Search

There has been a lot of controversy regarding mirror neuron function in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), in particular during the observation of biological motions (BM). Here, we directly explored the link between visual attention and brain activity in terms of mu suppression, by simultaneously recording eye-tracking and EEGs during BM tasks. Nineteen autistic children (15 boys, mean age = 11.57 ± 4.28 years) and 19 age-matched neurotypical (NT) children (15 boys, mean age = 11.68 ± 5.22 years) participated in the study. Each participant's eye movement and EEG were simultaneously recorded while watching four BM stimuli (walking, cartwheeling, free-throwing and underarm throwing) and a scrambled condition. Mu (8-13 Hz) suppression index (SI) for central regions was calculated. Fixation counts and percent of fixation time were calculated as indices of eye movements. EEG results revealed significant mu suppressions in the central region in both groups for all BM actions. Eye-tracking results showed that NT children had greater fixation counts and a higher percentage of fixation time than autistic children, indicating greater overall visual attention to BM. Notably, correlational analyses for both groups further revealed that individuals' fixation time and fixation counts were negatively correlated with the mu suppression index for all actions, indicating a strong association between visual attention and mu SI in the central region. Our findings suggest a critical role of visual attention in interpreting mu suppression during action perception in autism., (© 2024 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

In this study, the spectrophotometric method integrated with continuous wavelet transform (CWT) and coupled discrete wavelet transform (DWT) with fuzzy inference system (FIS) was developed for the simultaneous determination of ethinyl estradiol (EE) and drospirenone (DP) in combined oral contraceptives (COCs). The CWT approach was performed in the linearity range of 0.6-6 µg/mL for EE and 0.9 to 18 µg/mL for DP. Biorthogonal with an order of 1.3 (bior1.3) at a wavelength of 216 nm and Daubechies with an order of 2 (db2) at a wavelength of 278 nm were selected as the best wavelet families for obtaining the best zero crossing point for EE and DP, respectively. The limit of detection (LOD) of 0.7677 and 0.3222 µg/mL and the limit of quantification (LOQ) of 2.326 and 0.9765 µg/mL were obtained for EE and DP, respectively. The mean recovery of 103.24% and 99.77%, as well as root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.1896 and 0.1969, were found for EE and DP, respectively. In the DWT, the absorption of the mixtures was decomposed using different wavelets named db4, db2, Symlet2 (sym2), and bior1.3. Each of the wavelet outputs was dimension reduced by the principal component analysis (PCA) method and considered as FIS input. The wavelet of db4 with the coefficient of determination (R 2 ) of 0.9979, RMSE of 0.0968, and mean recovery of 100.63% was chosen as the best one for the EE, while bior1.3 with R 2 of 0.9955, RMSE of 0.4055, and mean recovery of 101.93% was selected for DP. These methods were successfully used to analyze the EE and DP simultaneously in tablet pharmaceutical formulation without any separation step. The suggested methods were compared with a reference method (HPLC) using analysis of variance (ANOVA) at a 95% confidence level, and no significant difference was observed in terms of accuracy. The suggested chemometric methods are reliable, rapid, and inexpensive, and can be used as an environmentally friendly alternative to HPLC for the simultaneous estimation of the mentioned drugs in commercial pharmaceutical products., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This research principally aimed to present a suitable strategy for membrane-fouling mitigation in membrane-bioreactors (MBRs). The current strategies for membrane-fouling mitigation before initiating the process in many cases, are unmodifiable for a specific MBR system along the operations. Thus, membrane-fouling strategies during filtration should be applied. To select the best and most economical method for controlling fouling during the operations, the quality (site and mechanism) as well as quantity (thickness, mass, and porosity of the cake layer, and pore resistances) of fouling should be predicted. Accordingly, in this research, two powerful tools, i.e. modeling and simulation, have been used for predicting the quality and quantity of fouling, respectively. Through modeling, the best model describing the site and mechanism of fouling was chosen. Through simulation, the thickness, mass and porosity of the cake layer, along with resistance of cake and pores were calculated. In addition, the match between the results of modeling, simulation, and experimental results confirmed the accuracy of the performed predictions. Ultimately, to achieve the minimum membrane-fouling during filtration, based on the modeling results, the general solution of washing (physical or chemical), and based on the simulation results, its intensity (low, medium, and high) were proposed., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Aims: Accurate cardiac chamber quantification is essential for clinical decisions and ideally should be consistent across different echocardiography systems. This study evaluates variations between the Philips EPIQ CVx (version 9.0.3) and Canon Aplio i900 (version 7.0) in measuring cardiac volumes, ventricular function, and valve structures., Methods and Results: In this gender-balanced, single-centre study, 40 healthy volunteers (20 females and 20 males) aged 40 years and older (mean age 56.75 ± 11.57 years) were scanned alternately with both systems by the same sonographer using identical settings for both 2D and 4D acquisitions. We compared left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) volumes using paired t -tests, with significance set at P < 0.05. Correlation and Bland-Altman plots were used for quantities showing significant differences. Two board-certified cardiologists evaluated valve anatomy for each platform. The results showed no significant differences in LV end-systolic volume and LV ejection fraction between platforms. However, LV end-diastolic volume (LVEDV) differed significantly (biplane: P = 0.018; 4D: P = 0.028). Right ventricular (RV) measurements in 4D showed no significant differences, but there were notable disparities in 2D and 4D volumes within each platform ( P < 0.01). Significant differences were also found in the LV systolic dyssynchrony index ( P = 0.03), LV longitudinal strain ( P = 0.04), LV twist ( P = 0.004), and LV torsion ( P = 0.005). Valve structure assessments varied, with more abnormalities noted on the Philips platform., Conclusion: Although LV and RV volumetric measurements are generally comparable, significant differences in LVEDV, LV strain metrics, and 2D vs. 4D measurements exist. These variations should be considered when using different platforms for patient follow-ups., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: This study was partially supported by a contract between Canon Medical Systems USA, Inc. and the University of California, Irvine, with A.K. serving as the project principal investigator. The other authors declare no conflicts of interest., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.)

Sulfur mustard (SM) exposure has delayed harmful effects, including premature biological aging. This study aimed to evaluate the expression of aging markers (i.e., ANRIL, P16 INK4a , TBX2, and TERRA) and assess their correlation with the severity of SM exposure in the long term. The study was conducted on two volunteer groups. 1) SM-exposed group, exposed to SM once in 1987 during the war; divided into three subgroups based on the injury severity, asymptomatic (without any clinical signs), mild, and severe; 2) Non-exposed group. In the SM-exposed group, ANRIL transcript was decreased, especially in subgroups of mild and severe. TBX2 transcript was also decreased in the total SM-exposed group. This decrease was more significant in the mild and severe subgroups than in asymptomatic ones. P16 INK4a transcript was increased in the SM-exposed group, especially in the asymptomatic subgroup. The increase in TERRA transcript was also significant in all subgroups. There was a positive correlation between the TERRA transcript and the severity of injury, while this correlation was negative for the ANRIL. It is concluded that the delayed toxicity of SM may be associated with dysregulation of aging markers leading to premature cellular aging. These markers' alterations differed according to the severity of SM injury.

