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Objective:Few studies have examined the association between ABO blood grouping and head and neck cancer. This retrospective review examined the association between blood group and laryngeal cancer incidence and patient mortality.Methods:Of 271 patients treated for squamous cell laryngeal carcinoma (1997–2002), 143 patients with supraglottic, glottic and subglottic tumours were included; 128 patients were excluded. The blood group characteristics of patients and healthy blood donors were compared.Results:There was no significant correlation between blood type and laryngeal carcinoma incidence or mortality. Type A blood was commoner in African Americans with laryngeal cancer than Caucasian patients, but not significantly so. As expected, five-year survival rates were lower in patients with more advanced stage cancer (p < 0.0001).Conclusion:Although our findings show no association between blood group and five-year survival, these results are inconclusive, and warrant further study of the association between blood type and laryngeal (and other) head and neck cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Sputtered beryllium and copper-doped beryllium coatings as thick as 170 μm have been deposited on spherical substrates to produce hollow shells that are required as targets for inertial fusion experiments. Be coatings by magnetron sputtering achieved ∼95±2% bulk density consistently up to 170 μm thick. Coatings on the spherical substrates exhibit the typical columnar structure throughout the entire thickness. Transmission electron microscopy indicates the presence of submicron, nearly spherical voids mainly aggregated along the columnar structure and grain boundaries, as well as some smaller intragranular elongated voids. Holes have been drilled in beryllium shells produced in this manner to allow filling with deuterium (the fusion fuel). Gas retention of these shells has been examined using mass spectrometry. It appears that a fraction of the pores in the coatings are interconnected, which leads to leakage of the hollow shells. Boron-doped Be layers near the eutectic phase, at a concentration of ∼11 at. %, have been added to the Be shells to significantly improve D2 gas retention of the shells. However, there remains a considerable scatter in the measured leakage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the use of Psychiatric Case Registers in determining the prevalence of schizophrenia of those cared for by the public network of mental health services in Granada, Spain. Reasons for using a case register for schizophrenia; Description of the province of Granada; Organizations affiliated with the register.

The development of culture systems to support the initiation of growth of primordial follicles is important to the study of the factors that control the earliest stages of folliculogenesis. The aims of the present study were to investigate the effects of α-tocopherol on survival, activation, and growth of cattle preantral follicles using histological and immunohistochemistry proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) studies. The ovarian cortex was divided into small fragments; one fragment was immediately fixed in Bouin (control). The other fragments were cultured for 2, 4, 6, or 8 d in culture plates with Minimum Essential Medium supplemented with insulin-transferrin-selenium (ITS), pyruvate, glutamine, hypoxanthine, BSA, and antibiotics (MEM+); and MEM+ plus α-tocopherol (5, 25, 50, 100, or 200 ng mL-1). Preantral follicles were classified according to their developmental stage (primordial, intermediate, primary, or secondary) and on the basis of morphological features (normal or degenerated). Pair-wise comparisons were done using Tukey''s procedure. Chi-square test was used to compare the percentage of follicles with PCNA-positive granulosa cells. All analyses were done with the SAS software (SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA), and P< 0.05 was considered significant. The results showed that, compared with non-cultured cortical tissue (Day 0), the culture of ovarian tissue significantly reduced (P< 0.05) the percentage of normal follicles in all media tested, except for tissue cultured in the presence of 200 ng mL-1of a-tocopherol. Furthermore, in all media tested, the percentage of primordial follicles was significantly reduced (P< 0.05), with a concomitant increase in the percentage of developing follicles. The highest percentage of secondary follicles was observed after 6 days of culture in MEM plus 200 ng mL-1of a-tocopherol. The PCNA analysis confirmed the viability of follicles cultured with 200 ng mL-1of a-tocopherol after 6 d. After 8 days of in vitroculture, we observed severe follicular degeneration in all media tested, suggesting that other supplements are recommended for longer periods of culture. In conclusion, the results of the present study indicate that 200 ng mL-1of a-tocopherol maintains the survival of cattle preantral follicles and promotes activation of primordial follicles after 6 days of in vitroculture. Financial support: L. A. Lisboa is a recipient of CAPES support; E. R. Andrade and