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Increasing neurobiological evidence has suggested the presence of a specific ecophenotype in people with eating disorders (EDs) linked to early maltreatment. Urinary-free cortisol could strengthen the data and show specific relationships between maltreated subtypes and the hormonal profiles of patients with EDs. This study aims to evaluate the presence of different urinary cortisol in drug-free patients in the acute phase of the disorder and its relationship with childhood maltreatment.A sample of 78 female patients with ED is included in the study. Childhood maltreatment history and 24-h urinary free cortisol (24-h UFC) are evaluated at a specialised ED ward admission.Patients with a maltreatment history show more blunted 24-h UFC levels than peers without childhood maltreatment (p = 0.001). Regression analysis showed that child abuse is a predictor of the reduction of 24-h UFC (p 0.001), with physical abuse (p = 0.011) and sexual abuse (p = 0.050) that could have a more specific impact than other maltreatment subtypes.Childhood maltreatment should be evaluated in ED patients due to its biological impact on the hormonal stress axis, which could impair the ability of patients to respond to standardized ED treatment.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the role of Helicobacter pylori and other risk factors in recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS). METHODS Patients with functional dyspepsia responded to questionnaires regarding demographic and clinical data, anxiety and depression, and a specific RAS questionnaire. They underwent upper digestive endoscopy and H. pylori evaluation. RESULTS 476 patients were included and of the 372 evaluated for H. pylori, 65.6% were H. pylori-positive. RAS was reported by 32.6% (155/476). In the bivariate analysis of the 372 patients evaluated for gastric H. pylori status, positive subjects had a lower RAS prevalence (29.9%; 73/244) than H. pylori-negative (41.4%; 53/128) (p = .026). Smoking (p = .005) and older age (p = .034) were also associated with a lower prevalence, while female gender (p = .032) and lower income (p = .046) presented higher RAS prevalence. In the multivariate analysis, H. pylori infection (p = .017), smoking (p = .001), and older age (p = .013) were protective factors, while lower income (p = .030) and anxiety (p = .042) were risk factors. In the multivariate analysis of all patients, female gender, lower income, and more schooling years were risk factors. CONCLUSIONS An unexpected lower prevalence of RAS was found in H. pylori-positive patients. Smoking, sex, age, income, education, and anxiety were associated with RAS.

SIRT1 exerts effects on ageing and lifespan, as well cardiovascular (CV) disease risk. SIRT1 gene is very polymorph with a few tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) so far identified. Some SNPs, including rs7896005, were associated with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). We aimed to ascertain whether this SNP may be associated with CV disease at baseline as well with these same outcomes and all-cause mortality over a 13-year follow-up.Genotypes of SIRT1 gene were determined using TaqMan SNP assay.Out of 905 T2DM, 9.1% had the AA genotype, 43.2% the AG, and 47.7% the GG. Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium was met (minor allele frequency 0.306; p = 0.8899). At baseline, there was no difference across genotypes for sex, age, diabetes duration, CV risk factors, treatments, and microangiopathy. Major CV outcomes, myocardial infarction (MI), any coronary heart disease (CHD), and peripheral artery disease (PAD) were more frequent in GG than in AA/AG (p from 0.013 to 0.027), with no association with cerebrovascular events. By fully adjusted regression, GG remained independently related to major CV outcomes, MI, CHD, and PAD. Over follow-up, we recorded 258 major CV events (28.5%; AA/AG 25.2%, GG 32.2%; p = 0.014) with an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of GG versus AA/AG of 1.296 (95% CI 1.007-1.668, p = 0.044); 169 coronary events (18.7%; AA/AG 15.4%, GG 22.2%; p = 0.006) with HR 1.522 (1.113-2.080, p = 0.008); 79 (8.7%) hospitalisation for heart failure (AA/AG 7.0%, GG 10.6%; p = 0.045) and HR 1.457 (0.919-2.309, p = 0.109); 36 PAD (4.0%; AA/AG 2.3%, GG 5.8%; p = 0.007) with HR 2.225 (1.057-4.684, p = 0.035). No association was found with cerebrovascular events, end stage renal disease, and all-cause mortality.The rs7896005 SNP of SIRT1 might play a role in cardiovascular disease, mainly CHD risk in T2DM. Results call for larger association studies as well as studies to ascertain mechanisms by which this variant confers increased risk.