Background: To delineate alterations in DNA methylation at high resolution within the genomic profile of monocyte-derived-dendritic cells (mo-DCs) in connection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection, with particular emphasis on pro/ anti-inflammatory genes., Methods: In the context of this investigation, mo-DCs were infected by various active strains of MTB (Rifampicin-resistant [RIFR], H37Rv, multidrug-resistant [MDR], and extensively drug-resistant [XDR]). Subsequently, the pro/anti-inflammatory hub gene expression levels within the IL-6, IL-12, IFN-γ, IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-10 pathways were evaluated employing real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Additionally, the effects of MTB infection on mo-DC protein expression were examined through western blot analysis. The methylation status (%) of TNF-α and IL-10 was considered through Methylation Sensitive-High Resolution Melting (MS-HRM)., Results: The results revealed an up-regulation of all pro-inflammatory genes among all groups, with TNF-α exhibiting the highest expression level. Conversely, the anti-inflammatory gene (IL-10) showed a down-regulated expression level. Furthermore, the DNA methylation status (%) of TNF-α decreased significantly among all the groups (P < 0.001), although there were no notable distinctions in the DNA methylation status (%) of IL-10 when compared to the control group (P > 0.05)., Conclusion: MTB infection induces DNA methylation changes in mo-DCs. The hypo-methylation of TNF-α may induce the up-regulation of this gene. This correlation revealed that the more resistant the MTB strain (XDR) is, the lower the methylation status (%) in the TNF-α gene., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Although organic-inorganic hybrid one-dimensional (1D) lead halide postperovskites (LHPPs) have been reported to show white luminescence and tunable photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY), their structure-property relationships are not fully understood. Here, we used Mn 2+ to test the doping effect on the luminescence of two 1D-LHPPs compounds, namely, {TETA[Pb 2 Br 6 ]} n 1 and {TETA[Pb 2 Cl 6 ]} n 2 , where TETA = triethylenetetrammonium. We found the pristine compounds show yellowish (551 nm) and bluish (447 nm) emission for 1 and 2 , respectively, nanosecond excitation lifetimes (4.17 ns for 1 and 2.29 ns for 2 ) and low PLQYs (4.65 and 3.57% for 1 and 2 , respectively). By fine-doping the Mn 2+ ions to ca. 8% the PLQYs for 1 and 2 are maximized to 24 and 25% for 1 and 2 , respectively. Upon the increasing Mn 2+ dopant, the emission wavelengths can also vary gradually from 551 to 615 nm and from 447 to 660 nm for 1 and 2 , respectively, covering almost the whole visible-light range, and the excitation lifetimes are enhanced to microseconds (0.77 μs for 1 and 0.39 μs for 2 ), owing to the more spin-forbidden d-d transition ( 4 T 1 - 6 A 1 ) component from the Mn 2+ ions present in the photoluminescence spectra. Moreover, these Mn 2+ -doped 1D-LHPPs demonstrate high structural and optical stability in humid and high-temperature environments. Hence, such doped materials can be fabricated into a UV-pumped white light-emitting diode, rendering the potential application for solid-state lighting and display systems.

Supercapacitors have substantially altered the landscape of sophisticated energy storage devices with their exceptional power density along with prolonged cyclic stability. On the contrary, their energy density remains low, requiring research to compete with conventional battery storage devices. This study addresses the disparities between energy and power densities in energy storage technologies by exploring the integration of layered double hydroxides (LDH) and highly conductive materials to develop an innovative energy storage system. Four electrodes were fabricated via a hydrothermal process using NiCoCu LDH, Ag-citrate, PANI, and f-SWCNTs. The optimal electrode demonstrated exceptional electrochemical properties; at 0.5 A g -1 , it possessed specific capacitances of 807 F g -1 , twice as high as those of the pure sample. The constructed asymmetric supercapacitor device attained energy densities of 62.15 W h kg -1 and 22.44 W h kg -1 , corresponding to power densities of 1275 W kg -1 and 11 900 W kg -1 , respectively. Furthermore, it maintained 100% cyclic stability and a coulombic efficiency of 95% for 4000 charge-discharge cycles. The concept of a supercapacitor of the hybrid grade was reinforced by power law investigations, which unveiled b -values in the interval of 0.5 to 1. This research emphasizes the considerable potential of supercapacitor-grade NiCoCu LDH/Ag-citrate-PANI-f-SWCNTs nanocomposites for superior rate performance, robust cycle stability, and enhanced energy storage capacity., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Precise measurement and prediction of the fluid flow rates in production wells are crucial for anticipating the production volume and hydrocarbon recovery and creating a steady and controllable flow regime in such wells. This study suggests two approaches to predict the flow rate through wellhead chokes. The first is a data-driven approach using different methods, namely: Adaptive boosting support vector regression (Adaboost-SVR), multivariate adaptive regression spline (MARS), radial basis function (RBF), and multilayer perceptron (MLP) with three algorithms: Levenberg-Marquardt (LM), bayesian-regularization (BR), and scaled conjugate gradient (SCG). The second is a developed correlation that depends on wellhead pressure (P wh ), gas-to-liquid ratio (GLR), and choke size (D c ). A dataset of 565 data points is available for model development. The performance of the two suggested approaches is compared with earlier correlations. Results revealed that the proposed models outperform the existing ones, with the Adaboost-SVR model showing the best performance with an average absolute percent relative error (AAPRE) of 5.15% and a correlation coefficient of 0.9784. Additionally, the results indicated that the developed correlation resulted in better predictions compared to the earlier ones. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis of the input variable was also investigated in this study and revealed that the choke size variable had the most significant effect, while the P wh and GLR showed a slight effect on the liquid rate. Eventually, the leverage approach showed that only 2.1% of the data points were in the suspicious range., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging encounters the obstacle of partial volume effects, arising from its limited intrinsic resolution, giving rise to (I) considerable bias, particularly for structures comparable in size to the point spread function (PSF) of the system; and (II) blurred image edges and blending of textures along the borders. We set out to build a deep learning-based framework for predicting partial volume corrected full-dose (FD + PVC) images from either standard or low-dose (LD) PET images without requiring any anatomical data in order to provide a joint solution for partial volume correction and de-noise LD PET images., Methods: We trained a modified encoder-decoder U-Net network with standard of care or LD PET images as the input and FD + PVC images by six different PVC methods as the target. These six PVC approaches include geometric transfer matrix (GTM), multi-target correction (MTC), region-based voxel-wise correction (RBV), iterative Yang (IY), reblurred Van-Cittert (RVC), and Richardson-Lucy (RL). The proposed models were evaluated using standard criteria, such as peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), root mean squared error (RMSE), structural similarity index (SSIM), relative bias, and absolute relative bias., Results: Different levels of error were observed for these partial volume correction methods, which were relatively smaller for GTM with a SSIM of 0.63 for LD and 0.29 for FD, IY with an SSIM of 0.63 for LD and 0.67 for FD, RBV with an SSIM of 0.57 for LD and 0.65 for FD, and RVC with an SSIM of 0.89 for LD and 0.94 for FD PVC approaches. However, large quantitative errors were observed for multi-target MTC with an RMSE of 2.71 for LD and 2.45 for FD and RL with an RMSE of 5 for LD and 3.27 for FD PVC approaches., Conclusions: We found that the proposed framework could effectively perform joint de-noising and partial volume correction for PET images with LD and FD input PET data (LD vs . FD). When no magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images are available, the developed deep learning models could be used for partial volume correction on LD or standard PET-computed tomography (PET-CT) scans as an image quality enhancement technique., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://qims.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/qims-23-871/coif). N.Z. is a full-time employee of Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc. The other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2024 Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and Surgery. All rights reserved.)

