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Abstract Objective The purpose of this study is to investigate the type of ridge (degree of angulation of the lingual concavity) and the buccolingual dimensions in the area of the first and second molars in both genders of different ages and how this will affect implant placement in the posterior mandible. Materials and Methods This retrospective cross‐sectional study comprised cone beam computed tomography images of 150 dental patients (75 males and 71 aged ≥30). The following were measured/reported: type (morphology) of the ridge (convex [C], parallel [P], or undercut [U]), buccolingual width at the base and the crest of the ridge, and ridge height. The concavity angle, depth, and length of the U‐shaped ridge were measured too. Results The prevalence of type U ridge ranged from 32.7% in the first molar region to 62.7% in the second molar region. Almost all measurements and ridge type distributions were comparable amongst the age groups (p > .05). Very few significant differences were found when comparing #36 versus #37 and #46 versus #47 teeth, with no differences in the distribution of the ridge types (p > .05). Quite the inverse, all measurements were statistically different when comparing #36 versus #37 and #46 versus #47 teeth, and type U ridge was more frequent in second molar compared to the first molar regions, respectively (p

We investigated the diet of Engystomops pustulosus from a population in the Middle Magdalena River valley, including an evaluation of theeffect of body and head size on prey number and volume. We present the current state of knowledge of the diet of E. pustulosus from published information in addition to our data. We found a total of 400 prey items representing two phyla, Arthropoda and Mollusca; seven orders and nine families were detected. Arthropods, mainly insects, were the most frequent prey in the diet. Among arthropods, Acari and Isoptera were numerically dominant. We did not observe effects of body and head size on prey number and volume. The published literature of the diet of E. pustulosus included 66 prey items, among which Isoptera (termites), Acari, and Formicidae were the most common groups, suggesting dietary specialization. Prey items consumed by E. pustulosus varied among different localities; Blattodea, Orthoptera, and Thysanoptera were unique at certain localities. Further study of prey availability and diets associated with land-use changes across majorgeographic localities will contribute to a better understanding of the predator-prey interactions in these anthropogenic environments.

The common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is one of the most widely farmed legumes, with farmers cultivating a variety of cultivar variants in Kurdistan of Iraq. Total of 50 bean samples were tested to establish their mycological contamination and their toxigenic potential under certain conditions, a variety of fungi may develop within bean grains; some of which have the capacity to synthesize mycotoxins. In current study toxigenic fungi were studied in beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) Aspergillus spp., Fusarium spp. and Penicillium spp. were the most frequently isolated genera, followed by Phoma sp., Mucor spp., Alternaria spp., Curvularia spp., Rhizopus spp., Eurotium sp. Chaetomium spp, Yeasts and Drechslera spp. Among 20 Aspergillus 11 strains produced mycotoxins: 30% produced aflatoxins (AFs) ranged between 81-260 ppb; 5% produced ochratoxin A (OTA 70-100 ppb) and 26.6% of Fusarium produced Trichothecene T-2/HT-2 (50- 94 ppb). The toxigenic species were A. flavus, A. parasiticus, A. ochraceus, A. carbonarius A. niger and F. sporotrichioides.

Due to the impact that plastics generate in ecosystems, the management of this type of plastic waste has become a growing problem, so it is extremely important to focus efforts on research and knowledge generation around this topic. This research was focused on the evaluation of the biodegradation process of low-density polyethylene sheets using inoculum treatments of Aspergillus brasiliensis, in a compost-type soil matrix in order to determine the percentage of biodegradability and the state of the surface of the material by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis. The percentages of LDPE biodegradation 3.60 % were evidenced in 10 weeks under conditions such as 6.3 pH, 55% humidity and 20 °C. The studies carried out with this strain are still limited within the scientific bibliography, therefore, this project is considered relevant in the characterization of the biodegradation processes of complex polymers.