Author(s): Burton-Pye, BP; Dembowski, M; Lukens, WW; Cruz, A; Althour, A; Lopez, GE; Salcedo, R; Gallagher, CMB; McGregor, D; Francesconi, LC | Abstract: Technetium-99, a prevalent by-product of the nuclear fuel cycle, is a transition metal with 9 accessible oxidation states and a half-life of 2.1 × 105 years. 99TcVII has been found in the environment surrounding National Lab sites and fuel reprocessing centers, and its separation and long-term storage is complicated by its extensive redox chemistry. In our prior work we have reported the synthesis and reduction of TcVO to TcIVO in α1- and α2-Wells–Dawson P2W17O6110– polyoxometalates and reported on the polyoxometalate features that promote reduction and stabilization. In this work we report on the oxidation state stabilization of TcVO, TcVIO and TcVIN within the α-Keggin PW11O397– polyoxometalate. Both Density Functional Theory and experimental results show that Tc in TBA4[TcVIN-PW11O39] can be reduced to TcV, but any subsequent electrons reduce the tungsten framework of the polyoxometalate. TBA4[TcVO-PW11O39] however, can be theoretically reduced down to TcI before reduction of the polyoxometalate occurs.

Background Brazil is one of the highest tuberculosis (TB) burden countries of the world. Cutaneous tuberculosis (CTB) is a rare form of extrapulmonary manifestation of tuberculosis. This study aimed to describe the clinico-evolutive, laboratory and therapeutic aspects of CTB cases among patients from a cohort with TB in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Methods Cases of diagnosed CTB with microbiologic confirmation or clinical response to anti-tuberculous treatment associated with positive smear or histopathological findings between the years 2000 and 2016 were selected. Results Seventy-five patients with CTB were included, most were women (58.7%) with a median age of 42 years. CTB diagnosis was based on culture in only 42.7% of the cases. Scrofuloderma represented 50.7% of the cases, followed by erythema induratum of Bazin (EIB) (18.7%), tuberculous gumma (13.3%), lupus vulgaris (8%), TB verrucosa cutis (4%), orificial TB (2.7%) and associated forms (2.7%). Other TB presentations were pulmonary (22.7%), mammary (6.6%) and osteoarticular (4%). All patients who completed the treatment (97.3%) had their lesions healed. Only two patients (2.6%) needed to change the therapy due to adverse reactions. Fifty percent of EIB patients presented recurrence. Conclusions These data highlight the diversity of CTB presentations and the importance of the skin to assist in early identification and treatment of TB. More studies are necessary to improve the knowledge on EIB for a better approach towards these patients, mainly in cases of recurrence.

Selective hydrogenation (semi-hydrogenation) reactions of alkynes rely on Pd-based catalysts to provide the correct pathway to favour formation of double bonds and avoid full hydrogenation to single bonds. Here, we present the preparation and characterisation of "Pd3In"/TiO2 nanocatalysts, which show improved activity and selectivity compared to pure Pd catalysts, towards the liquid phase semi-hydrogenation of 2-methyl-3-butyn-2-ol (MBY) to 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol (MBE), a fundamental step in the preparation of pharmaceuticals, and other industrially produced substances, as well as a model reaction for the semi-hydrogenation of alkynes. For both the supported and unsupported "Pd3In" alloys (later redefined as Pd3-xIn1+x), we stabilised two new cubic polymorphs with a Pd-like structure, instead of the tetragonal structure as reported so far in the literature. The stabilisation of these new polymorphs was made possible by using a solution-based synthesis and, thanks to the use of different solvents, the reaction was 2 carried out at different temperatures and the Pd/In ratio could be tuned. The same synthetic approach was adapted to prepare two "Pd3In"/TiO2 catalysts by adding the TiO2 support to the reaction mixture, in a practical one-step, one-pot reaction. HREM and X-Ray maps show that the cubic crystal structure of "Pd3In" is maintained when prepared in the presence of the support, however, the support seems to influence the Pd/In ratio.

Agricultural cooperatives in Africa tend to be community‐based organizations defined by principles of inclusion, voluntarism, democracy, equity, autonomy, mutuality and solidarity. This means that they generally operate in accordance with the principles endorsed by the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA). However, only a few of these organizations are successful in commercializing the agricultural produce of their members. In this study, we argue that growth‐problems leading to commercial failure and organizational degeneration in these cooperatives can be attributed to a lack of managerial capital. Drawing on the literature and evidence from the field we set out key management solutions for counterbalancing cooperative principles in the context of rural Africa. These solutions were taught to the leaders and managers of 362 cooperatives at four training events held in Madagascar, Malawi and twice in Uganda. Using a production function for cognitive achievement and key informant interviews, we find that our training contributed to the adoption of the proposed solutions by some of the cooperatives. Using the Ugandan sub‐ sample, we estimate an OLS regression and a PSM model to show that the training translated into higher revenues per member generated through collective commercialization.

Aim of this work is to provide a detailed comparison of clinical-pathologic features between well-differentiated and poorly differentiated tumors according to their BRAF and RASSF1A status. We analyzed RASSF1A methylation by MSP and BRAF mutation by LCRT-PCR with LightMix® kit BRAF V600E in neoplastic thyroid tissues. Immunohistochemical evaluation of RASSF1A expression was also performed by standard automated LSAB-HRP technique. An overall higher degree of RASSF1A over-expression than normal thyroid parenchyma surrounding tumors (P