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The utilization of different industrial waste, by-products or other materials such as ground granulated blast furnace slag, silica fume, fly ash, limestone, and kiln dust, etc. as supplemen- tary cementing materials has received considerable attention in recent years. A study has been conducted to look into the performance of laterite as Supplementary Cementing Materials (SCM). The study focuses on compressive strength performance of blended cement containing different percentage of laterite. The cement is replaced accordingly with percentage of 2 %, 5 %, 7 % and 10 % by weight. In addition, the effect of use of three chemically different laterites have been studied on physical performance of cement as in setting time, Le-Chatlier expansion, loss on ignition, insoluble residue, free lime and specifically compressive strength of cement cubes tested at the age of 3, 7, and 28 days. The results show that the strength of cement blended with laterite as SCM is enhanced. Key words: Portland cement, supplementary cementing materials (SCM), laterite, compressive strength KUI – 6/2013 Received January 4, 2012 Accepted February 11, 2013

Research has been conducted on the Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts. The inactivation of these oocysts after the chemical, physical and environmental stress treatment has been investigated.

Research was conducted to examine the effects of sample turbidity on the recovery of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts using two immunomagnetic separation (IMS) kits. The objectives of the study was to identify an IMS kit that generated high purified oocyst suspensions, to determine turbidity levels and to use the IMS kit for the evaluation of the effects of age on the recovery of C. parvum oocysts. Results indicate that IMS is a promising alternative to flotation procedures for the recovery of oocysts from turbid water matrices.

Ubiquitin (Ub) is a post-translational modification that largely controls proteostasis through mechanisms spanning transcription, translation, and notably, protein degradation. Ub conjugation occurs through a hierarchical cascade of three enzyme classes (E1, E2, and E3s) involving >1000 proteins that regulate the ubiquitination of proteins. The E2 Ub-conjugating enzymes are the midpoint, yet their cellular roles remain under-characterized, partly due to a lack of inhibitors. For example, the cellular roles of the promiscuous E2 UBE2D/UBCH5 are not well described. Here, we develop a highly selective, multivalent, engineered protein inhibitor for the UBE2D family that simultaneously targets the RING- and backside-binding sites. In HeLa cells, these inhibitors phenocopy knockdown of UBE2D by reducing the IC 50 to cisplatin and whole-cell proteomics reveal an increased abundance of ~20% of the identified proteins, consistent with reduced Ub degradation and proteotoxic stress. These precision tools will enable new studies probing UBE2D's central role in proteome management.

Aim: In this study, we assessed the use of advanced pharmacological behavior management techniques (BMTs) among pediatric dentists in Saudi Arabia and the barriers to their clinical application., Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study used a self-administered electronic survey that targeted members of the Saudi Society of Pediatric Dentistry. The questionnaire included questions on five techniques of advanced and pharmacological behavior management recommended by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Descriptive statistics, frequency, Chi-square test, and Fisher's exact test were used to present the outcomes and independent variables., Results: A total of 57 pediatric dentists completed the survey. Nitrous oxide (N 2 O) sedation, general anesthesia (GA), and protective stabilization were used regularly by pediatric dentists in 70.2%, 68.4%, and 56.1% of the participants, respectively. A few participants reported using oral (14.0%) or intravenous (IV) sedation (10.5%) regularly. The most common barriers to using these techniques were either dentists' discomfort or the non-availability of the equipment/drugs., Conclusions: The most common method used by pediatric dentists was N 2 O inhalation sedation, followed by GA and protective stabilization. The participants' use of pharmacological BMTs, including IV and oral sedation, was relatively low., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2024 Journal of International Society of Preventive and Community Dentistry.)

The present study explores the concept of reenactment of known and unknown war trauma that may be unfamiliar to the readers while also opening up new discourses of understanding and empathy through the lens of Cathy Caruth's trauma theory by focusing on the novel A Land of Permanent Goodbyes by Atia Abawi. War fiction, such as Abawi's novel, highlights the concept of psychological trauma as a double wound (known as "outsiders" and unknown as "insiders") through the textual analysis and characterization of characters by presenting their haunting pasts, present lives, and losses concerning traumatic events. The present study also recounts what the trauma of the unknown means to war-torn survivors by focusing on "trauma as double wounds" from three aspects: cause, effects, and recuperation. Finally, the study concludes with a new paradigm in which trauma is portrayed as a healer rather than a wound., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Ahmad, Bukhari, Khan, Ashraf and Kanwal.)