Malignant optic gliomas are an uncommon pathology, with around 67 cases reported worldwide in the literature. We present the case of a 77-year-old-male with a two-month history of progressive vision loss, ultimately leading to bilateral blindness. The initial clinical suspicion was a non-inflammatory ischemic optic neuropathy. Stereotactic biopsy was performed on the optic chiasm, and the histopathological diagnosis was confirmed as Glioblastoma.

Abstract Lyophilization is the “gold standard” for drying plant extracts, which is important in preserving their quality and extending their shelf-life. Compared to other methods of drying plant extracts, lyophilization is costlier due to equipment, material and operational expenses. An alternative method is post-extraction oven-drying, but the effects of this process on extract quality are unknown. In this study, crude extracts from Arthrocnemum macrostachyum shoots were compared using three post-extraction drying methods (lyophilization and oven drying at 40 and 60 °C) and two extraction solvents (water and aqueous 50% ethanol). Untargeted metabolomics coupled with chemometrics analysis revealed that post extraction oven-drying resulted in the loss of up to 27% of molecular features when compared to lyophilization in water extracts only. In contrast, only 3% of molecular features were lost in aqueous 50% ethanol extracts when subjected to oven drying. That is to say, ethanol used as a solvent has a stabilizing effect on metabolites and enhances their resistance to thermal transformation in the oven. Collectively, oven-drying of extracts was as effective as lyophilization in preserving metabolites in extracts only when 50% ethanol was used as a solvent. The results presented in this paper demonstrate the value of selecting solvent-appropriate post-extraction drying methods.

Abstract Many aspects from real life with bi-relational structure can be modeled as bipartite networks. This modeling allows the use of some standard solutions for prediction and/or recommendation of new relations between objects in such networks. In this work, we combine an existing bipartite local models method with approaches for link prediction from communities to address the link prediction problem in this type of networks. The motivation of this work stems from the importance of an application task, drug–target interaction prediction. Searching valid drug candidates for a given biological target is an essential part of modern drug development. We model the problem as link prediction in a bipartite multi-layer network, which helps to aggregate different sources of information into one single structure and as a result improves the quality of link prediction. We adapt existing community measures for link prediction to the case of bipartite multi-layer networks, propose alternative ways for exploiting communities, and show experimentally that our approach is competitive with the state-of-the-art. We also demonstrate the scalability of our approach and assess interpretability. Additional evaluations on data of a different origin than drug–target interactions demonstrate the genericness of the proposed approach.

ObjectiveTo determine the birth prevalence of perinatal stroke in term born infants at our high-volume delivery center and assess the frequency of both gross and histologic placental pathologies associated with perinatal stroke using the Amsterdam Placental Workshop Group Consensus Statement guidelines and definitions.Study DesignA single-center retrospective cohort study spanning 2010-2020.ResultsThere were 129,759 live births at Parkland Hospital during the study period and a total of 18 term born infants leading to a birth prevalence of 1 in 6,829 infants. Perinatal risk factors were found in all but one patient, and 74% presented with seizures. Pathologic placental examination was available in 56% of the cohort and only one patient had normal placental examination. Acute histologic chorioamnionitis was described in five placentas (50%) and an additional two had isolated umbilical and/or chorionic plate vasculitis with or without funisitis compared to a rate of 28% with acute inflammation in a Control group. Chronic inflammation in the form of villitis of unknown etiology was described in three of the acutely inflamed placentas and was high-grade in each of those while none of the placentas from our Control group showed evidence of any chronic lesion.ConclusionBoth acute and chronic placental inflammation are common in perinatal stroke; placental examination should be considered an essential component to the diagnostic workup.

