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Abstract Objective This study aimed to assess weight gain associated with treatment switching to INSTI-based regimens in people living with HIV (PLWH) and to determine whether it is accompanied by worsening features of hypertension, dyslipidemia, or hyperglycemia. Methods In this two-center retrospective observational study, we assessed weight gain and metabolic features in PLWH who switched to an INSTI-based regimen (study group) as compared to patients who remained on a non-INSTI regimen (control group) over a 24-month follow-up period. Results One-hundred seventy-four PLWH were included in the study group, and 175 were included in the control group. The study group gained 2.51 kg ± 0.31 (mean ± standard deviation) over the 2 years of follow-up, while the control group gained 1.1 ± 0.31 kg over the same time course (p

The objective of this study was to investigate the factors influencing Israeli teachers who participated in the national 'Laptop for Every Teacher' program (LET) three-year technology integration program. We assert that although there are several variables influencing the success of such an extensive ICT integration program as the LET program, school management attitude is crucial, and a key factor for the program's success. The results of the analysis indicate that the variance in attitudes toward technology use is explained by support from management, technology use before the training, and seniority in teaching. Two main conclusions are drawn: A top-down initiative forcing the school administration to participate in a long-term process aiming at changing the school's culture cannot succeed without engaging the principals into the program and advancing them to technological leaders. Additionally, without the schools' administration support, teachers are more likely to continue teaching in the method with which they are most familiar.

Background: Denture‐induced oral Lesions (DIOLs) often manifests shortly after the placement or adjustment of new or realigned dentures, frequently resulting in severe pain and discomfort. Objectives: This study aimed to classify DIOLs placing a particular emphasis on assessing the associated pain. Methods: A prospective case study was conducted involving 126 patients who were fitted with a total of 193 dentures of various types at the Hadassah School of Dental Medicine. All patients underwent comprehensive intra‐oral examinations within 1–8 weeks following denture delivery, completed symptom questionnaires and had their medical records reviewed. Key variables documented included age, gender, overall health status, denture type, and a detailed description of the DIOLs. The description encompassed factors such as lesion location, shape, colour, size, border characteristics, ulcerative appearance, membrane coverage, 3D morphology (elevated, immersed and flat) and patient‐reported Verbal Pain Score (VPS) when touching the DIOLs, when wearing the denture, and when not wearing the denture. Results: Notably, 25.4% of denture wearers required no adjustments, while 14.4% necessitated more than three revisions. A majority (71.8%) of DIOLs cases were associated with mandibular complete dentures, primarily situated on the alveolar ridge. The mean VPS indicated a pain intensity of 7 ± 2.1, with temporary dentures in both jaws causing the most discomfort. Implant‐supported overdentures were particularly painful when placed in the mandible. Additionally, VPS scores were higher among older individuals and those with prior prosthetic experiences. A significant correlation was observed between pain intensity and presence of chronic health condition (0.036). Conclusions: This study revealed distinct characteristics of DIOLs and highlighted the multifactorial nature of pain experienced following the development of DIOLs. Insights into the influence of patient and denture characteristics on DIOLs and pain intensity can guide healthcare professionals in optimising patient comfort and satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: We found a higher incidence of myocarditis in young males who had received at least two Pfizer‐BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccinations. The human leukocyte antigens (HLA) are known to play an important role in infectious and autoinflammatory diseases. We hypothesized that certain HLA alleles might be associated with vaccination‐induced myocarditis. Methods: HLA typing was performed using next‐generation sequencing technology with the Illumina Iseq100 platform. HLA class I and II loci were genotyped in 29 patients with post‐vaccination myocarditis and compared with HLA data from 300 healthy controls. Results: We demonstrate that the DRB1*14:01, DRB1*15:03 alleles and the motifs in HLA‐A − Leu62 and Gln63, which are part of binding pocket B and HLA‐DR Tyr47, His60, Arg70 and Glu74, which are part of binding pockets P4, P7 and P9, were significantly associated with disease susceptibility. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that immunogenetic fingerprints in HLA peptide‐binding grooves may affect the presentation of peptides derived from the Pfizer‐BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccination to T cells and induce an inflammatory process that results in myocarditis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retailers have been identified as important actors in driving sustainable change, due to their vital role in connecting production and consumption. In this paper, we explore what retailers do to enable consumers to act more sustainable. Whereas there is ample research focusing either on sustainability on the production and sourcing side or on sustainable consumer behaviors, we bridge the two by focusing specifically on consumer-facing sustainability work in grocery retail organizations. Through workshops, interviews, and secondary data, we find a clear ambition among retailers to help consumers behave sustainably. However, our findings also point to several barriers to sustainability work within the organization. The paper concludes by outlining a model of different sustainability ambition-action gaps within retail organizations and possible solutions for closing them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Diabetic foot infections (DFIs) are frequently polymicrobial, yet the relevance of each isolated pathogen, remains ill-defined. Specifically, the prevalence and pathogenicity of enterococcal DFIs and the impact of targeted antienterococcal treatment remain elusive. Methods We collected demographic, clinical, and outcome-related data on patients admitted with DFIs to the Hadassah Medical Center diabetic foot unit between 2014 and 2019. The primary outcome was a composite of in-hospital death or major amputation. Secondary outcomes included any amputation, major amputation, length of stay (LOS), and 1-year major amputation or mortality rate. Results Enterococci were isolated in 35% of 537 eligible DFI case patients, who were notable for a higher prevalence of peripheral vascular disease, increased levels of C-reactive protein, and higher Wagner scores. Infection in enterococci-positive individuals was mostly polymicrobial (96.8% vs 61.0% in non–enterococci-infected patients; P <.001). Enterococci-infected patients were more likely to undergo amputation (72.3% vs 50.1%; P <.001) and had longer hospital stays (median LOS, 22.5 vs 17 days; P <.001), but the primary end point of major amputation or in-hospital death did not differ between groups (25.5% vs 21.0%; P =.26). Appropriate antienterococcal antibiotics were used in 78.1% of enterococci-infected patients and, compared with results in untreated patients, were associated with a trend toward a lower rate of major amputations (20.4% vs 34.1%; P =.06) but longer hospitalization (median LOS, 24 vs 18 days; P =.07). Conclusions Enterococci are common in DFIs and associated with higher rates of amputation and longer hospitalization. A reduction in major amputation rates with appropriate enterococci treatment is suggested retrospectively, meriting validation by future prospective studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality of clinical teaching in Swedish medical schools has recently been questioned by student representatives at the medical schools in Sweden. The clinical teaching at Uppsala University Medical School has previously only been sparsely evaluated and with varying instruments. Our aim was to develop a simple assessment instrument and implement it uniformly, enabling cross comparisons between different departments. Further we wanted to investigate students’ response rate and analyze their response pattern.A questionnaire inspired by a concept from Stanford University was created and introduced at hospital departments performing clinical teaching of medical students. Ten questions reflecting different aspects of clinical teaching were used. The outcome was used for specific feedback to the clinical teachers, cross comparison and official ranking of the departments.The evaluation instrument has been successfully developed and uniformly implemented throughout the departments of the hospital. The students have with a relatively high response rate graded the items with a great deal of variation between and within the clinical rotations. Altogether, this has provided specific feedback to the clinical teachers and enabled cross comparison between departments. Our belief is that the instrument also applies to other educations involving supervision.

Aims: Data regarding diabetic foot ulcers in patients after solid organ transplantation, particularly kidney transplantation, are limited. Chronic immunosuppression may be associated with impaired wound healing and a higher risk of amputations. In this study, we characterised the clinical presentation and outcomes of patients after kidney transplantation admitted to the diabetic foot unit, compared to non-kidney-transplant patients.Materials and Methods: Data on the baseline characteristics, clinical presentation, and outcomes of all patients admitted to the diabetic foot unit of a large tertiary centre between the years 2014 and 2019 were collected. The most recent admission of each patient was considered. Primary outcomes were major amputations and 1 year mortality rate.Results: During the study period, 537 patients were hospitalised, 18 of them were receiving immunosuppressive therapy due to kidney transplantation. Baseline characteristics of the patients were broadly similar, except that smoking was reported by 22.0% of the non-transplant patients and by none of the post-transplant patients (p = 0.01). Post-transplant patients tended to be younger (59.4 ± 11.1 vs. 65.3 ± 12.2; p = 0.07), were more likely to have type-1 diabetes (16.7% vs. 5.2%; p = 0.07) and had lower glucose levels upon admission (9.4 ± 4.3 vs. 12.0 ± 6.4 mmol/L; p = 0.07). Overall, 30% of the patients underwent major amputation, in-patient mortality rate was 9.3%, and 1 year mortality rate was 27.2%. Rates were similar in the post-transplant versus the non-post-transplant patients (p = 0.83, 1.00, 0.59, respectively).Conclusions: Post-transplant patients did not incur worse outcomes in spite of immunosuppressive therapy. Limb salvage efforts should be pursued in these patients similar to the overall population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covering: Up to 2019 Phenolic cross-links and phenolic inter-unit linkages result from the oxidative coupling of two hydroxycinnamates or two molecules of tyrosine. Free dimers of hydroxycinnamates, lignans, play important roles in plant defence. Cross-linking of bound phenolics in the plant cell wall affects cell expansion, wall strength, digestibility, degradability, and pathogen resistance. Cross-links mediated by phenolic substituents are particularly important as they confer strength to the wall via the formation of new covalent bonds, and by excluding water from it. Four biopolymer classes are known to be involved in the formation of phenolic cross-links: lignins, extensins, glucuronoarabinoxylans, and side-chains of rhamnogalacturonan-I. Lignins and extensins are ubiquitous in streptophytes whereas aromatic substituents on xylan and pectic side-chains are commonly assumed to be particular features of Poales sensu lato and core Caryophyllales, respectively. Cross-linking of phenolic moieties proceeds via radical formation, is catalyzed by peroxidases and laccases, and involves monolignols, tyrosine in extensins, and ferulate esters on xylan and pectin. Ferulate substituents, on xylan in particular, are thought to be nucleation points for lignin polymerization and are, therefore, of paramount importance to wall architecture in grasses and for the development of technology for wall disassembly, e.g. for the use of grass biomass for production of 2nd generation biofuels. This review summarizes current knowledge on the intra- and extracellular acylation of polysaccharides, and inter- and intra-molecular cross-linking of different constituents. Enzyme mediated lignan in vitro synthesis for pharmaceutical uses are covered as are industrial exploitation of mutant and transgenic approaches to control cell wall cross-linking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assymetric periflexural exanthem of childhood (APEC) is a self-limited disease characterized by unilateral exanthem. the etiology is unknown, but a viral agent is suspected. Most often there is no formal proof of an associated viral etiology, but several associations between APEC and some viruses have beed described. We report a 2-year-old girl with APEC assocoatied with the influenza A. This case allows us to provide an additional argument on a probable viral etiology of APEC and possible etiologic role of influenza A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) of optically pumped films of poly(2-(2[sup ′],5[sup ′]-bis(octyloxy)benzene)-1,4-phenylenevinylene (BOP-PPV) was studied in structures comprising a gate electrode, a thin film of gate insulator material (SiO[sub 2]) and the polymer film as luminescent semiconducting layer (i.e. a field effect transistor without the source and drain electrodes). The influences of different gate electrodes on the threshold and the wavelength of the amplified emission were measured for variable thickness of the gate insulator. An exponential increase in ASE threshold (I[sub t]) with decreasing separation between electrode and polymer layer was observed. In structures with 200 nm SiO[sub 2] gate insulator, I[sub t]=300 kW/cm[sup 2] with an n-Si gate electrode and 200 kW/cm[sup 2] with Au electrode (100 nm thick). Compared to the same polymer film on pure SiO[sub 2] (I[sub t]=2 kW/cm[sup 2]), this increase results from waveguide losses in the nearby gate electrode. With an indium–tin–oxide (ITO) gate electrode (140 nm thick) on glass, again with a 200 nm SiO[sub 2] gate insulator, I[sub t]=30 kW/cm[sup 2]. The ITO electrode acts as a second waveguide, and the light is distributed into two modes. The observed wavelength shift and the increasing I[sub t] with decreasing SiO[sub 2] thickness result from this mode structure. When the thickness of the ITO electrode is less than 60 nm, the mode traveling mainly in the ITO is cutoff, and a single waveguide structure is formed with an associated reduction in I[sub t]. For an ITO thickness of 12 nm, I[sub t]=4 kW/cm[sup 2], only two times bigger than that observed in a pure BOP-PPV film on fused silica. © 2003 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Crosslinked enzyme aggregates ( CLEA) technology is a rapid and versatile method to produce immobilized enzymes via precipitation and cross-linking. A direct relationship between CLEA final activity and process parameters is however yet to be clarified. To address the issue, we have used a factorial design to test the formation and optimization of CLEA made from technical grade cellulase ( EC 3.2.1.4). Three