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During the past century, macaque bioresources have provided remarkable scientific and biomedical discoveries related to the understanding of human physiology, neuroanatomy, reproduction, development, cognition, and pathology. Considerable progress has been made, and an urgent need has arisen to develop infrastructure and viable settings to meet the current global demand in research models during the so-called new normal after COVID-19 era. This review highlights the critical need for macaque bioresources and proposes the establishment of a designated primate research center to integrate research in primate laboratories for the rescue and rehabilitation of wild macaques. Key areas where macaque models have been and continue to be essential for advancing fundamental knowledge in biomedical and biological research are outlined. Detailed genetic studies on macaque bioresources of Thai origin can further facilitate the rapid pace of vaccine discovery.

The rapid development of flexible and wearable optoelectronic devices, demanding the superior, reliable, and ultra-long cycling energy storage systems. But poor performances of electrode materials used in energy devices are main obstacles. Recently, single-atom catalysts (SACs) are considered as emerging and potential candidates as electrode materials for battery devices. Herein, we have discussed the recent methods for the fabrication of SACs for rechargeable metal-air batteries, metal-CO

Pancreatic cancer remains leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. Patients with familial pancreas cancer, hereditary pancreatitis, known genetic mutations, and syndromes are deemed high risk for the development of pancreas cancer. Guidelines exist to help facilitate early diagnosis and treatment and these will be reviewed. Pancreatic cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. Patients with familial pancreatic cancer, hereditary pancreatitis, known genetic mutations, and syndromes are deemed high risk for the development of pancreas cancer. Guidelines have been made to help facilitate early diagnosis and treatment for these patients and these will be reviewed. The exact timing of initial screening depends not only on the individual risk factors but consists of endoscopic ultrasound and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography. The frequency of screening depends largely on the findings of initial imaging and the patient's clinical status. We suggest that providers make themselves knowledgeable of current screening recommendations and appropriately apply them. Further critical evaluation of ongoing research is necessary to amend these recommendations as more data and genetic testing becomes available.

Kidney transplant recipients may be at particular risk of acquiring SARS‐CoV‐2 infection with poor outcomes.1 In a recent case report 2 it was hypothesised that kidney transplant recipients on maintenance belatacept, a cytotoxic T‐lymphocyte‐associated protein 4 (CTLA‐4) fusion protein, have a milder disease course due to belatacept mitigating the cytokine storm and resultant acute respiratory distress syndrome which have been linked to severity of COVID‐19. 3 Here we present the first reported case in the United Kingdom of a kidney transplant patient on belatacept who on the contrary developed a severe COVID‐19 pneumonia requiring intensive care admission and intubation.

Electrocatalysts are readily poisoned during the catalysis of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR); even air containing traces of SOx and/or NOx significantly decrease the activity and the durability of H2 -O2 fuel cells. Now, a metal-free strategy is reported to develop an efficient anti-poisoning ORR catalyst, which involves the pyrolysis of PDAP-phytic acid super-molecular aggregate (PPSA). The pyrolyzed co-doped carbon acting as a metal-free electrocatalyst shows an enhanced activity for ORR in acidic medium, even under poisoning conditions (SOx , NOx , and POx ). Moreover, P-doping also changes the ORR pathway by yielding less than 4 % of H2 O2 , indicating a four-electron pathway whereas more than>20 % of H2 O2 was recorded for N-doped carbon synthesized from PDAP.

As a hub among the Indian subcontinent, Europe, Africa, and the Far East, combined with development and advancements in air travel and oil revenue, the strategic location of the UAE enabled the country to become a prominent tourism destination in the Middle East (UAE Yearbook, 1999). Primary contributors to the tourism industry are Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah, with a combined share of approximately 93% (Al Ameri, 2013). Dubai accounts for 67% of the contribution to the UAE’s tourism GDP, followed by Abu Dhabi at 16% and Sharjah at 10% (Alittihad, 2011). The emirates of Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Ajman, and Umm Al Quwain contribute the remaining 7%. Although Dubai is at the forefront of UAE tourism development, tourism contributions to GDP from all emirates are significant

Fe-based electrocatalysts are elegant due to their better performance towards the oxygen reduction reaction. Nevertheless, they commonly contain different moieties, for example Fe-Nx , Fe, Fe3 C and N-doped carbon, primarily the debatable assistance of these components towards ORR electrocatalysis, specifically for intermediate peroxide reduction reactions (PRR). In this paper, to explore the role of Fe-Nx centres for PRR, a Fe-N-C electrocatalyst rooted in nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes with mesoporous structures was synthesized from a Fe/Zn-dicyanoimidazolate framework. The use of dicyanoimidazole coordinated with iron can introduce the Fe-Nx active sites as well as directional N-doped carbon nanotubes, which is good for enhancing electronic conductance of the catalyst. The attained electrocatalyst shows tremendous enactment to ORR, being comparable to the activity of Pt/C in acidic and better in alkaline electrolytes. This study also reveals that Fe-Nx active centres are responsible for less H2 O2 production. Though the Fe-Nx moieties and Fe3 C/Fe particles encapsulated N-doped carbon, both are active centres for ORR, however, Fe-Nx sites are more active than others for peroxide reduction reaction. These perceptions suggest rational methodologies for more active and consequently further durable Fe-N-C catalysts.