Abstract There is a critical need for development of real time physiological biomarkers for birth asphyxia that constitutes a major global public health burden. Our recent study (Scientific Reports, V10:9183, 2020) established a novel non-invasive neurovascular coupling (NVC) assessment in newborns using dynamic wavelet transform coherence (WTC) analysis irrespective of different aEEG algorithms. As an extended study, the current paper examines whether the variability in processed EEG and amplitude-EEG (aEEG) outputs would impact the determination of NVC in newborns with encephalopathy. Concurrent processed EEG tracings and regional near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)-based cerebral tissue oxygen saturation (SctO2) readings during a period of twenty hours in their first day of life were selected and processed in this study. After bandpass-filtered in 2–15 Hz, rectified, and down-sampled at 0.21 Hz, the processed EEG tracings along with NIRS-SctO2 (0.21 Hz) were used to perform WTC analysis, followed by comparison of WTC-metrics between SctO2-processed EEG coherence and SctO2-aEEG coherence using Bland–Altman statistics. Our results demonstrated high and significant correlation (R2 = 0.96, p

Cerebrovascular pressure autoregulation promotes stable cerebral blood flow (CBF) across a range of arterial blood pressures. Cerebral autoregulation (CA) is a developmental process that reaches maturity around term gestation and can be monitored prenatally with both Doppler ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques. Postnatally, there are key advantages and limitations to assessing CA with Doppler ultrasound, MRI, and near-infrared spectroscopy. Here we review these CBF monitoring techniques as well as their application to both fetal and neonatal populations at risk of perturbations in CBF. Specifically, we discuss CBF monitoring in fetuses with intrauterine growth restriction, anemia, congenital heart disease, neonates born preterm and those with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. We conclude the review with insights into the future directions in this field with an emphasis on collaborative science and precision medicine approaches.

α-glucosidase inhibitors represent an important class of type 2 antidiabetic drugs and they act by lowering postprandial hyperglycemia. Today, only three synthetic inhibitors exist on the market, and there is a need for novel, natural and more efficient molecules exhibiting this activity. In this study, we investigated the ability of Tamarix nilotica ethanolic and aqueous shoot extracts, as well as methanolic fractions prepared from aqueous crude extracts to inhibit α-glucosidase. Both, 50% ethanol and aqueous extracts inhibited α-glucosidase in a concentration-dependent manner, with IC50 values of 12.5 μg/mL and 24.8 μg/mL, respectively. Importantly, α-glucosidase inhibitory activity observed in the T. nilotica crude extracts was considerably higher than pure acarbose (IC50 = 151.1 μg/mL), the most highly prescribed α-glucosidase inhibitor on the market. When T. nilotica crude extracts were fractionated using methanol, enhanced α-glucosidase inhibitory activity was observed in general, with the highest observed α-glucosidase inhibitory activity in the 30% methanol fraction (IC50 = 5.21 μg/mL). Kinetic studies further revealed a competitive reversible mechanism of inhibition by the plant extract. The phytochemical profiles of 50% ethanol extracts, aqueous extracts, and the methanolic fractions were investigated and compared using a metabolomics approach. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences in the contents of the crude extracts and fractions and potentially identified the molecules that were most responsible for these observed variations. Higher α-glucosidase inhibitory activity was associated with an enrichment of terpenoids, fatty acids, and flavonoids. Among the identified molecules, active compounds with known α-glucosidase inhibitory activity were detected, including unsaturated fatty acids, triterpenoids, and flavonoid glycosides. These results put forward T. nilotica as a therapeutic plant for type 2 diabetes and a source of α-glucosidase inhibitors.

The quality standards for the export of chestnuts generate large quantities of rejected fruits, which require novel processing technologies for their safe industrial utilization. This study aimed to investigate the impact of high-pressure processing (HPP) and hydrothermal treatments (HT) on the physicochemical properties of rejected chestnut starch. Chestnuts were treated by HPP at 400, 500, and 600 MPa for 5 min and HT at 50 °C for 45 min. In general, all HPP treatments did not induce starch gelatinization, and their granules preserved the integrity and Maltese-cross. Moreover, starch granules’ size and resistant starch content increased with the intensity of pressure. Native and HT chestnut starches were the most susceptible to digestion. HPP treatments did not affect the C-type crystalline pattern of native starch, but the crystalline region was gradually modified to become amorphous. HPP-600 MPa treated starch showed modified pasting properties and exhibited the highest values of peak viscosity. This study demonstrates for the first time that after HPP-600 MPa treatment, a novel chestnut starch gel structure is obtained. Moreover, HPP treatments could increase the slow-digesting starch, which benefits the development of healthier products. HPP can be considered an interesting technology to obtain added-value starch from rejected chestnut fruits.

