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A lack of N95 Filtering Facepiece Respirators (FFRs) during the COVID-19 crisis has placed healthcare workers at risk. It is important for any N95 reuse strategy to determine the effects that proposed protocols would have on the physical functioning of the mask, as well as the practical aspects of implementation. Here we propose and implement a method of heating N95 respirators with moisture (85°C, 60-85% humidity). We test both mask filtration efficiency and fit to validate this process. Our tests focus on the 3M 1860, 3M 1870, and 3M 8210 Plus N95 models. After five cycles of the heating procedure, all three respirators pass both quantitative fit testing (score of >100) and show no degradation of mask filtration efficiency. We also test the Chen Heng V9501 KN95 and HKYQ N95 finding no degradation of mask filtration efficiency, however even for unheated masks these scored

Abstract Background Sinew acupuncture is a new modality of acupuncture in which needles are inserted into acupoints, ashi points or spasm points of sinew and muscles along the meridian sinew pathway. A previous observational study revealed that sinew acupuncture has immediate analgesic effects on various soft tissue injuries, including knee injuries. However, no rigorous trials have been conducted. This study aims to examine whether sinew acupuncture can safely relieve pain and symptoms of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and improve patients’ functional movement and quality of life. Methods/design A randomized, sham-controlled, patient- and assessor-blinded trial will be conducted to compare the efficacy of sinew acupuncture and sham acupuncture. Subjects will be assessed by the physician and acupuncturists. A sample of eighty-six eligible subjects will be randomized into either the sinew acupuncture group or the sham acupuncture group. The intervention will be performed in the Hong Kong Tuberculosis Association Chinese Medicine Clinic cum Training Centre of the University of Hong Kong by acupuncturists with over 3 years of acupuncture experience. Subjects will receive 10 sessions of interventions for 4 weeks, followed by a 6-week follow-up. The visual analogue scale (VAS) score at week 4 will be the primary outcome. The Western Ontario and McMasters University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), Timed Up & Go Test (TUG), 8-step Stair Climb Test (SCT) and the 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36) will be secondary outcomes. Discussion Sinew acupuncture is a potential alternative non-pharmacological therapy for KOA. This rigorous trial will expand our knowledge of whether sinew acupuncture reduces pain intensity and improves symptoms, functional movements, and quality of life of KOA patients. Trial registration The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT03099317) in March 2017.

