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As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic progresses to an endemic phase, a greater number of patients with a history of COVID-19 will undergo surgery. Major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACE) are the primary contributors to postoperative morbidity and mortality; however, studies assessing the relationship between a previous severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and postoperative MACE outcomes are limited. Here, we analyzed retrospective data from 457,804 patients within the N3C Data Enclave, the largest national, multi-institutional data set on COVID-19 in the United States. However, 7.4% of patients had a history of COVID-19 before surgery. When comorbidities, age, race, and risk of surgery were controlled, patients with preoperative COVID-19 had an increased risk for 30-day postoperative MACE. MACE risk was influenced by an interplay between COVID-19 disease severity and time between surgery and infection; in those with mild disease, MACE risk was not increased even among those undergoing surgery within 4 wk following infection. In those with moderate disease, risk for postoperative MACE was mitigated 8 wk after infection, whereas patients with severe disease continued to have elevated postoperative MACE risk even after waiting for 8 wk. Being fully vaccinated decreased the risk for postoperative MACE in both patients with no history of COVID-19 and in those with breakthrough COVID-19 infection. Together, our results suggest that a thorough assessment of the severity, vaccination status, and timing of SARS-CoV-2 infection must be a mandatory part of perioperative stratification. NEW & NOTEWORTHY With an increasing proportion of patients undergoing surgery with a prior history of COVID-19, it is crucial to understand the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on postoperative cardiovascular/cerebrovascular risk. Our work assesses a large, national, multi-institutional cohort of patients to highlight that COVID-19 infection increases risk for postoperative major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACE). MACE risk is influenced by an interplay between disease severity and time between infection and surgery, and full vaccination reduces the risk for 30-day postoperative MACE. These results highlight the importance of stratifying time-to-surgery guidelines based on disease severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gossypol is a polyphenolic aldehyde found in cottonseed (Gossypium hirsutum). Cottonseed is a readily available feedstuff commodity in the southeast United States; therefore, it has the potential for usage as an inexpensive source of fat and protein and is promising for animal producers in this region. Gossypol has been studied for its negative effect on the reproduction of males. However, in the present study, we hypothesized a possible anthelmintic effect of cottonseed, a source of gossypol (polyphenolic compound) against Haemonchus contortus. For this purpose, 4-month-old Boer x Spanish cross does (n = 40) were randomly assigned to 4 treatments (n = 10/treatment), based on the supplementation (0.5% body weight-BW in kg), Cottonseed vs. pelleted feed (NC), and no parasite infection (NP) or artificial infection with 4,000 L3 of H. contortus (P). For 8 weeks, FAMACHA, BW, and eggs per gram of feces (EPG) using the McMaster technique were recorded from each animal. The experimental design used was a 2x2 factorial. Normality was tested using Wilk-Shapiro, followed by an ANOVA. Those variables not following normal distribution were analyzed using Kruskal - Wallis nonparametric test. Body weights were analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS 9.4. Goats fed with Cottonseed had a similar BW to those fed with pellets, 29.14 and 29.80 kgs, respectively. Furthermore, the Cottonseed fed animals had greater EPG (1074.4 ± 473.4) compared with those eating pelleted feed (672.7 ± 297.07; P< 0.05). Non-artificially infected animals presented minimum EPG (8.1± 8.9 and 3.7 ± 6.05 for NCNP and CNP, respectively) as part of natural infection. FAMACHA for both parasitized groups were similar, 2.77 and 2.84 for NCP and CP, respectively, but greater (P < 0.05) than the FAMACHA of the non-infected animals of 2.29 and 2.41 for NCNP and CNP, respectively. From this study, the presence of cottonseed in the diet of female meat goats did not have a positive effect on reducing the parasite infection, contrary to what was expected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the method utilizing the artificial neural networks and data envelopment analysis. The U.S. industry is developing technology to mass-produce high-end goods with tight tolerance. Injection molding is the most important process for mass producing of plastic products. The difficulty of optimizing an IM process is that the performance measures often show conflicting behavior.

Therapeutic hypothermia has demonstrated an improvement in neurological outcomes in patients who experience sudden cardiac arrest. The benefit of this therapy is documented only after its implementation in a one-time basis. We report the case of a patient who suffered two events of sudden cardiac arrest separately in a short period of time and who underwent therapeutic hypothermia after each episode with outstanding results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IVIA is a joint initiative of at least 8 Latin-American countries plus Portugal and Spain to make good use of large telecommunications antennas that are out of service in these countries, because most international communications are now using submarine cables. The first step will be to refurbish the antennas and then to start doing single dish observations of radiosources. In a second step the antennas will be equipped with VLBI (Very Long Base Interferometry) equipment, to establish a VLBI network. This project will be able to effectively promote scientific integration in Ibero-America. The work is starting in several countries; here we present several scientific cases for the use of the antennas, and we report on the first Brasilian activities.

Objective: To examine the economic burden of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and the incremental cost of transfusion dependence., Research Design and Methods: Adults with evidence of MDS were identified between 05/01/2000 and 09/30/2003 from a longitudinal, retrospective claims database for a large, geographically diverse US health plan and their medical histories were followed for at least 6 months. Patients were classified as transfusion-dependent (MDS-TD) or transfusion-independent (MDS-TI)., Main Outcome Measures: Variables were categorized as demographic, health status, utilization, or cost. Utilization (inpatient hospitalizations, outpatient facility visits, emergency department visits, and physician office visits) is reported as the mean and median numbers of each specified encounter per subject. Costs were measured as the sum of patient and plan liability. All variables were analyzed descriptively, and appropriate statistical tests were used to compare the MDS-TD and MDS-TI cohorts. Pharmacy, medical, and total health care costs, adjusted for demographics and comorbidity, were estimated using gamma regression with a log link., Results: The MDS-TI cohort consisted of 2864 patients, and the MDS-TD cohort comprised 336 patients. Mean age for the entire study sample was 70.2 years. The MDS-TI cohort tended to receive most of its medical care at physicians' offices, whereas the MDS-TD cohort received nearly as much medical care at outpatient facilities (e.g., infusion clinics, hospital outpatient clinics) as it did in physicians' offices. The MDS-TD cohort had significantly higher mean annual costs: pharmacy, $4457 vs. $2926; medical, $50,663 vs. $17,469; total, $51,066 vs. $19,811 (p < 0.001 for all comparisons). Thus, transfusion dependence was associated with an incremental cost of $31,255 per patient per year. Some limitations inherent to using claims data and diagnosis codes for research apply to this study., Conclusions: This study demonstrated that an important consequence of transfusion dependence for MDS patients was markedly greater use of, and consequently higher costs associated with, inpatient and outpatient services. Continued research and efforts to develop biologic and pharmaceutical therapies may help more patients achieve transfusion independence, thereby reducing the financial burden of MDS.