The premise of this study is to look at the intergenerational transferal of language and racial trauma of Asian immigrants in general and Korean-American immigrants in particular to a western country, the United States of America. This study investigates trauma from a psychological standpoint, based on Chang-Rae Lee's novel Native Speaker. In describing a marker of citizenship, the novel's title also points to who is the native language speaker and who is a native of a country, and why one who is not may be excluded. The Korean immigrants' vulnerability to the English language and racial differences highlights their status as minority "others," and they suffer from transgenerational trauma. As a result of transgenerational traumatic effects, Henry (the protagonist) has various traumatic side effects such as dysphasia, aphasia, and parasomnia and finally leaves no stone unturned to recuperate from trauma. The Trauma of the Unspeakable theory by Michelle Balaev is used in this article to show how trauma affects people's minds., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Ahmad, Nawaz, Bukhari, Nadeem and Hussain.)

Objective: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a Th2 disease that presently is diagnosed and followed by clinical symptoms in the presence of endoscopic biopsies documenting elevated esophageal eosinophilia. To simplify clinical care, multiple studies have attempted to identify a disease specific serologic marker. None have been successful. The goal of this study was to employ custom designed Luminex multiplex bead assays to identify a reliable serologic marker for EoE., Methods: Luminex assays were employed to measure serum levels of 11 analytes associated with EoE (IL-5, lL13, periostin, eotaxin-3, thymic stromal lymphopoietin, and immunoglobulins) in a cohort of pediatric patients consisting of active EoE (n=30), EoE in remission (n=13), and controls (n=34)., Results: No analyte was found to be elevated or depressed in active EoE compared to the other groups. Additionally, among the cohort with active EoE, none of the 11 analytes correlated with peak esophageal eosinophilia, endoscopic features of EoE quantitatively defined by an EoE validated endoscopic reference score (EREFS), or esophageal thickness as determined by endosonography., Conclusion: This is the largest prospective survey of heterogeneous markers studied in a consecutive cohort to determine whether they could diagnose or follow EoE. Although none were identified in this cohort, Luminex provides a rapid, economical tool to simultaneously screen multiple sera for proteins that are increased or decreased in disease states., (© 2022 by the Association of Clinical Scientists, Inc.)

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), remains a significant global health emergency with new variants in some cases evading current therapies and approved vaccines. COVID-19 presents with a broad spectrum of acute and long-term manifestations. Severe COVID-19 is characterized by dysregulated cytokine release profile, dysfunctional immune responses, and hypercoagulation with a high risk of progression to multi-organ failure and death. Unraveling the fundamental immunological processes underlying the clinical manifestations of COVID-19 is vital for the identification and design of more effective therapeutic interventions for individuals at the highest risk of severe outcomes. Caspases are expressed in both immune and non-immune cells and mediate inflammation and cell death, including apoptosis and pyroptosis. Here we review accumulating evidence defining the importance of the expression and activity of caspase family members following SARS-CoV-2 infection and disease. Research suggests SARS-CoV-2 infection is linked to the function of multiple caspases, both mechanistically in vitro as well as in observational studies of individuals with severe COVID-19, which may further the impact on disease severity. We also highlight immunological mechanisms that occur in severe COVID-19 pathology upstream and downstream of activated caspase pathways, including innate recognition receptor signaling, inflammasomes, and other multiprotein complex assembly, inflammatory mediators IL-1β and IL-18, and apoptotic and pyroptotic cell death. Finally, we illuminate discriminate and indiscriminate caspase inhibitors that have been identified for clinical use that could emerge as potential therapeutic interventions that may benefit clinical efforts to prevent or ameliorate severe COVID-19., Competing Interests: Author OA was employed by company Amerimmune. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Premeaux, Yeung, Bukhari, Bowler, Alpan, Gupta and Ndhlovu.)

We studied the incidence of HPV genotypes in mostly Black women with cervical carcinoma and correlated histopathologic tumor characteristics, immune markers and clinical data with survival. Disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were recorded for 60 months post-diagnosis. Fifty four of the 60 (90%) patients were Black and 36 (60%) were < 55 years of age. Of the 40 patients with typeable HPV genotypes, 10 (25%) had 16/18 HPV genotypes, 30 (75%) had one of the non-16/18 HPV genotypes, and 20 (50%) had one of the 7 genotypes (35, 39, 51, 53, 56, 59 and 68) that are not included in the nonavalent vaccine. Mixed HPV infections (≥ 2 types) were found in 11/40 (27.5%) patients. Patients infected with non-16/18 genotypes, including the most common genotype, HPV 35, had significantly shorter DFS and OS. PD-L1 (p = 0.003), MMR expression (p = 0.01), clinical stage (p = 0.048), histologic grade (p = 0.015) and mixed HPV infection (p = 0.026) were independent predictors of DFS. A remarkably high proportion of cervical cancer cells in our patients expressed PD-L1 which opens the possibility of the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors to treat these cancers. Exclusion of the common HPV genotypes from the vaccine exacerbates mortality from cervical cancer in underserved Black patients.