Background: Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) has a growing target population after being indicated even in low-surgical-risk patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis. However, postoperative outcomes can be compromised due to para-valvular leakage (PVL). A lot of procedural steps have been investigated to decrease this partially avoidable operational hazard. Oversizing is a main technique to decrease the PVL, despite being itself a risky step. Many studies have been conducted to identify the optimum degree of oversizing. However, studies about oversizing by more than 20% are scarce. We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of oversizing equal to or more than 20%., Results: 209 patients who underwent TAVI using the self-expandable valve Evolut R were initially included. 66 patients were excluded because of the baseline conduction disturbance and lack of sufficient data, so 143 patients, 60 females and 83 males, were enrolled in our study as two groups based on the degree of oversizing: Group A included 97 patients with an oversizing index (OI) of less than 20%, and Group B included 46 patients with an OI of 20% or more. We conducted a new technique for more accurate measuring of the OI in the context of the implantation depth, and our patients were categorized using this technique. Our findings have met our primary end point in terms of the safety and efficacy of oversizing by 20% or more. There was no significant difference between both groups in terms of new-onset conduction disturbance (NOCD), with zero cases of annular rupture or coronary encroachment. In terms of efficacy, The incidence of significant PVL (grade 2 or more) in group B was less than in group A (P value 0.007). The ROC curve found that the minimum depth of implantation-derived oversizing (DIDO) to predict no significant PVL was less than 17%., Conclusion: Prosthesis oversizing by 20% using the self-expandable Evolut R valve is safe and effective, with no significant effect on the conduction system, coronary encroachment, or annular injury, and warrants a greater reduction in the incidence of significant PVL., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Lead-free hybrid double perovskite iodides (HDPIs) have piqued increasing research interest due to their environmental friendliness and high stability. However, such antimony-based HDPIs with strong photocurrent response are currently very limited. Here, we successfully design and construct five Ag(I)-Sb(III)-based HDPIs using two types of cyclic aliphatic amines as A-site templates. Interestingly, these Ag(I)-Sb(III) HDPIs exhibit relatively narrow band gaps, preferred orientation, and high stability after being processed into thin films on the indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate. Notably, under illuminations of a xenon lamp, all HDPIs exhibit considerable photocurrent responses, reaching a maximum difference of 17 μA·cm -2 for ASI 1 , which is the highest among lead-free halogen-based organic-inorganic hybrid compounds to date. Combining the considerable photocurrents and the high stability, the optoelectronic applications of two-dimensional Ag(I)-Sb(III) HDPIs can be expected.

Despite the fact that some cases of tuberculosis (TB) are undiagnosed and untreated, it remains a serious global public health issue. In the diagnosis, treatment, and control of latent and active TB, there may be a lack of effectiveness. An understanding of metabolic pathways can be fundamental to treat latent TB infection and active TB disease. Rather than targeting Mycobacterium tuberculosis , the control strategies aim to strengthen host responses to infection and reduce chronic inflammation by effectively enhancing host resistance to infection. The pathogenesis and progression of TB are linked to several metabolites and metabolic pathways, and they are potential targets for host-directed therapies. Additionally, metabolic pathways can contribute to the progression of lung cancer in patients with latent or active TB. A comprehensive metabolic pathway analysis is conducted to highlight lung cancer development in latent and active TB. The current study aimed to emphasize the association between metabolic pathways of tumor development in patients with latent and active TB. Health control programs around the world are compromised by TB and lung cancer due to their special epidemiological and clinical characteristics. Therefore, presenting the importance of lung cancer progression through metabolic pathways occurring upon TB infection can open new doors to improving control of TB infection and active TB disease while stressing that further evaluations are required to uncover this correlation.

Introduction: The prostatic utricle (PU) consists of the caudal remnant of the Müllerian duct and the urogenital sinus. The term "vagina masculina" is used if other Müllerian structures are associated with the PU. This work aims to investigate the incidence, management, and follow up of enlarged PUs and Müllerian remnants in males with posterior hypospadias., Patients and Methods: This study presents a retrospective review of cases presented with posterior hypospadias over a 5-year period. Prior to hypospadias repair, retrograde urethrograms were used to investigate enlarged PU. Subsequently, they were classified according to the Ikoma score and further assessed by karyotyping and cystoscope. Surgical excision was indicated in cases with symptomatic utricles or vagina masculina., Results: Thirty patients were included in the study in the period between 2015 and 2020 (Table). All cases were asymptomatic initially. Twelve patients were diagnosed with enlarged PU; three of them had vagina masculina. One case with perineal hypospadias had a separate perineal opening for PU. Following hypospadias repair, three of the eight cases treated conservatively turned symptomatic., Discussion: The incidence of enlarged PU and Müllerian remnants varied among different studies. However, it increased as the severity of hypospadias increased. Preoperative urethrogram was helpful in the diagnosis and classification of PU, but it had its limitations. Cystoscope was more advantageous in diagnosing vagina masculina. Although most cases were asymptomatic, some turned symptomatic after hypospadias repair. Some cases with perineal hypospadias had PU with a separate perineal opening., Conclusion: The incidence of enlarged PUs or Müllerian remnants was 40%. Although cases were asymptomatic before hypospadias surgery, some cases turned into symptomatic after hypospadias repair. In some cases, the PU or Müllerian remnants had a separate perineal opening. They can be classified as a particular form of Ikoma grade III necessitating surgical intervention., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest None., (Copyright © 2023 Journal of Pediatric Urology Company. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: MiR-34a and miR-126 mainly act as tumor suppressors and are often downregulated in various cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We aimed to determine the methylation status of miR-34a and miR-126 in NSCLC patients., Methods: The current study included 63 paraffin-embedded NSCLC and paired adjacent normal tissues. After DNA extraction and bisulfite treatment, the methylation status of miR-34a and miR-126 were evaluated using the MSP method., Results: There was no statistically significant difference between tumor and normal tissues regarding the methylation status of miR-34a and miR-126 (p > 0.05). Moreover, we found no significant correlation between the methylation status of miR-34a and miR-126 with patients’ demographic parameters, including gender, age, and pathology subtype (p > 0.05)., Conclusion: Considering the low expression of mir-126 and mir-34 in NSCLC, more sensitive methods are recommended to be exploited for detecting the level of methylation or underlying mechanisms other than promoter hypermethylation in silencing these genes in NSCLC.