ABSTRACT: A total of 120, twelve wk old female Japanese quails were divided into 4 groups (6 replicates of 5 birds each). The control group (CON) fed a corn-soybean diet; in the other 3 groups, Tenebrio molitor larvae meal (TML) replaced 5, 10, and 20% of the soybean protein (T5, T10, and T20). The laying performance and egg quality were studied for 54 d. The data were processed by a one-way ANOVA; the orthogonal contrast analysis was performed to test the linear, quadratic and cubic effects among the means. The laying rate and egg mass linearly decreased (P < 0.01) as the TML inclusion level in the diet increased. The egg weight and feed conversion ratio linearly increased from the control to T20 diet (P < 0.01) while the digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, and crude protein linearly decreased (P < 0.05). The albumen and yolk weight showed a linear increase (P < 0.01) due to dietary TML inclusion, while the eggshell weight showed the opposite (P < 0.05). The estimated activity of Δ9-desaturase (C16:0), Δ5+Δ6-desaturase on both polyunsaturated fatty acid n-6 and n-3 linearly increased (P < 0.05) as affected by dietary TML. The boiled yolk lightness (L*) showed higher values in T5 and T10 groups (quadratic contrast, P < 0.01). The yolk redness index (a*) showed lower values in T5 and T20 than control and T10 groups (cubic contrast, P < 0.01). The albumen L*, a*, and b* indexes showed a significant effect of the quadratic contrast (P < 0.05). In addition, the albumen b* index showed a significant effect of the cubic contrast (P < 0.01). The total lipids showed the highest values (cubic contrast, P < 0.05) in the T10 and T20 groups. The total monounsaturated fatty acids linearly increased (P < 0.05) according to the increase of dietary TML. The best inclusion level of defatted TML meal for laying quails seems to be 1.4% of diet, corresponding to the T5 diet.

Edible coatings based on natural sources are a good alternative to protect and increase the shelf-life of the fruits. In this work, active carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)-based edible coatings enriched with functional ingredients, extracted from spent coffee grounds (SCG), were produced and used to increase the shelf-life of fresh goldenberries. Thus, three different treatments were tested on fresh goldenberries: (i) coating CMC (CMC-based edible coating); (ii) coating CMC-A (CMC-based edible coating with 0.2% (w/v) of polysaccharide-rich extract from SCG); and (iii) coating CMC-B (CMC-based edible coating with 0.2% (w/v) of polysaccharide-rich extract, and 0.2% (w/v) of phenolic compounds encapsulated from SCG), being compared with uncoated goldenberries. Physicochemical and microbiological properties of the fruits were evaluated throughout 12 and 28 days of storing at 20 °C and 65% relative humidity and 4 °C and 95% RH, respectively. The results showed that the temperature and relative humidity significantly influenced the quality of goldenberries, increasing their shelf-life almost two-fold when stored at 4 °C and 95% RH. Both CMC-A and CMC-B coatings controlled weight loss and decreased the gas transfer rates (O2, CO2, and C2H4), mainly when goldenberries were stored at 20 °C and 65% RH. Moreover, coating CMC-A was better for delaying microbial growth, while the edible coating CMC-B gave an extra content of phenolic compounds to goldenberries, increasing thus their antioxidant potential.