The use of experimental relations to approximate the efficient thermophysical properties of a nanofluid (NF) with Cu nanoparticles (NPs) and hybrid nanofluid (HNF) with Cu-SWCNT NPs and subsequently model the two-dimensional pulsatile Casson fluid flow under the impact of the magnetic field and thermal radiation is a novelty of the current study. Heat and mass transfer analysis of the pulsatile flow of non-Newtonian Casson HNF via a Darcy-Forchheimer porous channel with compliant walls is presented. Such a problem offers a prospective model to study the blood flow via stenosed arteries. A finite-difference flow solver is used to numerically solve the system obtained using the vorticity stream function formulation on the time-dependent governing equations. The behavior of Cu-based NF and Cu-SWCNT-based HNF on the wall shear stress (WSS), velocity, temperature, and concentration profiles are analyzed graphically. The influence of the Casson parameter, radiation parameter, Hartmann number, Darcy number, Soret number, Reynolds number, Strouhal number, and Peclet number on the flow profiles are analyzed. Furthermore, the influence of the flow parameters on the non-dimensional numbers such as the skin friction coefficient, Nusselt number, and Sherwood number is also discussed. These quantities escalate as the Reynolds number is enhanced and reduce by escalating the porosity parameter. The Peclet number shows a high impact on the microorganism's density in a blood NF. The HNF has been shown to have superior thermal properties to the traditional one. These results could help in devising hydraulic treatments for blood flow in highly stenosed arteries, biomechanical system design, and industrial plants in which flow pulsation is essential.

Abstract: Cytopenias in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) require clinical and laboratory workup and bone marrow (BM) examination to determine the cause and for appropriate patient management. Common causes include an increase in SLE activity, immune-mediated hemolysis, iron deficiency, antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, infection, or the effect of medications. We retrospectively evaluated the clinical and laboratory findings of patients with SLE and cytopenias who had undergone BM studies to determine the indicators of malignancy.We retrospectively reviewed medical records of patients with SLE who presented with cytopenias for their disease course, medications, laboratory parameters and documented the spectrum of morphological changes in BM including CD34 expression.Twenty patients with SLE had undergone BM biopsy for evaluation of cytopenias. 14/20 (70%) of the patients had reactive BM, and the rest had hematologic malignancies involving the BM. Of these 14 patients, 8 had hypocellular marrow with loss of precursor cells (low CD34), 4 had left shift in myeloid lineage, 3 had serous atrophy, and 1had multilineage dysplasia. The 6 patients with hematologic malignancies included 2 with diffuse large B cell lymphoma, and one each of natural killer/T cell lymphoma, post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder, Hodgkin lymphoma, and myelodysplastic syndrome evolving to acute myelogenous leukemia. The presence of autoantibodies, SLE activity, and lupus nephritis were comparable in patients with and without neoplasia. However, the duration of the use of multiple immunosuppressants, years since renal transplant (22 vs 10), multiple transplants, and the presence of other autoimmune diseases were greater in those with neoplasia. Two of the 14 patients with non-neoplastic BM and 1 with the neoplastic BM had nonhematological malignancy.Clinical and laboratory findings, the number of transplants, and the use of immunosuppressive agents can guide physicians to identify patients with a higher risk of developing hematologic malignancy. BM findings of cytopenia in SLE are often due to increased disease activity causing global cell death and dysmaturation. SLE patients presenting with cytopenias, with a history of long-term exposure to immunosuppressive drugs, should be regularly screened for hematologic and nonhematologic malignancies., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding and conflicts of interests to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Development of antibody protection during SARS-CoV-2 infection is a pressing question for public health and for vaccine development. We developed highly sensitive SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody and neutralization assays. SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein or Nucleocapsid protein specific IgG antibodies at titers more than 1:100,000 were detectable in all PCR+ subjects (n = 115) and were absent in the negative controls. Other isotype antibodies (IgA, IgG1-4) were also detected. SARS-CoV-2 neutralization was determined in COVID-19 and convalescent plasma at up to 10,000-fold dilution, using Spike protein pseudotyped lentiviruses, which were also blocked by neutralizing antibodies (NAbs). Hospitalized patients had up to 3000-fold higher antibody and neutralization titers compared to outpatients or convalescent plasma donors. Interestingly, some COVID-19 patients also possessed NAbs against SARS-CoV Spike protein pseudovirus. Together these results demonstrate the high specificity and sensitivity of our assays, which may impact understanding the quality or duration of the antibody response during COVID-19 and in determining the effectiveness of potential vaccines.