Lemierre’s syndrome, characterized by infective thrombophlebitis of the internal jugular vein with septic emboli, was once a ubiquitous condition with high mortality rate in the pre-antibiotic era. Radiological literature on this condition has been scanty in the era of cross-sectional imaging. We present a 16-year-old patient with Lemierre’s syndrome with discussion of the typical clinical features and CT findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canine fecal microbiota profiling provides insight into host health and disease. Standardization of methods for fecal sample storage for microbiomics is currently inconclusive, however. This study investigated the effects of homogenization, the preservative RNAlater, room temperature exposure duration, and short-term storage in the fridge prior to freezing on the canine fecal microbiota profile. Within 15 minutes after voiding, samples were left non-homogenized or homogenized and aliquoted, then kept at room temperature (20-22°C) for 0.5, 4, 8, or 24 hours. Homogenized aliquots then had RNAlater added or not. Following room temperature exposure, all aliquots were stored in the fridge (4°C) for 24 hours prior to storing in the freezer (-20°C), or stored directly in the freezer. DNA extraction, PCR amplification, then sequencing were completed on all samples. Alpha diversity (diversity, evenness, and richness), and beta diversity (community membership and structure), and relative abundances of bacterial genera were compared between treatments. Homogenization and RNAlater minimized changes in the microbial communities over time, although minor changes in relative abundances occurred. Non-homogenized samples had more inter-sample variability and greater changes in beta diversity than homogenized samples. Storage of canine fecal samples in the fridge for 24 h prior to storage in the freezer had little effect on the fecal microbiota profile. Our findings suggest that if immediate analysis of fecal samples is not possible, samples should at least be homogenized to preserve the existing microbiota profile., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. AV is the Royal Canin Veterinary Diets Endowed Chair in Canine and Feline Clinical Nutrition at the Ontario Veterinary College. This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials., (Copyright: © 2024 Chiu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Introduction: The fecal metabolome provides insight into overall gastrointestinal and microbial health. Methods for fecal sample storage in metabolomics research vary, however, making comparisons within current literature difficult. This study investigated the effect of ambient temperature exposure on microbial-derived metabolites of feline fecal samples., Methods: Fecal samples were collected from 11 healthy cats from a local boarding facility. Samples were manually homogenized and aliquoted. The first aliquot was frozen at -80°C within 1 hour of defecation, and remaining samples were exposed to ambient temperature for 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, and 24 h prior to freezing at -80°C. Fecal metabolites were quantified using 1 H NMR spectroscopy. Fifty metabolites were grouped into six categories (27 amino acids, 8 fatty acids, 5 sugars, 3 alcohols, 2 nitrogenous bases, 5 miscellaneous)., Results: Concentrations of 20 out of 50 metabolites significantly differed due to ambient temperature exposure (7 amino acids, 6 fatty acids, 2 alcohols, 1 nitrogenous base, 4 miscellaneous). The earliest detected changes occurred 6 h post-defecation for cadaverine and fumaric acid., Discussion: This study shows ambient temperature exposure alters the composition of the feline fecal metabolome, but short-term (up to 4 h) exposure prior to storage in the freezer seems to be acceptable., Competing Interests: AV is the Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Endowed Chair in Canine and Feline Clinical Nutrition at the Ontario Veterinary College. MT is currently employed by Royal Canin. The study was conducted before this employment as part of MT’s Doctor Veterinary Sciences Degree and OC’s Master of Sciences Degree at the Ontario Veterinary College. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Chiu, Tal, Sanmugam, Hesta, Gomez, Weese and Verbrugghe.)

Objective: To better document the prevalence, breed predilections, and clinical behavior of subungual squamous cell carcinomas in dogs., Procedure: Retrospective analysis of records from 278 812 canine biopsy submissions including 1518 subungual squamous cell carcinomas from dogs in Canada between the years 2003 and 2021., Results: In agreement with previous studies, giant schnauzers [odds ratio (OR): 56.7], standard schnauzers (OR: 20.3), Gordon setters (OR: 18.3), black standard poodles (OR: 11.1), Kerry blue terriers (OR: 9.4), Rottweilers (OR: 7.0), and several other breeds of large black dogs had a strong predilection for development of subungual squamous cell carcinomas. In giant schnauzers and standard poodles specifically, the risk of developing additional tumors on additional digits was 56%. There were no local postoperative recurrences, and the risk of detecting metastatic disease within 5 y after initial diagnosis was very low at 4%., Conclusion: Moderately large black, or black and tan, dogs have a marked increase in the prevalence of subungual squamous cell carcinomas. At least in giant schnauzers and black standard poodles, the risk of developing additional similar tumors on additional digits is high, but the metastatic risk is very low., Clinical Relevance: Veterinarians receiving a histologic diagnosis of subungual squamous cell carcinoma in a large black (or predominantly black) dog should advise the owners of a substantial risk that the dog will develop similar tumors on other digits in 2 or 3 y following initial diagnosis, but that the risk of local recurrence or metastatic spread is extremely low., (Copyright and/or publishing rights held by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association.)