Ramp events are characterized by large power changes in a short period and increase with increasing renewable generation. Even with hourly forecasts, their predictions are still unreliable. Thus, grid operators should classify these power ramps to understand their expected occurrence periods and range to balance them. Previous research was based on a binary classification of ramp events, which assumed that ramp events were similar to one another, which is not true. Some other studies used randomization and non-causative classification methods. Hence, a more accurate method is still needed. The paper presents two new methods for ramp event classification. The first method depends on the standard deviation score, and the second method assigns a score to each ramp, which depends on the maximum value of the historical power ramps that occurred within the studied time period. The new classification methods are applied to the output power of Belgium's aggregated wind farms from 2015 to 2019, and the relative frequency of each ramp category is determined. The results revealed that, even though the capacity of wind installations has doubled, ramping behaviour is nearly the same in all years., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Heavy metals are considered the most common pollutants in industrial wastewater areas. Out of thirty bacterial isolates, only 3 isolates sighted the highest metal resistance activity for Zn +2 , Fe +2 , Pb +2 , Co +2 , Mn +2 , Ni +2 , and Cd +2 . The biochemical and DNA homology identification with similarities 99.58%, 99.79%, and 99.86% of those isolates was identified and deposited in WDCM, respectively, as Enterobacter kobei OM144907 SCUF0000311, Enterobacter cloacae OM180597 SCUF0000312, and Enterobacter hormaechei OM181067 SCUF0000313. The minimum tolerance activity (MIC) of heavy metal concentrations against E. kobei and E. cloacae was 25, 15, and 15 mmol/l for Ni +2 , Fe +2 , and Mn +2 , respectively, and 10 mmol/l for Zn +2 , Pb +2 , Co +2 , and Cd +2 , while against E. hormaechei, it is 15 mmol/l for Ni +2 , Fe +2 , and Mn +2 and 10 mmol/l for Zn +2 , Pb +2 , Co +2 , and Cd +2 . The consortium and solitary application of bacterial isolates towards heavy metal removal at 100%, 200%, and 300% industrial wastewater concentrations were conducted and showed that more than 90% removal of Zn +2 , Fe +2 , Pb +2 , Mn +2 , Ni +2 , and Cd +2 from a non-concentrated polluted sample (100%) was reported by the three strains. With doubling the polluted sample concentration (200%), the highest removal efficiency for Zn +2 , Pb +2 , Mn +2 , Ni +2 , and Cd +2 was reported by E. cloacae as 70. 75, 66, 65, and 57%, respectively. Removal efficiency after increasing the polluted sample concentration to 300% showed that E. cloacae removed above 45% of all tested heavy metals except Pb +2 . Ultimately, E. cloacae exposed the highest efficiency with recommendations for heavy metals removal under higher concentrations., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Soil erosion is a serious and complex environmental problem worldwide, especially in the centre west of Tunisia. Whereas the construction of hill reservoirs is part of the soil and water conservation strategy, many of these have a siltation problem. Dhkekira is one of the smallest watersheds in central Tunisia whose most lithological formation consists of materials that are quite susceptible to water erosion. Due to the lack of low-scale lithological data, digital IR aerial photos with 2 m spatial resolution were considered. A semi-automatic classification of aerial photos, based on the image's textural indices is developed. The lithologic map extracted from aerial photos was used as input for ANSWERS-2000 water erosion model. Results obtained indicate first, with the semi-automatic classification of the mean and standard deviation of the thumbnail histograms that image output could help to give an idea about the existence of some surface lithological formation. The model applied to Dhkekira watershed showed that the spatial difference in water erosion was not caused only by land cover and slope, but also by lithological formation. The percentage of each lithological formation in sediment yield at the Dhkekira hill reservoir was estimated to be 69% sediment yield from Pleistocene and 19.7% from Lutetian-Priabonian., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To determine the impact of negative pressure wound therapy of closed abdominal incisions on wound complications., Background: Surgical wound complications including surgical site infection complicating open abdominal operations are a burden on the economy. The outcomes of SSI include prolonged hospital stays, adjuvant treatment delay, and incisional hernias leading to a decrease in the quality of life. Prophylactic negative pressure wound therapy has recently been tried with promising results., Methods: A randomized controlled trial involving 140 patients post-laparotomy with primary wound closure was divided into 2 groups (70 patients each). For the first group, NPWT dressings were applied for the first 3 days and then conventional dressings for 4 days after. For the second group, conventional dressings were applied for 7 days. Patients were followed up for SSI, seroma, wound dehiscence, and hospital stay., Results: pNPWT was associated with a significantly lower rate of SSI development compared with gauze dressings (3/70 vs. 17/70) (p = 0.001). It also had a significant effect on lowering the incidence of seroma (0/70 vs. 7/70) (p = 0.007) and delayed wound healing (0/70 vs. 8/70) (p = 0.006) and on decreasing days of hospital stay (2.2 ± 0.6 vs. 3.5 ± 1.8) (p <0.00001). No significant difference was observed with regard to hematoma (0/70 vs. 1/70) (p = 0.5) or wound dehiscence (0/70 vs. 2/70) (p = 0.5). No burst abdomens or NPWT complications were recorded in our study., Conclusion: Three-day NPWT applied to primarily closed incisions is effective in reducing the incidence of SSI, seroma, and delayed wound healing in abdominal operations compared to conventional gauze dressings., (© 2023. The Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract.)

Formation damage is a well-known problem that occurs during the exploration and production phases of the upstream sector of the oil and gas industry. This study aimed to develop a new drilling mud formulation by utilizing eco-friendly bio-polymers, specifically Carboxymethyl Cellulose (CMC), along with nanostructured materials and a common surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The rheological properties of the drilling fluid and the impact of additives on its properties were investigated at the micromodel scale, using a flow rate of 20 mL/h. The polymer concentration and nano clay concentration were set at two levels: 0.5 wt% and 1 wt%, respectively, while the surfactant content was varied at three levels: 0.1 wt%, 0.4 wt%, and 0.8 wt%. The results of the interfacial tension (IFT) analysis demonstrated a significant decrease in the interfacial tension between oil and water with the increasing concentration of SDS. Furthermore, following the API standard, the rheological behavior of the drilling fluid, including the gel strength and thixotropic properties of the mud, was evaluated with respect to temperature changes, as this is crucial for ensuring the inherent rheological stability of the mud. The rheological analysis indicated that the viscosity of the mud formulation with nanoparticles experienced a reduction of up to 10 times with increasing shear rate, while other formulations exhibited a decline of 100 times. Notably, the rheological properties of the Agar specimen improved at 150 °F due to its complete solubility in water, whereas other formulations exhibited a greater drop in viscosity at this temperature. As the temperature increased, drilling fluid containing nanostructured materials exhibited higher viscosity., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Recent research has associated the interferon-induced transmembrane protein 3 gene (IFITM3) with the outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), although the findings are contradictory. This study aimed to determine the relationship between IFITM3 gene rs34481144 polymorphism and clinical parameters with COVID-19 mortality. The tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction assay was used to analyze IFITM3 rs34481144 polymorphism in 1,149 deceased and 1,342 recovered patients. The clinical parameters were extracted from the patients' medical records. In this study, the frequency of IFITM3 rs34481144 CT genotypes (OR 1.47, 95% CI 1.23-1.76, P < 0.0001) in both sexes was significantly higher in deceased patients than in recovered patients. Moreover, IFITM3 rs34481144 TT genotypes (OR 3.38, 95% CI 1.05-10.87, P < 0.0001) in women were significantly associated with COVID-19 mortality. The multivariable logistic regression model results indicated that mean age ( P < 0.001), alkaline phosphatase ( P = 0.005), alanine aminotransferase ( P < 0.001), low-density lipoprotein ( P < 0.001), high-density lipoprotein ( P < 0.001), fasting blood glucose ( P = 0.010), creatinine ( P < 0.001), uric acid ( P < 0.001), C-reactive protein ( P = 0.004), 25-hydroxyvitamin D ( P < 0.001), erythrocyte sedimentation rate ( P < 0.001), and real-time PCR Ct values ( P < 0.001) were linked with increased COVID-19 death rates. In conclusion, IFITM3 rs34481144 gene polymorphism was linked to the mortality of COVID-19, with the rs34481144-T allele being especially important for mortality. Further studies are needed to confirm the results of this study., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Melika Gholami et al.)