Background: African-Americans/Blacks have suffered higher morbidity and mortality from COVID-19 than all other racial groups. This study aims to identify the causes of this health disparity, determine prognostic indicators, and assess efficacy of treatment interventions., Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of clinical features and laboratory data of COVID-19 patients admitted over a 52-day period at the height of the pandemic in the United States. This study was performed at an urban academic medical center in New York City, declared a COVID-only facility, serving a majority Black population., Results: Of the 1103 consecutive patients who tested positive for COVID-19, 529 required hospitalization and were included in the study. 88% of patients were Black; and a majority (52%) were 61-80 years old with a mean body mass index in the "obese" range. 98% had one or more comorbidities. Hypertension was the most common (79%) pre-existing condition followed by diabetes mellitus (56%) and chronic kidney disease (17%). Patients with chronic kidney disease who received hemodialysis were found to have lower mortality, than those who did not receive it, suggesting benefit from hemodialysis Age > 60 years and coronary artery disease were independent predictors of mortality in multivariate analysis. Cox proportional hazards modeling for time to death demonstrated a significantly high ratio for COPD/Asthma, and favorable effects on outcomes for pre-admission ACE inhibitors and ARBs. CRP (180, 283 mg/L), LDH (551, 638 U/L), glucose (182, 163 mg/dL), procalcitonin (1.03, 1.68 ng/mL), and neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio (8.3:10.0) were predictive of mortality on admission and at 48-96 h. Of the 529 inpatients 48% died, and one third of them died within the first 3 days of admission. 159/529patients received invasive mechanical ventilation, of which 86% died and of the remaining 370 patients, 30% died., Conclusions: COVID-19 patients in our predominantly Black neighborhood had higher in-hospital mortality, likely due to higher prevalence of comorbidities. Early dialysis and pre-admission intake of ACE inhibitors/ARBs improved patient outcomes. Early escalation of care based on comorbidities and key laboratory indicators is critical for improving outcomes in African-American patients.

The present paper examines the flow behavior and separation region of a non-Newtonian electrically conducting Casson fluid through a two-dimensional porous channel by using Darcy's law for the steady and pulsatile flows. The vorticity-stream function approach is employed for the numerical solution of the flow equations. The effects of various emerging parameters on wall shear stress and stream-wise velocity are displayed through graphs and discussed in detail. It is noticed the increasing values of the magnetic field parameter (Hartman number) cause vanishing of the flow separation region and flattening of the stream-wise velocity component. The study also reveals that the non-Newtonian character of Casson fluid bears the potential of controlling the flow separation region in both steady and pulsating flow conditions.

Objective: Pancreatic ductal carcinoma has a 5-year survival rate of 9%. This makes it the 4th leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. Advanced-stage diagnosis and limited treatment options contribute to poor prognosis. Thus, there is an urgent need for new approaches to treatment. Enhancer of Zeste 2 (EZH2), a catalytic subunit of the multi-protein histone methyltransferase, known as the polycomb repressive complex, has been implicated in carcinogenesis. E2H2's downregulation has been shown to have a therapeutic effect in B cell lymphomas., Materials and Methods: We examined the effect of EZH2 downregulation in combination with irradiation on the proliferation and apoptosis of pancreatic cancer cells (PANC-1 and MIA PaCa-2) in vitro . EZH2 downregulation was accomplished by treatment of cells with small interfering RNA (siRNA) or EPZ. To do this, cell survival was assessed over a 96 hr (short-term) by ATP measurement and immunohistochemical assessment of Phosphohistone 3 (PHH3), Ki-67 and CC3 over two weeks (long-term) by clonogenic assay., Results: EZH2 downregulation resulted in the decreased proliferation of PANC-1 and MIA PaCa-2 cells within short-term assays with maximal reduction at 72 hr. Irradiation reduced cell proliferation beginning at 96 hr and continued over the long-term. Irradiation with EZH2 downregulation reduced cell proliferation between 48 and 72 hr. This combined treatment reduced cell proliferation by 3 to 14% as compared to those treated with irradiation alone at two weeks. PANC-1 and MIA PaCa-2 cells exhibited similar responses to EZH2 downregulation and irradiation, but to different degrees. siRNA or EPZ were equally effective in EZH2 downregulation., Conclusions: EZH2 downregulation in combination with irradiation reduces PANC-1 and MIA PaCa-2 cell proliferation more than irradiation alone. This study affirms the role of EZH2 downregulation for radiosensitization in pancreatic cancer treatment., (© 2020 by the Association of Clinical Scientists, Inc.)