Goal: It is challenging to clinically discern the severity of neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) within hours after birth in time for therapeutic decision-making for hypothermia. The goal of this study was to determine the shortest duration of the EEG based PAC index to provide real-time guidance for clinical decision-making for neonates with HIE. Methods: Neonates were recruited from a single-center Level III NICU between 2017 and 2019. A time-dependent, PAC-frequency-averaged index, tPACm, was calculated to characterize intrinsic coupling between the amplitudes of 12–30 Hz and the phases of 1–2 Hz oscillation from 6-h EEG data at electrode P3 during the first day of life, using different sizes of moving windows including 10 s, 20 s, 1 min, 2 min, 5 min, 10 min, 20 min, 30 min, 60 min, and 120 min. Time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated to examine the performance of the accurate window tPACm as a neurophysiologic biomarker. Results: A total of 33 neonates (mild-HIE, n = 15 and moderate/severe HIE, n = 18) were enrolled. Mixed effects models demonstrated that tPACm between the two groups was significantly different with window time segments of 3–120 min. By observing the estimates of group differences in tPACm across different window sizes, we found 20 min was the shortest window size to optimally distinguish the two groups (p < 0.001). Time-varying ROC showed significant average area-under-the-curve of 0.82. Conclusions: We demonstrated the feasibility of using tPACm with a 20 min EEG time window to differentiate the severity of HIE and facilitate earlier diagnosis and treatment initiation.

Metallic and bimetallic nanostructures have shown interesting chromatic and antibacterial properties, and they can be used in various applications. In this work, zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) nanostructures were produced with different morphologies: (i) pure Zn; (ii) Zn-Fe nanoalloys; (iii) Zn-Fe nanolayers (Zn-Fe NLs); and (iv) Zn nanolayers combined with Fe nanoparticles (Zn NLs + Fe NPs). The aim was to produce components for food packaging materials with active and intelligent properties, including oxygen absorption capacity, chromatic properties, and antibacterial properties. Thus, the morphology, structure, and chemical composition of the samples were characterized and correlated with their oxidation, chromatic, and antibacterial properties. The results revealed a relevant reduction in the coating’s opacity after oxidation varying from 100 to 10% depending on the morphology of the system. All coatings exhibited significant antibacterial activity against S. aureus, revealing a direct correlation with Zn content. The incorporation of Fe for all atomic arrangements showed a negative impact on the antibacterial effect against E. coli, decreasing to less than half the zone of inhibition for Zn-Fe NLs and Zn NLs + Fe NPs and suppressing the antibacterial effect for Zn-Fe alloy when compared with the pure Zn system.

Background: Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in neonates, but quantitative methods to predict outcomes early in their course of illness remain elusive. Real-time physiologic biomarkers of neurologic injury are needed in order to predict which neonates will benefit from therapies. Neurovascular coupling (NVC) describes the correlation of neural activity with cerebral blood flow, and the degree of impairment could predict those at risk for poor outcomes. Objective: To determine if neurovascular coupling (NVC) calculated in the first 24-hours of life based on wavelet transform coherence analysis (WTC) of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and amplitude-integrated electroencephalography (aEEG) can predict abnormal brain MRI in neonatal HIE. Methods: WTC analysis was performed between dynamic oscillations of simultaneously recorded aEEG and cerebral tissue oxygen saturation (SctO2) signals for the first 24 h after birth. The squared cross-wavelet coherence, R2, of the time–frequency domain described by the WTC, is a localized correlation coefficient (ranging between 0 and 1) between these two signals in the time–frequency domain. Statistical analysis was based on Monte Carlo simulation with a 95% confidence interval to identify the time–frequency areas from the WTC scalograms. Brain MRI was performed on all neonates and classified as normal or abnormal based on an accepted classification system for HIE. Wavelet metrics of % significant SctO2-aEEG coherence was compared between the normal and abnormal MRI groups. Result: This prospective study recruited a total of 36 neonates with HIE. A total of 10 had an abnormal brain MRI while 26 had normal MRI. The analysis showed that the SctO2-aEEG coherence between the group with normal and abnormal MRI were significantly different (p = 0.0007) in a very low-frequency (VLF) range of 0.06–0.2 mHz. Using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, the use of WTC-analysis of NVC had an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.808, and with a cutoff of 10% NVC. Sensitivity was 69%, specificity was 90%, positive predictive value (PPV) was 94%, and negative predictive value (NPV) was 52% for predicting brain injury on MRI. This was superior to the clinical Total Sarnat score (TSS) where AUC was 0.442 with sensitivity 61.5%, specificity 30%, PPV 75%, and NPV 31%. Conclusion: NVC is a promising neurophysiological biomarker in neonates with HIE, and in our prospective cohort was superior to the clinical Total Sarnat score for prediction of abnormal brain MRI.

