance of T. equi.

Treatment of the ADHD types (hyperactive-impulsive, inattentive, and combined) in children has rarely been studied separately, although their prognostic courses differ widely. In addition, data show that improvements in hyperactivity/impulsivity are hard to achieve. Thus, we focused on treatments tailored for hyperactivity/impulsivity. We examined meta-analyses and systematic reviews within the inter- and intra-individual treatments and found that psychoeducation and training for parents, school-based interventions, reinforcement strategies, and neurofeedback consistently showed small to moderate effect sizes in reducing hyperactivity/impulsivity in children. Conversely, emotional self-regulation, social skills, and cognitive trainings showed unsatisfactory results. In summary, we found that the quality of usual care can be surpassed when the designated interventions are purposefully combined into a multimodal treatment program.

The aim of the study was to identify factors associated with non-adherence to tuberculosis (TB) preventive treatment among contacts with latent TB infection of new cases of pulmonary TB cases reported in Catalonia in 2019-2021. All contacts aged 18 years or older with a latent TB infection who received a TB preventive treatment were included in the study. The Chi square test and the odds ratios (OR) were used to assess the association between non-adherence to TB preventive treatment and the study variables, considering a p < 0.05 as statistically significant. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to detect the in-dependent factors associated with TB preventive treatment non-adherence, considering a p < 0.05 as statistically significant. The percentage of non-adherence to TB preventive treatment found in this study was 23.7%. A multivariable logistic regression analysis determined that the following factors were significantly associated with TB preventive treatment non-adherence among adult contacts: “exposure at school or workplace” (aOR = 3.34), “exposure to an index case without laboratory confirmation of TB” (aOR = 2.07), “immigrant contact” (aOR = 1.81), “male gender” (aOR = 1.75) and “exposure duration <6 hours per week or sporadic exposure” (aOR = 1.60). By contrast, the factor “short-term TB preventive treatment regimen” (aOR = 0.38) was significantly associated with a lower treatment non-adherence. Adherence to TB preventive treatment should be improved among adult contacts of TB pulmonary cases with latent TB infection by recommending short-term treatment regimens and by developing health education activities, with a greater focus on contacts with factors associated with treatment non-adherence.

High-strength wastewaters from a variety of sources, including the food industry, domestic septage and landfill leachate, are often hauled to municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) for co-treatment. Due to their high organic loadings, these wastewaters can cause process upsets in both the WWTP’s liquid and solids treatment trains and consume organic treatment capacity, leaving less capacity available to service customers in the catchment area. A novel pre-treatment method, the Waste Activated Sludge-High Rate (WASHR) process, is proposed to optimize the co-treatment of high-strength wastewaters. The WASHR process combines the contact stabilization and sequencing batch reactor processes. It utilizes waste activated sludge from the municipal WWTP as its biomass source, allowing rapid start-up. Bench scale treatment trials of winery wastewater confirm the WASHR process can reduce loadings on the downstream WWTP’s liquid treatment and solids treatment trains. A case study approach is used to confirm the economic viability and environmental sustainability of the WASHR process compared to direct co-treatment using life cycle cost analyses and greenhouse gas emissions estimates.

Abstract: As a risk factor, obesity is a threat to human well-being and related metabolic disorders such as diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia. adipogenesis is defined as the proliferation and maturation of adipocyte predecessor cells to adipocyte. As the adipogenesis process decides adipocyte production, it may be considered a therapeutic target for obesity and obesity-related disorders. White adipose tissue abnormal expansion increases the size and number of adipocytes. For that reason, this review aims to spot the molecular mechanisms implicated in adipogenesis that lead to application in the therapeutic targets. Keywords: adipogenesis, signaling pathways, anti-obesity treatment, obesity

Childhood obesity is a public health problem and most of the interventions are focused on healthy habits as reducing energy intake, avoiding a sedentary lifestyle and increasing physical activity. However, usually they are based in individual programs, with few structured interventions in health systems without satisfactory results. PinPo aims to carry out an integral intervention in children with obesity, as well as in their parents and caregivers, to get motivation to change towards healthy lifestyle habits. The program contains 9 educational grupal sessions directed by a multidisciplinary expert team. 10 boys and girls, and another group with 10 family members and/or caregivers participate in sessions during 90 min biweekly. Moreover, there is an individual adaptation depending on the severity and comorbidities. At the beginning and at the end of the program, an integral evaluation for health status is developed including anthropometric, nutritional, physical activity, and psychologist and analytical measurements. Finally, a satisfaction survey is carried out on the participants.In conclusion, the implementation of PinPo could offer to paediatric patients with obesity and their families, an integral intervention to treat obesity and its complications. So, there are expectations of achieving favorable results that also allow to optimize its effectiveness.