A. A. Alfieri are recipients of PRODOC/CAPES fellowships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous studies on primates have found that, independent of the species, there is a strong correlation between body mass, mandible length and width. However, data on mandible growth trajectories indicates that linear dimensions should be stable intra-species but different inter-species. Therefore, scaling the mandible to body mass, while useful in allometric studies, appears to be less appropriate for the study of interspecific differences. In the present work we normalized a large sample of Homo sapiens, Pan troglodytes and Pan paniscus, to a common overall teeth-mandible volume. This method allowed us to identify disparities in growth trajectory, with particular emphasis on the stability of the cranial base width, while accounting for the teeth and mandible as a functional unit. Our results indicate that: 1) maximum antero-posterior mandible length is highly conservative, despite the differences in symphysis orientation; 2) the position of molars and premolars are similar, but there is a high variation in anterior teeth size and position; and, 3) intercondylar breath is ontogenetically constant intra-species, but in humans it is greater than Pan. The shape relationships we found on the toothed mandibles of modern hominids reveal tight similarities between the species studied, with the exception of the maximum intercondylar breath and anterior teeth morphology. On the light of this data we hypothesize that these morphological differences should account for functional discrepancies observed between Pan and Homo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanisms that regulate the gradual exit of ovarian follicles from the nongrowing, primordial pool are poorly understood. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of adding ascorbic acid to the media for in vitroculture of cattle ovarian fragments and to determine the effects of this addition on the growth activation and viability of preantral follicles. The ovarian cortex was divided into small fragments; 1 fragment was immediately fixed in Bouin''s solution (control). The other fragments were cultured for 2, 4, 6, or 8 days on culture plates in minimum essential medium (MEM) supplemented with insulin-transferrin-selenium (ITS), pyruvate, glutamine, hypoxantine, BSA, and antibiotics (MEM+) or in MEM+ plus ascorbic acid (5, 25, 50, 100, or 200 μg mL-1). Ovarian tissue was processed for classical histology, TEM, and immunohistochemical demonstration of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). Preantral follicles were classified according to their development stage (primordial, intermediate, primary, and secondary) and on the basis of morphological features (normal or degenerated). Pair-wise comparisons were done using Tukey''s procedure. Chi-square test was used to compare percentages of follicles with PCNA-positive granulosa cells. All analyses were done with Statistical Analysis System (SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA); P≤ 0.05 was considered significant. Compared with control fragments, the percentage of primordial follicles was reduced (P≤ 0.05) and the percentage of growing follicles was increased (P≤ 0.05) in cultured cortical fragments, independent of the tested medium or incubation time. Furthermore, compared with control tissue, culture of ovarian cortex for 8 days reduced the percentages of healthy, viable follicles (P≤0.05), but not when cultures were supplemented with 25, 50, and 100 μg mL-1of ascorbic acid. Ultrastructural and immunohistochemical analysis of ovarian cortical fragments cultured for 8 days, however, showed the integrity and viability of follicles only when fragments were cultured in the presence of 50 μg mL-1of ascorbic acid. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that addition of ascorbic acid to MEM at a concentration of 50 μg mL-1not only stimulates the activation and subsequent growth of cattle primordial follicles that are cultured in vitrofor 8 days but also safeguards the viability of these preantral follicles. E. R. Andrade and A. A. Alfieri are recipients of the PRODOC/CAPES fellowship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A microscale extraction – cleanup method for herbicides from high adsorbent matrixes. • The method efficiently extracts and clean up herbicides from high adsorbent matrixes. • Methodology reduces time, consumables and energy consumption compared to Soxhlet extraction. • Evidence found of presence of 2,4-dichlorophenol, atrazine and desethylatrazine in air samples. • No evidence of metribuzin presence in air samples but retained in soil. In this study, an extraction method was developed, incorporating in-situ sample clean-up and efficient recovery of liquid extracts from high-adsorbent matrices as soil and polymeric resin. The method was based on Ultrasonic Assisted Extraction employing a coupled double tube, with a silica gel disk for interference removal. Subsequent extract recovery was achieved through centrifugation. Optimization of the method was accomplished using a mixed 2- and 3-level factorial experimental design, guided by