Gap junctions (GJs) are intercellular channels which are composed of the connexin family of proteins that allow electrical and chemical communications and synchronization in tissue ensembles. Evidence suggests that pharmaceutical modulators of these channels may have therapeutic potential or carry undesired liability. In this report, we exogenously expressed human connexin 43 (Cx43, GJA1) and demonstrated functionality in a 96-well flow cytometry assay detecting intercellular transfer of the calcein dye. We have designed a 384-well high-throughput method for detecting the transfer of calcium between HeLa cells expressing Cx43. In this assay, donor cells coexpress Cx43 and the α1A adrenergic Gα-coupled receptor, while recipient cells coexpress Cx43 and the cytoplasmic version of the calcium-sensitive luminescent protein aequorin enhanced by codon optimization (cytoAeq). The two cell populations were mixed, dispensed to 384-well plates, and incubated for 3 h to allow the formation of GJs. Activation of α1A by epinephrine in donor cells led to dose-dependent calcium increases in recipient cells, which were detected by measuring the intensity of aequorin luminescence. The response was dependent on the expression of Cx43 and inhibited by the GJ blocker 18α-glycyrrhetinic acid, suggesting Cx43 GJ-mediated activity. In a parallel experiment with capsaicin and the TrpV1 ion channel in place of phenylephrine and α1A, a similar magnitude of difference in the maximal calcium response was detected in both donor and recipient cells, suggesting that calcium is likely the permeant ion through the GJ. This assay may pave the way for high-throughput screening of GJ modulators for drug discovery.

Objective: SKyphoplasty is a new method of percutaneous spinal augmentation. Despite its limited availability in the United States, SKyphoplasty has experienced considerable growth in recent years. In this article, we aim to provide a stepwise documentation of the technique, with brief reference to the 2 established methods, vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty., Conclusion: Experience with SKyphoplasty is relatively limited, and little information has appeared in the literature to support its theoretical benefits. After review of previously published material, an audit of our institutional experience, and discussion with other practioners who perform this procedure, it would appear that pain relief by using this device is at best similar to that of conventional vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty. There was no evidence of height restoration in our patient population, an advantage that has been brought into question.

Many hospitalized smokers return to smoking after hospital discharge even though continued smoking can compromise treatment effectiveness, reduce survival, increase risk of disease recurrence, and impair quality of life. After leaving a smoke-free hospital, patients encounter smoking cues at home, such as family members who smoke or emotional triggers such as stress, which can elicit powerful urges to smoke and lead to smoking relapse. Enabling smokers to experience such urges in a controlled setting while providing the ability to practice coping skills may be a useful strategy for building quitting self-efficacy. We are developing a virtual reality coping skills (VRCS) game to help hospitalized smokers practice coping strategies to manage these triggers in preparation for returning home after hospitalization. Our multidisciplinary team developed a prototype VRCS game using Second Life, a platform that allowed rapid construction of a virtual reality environment. The prototype contains virtual home spaces (e.g., living room, kitchen) populated with common triggers to smoke and a "toolkit" with scripted actions that enable the avatar to rehearse various coping strategies. Since eliciting and managing urges to smoke is essential to the game's utility as an intervention, we assessed the ability of the prototype virtual environment to engage former smokers in these scenarios. We recruited eight former smokers with a recent history of hospitalization and guided each through a VRCS scenario during which we asked the patient to evaluate the strength of smoking urges and usefulness of coping strategies. Initial data indicate that patients report high urges to smoke (mean = 8.8 on a 10 point scale) when their avatar confronted virtual triggers such as drinking coffee. Patients rated virtual practice of coping strategies, such as drinking water or watching TV, as very helpful (mean = 8.4 on a 10 point scale) in reducing these urges. With further development, this VRCS game may have potential to provide low-cost, effective behavioral rehearsal to prevent relapse to smoking in hospitalized patients.

An optical sensor integrated into a polymer microfluidic chip is proposed as a low cost solution to highly parallel biochemical analysis. The sensor consists of a single high-finesse optical resonator for direct analytes detection. High quality silica microspheres (diameter approximately 300 microm) are easily produced and low-loss whispering gallery modes were excited through evanescent coupling at wavelengths near 1550 nm and 544 nm. The quality factor (Q) and ring down time of these modes is sensitive to minute changes in the microresonator environment thus making it an excellent candidate for a sensor. Instead of the traditional time domain studies, we determine quality factors and ring down times as long as 53.8 +/- 0.6 ns (Q approximately 10(6)) from phase shift measurements using optical sources with sinusoidal intensity modulations of 300 kHz and below.