Situbondo is one of the best mango producer city with a distinctive mango taste compared to other regions in East Java. Mango production in Situbondo in 2015 reached 222,471 quintals. One of the damage to post-harvest mango products is due to anthracnose disease. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of hot water treatment in inhibiting anthracnose disease and maintaining the quality of mangoes. The study was conducted at the Plant Clinical Laboratory in January 2019 at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Jember. The study design used was a completely randomized design with two factors, namely washing temperature (59 ± 1 ° C, 53 ± 1 °C, normal water temperature) and storage temperature (15.1 ± 1 ° C and 18.1 ± 1 ° C). Washing with a temperature of 53 ± 1 ° C can be used to clean fruit. Treatment with low temperature (15.1 ± 1 ° C and 18.1 ± 1 ° C) resulted in inhibiting changes in weight loss, fruit hardness, acid content (total titrated acid), and total dissolved solids while another treatment, 53 ± 1 ° C washing temperature with storage temperature 15.1 ± 1 ° C gives a good appearance that suppress the development of anthracnose, and inhibit fruit discoloration.

Objective: About a third of schizophrenia patients are treatment-resistant to antipsychotic therapy. No studies established the fingerprints or pathway-phenotypes of treatment-resistant schizophrenia. The present study aimed to delineate the pathway-phenotypes of non-responders (NRTT) and partial responders (PRTT) to treatment using machine learning. Methods: We recruited 115 schizophrenia patients and 43 healthy controls and measured schizophrenia symptom dimensions, neurocognitive tests, plasma CCL11, interleukin-(IL)-6, IL-10, Dickkopf protein 1 (DKK1), high mobility group box-1 protein (HMGB1), κ- and µ-opioid receptors (KOR and MOR, respectively), endomorphin-2 (EM-2), and β-endorphin. Results: Machine learning showed that the NRTT group is a qualitatively distinct class and is significantly discriminated from PRTT with an accuracy of 100% using a neuro-immune-opioid-cognitive (NIOC) pathway-phenotype with as main determinants list learning, controlled word association, and Tower of London test scores, CCL11, IL-6, and EM2. The top-5 symptom domains separating NRTT from PRTT were in descending order: psychomotor retardation, negative symptoms, psychosis, depression, and mannerism. Moreover, a NIOC pathway also discriminated PRTT from healthy controls with an accuracy of 100% while all PRTT and controls were authenticated as belonging to their respective classes. Conclusion: A non-response to treatment with antipsychotics is determined by increased severity of specific symptom profiles coupled with deficits in executive functions, and episodic and semantic memory, and aberrations in neuro-immune and opioid pathways. No patients showed complete remission after treatment indicating that non-remitting in PRTT is attributable to increased HMGB1 and residual deficits in attention, executive functions, and semantic memory.

In the field of orthodontics, providing patients with accurate treatment time estimates is of utmost importance. As orthodontic practices continue to evolve and embrace new advancements, incorporating machine learning (ML) methods becomes increasingly valuable in improving orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning. This study aimed to develop a novel ML model capable of predicting the orthodontic treatment duration based on essential pre-treatment variables. Patients who completed comprehensive orthodontic treatment at the Indiana University School of Dentistry were included in this retrospective study. Fifty-seven pre-treatment variables were collected and used to train and test 9 different ML models. The performance of each model was assessed using descriptive statistics, intraclass correlation coefficients, and one-way analysis of variance tests. Random Forest, Lasso, and Elastic Net were found to be the most accurate, with a mean absolute error of 7.27 months in predicting treatment duration. Extraction decision, COVID, intermaxillary relationship, lower incisor position, and additional appliances were identified as important predictors of treatment duration. Overall, this study demonstrates the potential of ML in predicting orthodontic treatment duration using pre-treatment variables.

Many of the current strategies for removing pollutants from water are based on nanomaterials and 18nanotechnology. Lower values of Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD5) and Chemical Oxygen De- 19 mand (COD) in water results in reduction in the amount of oxidizable pollutants. We present a study 20 on the reduction of COD and BOD5in water from Wadi El Bey River (Tunisia), using magnetite na- 21 noparticles (MNPs) and magnetic fields. The COD and BOD5 removal reached values higher than 22 50% after 60 min, with optimum efficiency at pH values of ≈8 and for MNPs concentrations of 1 g/L. 23 The use of a permanent magnetic field (0.33 T) showed an increase of COD and BOD5 removal from 2461% to 76% and from 63% to 78%, respectively. This enhancement is discussed in terms of the MNPs 25coagulation induced by the magnetic field and the adsorption of ionic species onto the MNPs sur- 26face due to Fe3O4 affinity.