types of precipitant (ammonium sulfate, polyethylene glycol, tert-butyl alcohol) were used at varied levels of cross-linker concentration, cross-linking time, and temperature. RESULTS It was found that the CLEAs produced with tert-butyl alcohol were inactive, whereas the polyethylene glycol- and ammonium sulfate- CLEA, recovered 29 and 17% of the free enzyme activity, respectively. Testing for re-usability, we observed that the polyethylene glycol- CLEA maintained 40% of the initial activity after four cycles, in contrast the ammonium sulfate- CLEA only maintained 10% of its activity after one cycle. CONCLUSION Our study highlights the importance of evaluating the effect of the precipitant on final CLEA activity rather than re-solubilized enzyme activity. It was demonstrated that polyethylene glycol, despite not being able to precipitate the enzymes as readily as ammonium sulfate, resulted in better performing CLEA. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Dissolving pulp was depolymerized with 2.5 M HCl into cellulose fractions with decreasing molecular weight relative to acid treatment time. The cellulose fractions were dissolved at various concentrations in the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate (EmimAc) with co-solvent DMSO at ratio 1 : 1 (w/w) and electrospun. Size exclusion chromatography was used to evaluate the molecular weight distributions and the rheological properties were characterized with a cone-and-plate rheometer. Scanning electron microscope was used to evaluate the fiber morphology, and thereby spinnability. Zero shear viscosity as a function of cellulose concentration show that all the solutions in this study are in the entangled semi-dilute regime; where the polymer concentration is large enough for significant overlap necessary for chain entanglement. However, within the intervals studied, neither cellulose concentration nor molecular weight seems to be decisive for if a solution can be electrospun into fibers or not. It is rather the viscosity of the solution that is decisive for electrospinnability, even though the solution is in the entangled semi-dilute regime. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 2303-2310, 2013 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case of a 60-year-old female who was presented with fever, painful subcutaneous nodules, and myalgia to discuss disseminated nocardiosis in a patient with sarcoidosis.

Cellulose was electrospun with various concentrations of ionic liquid and cosolvent. Three different cosolvents were used in this study; dimethylacetamide (DMAc), dimethyl formamide (DMF), and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). The cosolvents were added to modify the viscosity, electrical conductivity, and surface tension of the solutions. The solubility of cellulose in ionic liquids is highly affected by changes in solvent properties on the molecular level in the binary solvent systems. The difference in molecular structure of the cosolvents and the interactions between cosolvent and ionic liquid can explain the difference in dissolution power of the cosolvents. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to characterize electrospun cellulose fibers. For the systems tested the importance of having a rather high viscosity and high surface tension, and some degree of shear thinning to produce fibers is shown. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar cells based on organic molecules or conjugated polymers attract great attention due to their unique advantages, such as low cost, and their use in flexible devices, but are still limited by their low power conversion efficiency (PCE). To improve the PCEs of polymer solar cells, more efforts have been made to increase short-circuit current (Jsc) or open-circuit voltage (Voc). However, the trade-off between Jscand Vocin bulk heterojunctions solar cells makes it tricky to find a polymer with a low band gap to efficiently absorb photons in the visible and near infrared region of the solar spectrum, while maintaining a high Vocin solar cells. Therefore, it is crucial to design and synthesize polymers with energy levels aligning with the LUMO (lowest unoccupied molecular orbital) of an electron acceptor to minimize the LUMO level difference between donor and acceptor to keep enough driving force for charge generation, thereby maximizing photovoltage in solar cells. Here a novel copolymer APFO-Green 9 was synthesized. Polymer solar cells based on APFO-Green 9 blended with a derivative of fullerene demonstrate high photovoltage by fine tuning the HOMO and LUMO level of APFO-Green 9. Solar cells based on APFO-Green 9 and [6,6]-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester ([70]PCBM) present a photoresponse extended to 900 nm with Jscof 6.5 mA cm−2, Vocof 0.81 V and PCE of 2.3% under illumination of AM1.5 with light intensity of 100 mW cm−2. As a low band gap polymer with a Vocbigger than 0.8 V, APFO-Green 9 is a promising candidate for efficient tandem solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to understand the characteristics of relationship quality within a business-to-business (b2b) setting, and also to understand how these characteristics vary in importance between countries. Replicating an earlier study, conjoint analysis was used to study how a sample of 48 Iranian managers trade off different attributes of relationship quality. Overall, the most important attribute to the sample was profit, followed by trust and power. However, there was significant variance within the sample. When compared with an earlier study of UK managers in which an identical methodology was used, it was found that while profit was important for both groups, it was more so for Iranian managers. Trust was also important in both samples, in line with what was expected from the literature. Power was found to be important for Iranian managers whereas in the UK, power was reported as the least important attribute. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A new series of low-bandgap alternating polyfluorenes with different donor–acceptor–donor moieties have been synthesized. Electrochemical and optical absorption measurement show that onset bandgaps of these polymers range from 1.2 to 1.5 eV. These polymers, blended with a C70-derivative as acceptor, are used for solar cell fabrication. Devices show promising photovoltaic properties, and the spectral response of photocurrent covers all visible and near-infrared wavelength regions with its onset extended to 1 μm. The best data gives a photocurrent density of 3.4 mA/cm2, open circuit voltage of 0.58 V and power conversion efficiency of 0.7% under illumination of AM1.5 (1000 W/m2) from a solar simulator. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The authors report polarized red, electroluminescence peak at 705 nm and near infrared, electroluminescence peak at 950 nm, light emission from light emitting diodes based on two polyfluorene copolymers. The copolymers are synthesized from a fluorene monomer combined with donor-acceptor-donor comonomers and designed to have a low band gap and form birefringent liquid crystalline phases. Emission occurs from aligned thin films of polymer layers. The emissive layers are aligned by spin coating on a layer of rubbed conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene)-poly(styrene sulphonate) and thermally converted into glassy nematic liquid crystalline state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A conjugated polymer with a low band gap of 1.21 eV, i.e., absorbing infrared light, is demonstrated as active material in field-effect transistors (FETs). The material consists of alternating fluorene units and low band gap segments with electron donor-acceptor-donor units composed of two electron-donating thiophene rings attached on both sides of a thiadiazolo-quinoxaline electron-acceptor group. The polymer is solution-processable and air-stable; the resulting FETs exhibit typical p-channel characteristics and field-effect mobility of 0.03 cm2 V-1 s-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plastic solar cells were fabricated using a low-band-gap alternating copolymer of fluorene and a donor–acceptor–donor moiety (APFO-Green1), blended with [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methylester or 3′-(3,5-Bis-trifluoromethylphenyl)-1′-(4-nitrophenyl)pyrazolino[60]fullerene as electron acceptors. The polymer shows optical absorption in two wavelength ranges from 300<λ<500 nm and 650<λ<1000 nm. Devices based on APFO-Green1 blended with the later fullerene exhibit an outstanding photovoltaic behavior at the infrared range, where the external quantum efficiency is as high as 8.4% at 840 nm and 7% at 900 nm, while the onset of photogeneration is found at 1 μm. A photocurrent density of 1.76 mA/cm2, open-circuit voltage of 0.54 V, and power conversion efficiency of 0.3% are achieved under the illumination of AM1.5 (1000 W/m2) from a solar simulator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report photo- and electroluminescence from an alternating conjugated polymer consisting of fluorene units and low-band gap donor-acceptor-donor (D–A–D) units. The D–A–D segment includes two electron-donating thiophene rings combined with a thiadiazolo-quinoxaline unit, which is electron withdrawing to its nature. The resulting polymer is conjugated and has a band gap of 1.27 eV. The corresponding electro- and photoluminescence spectra both peak at approximately 1 μm. Light-emitting diodes, based on a single layer of the polymer, demonstrated external quantum efficiencies from 0.03% to 0.05%. © 2004 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modes with low threshold for optical gain were observed at wavelengths close to the cutoff in experiments probing the amplified spontaneous emission of light-emitting polymer thin films. The polymer was the semiconductor layer in a multilayer semiconductor–insulator–metal structure that simulates the one-dimensional waveguide characteristics in the channel of a field-effect transistor. The “cutoff” mode propagates at the polymer/gate-insulator interface, has an optical gain threshold of approximately 10 kW/cm[sup 2], and is not influenced by absorption of the gate electrode. The wavelength of the amplified emission tracks the cutoff wavelength of the asymmetric double-waveguide structure and the cutoff mode is, therefore, tunable in wavelength. Our results suggest that the light-emitting field-effect transistor architecture is a promising route for the construction of an injection laser. © 2003 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]