Olive pomace (OP) is the main residue that results from olive oil production. OP is rich in bioactive compounds, including polyphenols, so its use in the treatments of diseases related to oxidative stress, such as cancer, could be considered. The present work aimed to study the biological properties of different OP extracts, obtained by ohmic heating-assisted extraction and conventional heating, using water and 50% ethanol, in the treatment and prevention of colorectal cancer through Caco-2 cell models. Additionally, an in-silico analysis was performed to identify the phenolic intestinal absorption and Caco-2 permeability. The extracts were chemically characterized, and it was found that the Ohmic-hydroethanolic (OH-EtOH) extract had the highest antiproliferative effect, probably due to its higher content of phenolic compounds. The OH-EtOH induced potential modifications in the mitochondrial membrane and led to apoptosis by cell cycle arrest in the G1/S phases with activation of p53 and caspase 3 proteins. In addition, this extract protected the intestine against oxidative stress (ROS) caused by H2O2. Therefore, the bioactive compounds present in OP and recovered by applying a green technology such as ohmic-heating, show promising potential to be used in food, nutraceutical, and biomedical applications, reducing this waste and facilitating the circular economy.

Identification of fungi that contaminated wheat grains and their aflatoxins production were investigated in Thirty-three samples collected from different sources in Duhok province, Kurdistan region of Iraq during 2014-2015. In this study a total of twenty-five species belonged to 12 genera was isolated and identified on DRBC, MEA and PDA media. Nine distinct species were identified within Aspergillus which revealed highest diversity among all isolated genera. Followed by five species of Penicillium.Alternariacame after which showed only two species. Two teleomorphic ascomycota Emericella, and Eurotiumwere recorded. The results showed that A. nigerand A. flavuswere the most isolated species. Aflatoxin production potential detected by A. flavusand A. parasiticus were screened using ELISA method. Aflatoxin potential detected in culture of Aspergillus flavus isolates was ranged from 57 to 310 ppb, while, the potential production aflatoxin for A. parasiticus isolates were ranged from 189 – 450 part per billion.

Gray cast iron has many applications as pipes , pumps and valve bodies where it has influenced by heat and contact with other solutions . This research has studied the corrosion behavior and Vickers hardness of gray cast iron by immersion in four strong alkaline solutions (NaOH, KOH, Ca(OH)2, LiOH)with three concentrations (1%,2%,3%) of each solution. Dry sliding wear has carried out before and after the heat treatments (stress relief ,normalizing, hardening and tempering). In this work ,maximum wear strength has obtained at tempered gray cast iron and minimum corrosion rate has obtained in LiOH solution by forming protective white visible oxide layer.

Cassava plays a key role in the food production and economies of several countries worldwide. Due to its starch content, alcoholic fermentation is a promising transformation process for adding value to cassava. However, most of the existing cassava beverages are from traditional origin, with the yields and quality often poorly known or controlled due to the use of artisanal production processes. This work aims at the application of easily implementable biotechnological tools for the production of cassava spirits, in order to add value to this raw material. Cassava flour was liquefied and saccharified using enzymatic cocktails, generating a fermentable broth with ~184 g L−1 of fermentable sugars. This was then fermented into an alcoholic product with ~10% ethanol by volume and distilled for spirit production. Cassava spirits with 40% ethanol by volume, with or without application of oak wood, were produced. For further valorization, volatile fractions of cassava spirits were characterized by gas chromatography–flame ionization detection (GC-FID) and GC–MS. These showed a predominance of yeast fermentation metabolites, complemented by wood extractives where oak chips were applied. Both produced spirits showed desirable sensory traits, receiving good acceptance by experienced tasters, demonstrating the feasibility of the proposed process to add value to cassava surplus.