People with severe mental illness (SMI) are often in poor physical health, resulting in higher mortality and reduced life expectancy compared to the general population. Although eating habits are one of the main predictors of physical health, few studies assess the nutritional status and eating behaviour of people with SMI. The aim of this study was to examine the nutritional status and risk of malnutrition in people with SMI and in need of intensive psychiatric treatment. The cross-sectional study included 65 inpatients and 67 outpatients with psychotic or depressive disorders from the Psychiatric Hospital of the University of Zurich. Patients’ assessments at admission included anthropometric measurements, such as weight and height, and interview data including severity of symptoms and functioning (SCL-K-9, PHQ-D, CGI, m-GAF), personal and medical data, nutrition risk screening tools (adapted NRS, MNA-SF) and laboratory values. The results showed that 32% of the inpatients (body mass index [BMI] = 25.3) and 34% of the outpatients (BMI = 27.9) were at risk of malnutrition, which was associated with higher levels of psychiatric symptoms and lower levels of functioning. These results indicate that a substantial proportion of psychiatric patients seem to be at risk of malnutrition, despite most being overweight, and hence they might benefit from nutritional support during their psychiatric treatment. Moreover, nutritional risk screening tools specifically developed for the mental healthcare setting are needed.

Researchers are increasingly concerned about microplastics (MPs) since they have proven to be detrimental to the environment and humans. They not only contribute to the accumulation of plastics in the environment, but they can also help spread micropollutants through absorption. MPs have entered the environment through a variety of channels, including direct discharge through human activities, the textile industry, and wastewater treatment systems. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are seen as the final line of defense, forming a barrier between MPs and the environment. The most common MPs found in wastewater are polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polystyrene. The purpose of this study is to investigate and measure the efficacy of conventional and advanced technologies in removing microplastic. The fate of MPs in WWTPs and their impact on various wastewater treatment processes will be thoroughly examined. Both conventional and advanced methods of treatment will be discussed. Conventional methods include coagulation/flocculation, sedimentation, and filtration. Advanced treatment methods that will be discussed include membrane bioreactors, rapid sand filtration, electrocoagulation, and photocatalytic degradation. Despite the high removal of MPs, WWTPs remain an important entry point into aquatic and terrestrial systems due to the large volumes involved and the quantity of sludge reused through land application. Also, the complex interactions between MPs and other environmental pollutants may broaden MPs' effects on wastewater treatment processes, which have yet to be fully researched. Furthermore, potential issues with MP removal from treatment procedures and microplastic remediation techniques in drinking water was discussed.

This research investigates the difference on the products obtained through two hydrothermal carbonization treatments. Our aim is to synthesize metal-free, carbon-based catalysts for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR) to serve as efficient and cost-effective alternatives to plati-num-based catalysts. Catalysts synthesized using the traditional hydrothermal approach exhibit a higher electrocatalytic activity for ORR in alkaline media, despite a more energy-intensive pro-duction process. The superior performance is attributed to differences in particle morphology and to the chemical composition of the particle surfaces. The presence of functional groups on the surfaces of catalysts obtained via traditional approach significantly enhances ORR activity by fa-cilitating deprotonation reactions in an alkaline environment. Our research aims to be a reference for future investigations, shifting the focus to the fine-tuning of surface chemical compositions and morphologies of metal-free catalysts to enhance ORR activity.

Randomized clinical trials represent the gold standard in therapeutic research. Nevertheless, observational cohorts of patients treated for multidrug-resistant (MDR) or rifampin-resistant (RR) tuberculosis (TB) also play an important role in generating evidence to guide MDR/RR TB Generally, summary exposure classifications (e.g., ‘ever versus never’, ‘exposed at baseline’) have been used to characterize drug exposure, in the absence of detailed longitudinal data on MDR-TB regimen These summary classifications, along with an absence of data on covariates that change throughout the course of treatment, constrain researchers’ ability to answer the most relevant questions while accounting for known This paper highlights the importance of regimen changes in improving inference from observational studies of longer MDR-TB treatment regimens and offers an overview of the data and analytic strategies required to do