Introduction: Coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) is a highly diagnostically accurate non-invasive imaging method for a thorough evaluation of atherosclerotic plaques. Many CCTA-based imaging investigations concentrate on bifurcation lesions., Aim: To determine whether intraprocedural side branch (SB) obstruction during the percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of lesions involving bifurcations might be predicted by preprocedural CCTA., Material and Methods: This retrospective observational study was conducted on 200 stentable bifurcation lesions of 200 coronary artery disease patients with the SB ≥ 2 mm in diameter. All patients were planned for elective bifurcation PCI after undergoing CCTA for quantitative plaque characterization of both the main vessel and SB to obtain the CT bifurcation score. Then, angiography-based bifurcations were classified using both the Medina classification and the RESOLVE score before PCI of the bifurcation lesions. Most of the cases were managed by the provisional technique., Results: The CT bifurcation score was substantially higher in patients with SB occlusion ( p < 0.001) with 80% sensitivity and 60% specificity at a cut-off point of 3. There was a borderline significant relation between the Medina score and SB occlusion in the studied cases ( p = 0.05) with 60% sensitivity and 40% specificity. The RESOLVE score was unexpectedly an insignificant predictor of SB occlusion ( p = 0.25) in our study, with 40% sensitivity and 50% specificity., Conclusions: Intraprocedural SB occlusion can be predicted by a comprehensive CCTA evaluation. The CT bifurcation score, a novel and simple points scoring system based on six CCTA parameters, outperformed current angiographic classification or scoring systems for predicting SB occlusion., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright: © 2023 Termedia Sp. z o. o.)

Central vascular access devices (CVADs) are standard for the treatment of leukemia. The objectives of this study were to examine predictors for central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) and causative microorganisms. A retrospective case/control design was used to examine electronic health records (EHRs) of patients with acute leukemia, a CVAD, and neutropenia. Variables were examined for differences between those who developed bacteremia (cases: n = 10) and those who did not (controls: n = 13). Variables included conditions of health (eg, patient history, laboratory results at the time of nadir, nutritional intake during hospitalization, and CVAD care practices). Fisher exact and Mann-Whitney U tests were used for comparison. Nine organisms were identified, including viridans group streptococci (20%) and Escherichia coli (20%). No statistical differences in variables were found between groups. However, over 50% of the nutritional intake data was missing due to lack of documentation. These findings indicate that further study is needed to examine barriers for electronic documentation. The data collection site found opportunities to improve patient care that included education regarding the daily care of CVADs, collaboration with nutritional services to ensure accurate assessments, and coordination with clinical information systems to improve clinical documentation compliance., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest and Source of Funding: None are declared., (Copyright © 2023 Infusion Nurses Society.)

This study designed to evaluate the effect of Erythritol injection in decreasing of abortion rate in local breed ewes. Fifty pregnant ewes from local breed aged 2-4 years with a history of abortion except G1, were fed ad libitum hay and grains with water. The study was carried out in Salah Aldein province at special farm at a period of July-November 2022. These animals were tests for brucella by using rose Bengal and ELISA at zero day for confirmation; these animals were divided into 5 groups: G1 was brucella -ve and pregnant at 60 days, G2 was brucella +ve and pregnant at 60 days, G3 brucella+ve pregnant animals and treated by antibiotics gentamicin 10%, 3 ml/animal for 3 days, G4 brucella +ve and pregnant and giving erythritol, 10 ml S/C of 10% solution (solve in water and glycerol), and G5 was brucella +ve, and all pregnant and giving Erythritol+ gentamycin 10%, 3 ml/animal for 3 days. The experiment takes 12 weeks. Blood was withdrawn at different times of experiment (0, 2 weeks and end of experiment). The seroprevalence of brucellosis was shown that all animals at G4 and G5 where seropositive after 14 days of experiment, at end of pregnancy the seropositivity were highly significantly in G4 and G5 as compared with another groups. The current results showed that percentages of abortion were higher in G2, followed by G3, while it has been reduced significantly in G4 and G1. In conclusion, Erythritol alone can decrease the rate of abortion by making the bacteria extracellular far from placenta and evading of infection by immunity and/or gentamicin injection. Also, erythritol can be used as elicit diagnosis of brucellosis in latent infected animals., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Maher Saber Owain et al.)

Stable lead-free hybrid halide double perovskites have sparked widespread interest as a new kind of photoelectric material. Herein, for the first time, we successfully incorporated copper(I) and antimony(III) into two two-dimensional (2D) hybrid bimetallic double perovskite iodides, namely (NH 3 C 6 H 11 ) 4 CuSbI 8 ·H 2 O (CuSbI-1) and (NH 3 C 6 H 10 NH 3 ) 2 CuSbI 8 ·0.5H 2 O (CuSbI-2), using cyclohexylamine and 1,4-cyclohexanediamine as organic components. The band gaps for CuSbI-1 and CuSbI-2 were determined to be 2.22(2) eV and 2.21(2) eV, respectively. Furthermore, these two layered perovskites were readily dissolved in an organic solvent (1 mL DMF can dissolve 1 g sample for each compound) and could form smooth, pinhole-free, and uniform thin films through a facile spin-coating method. Photocurrent experiments with xenon lamp irradiation revealed the obvious photoelectric responses for both 2D double perovskites. The ratio of the photocurrent to the dark current ( I light / I dark ) for CuSbI-1 and CuSbI-2 is about 23 and 10, respectively, further suggesting their potential to be applied as light harvesters or light detectors. More importantly, these 2D double perovskite iodides show high moisture and thermal stabilities, indicating their potential for optoelectronic applications.

The present study reports the feasibility of the synthesis of a novel porous composite adsorbent, prepared from olive stone activated carbon (OS400) and garnet (GA) mineral impregnations (referred to as OSMG). This composite (OSMG) was applied for its ability to adsorb a macromolecular organic dye. The composite's structural characteristics were evaluated using various techniques such as Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), Scanning Electron Microscopy equipped with Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR). The specific surface area of the garnet (GA), (OS400), and (OSMG) were found to be 5.157 mg⋅g -1 , 1489.598 mg⋅g -1 , and 546.392 mg⋅g -1 , respectively. The specific surface area of the new composite (OSMG) was promoted to enhance the adsorption of methylene blue (MB). Experiments were conducted under various conditions, including contact time, initial dye concentration, adsorbent dosage, pH, and temperatures. Data from these experiments were analyzed using several adsorption models including Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R). The results indicated that, the adsorption fit best with the Freundlich model and that the adsorption process followed a pseudo-second-order kinetic mechanism. Additionally, the thermodynamic analysis indicated the adsorption of MB onto garnet(GA) adsorbents is endothermic, while the sorption onto (OS400) and (OSMG) is an exothermic and non-spontaneous process. The OSMG composite can be used for at least five cycles without significant loss of adsorptive performance, and can easily be separated from the water after treatment., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Competing Interests: None disclosed.

