Search

Deep flow and dispersion of suspended material were investigated in the deep northeast Atlantic Ocean from 1983 to 1986. The study involved the use of current meters, deep-sea floats, CTD and turbidity data. The results showed a mean flow of 3-5 cm/second parallel to the ocean floor contour which exhibited small topographically induced gyres. Deep-sea floats spread within 50 days after release but remained within a 300-kilometer diameter area. Benthic storms occurred occassionally, lasting from 3 to 27 days and having maximum velocities of 27 cm/second immediately above the sea floor.

Background: Accurate biomarkers to diagnose infection are lacking. Studies reported good performance of pancreatic stone protein (PSP) to detect infection. The objective of the study was to determine the performance of PSP in diagnosing infection across hospitalized patients and calculate a threshold value for that purpose.Methods: A systematic search across Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and MEDLINE databases (1966-March 2019) for studies on PSP published in English using 'pancreatic stone protein', 'PSP', 'regenerative protein', 'lithostatin' combined with 'infection' and 'sepsis' found 44 records. The search was restricted to the five trials that evaluated PSP for the initial detection of infection in hospitalized adults. Individual patient data were obtained from the investigators of all eligible trials. Data quality and validity was assessed according to PRISMA guidelines. We choose a fixed-effect model to calculate the PSP cut-off value that best discriminates infected from non-infected patients.Results: Infection was confirmed in 371 of 631 patients. The median (IQR) PSP value of infected versus uninfected patients was 81.5 (30.0-237.5) versus 19.2 (12.6-33.57) ng/ml, compared to 150 (82.70-229.55) versus 58.25 (15.85-120) mg/l for C-reactive protein (CRP) and 0.9 (0.29-4.4) versus 0.15 (0.08-0.5) ng/ml for procalcitonin (PCT). Using a PSP cut-off of 44.18 ng/ml, the ROC AUC to detect infection was 0.81 (0.78-0.85) with a sensitivity of 0.66 (0.61-0.71), specificity of 0.83 (0.78-0.88), PPV of 0.85 (0.81-0.89) and NPV of 0.63 (0.58-0.68). When a model combining PSP and CRP was used, the ROC AUC improved to 0.90 (0.87-0.92) with higher sensitivity 0.81 (0.77-0.85) and specificity 0.84 (0.79-0.90) for discriminating infection from non-infection. Adding PCT did not improve the performance further.Conclusions: PSP is a promising biomarker to diagnose infections in hospitalized patients. Using a cut-off value of 44.18 ng/ml, PSP performs better than CRP or PCT across the considered studies. The combination of PSP with CRP further enhances its accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is among the major global causes for vision loss. With the rise in diabetes prevalence, an increase in DR incidence is expected. Current understanding of both the molecular etiology and pathways involved in the initiation and progression of DR is limited. Via RNA-Sequencing, we analyzed mRNA and miRNA expression profiles of 80 human post-mortem retinal samples from 43 patients diagnosed with various stages of DR. We found differentially expressed transcripts to be predominantly associated with late stage DR and pathways such as hippo and gap junction signaling. A multivariate regression model identified transcripts with progressive changes throughout disease stages, which in turn displayed significant overlap with sphingolipid and cGMP–PKG signaling. Combined analysis of miRNA and mRNA expression further uncovered disease-relevant miRNA/mRNA associations as potential mechanisms of post-transcriptional regulation. Finally, integrating human retinal single cell RNA-Sequencing data revealed a continuous loss of retinal ganglion cells, and Müller cell mediated changes in histidine and β-alanine signaling. While previously considered primarily a vascular disease, attention in DR has shifted to additional mechanisms and cell-types. Our findings offer an unprecedented and unbiased insight into molecular pathways and cell-specific changes in the development of DR, and provide potential avenues for future therapeutic intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrical injuries are rare, but very destructive with high morbidity and mortality, prolonged hospital length of stay and need for repeated procedures. The aim of study was to investigate characteristics and management of electrical injuries and predisposing factors for mortality and prolonged length of stay. Patient charts were reviewed retrospectively to identify patients admitted with electrical injuries at the Zurich Burns Center (2005-2019). Patient characteristics, management, and outcome were analyzed and risk factors for mortality and prolonged hospitalization were assessed. Eighty-nine patients were included, mostly males (86.5%), between 21 and 40 years (50.6%), with high-voltage (74.2%) occupational injuries (66.3%). Median intensive care unit and hospital stays were 6 (first and third IQR: 2.0; 30.0) and 18 (9.0; 48.0) days. Low-voltage patients had a median of 2 (1.5; 3.0) procedures, compared to 4 (2.0; 10.8) in high-voltage. The amputation rate was 13.5%, and a total of 46 flaps were required. Fifty-four patients had at least one serious complication. Mortality was 18% in high-voltage patients, mostly after multiple organ failure (35%). High total body surface area (TBSA), renal failure and cardiovascular complications were risk factors for mortality (P < .001) in multivariate regression models. Determinants for prolonged hospital stay were TBSA and sepsis (P < .01), and additionally abdominal complications and limb loss for intensive care unit stay (P < .05). Electrical injuries are still cause of significant morbidity and mortality, mostly involve young men in their earning period. Several risk factors for in-hospital mortality and prolonged stay were identified and can support physicians in the management and decision making in these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]