Two decades after the antiretroviral therapy (ART) introduction, several challenges still prevail in maintaining people living with HIV (PLHIV), even with "Test and Treat" and/or "Rapid Start of ART" initiatives, as well as the scale-up of ART worldwide to promote access and adherence to treatment. This review examined articles on ART adherence in Africa between 2016 and 2023, published in English and indexed in PubMed. A total of 16 articles out of 2415 were eligible and included for analyses. Overall, ART adherence rates in SSA regions ranged from 43% to 84%. Rates in the centre of the SSA region ranged from 58% to 80%, in the north from 50% to 83%, in the south from 77% to 84%, in the west from 43% to 60% and in the east from 69% to 73%. Most African countries use the self-report to assess treatment adherence, although unreliable. The main factors with negative influence on ART adherence were comorbidities, lack of motivation, socioeconomic difficulties or side effects. Conclusion: Adherence to ART is a good indicator for controlling the spread of HIV. It is important to overcome the barriers that make it difficult to comply with ART and reinforce the factors that facilitate the accession of medication.

Background and Objectives: ACTION-France (Awareness, Care and Treatment In Obesity MaNagement in France) aims to identify the perceptions, attitudes, behaviors, and potential barriers to effective obesity management in France and guide collaborative actions. Methods: ACTION-France is a cross-sectional survey of people with obesity (PwO) and healthcare professionals (HCPs), in France. The PwO and HCP questionnaires ran from 27/09/2022 to 01/02/2023 and from 19/12/2022 to 31/03/2023, respectively. Results: The study, encompassing 1226 PwO and 166 HCPs, reveals a shared recognition of obesity as a chronic condition. However, despite being requested by most PwO, weight-related discussions are surprisingly infrequent, leading to delayed diagnosis and care. PwO and HCPs held different views as to why: HCPs often attributed it to PwO’s lack of motivation or disinterest, whereas PwO avoided them because they felt weight managing was their own responsibility and were uncomfortable discussing it. When weight was discussed, primarily with general practitioners (GPs), discussions mostly focused on physical activity and dietary. However, results identified a strong psychosocial impact of obesity: 42% of respondents reported anxiety-depressive symptoms, and many more hesitated to engage in certain social activities because of their weight. Psychotherapy was only discussed by 55% of HCPs. Pharmaceutical options were also rarely discussed (19.5% of HCPs), though 56.1% of PwO reported they would want to. Conclusions: HCPs’ and PwO’s perceptions differed significantly and need to converge through enhanced communication. A holistic approach, integrating comprehensive training for GPs and psychological comorbidities, would help to bridge perceptual gaps effectively and foster more empathetic and effective patient care.

Today major environmental issue facing the universe is Industrial wastewater. They are present in the form of various pollutants like organic/inorganic, heavy metals, and non-disintegrating materials at an enormous amount. As of now, eliminating these pollutants from wastewater from industries in a viable manner has become a significant issue. Productive refinement methodologies are required to eliminate those toxins before removal. Furthermore, nanomaterials are innovationally powerful to purification of water by utilizing inexpensive nanofiltration and nano adsorbent. Heavy metal ions removal in an efficient way from the environment is the first and foremost problem from a biological and ecological perspective, and numerous research practices have been dedicated to the removal of harmful metal particles, involved both in the underground and surface wastewater. This article mainly focuses on the nanomaterials utilization of various contaminating materials removal from industrial wastewater with an exceptional spotlight on rare earth components and nanofiber and nanocomposite films. The objective is to offer references an outline in the field of developing nanomaterials utilization for harmful pollutants removal from industrial wastewater for industrializers and analysts.

A membrane ozonation contactor was built to investigate ozonation using tubular membranes and to inform computational fluid dynamics (CFD) studies. Non-porous tubular polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membranes of 1.0 – 3.2 mm inner diameter were tested at ozone gas concentrations of 110 – 200 g m−3 and liquid side velocities of 0.002 m s−1 – 0.226 m s−1. The dissolved ozone concentration could be adjusted to up to 14 mg O3 L−1 and increased with decreasing membrane diameter and liquid side velocity. Experimental mass transfer coefficients and molar fluxes of ozone were 1.1∙10−5 mol m−2 s−1 and 2.4∙10−6 m s−1, respectively, for the smallest membrane. CFD modelling could predict the final ozone concentrations but slightly overestimated mass transfer coefficients and molar fluxes of ozone. Model contaminant degradation experiments and UV absorption measurements of ozonated water samples in both ozone (O3) and peroxone (H2O2/O3) reaction systems in pure water, river water, wastewater effluent and solutions containing humic acid show that the contactor system can be used to generate information on the reactivity of ozone with different water matrices. Combining simple membrane contactors with CFD allows predicting ozonation performance under a variety of conditions leading to improved bubble-less ozone systems for water treatment.