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Purpose and methods: Acute acalculous cholecystitis (AAC) is an uncommon condition related to serious clinical conditions, such as surgery, trauma, burn injuries and sepsis. The diagnosis of AAC remains challenging to make, since it generally occurs as a secondary event in acutely ill patients with another disease. Imaging evaluation is crucial, and well-known criteria are accepted for the diagnosis. To our knowledge, only case reports of AAC related to 12 malaria adult patients have been published. In this series, seven cases of AAC from a cohort of 42 adult patients with severe imported falciparum malaria [according to the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria] are presented. The aim is to report the cases and look for malaria conditions that may affect the incidence of this unusual malaria complication. Results: Ultrasonography revealed gallbladder with wall thickening in all patients, plus other(s) major criteria. Each patient presented five to nine WHO severe malaria criteria: all had hyperparasitaemia and hyperbilirubinaemia. All patients developed renal failure, six pulmonary oedema/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) (five were mechanically ventilated) and five shock. Treatment was non-operative in five patients, cutaneous cholecystostomy was done in two and the outcome was favourable in all. Conclusions: Patients with AAC have significantly more commonly five or more criteria of severe malaria: renal insufficiency, pulmonary oedema/ARDS, parasitaemia higher than 30 %, nosocomial infection and a prolonged intensive care unit (ICU) stay. Increased awareness for this unusual and potentially severe complication of malaria is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "Lipoprotein lipase expression in unmutated CLL patients is the consequence of a demethylation process induced by the microenvironment" published in a previous issue.

Activated carbons were produced from coconut shells by chemical activation using H3PO4 (CAQ1) and ZnCl2 (CAQ2), and used as adsorbents for natural gas storage. CAQ1 presented a wider pore size distribution than CAQ2. Storage evaluations were made in a semi-pilot unit (0.5-4.0 MPa and 298-313 K). According to the used reactant, at 313 K and 3.0 MPa, the adsorptive capacities were 0.060 g/g (CAQ2) and 0.092 g/g (CAQ1). The shortest storage time to charge the tank to 4.0 MPa was obtained by CAQ2 (3.1 min), compared to CAQ1 (3.4 min), due to its higher specific heat capacity. © 2011 Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: Obesity has been associated with hypothyroidism and impaired insulin sensitivity. However, few studies have specifically addressed the association between insulin sensitivity and thyroid function. Our aim was to look for a relation between these 2 factors in a sample of obese males. Methods: One hundred and forty-four euthyroid male obese patients – mean age 42.6 years, mean body mass index (BMI) 41.8 – were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. The hospital study protocol at entrance included baseline serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), insulin and glucose concentrations. Data were studied using an age-adjusted simple and multivariate linear regression analysis with TSH as the dependent and insulin and BMI as the independent variables. Results: Mean TSH and insulin were 1.6 and 21.2 mU/l, respectively. It was found that their relationship follows a regression model: TSH = 1.725–0.019 (age) + 0.003 (insulin) + 0.017 (BMI). Further data showed a positive correlation between BMI and TSH (r = 0.22; p < 0.05), as well as between serum baseline insulin (>10 mU/l) and TSH concentration (r = 0.27; p < 0.05). This association was stronger in patients with higher insulin values (>21.2 mU/l; r = 0.40; p < 0.01). However, negative correlations between age and insulin (r = –0.14; not significant) and age and TSH (r = –0.35; p < 0.05) were observed. Conclusions: In obese males, insulin resistance is significantly related with impairment of thyroid function, and this situation seems to be attenuated with age. Copyright © 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The process of sucrose esterification in the presence of a homogeneous catalyst was developed directing the reaction to the production of weakly substituted esters. Esterification of sucrose was processed with octanoyl chloride in a discontinuous reactor, in presence of 4-dimethylaminopyridine as catalyst. The process was operated in a time interval ranging from 0 to 80 min, at temperatures from 288 to 303 K, pH=10 and at atmospheric pressure. The following conversion levels were obtained: octanoyl chloride 11-84%, primary monoester production of 9-67%, secondary monoesters of 1.3-17%. Activation energies ranging from 158 l to 300 kJ/mol characterized the stages of the process, among them the stage of formation of the DMAP/RCOCl complex (162.43 kJ/mol). The increase in primary monoesters yield due to the temperature rise, leads to an increase in the rate of the direct reaction as well as in the speed of secondary monoester conversion to primary monoesters, quantifying a selectivity in primary isomers in the following positions sequence: 6> 1" > 6". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since December 2019, the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and its associated illness COVID-19 have rapidly spread worldwide. The Mexican government has implemented public safety measures to minimize the spread of the virus. In this paper, we used statistical models in two stages to estimate the total number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases per day at the state and national levels in Mexico. In this paper, we propose two types of models. First, a polynomial model of the growth for the first part of the outbreak until the inflection point of the pandemic curve and then a second nonlinear growth model used to estimate the middle and the end of the outbreak. Model selection was performed using Vuong's test. The proposed models showed overall fit similar to predictive models (e.g., time series and machine learning); however, the interpretation of parameters is simpler for decisionmakers, and the residuals follow the expected distribution when fitting the models without autocorrelation being an issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have various metabolic disorders caused by a chronic state of oxidative stress and inflammation, and recently, nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) has emerged as a factor that plays a significant role in cellular protection against oxidative stress and inflammation. This transcription factor when activated can regulate antioxidant and anti-inflammatory cellular responses leading to the expression of detoxifying enzymes. Studies have shown that Nrf2 expression can be modulated by several factors, such as bioactive compounds and physical exercise. In fact, exercise in CKD patients can bring many benefits; however, there are no studies correlating physical activity and Nrf2 expression in CKD patients. This review aims to discuss whether there is any evidence to justify a recommendation of physical exercise in CKD patients as a non-pharmacological option to activate the Nrf2 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUÇÃO: O pequeno jogo (PJ) tem sido frequentemente utilizado em contextos de treino para direcionar a atenção dos atletas a comportamentos táticos específicos. Assim, treinadores podem estabelecer estratégias para alcançar o objetivo pretendido, como por exemplo, estimular a marcação em bloco alto. Variáveis posicionais, tal como o Índice de Exploração Espacial (IEE), indicam um padrão de comportamento em diferentes condições da tarefa, por meio de dados obtidos por GPS. OBJETIVO: Comparar o comportamento tático de jovens jogadores de futebol por meio do Índice de Exploração Espacial em PJ livre (sem regras adicionais) versus PJ com duas regras simultâneas orientadas para a marcação em bloco alto. MÉTODO: Participaram do estudo 16 atletas de futebol do sexo masculino, categoria sub-17 de um clube de elite de Minas Gerais. Foram realizados quatro PJs, na configuração GK+4vs4+GK, com quatro minutos de duração. Cada equipe jogou dois PJs em cada uma das condições a seguir: 1) PJ-L, em que foram adotadas apenas as regras oficiais da modalidade e 2) PJ-2R, com 2 regras simultâneas adicionais, sendo: a cada bola recuperada no campo ofensivo ou a cada finalização a gol a partir do campo ofensivo, a equipe somava dois pontos todas as vezes em que ocorria um destes eventos. Os dados posicionais foram registrados por meio de unidades de GPS, para extração dos dados de latitude e longitude individuais. RESULTADOS: Foi realizada análise descritiva para se obter média e desvios-padrões das variáveis. O pressuposto da normalidade dos dados foi verificado pelo teste de Shapiro-Wilk (pPJ-L= 0,581 e pPJ-2R= 0,976). Os resultados do Teste t pareado mostraram que o valor do IEE no protocolo PJ-2R (M= 6,67 e DP= 0,76) foi menor que os valores de IEE no protocolo PJ-L (M= 7,27 e DP= 0,90), t (31)= 3,32, p= 0,002 e tamanho do efeito de médio para grande (d= 0,71). CONSIDERAÇÕES FINAIS: O comportamento tático dos jogadores verificado pelo IEE sofre influência pela quantidade de regras inseridas nos PJs. Os atletas exploraram menos o campo de jogo durante o PJ-2R. Neste sentido, mostra-se relevante que os treinadores tenham claros objetivos no momento de elaborar suas sessões de treino. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deactivation of CuMFI catalysts under NO selective catalytic reduction (SCR) by propene in both the absence and the presence of water was investigated as a function of zeolite form, Si/Al ratio and copper content. It was verified that the CuMFI deactivation extent is higher on H-form zeolite compared to Na-form and decreases when the copper exchange level increases, which can be achieved either by increasing the zeolite Si/Al ratio or the copper content. Furthermore, the results indicated that the catalyst deactivation is mainly due to a change in copper species rather than in MFI structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Catalytic activity of CuMOR catalysts for NO selective catalytic reduction by propene was investigated as a function of the cocation (H, Na, Cs, Mg and Ba) present in the zeolite. It was verified that the cocation plays an important role in the CuMOR activity, its effect being more pronounced at low temperatures. Moreover, the results suggest that we can prevent the catalyst deactivation by choosing the appropriate cocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To compare recently approved biologics for the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis by national HTA bodies in the US, Canada and UK. As more biologics are being approved, understanding the requirements of HTA, and undertaking holistic evidence generation, will play a crucial role in enabling access to the novel biologics. [Extracted from the article]

Introduction: Tuberculosis is still a challenging disease, infecting around a third of the world's population. As comorbidity with mental disorder is common, it is relevant to associate them at a diagnostic, therapeutic and prognostic level. Objectives: We present a clinical case describing a patient with psychosis, further diagnosed with tuberculosis during psychiatric treatment. Moreover, we present a summarized revision of the state of the art. Methods: Revision of the state of the art, drawing from PubMed and using the keywords "mental health", "psychosis" and "tuberculosis", in the last 10 years. Results: Male, 61 years old, heavy smoker and alcohol drinker. Admitted for allegedly feeling "worms" in his body. After medical examination, a weight loss of 13 kg in five months and symptoms compatible with tenesmus stood out. Following diagnostic tests, the patient was diagnosed with Ekbom Syndrome and Ganglionar Tuberculosis; he was then medicated with the adequate antipsychotic and tuberculostatic agents, which resulted in overall clinical improvement. Conclusions: This case illustrates the relationship between tuberculosis and mental disorders, in a patient with a low literacy level and a precarious socioeconomic background, known risk factors for mental disorder in patients with tuberculosis and are often associated with poor therapeutic adherence. Although proper treatment of the mental disorder is key to reducing the risk of tuberculostatic dropout, the stigma of mental disorder and tuberculosis decreases the probability of these patients seeking proper treatment. Thus, we alert the medical community for the possibility of psychiatric comorbidity in patients with diagnosed tuberculosis - and vice-versa -, allowing for an early intervention, [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlabelled: A case is described of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis due to factor V Leiden deficiency that occurred in the neonatal period, presenting with seizures. Diagnosis was based on ultrasonography, Doppler ultrasound (US) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The aetiology was only recognized after blood-clotting tests, antithrombin III, C and S protein levels and factor V Leiden were studied. This situation was treated with intravenous heparin controlled by activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT). MRI angiography and Doppler US were important in the follow-up. It is important to assess periodically the neurological development of the baby and to prevent situations such as dehydration or severe infection, which can precipitate further thrombotic events. Molecular genetics allowed the identification of this trait in other family members.Conclusion: In every newborn with a thrombotic episode, coagulation studies must be performed, including testing for activated protein C (APC) resistance. Doppler US flow measurement and the MRI studies provide the best tools for diagnosis and follow-up. Heparin should be given to double the initial individual APTT. It is important to prevent any risk situation such as dehydration or severe infection, which could lead to a recurrence of a thrombotic episode. Regular assessment of the child's neurodevelopment is an important aspect of further care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]