Purpose: Testicular reascent is a recognised complication of orchidopexy, and redo surgery may be required. In this report, we present our experience of redo orchidopexy after initial laparoscopic surgery., Methods: Patients who had undergone redo orchidopexy following an initial vessel-sparing (VS) or non-vessel sparing (NVS) laparoscopic orchidopexy between 2005 and 2019 were identified. Outcome data, including complications and testicular size, were recorded., Results: The series comprised 23 patients (5: initial bilateral surgery with reascent on one side only; 18: unilateral surgery) with a mean age at original surgery of 3.5 years (range 8 months-6 years) and at redo surgery, 4 years (range 1.5-7 years). VS surgery had been undertaken in 15 and NVS in 8. A tension-free scrotal position was achieved in all cases. There were no complications and no patient required orchidectomy. At a minimum of 6-month follow-up after redo surgery, there were no cases of reascent and there was no change in testicular size/volume (based on clinical examination)., Conclusion: Redo orchidopexy is an effective treatment following failed laparoscopic orchidopexy and a scrotal testis can be achieved in all cases. Complete testicular atrophy did not occur, but the risk of partial atrophy could not be accurately quantified., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

A computational methodology based on supervised machine learning (ML) is described for characterizing and designing anisotropic refractory composite alloys with desired thermal conductivities (TCs). The structural design variables are parameters of our fast computational microstructure generator, which were linked to the physical properties. Based on the Sobol sequence, a sufficiently large dataset of artificial microstructures with a fixed volume fraction (VF) was created. The TCs were calculated using our previously developed fast Fourier transform (FFT) homogenization approach. The resulting dataset was used to train our optimal autoencoder, establishing the intricate links between the material's structure and properties. Specifically, the trained ML model's inverse design of tungsten-30% (VF) copper with desired TCs was investigated. According to our case studies, our computational model accurately predicts TCs based on two perpendicular cut-section images of the experimental microstructures. The approach can be expanded to the robust inverse design of other material systems based on the target TCs.

Drug targets must be identified and positioned correctly to research and manufacture new drugs. In this study, rather than using traditional methods for drug expansion, the drug target is determined using machine learning. Machine learning has generated significant interest and desire in recent years and extensive research due to its low cost and speed of operation. As a result, it is critical to develop an intelligent classification system for drug proteins. This study proposes two distinct models for the prediction of druggable protein classes based on the deep learning method. The translation of drug-protein sequences is based on six physicochemical properties of amino acids. Following the application of the autocovariance method, converted sequences are used as fixed-length input vectors in deep stacked sparse auto-encoders (DSSAEs) network. The coded protein sequences are also considered and utilized as a six-channel input vector for the deep convolutional neural network model. The experimental results contributing to the deep convolution model are more efficient than previous studies for classifying druggable proteins. The proposed approach achieved a sensitivity of 96.92%, a specificity of 99.51%, and an accuracy of 98.29%., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The protease produced by the transmembrane serine protease 2 ( TMPRSS2 ) gene enhances viral infections and has been linked to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pathogenesis. Therefore, this study evaluated the association between TMPRSS2 and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mortality. TMPRSS2 rs12329760 polymorphism was genotyped using the tetraprimer amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction method in 592 dead and 693 improved patients. In the current study, the frequency of TMPRSS2 rs12329760 CC than TT genotypes was significantly lower in improved patients than in dead patients. According to the findings of the multivariate logistic regression test, higher levels of mean age, creatinine, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, aspartate aminotransferase, lower levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, uric acid, and real-time PCR Ct values and TMPRSS2 rs12329760 CC genotype were observed to be associated with increased COVID-19 mortality rates. In conclusion, the TMPRSS2 rs12329760 CC genotype was a polymorphism linked to a significantly higher incidence of severe COVID-19. Further studies are required to corroborate the obtained findings., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Saeedeh Sadat Beheshti Shirazi et al.)

Background: The interferon-induced transmembrane-protein 3 (IFITM3) is a vital component of the immune system's defense against viral infection. Variants in the IFITM3 gene have been linked to changes in expression and the risk of severe Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study aimed to investigate whether IFITM3 rs6598045, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) cycle threshold (Ct) values, and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants are associated with an increased mortality rate of COVID-19., Methods: The genotyping of IFITM3 rs6598045 polymorphism was analyzed using the amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction in 1342 recovered and 1149 deceased patients positive for SARS-CoV-2., Results: In this study, IFITM3 rs6598045 G allele as minor allele frequency was significantly more common in the deceased patients than in the recovered ones. Furthermore, the highest mortality rates were observed in Delta variant and lowest qPCR Ct values. COVID-19 mortality was associated with IFITM3 rs6598045 GG and AG in Delta variant and IFITM3 rs6598045 AG in Alpha variant. A statistically significant difference was observed in the qPCR Ct values between individuals with GG and AG genotypes and those with an AA genotype., Conclusion: A possible correlation was observed between the mortality rate of COVID-19, the G allele of IFITM3 rs6598045, and SARS-CoV-2 variants. However, large-scale research is still required to validate our results., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Several studies have discovered a relationship between specific blood types, genetic variations of the ABO gene, and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the association between ABO rs657152 polymorphisms and ABO blood groups with COVID-19 mortality. The tetraprimer amplification refractory mutation system, polymerase chain reaction method, was used for ABO rs657152 polymorphism genotyping in 1,211 dead and 1,442 improved patients. In the current study, the frequency of ABO rs657152 AA than CC genotypes was significantly higher in dead patients than in improved patients. Our findings indicated that blood type A was associated with the highest risk of COVID-19 mortality compared to other blood groups, and patients with blood type O have a lower risk of infection, suggesting that blood type O may be a protective factor against COVID-19 mortality. Multivariate logistic regression test indicated that higher COVID-19 mortality rates were linked with alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, high density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, fasting blood glucose, uric acid, creatinine, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, real-time PCR Ct values, ABO blood groups, and ABO rs657152 AA genotype. In conclusion, the AA genotype of ABO rs657152 and blood type A were associated with a considerably increased frequency of COVID-19 mortality. Further research is necessary to validate the obtained results., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Fahimeh Mirzaei Gheinari et al.)