Background Completion lymph node dissection (CLND) is recommended for melanoma patients with positive sentinel lymph node biopsies (SLNB); however, 50% do not undergo CLND. We sought to determine CLND trends over time, and factors contributing to variability. Methods The NCDB was queried for patients undergoing wide local excision (WLE), with or without SLNB and CLND. Cohorts were created based on demographic/socioeconomic variables and era of treatment (Era 1: 2003-07, Era 2: 2008-12). Univariate and multivariate analyses identified factors associated with performance of or trends in CLND. Results 122 849 underwent WLE with SLNB. Of 24 267 (19.8%) with +SLNB, 13 594 (56.0%) continued to CLND. In multivariate analyses, Medicaid (OR 0.78; P = 0.04) or Medicare (OR 0.79; P

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES In patients with borderline resectable pancreas cancers, clinicians frequently consider radiographic response as the primary driver of whether patients should be offered surgical intervention following neoadjuvant therapy (NT). We sought to determine any correlation between radiographic and pathologic response rates following NT. METHODS Between 2005 and 2015, 38 patients at a tertiary care referral center underwent NT followed by pancreaticoduodenectomy for borderline resectable pancreas cancer. Radiographic response after the completion of NT and pathologic response after surgery were graded according to RECIST and Evans’ criteria, respectively. RESULTS Preoperatively, 50% of patients underwent chemotherapy alone and 50% underwent chemotherapy and chemoradiation. Radiographically, one patient demonstrated a complete radiologic response, 68.4% (n = 26) of patients had stable disease (SD), 26.3% (n = 10) demonstrated a partial response, and one patient had progressive. Among patients without radiographic response, 77.7% (n = 21) achieved a R0 resection. Of patients with SD on imaging, 26.9% (n = 7) had Evans grade IIB or greater pathologic response. CONCLUSIONS Our data indicate that approximately one-fourth of patients who did not have a radiologic response had a grade IIB or greater pathologic response. In the absence of metastatic progression, lack of radiographic down-staging following NT should not preclude surgery.

Summary Aroma profile and organoleptic quality of CMC- and guar gum-based silver nanoparticle-coated kinnow (Citrus reticulata cv. Blanco) was evaluated for 120 days at 4 °C and 10 °C, 85–95% relative humidity. Loss in three major aroma-active volatile compounds (limonene, linalool and γ-terpinene) was determined after every 15 days by GC-MS. Sensory quality of coated and uncoated fruit stored at 10 °C was declined during storage. Twenty five volatile aroma compounds were identified in fresh kinnow juice. Guar gum-Ag coatings and 4 °C storage has significantly reduced losses of limonene, linalool and γ-terpinene contents from 91 to 23%, 99 to 10% and 97 to 29% respectively as compared to uncoated fruit stored at 10 °C. Study suggests that CMC- and guar gum-based silver nanoparticle-coated kinnow stored at 4 °C has preserved the fruit aroma and sensory quality for 120 days.

Background and Objectives Pasireotide decreases leak rates after pancreatic resection, though significant drug cost may be prohibitive. We conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis to determine whether prophylactic pasireotide possesses a reasonable cost profile. Methods A cost-effectiveness model compared pasireotide administration after pancreatic resection versus usual care, populated by probabilities of clinical outcomes from a randomized trial and hospital costs (2013 US$) from a university pancreatic disease center. Sensitivity analyses were performed to identify influential clinical components of the model. Results With the cost of pasireotide included, per patient costs of pancreatectomy, including those for readmission, were lower in the intervention arm (41,769 versus 42,159$; net savings of 390$, or 1%). This was associated with a 56% reduction in pancreatic fistula/pancreatic leak/abscess (PF/PL/A; 21.9–9.2%). Pasireotide cost would need to increase by over 15.4% to make the intervention strategy more costly than usual care. Sensitivity analyses exploring variability of key model inputs demonstrated that the three strongest drivers of cost were (i) cost of pasireotide; (ii) probability of readmission; and (iii) probability of PF/PL/A. Conclusions Prophylactic pasireotide administration following pancreatectomy is cost savings, reducing expensive post-operative sequealae (major complications and readmissions). Pasireotide should be utilized as a cost-saving measure in pancreatic resection. J. Surg. Oncol. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Background Histopathologic advancements have identified several rare subtypes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the clinical significance of these distinctions is incompletely understood. Our aim was to investigate pathologic and treatment differences between HCC variants. Methods The American College of Surgeons National Cancer Data Base (1998–2011) was queried to identify 784 patients with surgical management of six rare HCC subtypes: fibrolamellar (FL, n = 206), scirrhous (SC, n = 29), spindle cell (SP, n = 20), clear cell (CC, n = 169), mixed type (M, n = 291), and trabecular (T, n = 69). We examined associations between demographic, tumor and treatment-specific variables, and overall survival (OS). Results Patients with FL-HCC were younger than other variants (median age 27 vs. 54–61, P 5 cm, P