desirability center on the recovery of four prevalent herbicides (2,4-dichlorophenol, desethylatrazine, Atrazine, and Metribuzin). Under the identified optimal conditions, the method exhibited reduced solvent usage, energy consumption and time requirement in comparison to the reference Soxhlet extraction method. Conducting three consecutive 5-minute extractions utilizing acetone (0.5 mL for soil or 5.0 mL for resin) as the solvent, along with 0.25 g of compacted silica gel for clean-up, yielded recoveries between 84.9 ± 3.1% and 95.2 ± 7.7%. Matrix effect was significant for both soil and resin samples, for soil a signal enhancement up to 12.2% was observed, meanwhile for resin the signals were depleted up to 16.9%. Method calibration curves were employed to account for matrix effect in real samples. Method detection limits ranged from 0.3 to 1.1 ng g−1 for soil samples and from 16.1 to 18.0 ng g−1 for resin samples. The intra- and inter-day precision (RSD) remained under 7.5% for resin samples and below 5.0% for soil samples. Accuracy (bias) values were below 4.4 ± 0.5% and 7.8 ± 1.1% for resin and soil samples, respectively. Application of the method to real samples collected from a potato crop in southern Mexico City revealed herbicides concentrations ranging from 0.02 to 2.94 µg g−1 in soil samples and from 79.7 to 103.3 ng g−1 in resin samples obtained from air sampling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the applications of TiN and TiCN coatings are extensive, their mechanical and tribological properties are influenced by the substrates in which they are deposited. The present work is focused on the tribological performance of TiN and TiCN coatings on a working tool steel. Besides, adhesion and microhardness tests were carried out. The adhesion performance of both coatings resulted in class 1, according to CEN/TS 1071-8 standard, which allows observing the quality of adhesion. The composite microhardness was investigated by the analysis of relative indentation (β). Pin-on-disk tests were performed in dry and lubricated condition at 100 °C against tungsten carbide (WC). Low friction coefficients of μk = 0.08 for TiN and μk = 0.03 for TiCN were obtained in lubricated conditions. Wear mechanisms were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Abrasive wear was observed as the principal wear mechanism in dry condition, while in lubricated conditions wear signals seem to be scarcely noticeable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By mans of a chemical synthesis technique stoichiometric CdTe-nanocrystals thin films were prepared on glass substrates at 70 °C. First, Cd(OH) 2 films were deposited on glass substrates, then these films were immersed in a growing solution prepared by dissolution of Te in hydroxymethane sulfinic acid to obtain CdTe. The structural analysis indicates that CdTe thin films have a zinc-blende structure. The average nanocrystal size was 19.4 nm and the thickness of the films 170 nm. The Raman characterization shows the presence of the longitudinal optical mode and their second order mode, which indicates a good crystalline quality. The optical transmittance was less than 5% in the visible region (400–700 nm). The compositional characterization indicates that CdTe films grew with Te excess. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A new method (a variant of tumble finishing) for polishing and achieving local planarization on precision spherical, plastic capsules is described. Such capsules have niche applications, such as ablators used in high-peak-power laser targets for fusion energy research. The as-manufactured ablators contain many shallow domes (many 100''s of nm high and a few 10''s of μm wide) on the outer surface which are undesirable due to contributions to instabilities during implosion. These capsules were polished (i.e., tumble finished) by rotating a cylindrical vial containing the capsule, many borosilicate glass or zirconia media, and an aqueous-based colloidal silica polishing slurry. During tumble finishing, the relative media/capsule motions cause multiple, random sliding spherical–spherical Hertzian contacts, resulting in material removal, and possibly plastic deformation, on the capsule. As a result, the domes were observed to locally planarize (i.e., converge to lower heights). Utilizing the correct kinematics (i.e., the characteristics of the media/capsule motions), as controlled by the vial rotation rate and the fill fraction of media and slurry, the high velocity downward circumferential media motions were avoided, preventing fracturing of the fragile capsules. Also, the resulting post-polished surface roughness on the capsule was found to scale with the initial media surface roughness. Hence, pre-polishing the media greatly reduced the roughness of the media and thus the roughness of the polished capsule. A material removal model is described based on the Preston model and spherical–spherical Hertzian contacts which shows reasonable agreement with measured average removal rates of 35±15nm/day and which serves as a valuable tool to scale the polishing behavior with changes in process variables. Narrow domes were observed to planarize more rapidly than wider domes. A local planarization convergence model is also described, based on the concept of workpiece–lap mismatch where the local pressure, and hence removal, varies with the gap at the interface contact. The calculated rate and shape evolution of various size isolated domes compares well with the experimental data. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: Anastomotic leakage is one of the most important causes of morbidity and mortality in gastrointestinal surgery. We investigated the effect of oral glutamine on the healing of high-output intestinal fistula. Setting: A tertiary University Hospital of the University of Mato Grosso, Cuiaba, Brazil. Patients and methods: 28 patients (25 males and 3 females; median age = 45 [18-71] years old) admitted with high output post-operative small bowel fistulas (median volume in 24 h: 850 [600-2,200] mL) during a 4 years period were retrospectively studied. Interventions: In the first two years 19 (67.9%) patients received only TPN as the initial nutritional support. In the last two years however, due to a change in the protocol for the nutritional support in cases of intestinal fistula 9 patients (32.1%) received oral glutamine (0.3 g/kg/day; 150 mL/day) in addition to TPN. Endpoints of the study were mortality, resolution of the fistula, and length of hospital stay (LOS). Results: The overall mortality was 46.4% (13 patients). Fistula closure was observed in all other 15 patients (53.6%) that survived. In the subset of survived patients LOS was similar in those who received or not received glutamine. The multivariate regression analysis showed that resolution of the fistula was 13 times greater in patients that received oral glutamine (OR = 13.2 (95% CI = 1.1-160.5); p = 0.04) and 15 times greater in non-malnourished patients (OR = 15.4 [95% CI = 1.1- 215.5]; p = 0.04). Conclusions: We conclude that oral glutamine accelerated the healing and diminished the mortality in this series of patients with post-operative high-output intestinal fistula receiving TPN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Italy was significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, experiencing multiple waves of infection following the sequential emergence of new variants. Understanding the transmission patterns and evolution of SARS-CoV-2 is vital for future preparedness., Methods: We conducted an analysis of viral genome sequences, integrating epidemiological and phylodynamic approaches, to characterize how SARS-CoV-2 variants have spread within the country., Results: Our findings indicate bidirectional international transmission, with Italy transitioning between importing and exporting the virus. Italy experienced four distinct epidemic waves, each associated with a significant reduction in fatalities from 2021 to 2023. These waves were primarily driven by the emergence of VOCs such as Alpha, Delta, and Omicron, which were reflected in observed transmission dynamics and effectiveness of public health measures., Conclusions: The changing patterns of viral spread and variant prevalence throughout Italy's pandemic response underscore the continued importance of flexible public health strategies and genomic surveillance, both of which are crucial for tracking the evolution of variants and adapting control measures effectively to ensure preparedness for future outbreaks., Competing Interests: Declarations of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: The International Society of Paediatric Oncology Society Global Mapping Program aims to describe the local pediatric oncology capacities. Here, we report the data from Latin America., Methods: A 10-question survey was distributed among chairs of pediatric oncology services. Centers were classified according to patient volume into high- (HVC; 100 or more new cases per year), medium- (MVC; 31-99 cases), and low-volume centers (LVC; 30 cases or less), respectively. National referral centers (NRC) were identified., Results: Total 307 centers in 20 countries were identified (271 responded), and 264 responses were evaluable, accounting for 78% of the expected cases (21,359 cases per year). Seventy-seven percent of patients are treated in public centers, including additional support by civil society organizations. We found that 66% of the patients are treated in 70 centers of excellence, including 21 NRC. There was a median of one pediatric oncologist every 21 newly diagnosed patients (44 for NRC), and in 84% of the centers, nurses rotated to other services. A palliative care team was lacking in 25% of the centers. LVC with public funding have significantly lower probability of having a palliative care team or trained pediatric oncology surgeons. Psychosocial, pharmacy, and nutrition services were available in more than 93% of the centers. No radiotherapy facility was available on campus in nine of 21 NRC., Conclusions: Most children with cancer in Latin America are treated in public HVC. There is a scarcity of pediatric oncologists, specialized nurses and surgeons, and palliative care teams, especially in centers with public funding., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)