Host genetic factors may be correlated with the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) plays a vital role in viral cell entrance. The current study aimed to evaluate the association of ACE2 rs2285666 polymorphism and clinical parameters with COVID-19 mortality. The ACE2 rs2285666 polymorphism was genotyped using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism in 556 recovered and 522 dead patients. In this study, the frequency of ACE2 rs2285666 CC was significantly higher than TT genotype in dead patients. The multivariate logistic regression analysis results showed that the higher levels of alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, creatinine, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and C-reactive protein and the low levels of uric acid, cholesterol, low density lipoprotein, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, real-time PCR Ct values, and ACE2 rs2285666 CC genotype were associated with increased mortality rates after COVID-19. In conclusion, our findings demonstrated a possible link between COVID-19 mortality, clinical parameters, and ACE2 rs2285666 CC. Further research is required to confirm these results., (© 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Since the beginning of the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), many countries have experienced a considerable number of COVID-19 cases and deaths. The etiology of a broad spectrum of symptoms is still debated. Host genetic variants might also significantly influence the outcome of the disease. This study aimed to evaluate the association of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE1) gene Insertion/Deletion (I/D) polymorphism (rs1799752) and ACE2 gene rs1978124 single nucleotide polymorphism with the COVID-19 severity. Methods: This study was conducted on 470 COVID-19 patients and a control group of 56 healthy individuals across several major cities in Iran. The blood sample and clinical data were collected from the participants, and their ACE1 I/D and ACE2 rs1978124 polymorphisms were determined using polymerase chain reaction and PCR-RFLP, respectively. Serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and ACE1 were measured in the blood samples. Results: We found that the ACE1 DD genotype frequency was inversely correlated with the risk of intubation ( p = 0.017) and mortality in COVID-19 patients ( p = 0.049). Even after adjustment, logistic regression demonstrated that this significant inverse association remained constant for the above variables at odds ratios of (OR) = 0.35 and Odds Ratio = 0.49, respectively. Also, in the expired ( p = 0.042) and intubated ( p = 0.048) groups with II + ID genotypes, the mean level of CRP was significantly higher than in the DD genotype group. Furthermore, in both intubated and expired groups, the mean serum level of ACE1 was higher compared with non-intubated and survived groups with II or II + ID genotypes. The results also indicated that ACE2 rs1978124 TT + CT genotypes in females have a significant positive role in susceptibility to COVID-19; however, in females, the TT + CT genotypes had a protective effect (OR = 0.098) against the severity of COVID-19. Conclusion: These findings suggest that ACE1 I/D and ACE2 rs1978124 polymorphism could potentially influence the outcome of COVID-19 in the Iranian population., Competing Interests: The 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 © 2022 Faridzadeh, Mahmoudi, Ghaffarpour, Zamani, Hoseinzadeh, Naghizadeh and Ghazanfari.)

Background and Aims: Interferon-induced transmembrane protein 3 (IFITM3) plays a critical role in the adaptive and innate immune response by preventing membrane hemifusion between the host and viral cell cytoplasm. This study aimed to evaluate whether IFITM3 rs12252 polymorphism is related to an increased mortality rate of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)., Methods: The IFITM3 rs12252 polymorphism was genotyped using the amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction (ARMS-PCR) in 548 dead and 630 improved patients positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)., Results: In the present study, the minor allele frequency of IFITM3 rs12252 (C) was significantly more frequent in dead patients than in improved cases. The results of the multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that the lower lipid profiles, PCR Ct value, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and uric acid and higher levels of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), liver enzymes, and creatinine, and IFITM3 rs12252 CC genotypes were related to the COVID-19 infection mortality., Conclusions: In summary, our findings suggested a possible link between the mortality of COVID-19 infection, the CC genotypes of IFITM3 rs12252, and clinical parameters. Further investigations are required worldwide to prove the link relationship of COVID-19 mortality with host genetic factors., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Hydropower production is a key electricity generation technology in many parts of the world which can play a significant role in the transition towards a green and clean energy system. Hydropower can mobilize flexible energy on demand (hydropeaking) to balance out intermittent electricity from wind and photovoltaics. Adoption of hydropower as a peaking power source could lead to increased frequency of flow ramping in rivers downstream hydropower tailraces, which is one of the main stressors for riverine biota in alpine rivers. Both planned and accidental shutdowns of hydropower turbines need ecological mitigation. Our survey revealed that >3000 km of rivers downstream ca 800 hydropower plants in Norway may be ecologically impacted by non-natural flow fluctuations, and few have appropriate mitigation thresholds. A considerable eco-friendly peaking service may come from the Norwegian hydropower portfolio of over 19 GW installed capacity, with outlets into fjords, reservoirs or other large water bodies which normally dampen the ecological impacts of flow ramping. Intensive flow ramping occurs with irregular intervals from most types of hydropower. Although the highest frequency of stops were revealed in hydropower turbines not impacting river flow from storage hydropower, a significant number of turbine flow stops lasting over half a day in most types and categories of diversion hydropower. We suggest that further emerging ecosystem-based mitigations need to be adapted in hydropower licenses. This includes operational thresholds for both up and down ramping, constructional measures like by-pass valves, retention basins and increased base-flow or flow cap to ensure sustainability for hydropower operations. Our data reveal some of the most intensive hydropeaking operations from hydropower impacting longer rivers. Hence, our data underpins the potential for restoring downstream modified flow by ecosystem based measures related to both up and down ramping events in many regulated rivers., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper, although both JHH and JHL-L have been working with river and hydropower management at national level in Norway., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) has gained acceptance worldwide. However, SG has its own complications that need a specialized management. Omentopexy is a technique in which the sleeved part of the stomach is fixed to the greater omentum., Aim of the Study: The present work aimed to investigate the potential effect of omentopexy on the upper GIT disturbances in patients with severe obesity and undergoing LSG., Patients and Methods: This study included patients who were recruited for LSG in our institution from June 2019 to October 2020. Patients having no upper GIT symptoms, no esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) GERD signs, and no hiatus hernia were eligible for the study. Patients were randomly enrolled into the omentopexy group (underwent LSG with omentopexy) and the non-omentopexy group (underwent LSG only). Patients were followed up 1 month, 3 months, and 1 year after the operation. EGD was performed at the 1-year follow-up., Results: Forty-five patients constituted the omentopexy group and forty-six constituted the non-omentopexy group. Omentopexy was associated with significant reduction in the early post LSG upper GIT symptoms, and less EGD evident reflux esophagitis at the 1-year follow-up (statistically non-significant)., Conclusion: The current work adds a new evidence of the omentopexy benefits in patients undergoing sleeve gastrostomy, with an overall better outcome in regard to the upper GIT upset and GERD compared to LSG alone., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Tuberculosis infection still represents a global health issue affecting patients worldwide. Strategies for its control may be not as effective as it should be, specifically in case of resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb.) In this regard, the role of mycobacterial methyltransferases (MTases) in TB infection can be fundamental, though it has not been broadly deciphered., Methods: Five resistant isolates of M.tb were obtained. M.tb H37Rv (ATCC 27249) was used as a reference strain. Seven putative mycobacterial MTase genes (Rv0645c, Rv2966c, Rv1988, Rv1694, Rv3919c, Rv2756c, and Rv3263) and Rv1392 as SAM synthase were selected for analysis. PCR-sequencing and qRT-PCR were performed to compare mutations and expression levels of MTases in different strains. The 2-ΔΔCt method was employed to calculate the relative expression levels of these genes., Results: Only two mutations were found in isoniazid resistance (INHR) strain for Rv3919c (T to G in codon 341) and Rv1392 (G to A in codon 97) genes. Overexpression of Rv0645c, Rv2756c, Rv3263, and Rv2966c was detected in all sensitive and resistant isolates. However, Rv1988 and Rv3919c decreased and Rv1694 increased in the sensitive strains. The Rv1392 expression level also decreased in INHR isolate., Conclusion: We found a correlation between mycobacterial MTases expression and resistance to antibiotics in M.tb strains. Some MTases undeniably are virulence factors that specifically hijack the host defense mechanism. Further evaluations are needed to explore the complete impact of mycobacterial MTases within specific strains of M.tb to introduce novel diagnosis and treatment strategies.