Introduction Care of the esophagectomy patient requires significant resources. We sought to determine which patient and provider variables contribute to resource utilization and their association with clinical outcomes. Methods 6,737 patients undergoing esophagectomy were identified from the University Healthsystem Consortium (UHC). Linear and logistic regression models were used to determine whether characteristics, including age, severity of illness (SOI) and procedural volume were associated with mortality, length of stay (LOS), discharge disposition, readmission rates, and cost. Results Older patients were twice as likely to suffer post-operative death (OR 2.12; 95%CI 1.7–2.7), three times more likely to be discharged to extended care facilities (31.9% vs. 10.6%, P

Rice bran oil was extracted using five different solvents, namely acetone, SL-M1 (75% acetone and 25% ethanol), SL-M2 (50% acetone and 50% ethanol), SL-M3 (25% acetone and 75% ethanol) and ethanol. The effect of the solvent type on the percentage recovery of the oil has been graphically represented and discussed when the temperature, contact time, solvent-bran ratio, stirring and pH were fixed at 50C, 30 min, 5:1, 90 rpm and 7.1, respectively. The results indicated that the percentage recovery of rice bran oil was at the maximum when SL-M2 (50% ethanol and 50% acetone) was used as solvent. Further, the parametric effects on the extraction process were also investigated and critically discussed. The quality of the extracted rice bran oil was determined using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis, saponification and acid values. Practical Application A significant amount of rice bran (contains 13–18% oil) is being wasted from rice mills of an agricultural country like Pakistan. Further, rice bran oil is an important intermediate raw material for food and pharmaceutical industries. So, the present experimental studies composed of the recovery of the oil from rice bran through an efficient and cost-effective method. For this purpose, pure ethanol, pure acetone and three compositionally different mixtures of ethanol and acetone were used as solvents for the extraction process. Parametric effects were also investigated on the extraction process to collect the data for the economic process design.

Internationalization has fostered rapid growth in the Arabian telecommunications market over the past 14 years. A study of the motives, strategies, and foreign direct investment (FDI) activities of four Gulf Cooperation Council telecommunications companies provides rare empirical insight into the entry of Middle Eastern multinationals into international markets and serves to help fill the gap in research on the experience of service firms in developing countries, particularly those from the Arab region. Although three of the four companies in this analysis have undergone rapid international expansion via substantial initial FDI, in terms of entry strategies all four firms initially preferred alliances and majority-owned joint ventures/partnerships with local partners to minimize uncertainty, cope with bureaucratic obstacles, and gain access to technology and local host country markets. Some of the underlying factors that contributed to their expansion were market liberalization, the desire to earn higher returns on investments and lower transaction costs, competitor's reactions, and psychic distance/cultural links. Though focused on the internationalization behavior of Arabian telecommunications companies, the study provides broader theoretical and empirical insights and offers managerial implications applicable to the telecommunications field, as well as to other industries once characterized by regulatory stringency. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The aragonite compensation depth (ACD) fluctuated considerably during the last glacial until the Holocene with a dominant pteropod preservation spike during the deglacial period, which is prominently seen in three well-dated cores covering the Andaman Sea, northeastern Indian Ocean. The precise time period of the preservation spike of pteropods is not known but this knowledge is crucial for stratigraphical correlation and also for understanding the driving mechanism. Isotopic and foraminiferal proxies were used to decipher the possible mechanism for pteropods preservation in the Andaman Sea. The poor preservation/absence of pteropods during the Holocene in the Andaman Sea may have implications for ocean acidification, driven by enhanced atmospheric CO2 concentration. Strengthening of the summer monsoon and the resultant high biological productivity may also have played a role in the poor preservation of pteropods. The deglacial pteropod spike is characterized by high abundance/preservation of the pteropods between ∼19 and 15 cal. ka BP, associated with very low atmospheric CO2 concentration. Isotope data suggest the prevalence of a glacial environment with reduced sea surface temperature, upwelling and enhanced salinity during the pteropod preservation spike. Total planktic foraminifera and Globigerina bulloides abundances are low during this period, implying a weakened summer monsoon and reduced foraminiferal productivity. Based on the preservation record of pteropods, it is inferred that the ACD was probably deepest (>2900 m) at 16.5 cal. ka BP. The synchronous regional occurrence of the pteropod preservation spike in the Andaman Sea and in the northwestern Indian Ocean could potentially be employed as a stratigraphic marker.