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Hyaluronic acid, in the form of a gel or viscoelastic colloidal solution, is currently used for the viscosupplementation of joints affected by osteoarthritis, but its effectiveness is under debate in relation to newer alternatives. Based on meta-analytical arguments, the present article reinforces the opinion that there are still no decisive arguments for its complete replacement but for its use adapted to the peculiarities of the disease manifestation and of the patients. A "broad" comparison is first made with almost all alternatives studied in the last decade, and then a meta-regression study is performed to compare and predict the effect size induced by viscosupplementation therapy and its main challenger of clinical interest, the platelet-rich plasma treatment. If they are computerized, the developed models can represent tools for clinicians in determining the appropriateness of the option or not for viscosupplementation in a manner adapted to the pain felt by the patients, to their age, or to other clinical circumstances. The models were generated using algorithms implemented in the R language and assembled in different R packages. All primary data and necessary R scripts are provided in accordance with the philosophy of reproducible research. Finally, we adhere in a documented way to the opinion that HA-based products, currently under circumspection, are still clinically useful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antimicrobial resistance in the intensive care unit is an ongoing global healthcare concern associated with high mortality and morbidity rates and high healthcare costs. Select groups of bacterial pathogens express different mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance. Clinicians face challenges in managing patients with multidrug-resistant bacteria in the form of a limited pool of available antibiotics, slow and potentially inaccurate conventional diagnostic microbial modalities, mimicry of non-infective conditions with infective syndromes, and the confounding of the clinical picture of organ dysfunction associated with sepsis with postoperative surgical complications such as hemorrhage and fluid shifts. Potential remedies for antimicrobial resistance include specific surveillance, adequate and systematic antibiotic stewardship, use of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic techniques of therapy, and antimicrobial monitoring and adequate employment of infection control policies. Novel techniques of combating antimicrobial resistance include the use of aerosolized antibiotics for lung infections, the restoration of gut microflora using fecal transplantation, and orally administered probiotics. Newer antibiotics are urgently needed as part of the armamentarium against multidrug-resistant bacteria. In this review we discuss mechanisms and patterns of microbial resistance in a select group of drug-resistant bacteria, and preventive and remedial measures for combating antibiotic resistance in the critically ill.

Measurement(s) forest management type Technology Type(s) Geo-Wiki toolbox

Measurement(s) drivers of tree loss Technology Type(s) visual inspection of very high resolution satellite imagery Sample Characteristic - Organism trees Sample Characteristic - Environment Forests Sample Characteristic - Location Tropics and subtropics

Background: Pectus excavatum, a deformity of the chest wall, can lead to significant emotional and social challenges, adversely affecting an individual's overall well-being. While the Nuss procedure is a well-established treatment, this study evaluates the impact of a modified, minimally invasive approach on patients' quality of life. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed patients who underwent minimally invasive pectus excavatum repair (MIRPE) from 1 January 2010 to 31 January 2024. Collected data included demographics, operative details, and patient outcomes. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was assessed using the SF-36 questionnaire, administered preoperatively and at least four weeks post-surgery. Results: Two hundred thirty-four patients (195 male, mean age 20.5 ± 6 years) underwent MIRPE. Postoperative results showed statistically significant improvements in all dimensions of HRQoL (Physical Component Summary Score (PCS) p = 0.007; Mental Component Summary Score (MCS) p < 0.001). Importantly, postoperative HRQoL scores were not just improved but comparable to those of the general German population, providing reassurance and confidence in the effectiveness of MIRPE. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that MIRPE significantly enhances patients' quality of life (HRQoL). The improvements observed post-surgery bring HRQoL to levels akin to healthy individuals in the German population. These findings underscore the profound positive impact of MIRPE on patients' well-being, offering hope and optimism for the future of pectus excavatum treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of biopolymers in pharmaceuticals is well established, particularly for encapsulating biologically active compounds due to their beneficial properties. Alginate, widely recognized for its excellent encapsulation abilities, is the most commonly used biopolymer, while starch, typically known as insoluble dietary fiber, also serves as an effective agent for trapping and protecting compounds during processing, storage, and gastrointestinal transit. Sodium alginate–starch capsules with varying compositions were analyzed to develop metformin hydrochloride (MET) containing capsules with adequate physicochemical properties. In vitro testing with simulated gastrointestinal fluids showed that after 1 h, capsules with equal amounts of alginate and starch had a higher swelling ratio and better drug release behavior, despite lower MET entrapment efficiency compared to other formulations. Microstructural analysis revealed stability in simulated gastric fluids and solubility in simulated intestinal fluids, key factors in drug development. The results suggest that these biopolymeric compositions are highly resistant to gastric fluids and minimally soluble in the intestines, making them suitable for extended drug release. This research evaluates key technological parameters of a cost-effective encapsulation method for the controlled release of active substances, providing a versatile solution for pharmaceutical and biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface treatment of perovskite materials with their layered counterparts has become an ubiquitous strategy for maximizing device performance. While layered materials confer great benefits to the longevity and long‐term efficiency of the resulting device stack via passivation of defects and surface traps, numerous reports have previously demonstrated that these materials evolve under exposure to light and humidity, suggesting that they are not fully stable. Therefore, it is crucial to study the behavior of these materials in isolation and in conditions mimicking a device stack. Here, it is shown that perovskite capping layers templated by a range of cations on top of methylammonium lead iodide devolve in conditions commonly found during perovskite fabrication, such as exposure to light, solvent, and moisture. Photophysical, structural, and morphological studies are used to show that the degradation of these layered perovskites occurs via a self‐limiting, pinhole‐mediated mechanism. This results in the loss of whole perovskite sheets, from a few monolayers to tens of nanometers of material, until the system stabilizes again as demonstrated for exfoliated flakes of PEA2PbI4. This means that initially targeted structures may have devolved, with clear optimization implications for device fabrication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Renal dysfunction is a recognized complication of obesity with an incompletely characterized pathophysiology. Improvement of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) after metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) has been reported across all classes of renal function. Inter-gender differences with regard to correlates of renal function have been described, but the influence of body composition is an understudied area. We aimed to explore determinants of renal function in obesity and to assess its variations after MBS, with a focus on body composition parameters in males and females, respectively. Materials, methods: We conducted a retrospective study on 196 patients who underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, evaluated preoperatively and 6 months after the intervention. Recorded data included clinical and biochemical assessment, as well as body composition estimation via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Serum creatinine-based formulas were used for the estimation of GFR. Results: We included a total of 196 patients (80 males and 116 females), with a mean age of 41.43 ± 10.79. Median baseline body mass index was 42.6 (6.61) kg/ m2 and 6 months excess weight loss (EWL) reached 71.43 ± 17.18%, in females, estimated GFR correlated negatively with visceral adipose tissue (VAT) mass (rho=-.368) and this correlation was stronger in females with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Moreover, women in the third VAT mass tertile were 5 times more likely to have reduced GFR compared to the first tertile. Renal function improved after MBS across all classes of filtration. In males, this improvement correlated with EWL (rho=.358) and lean mass variation (rho=-.412), while in females it correlated with VAT mass variation (rho=-.266). Conclusions: Our results are consistent with previous findings on the positive impact of MBS on renal function and suggest a more prominent impact of visceral adiposity on GFR in females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present investigations, the density, refractive index and speed of sound for pure organic solvents and binary liquid mixtures of 3,4,4′-Trichlorodiphenylurea between (293.15 and 323.15) K temperatures have been measured up to the solubility limit. From these experimental results, the acoustic impedance, the isentropic compressibility coefficient, the space-filling factor, the specific refraction, the relaxation strength, the intermolecular free length, the surface tension, the solubility and the solvation number of triclocarban in six organic solvents, namely ethyl alcohol, n-Propyl alcohol, n-Butyl alcohol, Tetrahydrofuran, N,N-Dimethylformamide and N,N-Dimethylacetamide have been computed. The studied acoustic and optical parameters and surface tension behavior versus temperature in pure solvents and binary mixtures were useful in understanding the nature and the extent of interaction between the solute and solvent molecules. The results also show the presence of higher degree of interaction between triclocarban and nitrogen-containing solvents in comparison with other solvents. The distribution of triclocarban in water/organic solvent mixtures is frequently encountered in wastewater treatment plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study provides information about the structure and dynamics plankton and of benthic fauna in four stations, established in the symmetry axle of the lake, and numbered from the dam zone through the tail of the lake, where is in progress the first series of experiments concerning the intensive breeding of sturgeons spawn in the floatable fish well, witch belongs to S.C. Kaviar S.R.L. Bucharest. The analyses data have roots from the works that are based on the samples taken in the period of year 2007 in the dam lake Horia, made through the baring of Taita river – Dobrogea.