Objective:  This study aimed to evaluate the effect of nanodiamond (ND) addition to repair resin with repair gap modifications on the flexural and impact strength of repaired polymethylmethacrylate denture base., Materials and Methods:  Heat-polymerized acrylic resin specimens ( N  = 100/test) were prepared and sectioned to half creating two repair gaps: 2.5- and 0 mm with 45 degrees beveling. They were further divided into subgroups ( n  = 20) according to ND concentration (control, 0.25%ND, and 0.50%ND), thermocycling (500 cycles) was done to half the specimens in each subgroup. Flexural strength was tested using 3-point bending test and impact strength was tested by Charpy's impact test. Analysis of variance and post-hoc Tukey's tests were performed for data analysis ( α  = 0.05). Scanning electron microscope was employed for fracture surface analysis and ND distribution., Results:  Before and after thermocycling, the addition of ND significantly increased the flexural strength and elastic modulus in comparison to control group ( p ˂ 0.001), while 0 mm repair gap showed insignificant difference between ND-reinforced groups ( p ˃ 0.05). Regarding impact strength, ND addition increased the impact strength with 0 mm gap in comparison to control and 2.5 mm with ND ( p ˂0.001), while later groups showed no significant in between ( p ˃ 0.05). Comparing thermocycling effect per respective concentration and repair gap, thermocycling adversely affected all tested properties except elastic modulus with 0 mm-0.25 and 0 mm-0.5% and impact strength with 2.5 mm, 2.5 mm-0.25%, 2.5 mm- 0.5% ( p ˃ 0.05)., Conclusion:  ND addition combined with decreased repair gap improved the flexural strength, elastic modulus, and impact strength of repaired denture resin, while thermocycling has a negative effect on denture repair strength., Competing Interests: None declared., (The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).)

Background: Factors contributing to the pathogenesis of vitiligo and factors affecting its response to treatment are still a major area of debate., Aim of the Work: The study aimed to assess the serum levels of tyrosinase and Micro-RNAs (miRNAs) gene polymorphism in a sample of Egyptian vitiligo patients, and to determine factors affecting the response of vitiligo to treatment., Subjects and Methods: This prospective case-control interventional study included 212 non-segmental vitiligo patients and 96 control subjects. Before treatment, vitiligo was evaluated using Vitiligo Area Severity Index. Detection of miRNA 196a-2 polymorphism was done using PCR-REELP and serum tyrosinase was measured using ELISA. After treatment, patients were reevaluated clinically and serum tyrosinase levels were re-measured., Results: The tyrosinase levels were significantly elevated in patients. The TT genotype was the most prevalent one in the patients. The percentage of improvement showed a significant positive correlation with patients' ages and age of the disease onset and a negative correlation with disease duration, baseline VASI scores and serum tyrosinase levels., Conclusion: MiRNA 196a-2 C/T (11614913) gene polymorphism and the elevated serum tyrosinase levels might be related to the pathogenesis of vitiligo and may affect its therapeutic response.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide and has an increasing incidence in younger populations. The dual-specificity tyrosine-regulated kinase (DYRK) family has been implicated in various diseases, including cancer. However, the role and contribution of the distinct family members in regulating CRC tumorigenesis has not been addressed yet. Herein, we used publicly available CRC patient datasets (TCGA RNA sequence) and several bioinformatics webtools to perform in silico analysis (GTEx, GENT2, GEPIA2, cBioPortal, GSCALite, TIMER2, and UALCAN). We aimed to investigate the DYRK family member expression pattern, prognostic value, and oncological roles in CRC. This study shed light on the role of distinct DYRK family members in CRC and their potential outcome predictive value. Based on mRNA level, DYRK1A is upregulated in late tumor stages, with lymph node and distant metastasis. All DYRKs were found to be implicated in cancer-associated pathways, indicating their key role in CRC pathogenesis. No significant DYRK mutations were identified, suggesting that DYRK expression variation in normal vs. tumor samples is likely linked to epigenetic regulation. The expression of DYRK1A and DYRK3 expression correlated with immune-infiltrating cells in the tumor microenvironment and was upregulated in MSI subtypes, pointing to their potential role as biomarkers for immunotherapy. This comprehensive bioinformatics analysis will set directions for future biological studies to further exploit the molecular basis of these findings and explore the potential of DYRK1A modulation as a novel targeted therapy for CRC.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) cause effective changes in various domains of life. These bioactive structures are essential to the bidirectional organ communication. Recently, increasing research attention has been paid to EVs derived from commensal and pathogenic bacteria in their potential role to affect human disease risk for cancers and a variety of metabolic, gastrointestinal, psychiatric, and mental disorders. The present review presents an overview of both the protective and harmful roles of commensal and pathogenic bacteria-derived EVs in host-bacterial and interbacterial interactions. Bacterial EVs could impact upon human health by regulating microbiota-host crosstalk intestinal homeostasis, even in distal organs. The importance of vesicles derived from bacteria has been also evaluated regarding epigenetic modifications and applications. Generally, the evaluation of bacterial EVs is important towards finding efficient strategies for the prevention and treatment of various human diseases and maintaining metabolic homeostasis., Competing Interests: The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter discussed in the manuscript. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript., (Copyright © 2022 Samira Tarashi et al.)

Background: Obesity is a growingly impacting human health concern. Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is an effective treatment for morbid obesity. However, the general anesthesia (GA) used in this major surgery has its documented drawbacks in obese patients with high risk. On the other hand, combined thoracic spinal-epidural anesthesia (CTSEA), a modern regional anesthesia procedure, has the advantages of both spinal and epidural anesthesia but without their shortcomings. This prospective study is a case experience that assesses the feasibility of CTSEA as an anesthesia option for laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG)., Methods: A total of 100 patients were recruited for LSG as a management procedure for morbid obesity, which was performed under CTSEA. Perioperative events, functional parameters, and patients' satisfaction scores were recorded., Results: Our prospective study showed successful use of CTSEA in 99% of the patients, except for one patient (1%) in whom CTSEA was converted into GA due to severe pain and anxiety. Few adverse events occurred and were managed accordingly. The satisfaction score revealed that 94% of the patients were satisfied., Conclusions: CTSEA was a successful anesthetic alternative procedure for LSG surgery., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: We aimed to establish a clinical registry for patients with congenital heart disease who referred to multidetector computed tomography in our country, to describe the pattern and clinical profile of such patients and document the safety and efficacy of the procedure in our daily practice., Results: A total 2310 studies were analyzed after excluding studies with missed, and lost data. Half of our study population-1215 patients-52.5% were males. The median age of the patients was 12 months (IQR 37 months), and the youngest patient was 3 days old. The eldest patient was 50 years old. 68.27% of the patients were less than 2 years old, and two-third of the whole studied population 66.7% had cyanotic heart disease. Minor local access complications, complications related to anesthetic drugs, and allergic reactions were the most commonly encountered complications, with only single mortality mainly due to multiple associated multisystem congenital malformation., Conclusions: Most of our patients with congenital heart disease referred for MDCT study were infants and young children. The majority of them had complex cyanotic heart disease. The study is safe, with excellent diagnostic yield and safe with very low incidence of complications., (© 2021. The Author(s).)