The aim of this review was to determine the most common peri-implant mucositis and peri-implantitis case definitions used worldwide in the implant dentistry literature. A systematic assessment of peri-implant disease classification was conducted using all publications in MEDLINE, EMBASE, SCOPUS, and Google Scholar between 1994 and November 2017. Screening of eligible studies and data extraction were conducted in duplicate and independently by 2 reviewers. The search protocol identified 3049 unique articles, of which 2784 were excluded based on title and abstract. In total, 265 full texts were screened, 106 of which met the eligibility criteria. Of these, 41 defined peri-implant mucositis. Eight (19.6%) used bleeding on probing (BOP) only; 8 (19.6.7%) used a combination of probing depth (PD), BOP, and radiograph; and 5 (12.3%) used PD and BOP. Cases with crestal bone loss of ≤2 mm in the first year and ≤0.2 mm in each subsequent year were considered as peri-implant mucositis. Ninety-three articles defined peri-implantitis; 28 (30.1%) used a combination of PD with suppuration, BOP, and radiograph, followed by 25 (26.9%) using a combination of PD, BOP, and radiograph. The main criteria in most of the studies were considered to be BOP, PD, and radiograph. Cases of crestal bone loss of ≥2 mm and PD ≥3 mm are considered peri-implantitis. Different peri-implant disease case definitions may affect disease prevalence and treatment strategies. We need to standardize case definitions to avoid discrepancies in case diagnosis and prognosis.

Legionella pneumophila is on the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Candidate Contaminant list (CCL) as an important pathogen. It is commonly encountered in recycled water and is typically associated with amoeba, notably Naegleria fowleri (also on the CCL) and Acanthamoeba sp. No legionellosis outbreak has been linked to recycled water and it is important for the industry to proactively keep things that way. A review was conducted examine the occurrence of Legionella and its protozoa symbionts in recycled water with the aim of developing a risk management strategy. The review considered the intricate ecological relationships between Legionella and protozoa, methods for detecting both symbionts, and the efficacy of various disinfectants.

Analysis of Cryptosporidium occurrence in six watersheds by method 1623 and the integrated cell culture-PCR (CC-PCR) technique provided an opportunity to evaluate these two methods. The average recovery efficiencies were 58.5% for the CC-PCR technique and 72% for method 1623, but the values were not significantly different (P = 0.06). Cryptosporidium oocysts were detected in 60 of 593 samples (10.1%) by method 1623. Infectious oocysts were detected in 22 of 560 samples (3.9%) by the CC-PCR technique. There was 87% agreement between the total numbers of samples positive as determined by method 1623 and CC-PCR for four of the sites. The other two sites had 16.3 and 24% correspondence between the methods. Infectious oocysts were detected in all of the watersheds. Overall, approximately 37% of the Cryptosporidium oocysts detected by the immunofluorescence method were viable and infectious. DNA sequence analysis of the Cryptosporidium parvum isolates detected by CC-PCR showed the presence of both the bovine and human genotypes. More than 90% of the C. parvum isolates were identified as having the bovine or bovine-like genotype. The estimates of the concentrations of infectious Cryptosporidium and the resulting daily and annual risks of infection compared well for the two methods. The results suggest that most surface water systems would require, on average, a 3-log reduction in source water Cryptosporidium levels to meet potable water goals.

Because of its efficacy in inactivating waterborne protozoan cysts and oocysts, ozone is frequently used for disinfection of drinking water. The effect of ozone on cysts of Giardia lamblia was investigated in gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus), using an infectivity assay by scanning electron microscopy, immunoblotting, and flow cytometry. Cysts recovered from experimentally infected gerbils were exposed to an initial ozone concentration of 1.5 mg/L for 0, 30, 60, and 120 sec. This treatment resulted in a dose-dependent reduction in cysts concentration, loss of infectivity in gerbils, and profound structural modifications to the cyst wall. Exposure for 60 sec or longer resulted in extensive protein degradation and in the disappearance of a cyst wall and a trophozoite antigen.