The paper presents data about the artificial reproduction of the H. molitrix species. The artificial reproduction took place in the station destined to the reproduction of the phytoplanktonophag fish of the Carja 1 fish farm – Vaslui. The annual batch of breeders came from the personal stock of the Carja 1 farm.The experimental work took place between 2005-2007, following the work methodology and the phases of the technological process. The stimulation of the maturation was done with neristin and carp hypophysis, watching through comparison the technological indicators specific to the artificial reproduction.The results of the experiments are presented in tables and in graphs.

Ganoderma lucidum (G. lucidum) has been known for many centuries in Asian countries under different names, varying depending on the country. The objective of this review is to investigate the scientific research on the natural active bio-compounds in extracts obtained from G. lucidum with significant biological actions in the treatment of cancer. This review presents the classes of bio-compounds existing in G. lucidum that have been reported over time in the main databases and have shown important biological actions in the treatment of cancer. The results highlight the fact that G. lucidum possesses important bioactive compounds such as polysaccharides, triterpenoids, sterols, proteins, nucleotides, fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals, which have been demonstrated to exhibit multiple anticancer effects, namely immunomodulatory, anti-proliferative, cytotoxic, and antioxidant action. The potential health benefits of G. lucidum are systematized based on biological actions. The findings present evidence regarding the lack of certainty about the effects of G. lucidum bio-compounds in treating different forms of cancer, which may be due to the use of different types of Ganoderma formulations, differences in the study populations, or due to drug–disease interactions. In the future, larger clinical trials are needed to clarify the potential benefits of pharmaceutical preparations of G. lucidum, standardized by the known active components in the prevention and treatment of cancer.

Left ventricle remodeling (LVR) after acute myocardial infarction (MI) leads to impairment of both systolic and diastolic function, a significant contributor to heart failure (HF). Despite extensive research in the field, predicting post-MI LVR and HF is still a challenge. Several circulant microRNAs have been proposed as LVR predictors; however, their clinical value is controversial. Here, we used real-time quantitative PCR to quantify the plasma levels of hsa-miR-101, hsa-miR-150, and hsa-miR-21 on the first day of hospital admission of MI patients with ST-elevation (STEMI). We analyzed their correlation to the patient’s clinical and paraclinical variables and evaluated their ability to discriminate between post-MI LVR and non-LVR. We show that, despite being excellent MI discriminators, none of these microRNAs can distinguish between LVR and non-LVR patients. Furthermore, we found that diabetes mellitus (DM), Hb level, and the number of erythrocytes significantly influence all three plasma microRNA levels. This suggests that plasma microRNAs’ diagnostic and prognostic value in STEMI patients should be reevaluated and interpreted in the context of associated pathologies.