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Background To determine whether urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (uNGAL) might be superior to pyuria for detecting urinary tract infection (UTI) regardless of urine specific gravity (SG) in young children. Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of children aged < 3 years who were evaluated for UTI with urinalysis, urine culture, and uNGAL measurements during a 5-year period. Sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratios (LRs), predictive values (PVs), area under the curves (AUCs) of uNGAL cut-off levels, and various microscopic pyuria thresholds for detecting UTI were calculated for dilute (SG < 1.015) and concentrated urine (SG [greater than or equal to] 1.015). Results Of 456 children included, 218 had UTI. The diagnostic value of urine white blood cell (WBC) concentration to define UTI changed with urine SG. For detecting UTI, uNGAL cut-off of 68.4 ng/mL had higher AUC values than pyuria [greater than or equal to] 5 WBCs/high power field (HPF) for dilute and concentrated urine samples (both P 0.05). Positive LR and PV and specificity of uNGAL were all greater than those of pyuria [greater than or equal to] 5 WBCs/HPF regardless of urine SG, although the sensitivity of pyuria [greater than or equal to] 5 WBCs/HPF was higher than that of uNGAL cut-off for dilute urine (93.8% vs. 83.5%) (P < 0.05). At uNGAL [greater than or equal to] 68.4 ng/mL and [greater than or equal to] 5 WBCs/HPF, posttest probabilities of UTI were 68.8% and 57.5% for dilute urine and 73.4% and 57.3% for concentrated urine, respectively. Conclusions Urine SG can affect the diagnostic performance of pyuria for detecting UTI and uNGAL might be helpful for identifying UTI regardless of urine SG in young children. Graphical abstract, Author(s): Do Young Kim [sup.1] , Hyung Eun Yim [sup.1] , Min Hwa Son [sup.1] , Kee Hwan Yoo [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.411134.2, 0000 0004 0474 0479, Department of [...]

Capnocytophaga canimorsus is a gram-negative bacterium commonly found in the saliva of dogs and cats. Despite the frequency of animal bites, infection with Capnocytophaga species is rare, and severe infections are usually associated with underlying risk factors, such as alcohol use disorder, asplenia, or immunosuppression. We describe a case of a man who presented with a purpuric rash, lower extremity edema, and acute renal failure and was found to have tricuspid valve endocarditis and infection-associated glomerulonephritis due to C. canimorsus. Despite treatment with cefepime, the vegetation increased in size and valvular function worsened. He was readmitted with an inferior wall myocardial infarction, heart failure, and pulmonary embolism. He underwent an urgent tricuspid valve replacement with a bioprosthetic valve. A 16S ribosomal RNA amplicon sequencing performed on the resected valve tissue verified involvement of C. canimorsus. Post-operatively, he had several episodes of gastrointestinal hemorrhage requiring multiple endoscopic interventions and arterial embolization. The recurrent gastrointestinal hemorrhage combined with his severe functional decline ultimately led to his death. This patient had an uncommon presentation with leukocytoclastic vasculitis and infection-associated glomerulonephritis, which revealed an underlying diagnosis of infective endocarditis due to C. canimorsus, a rare gram-negative bacterial etiology of infective endocarditis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proper prediction of the temperature variation in a metallic wire mesh for spaceborne large deployable reflector antennas is essential for evaluating the dimensional stability of the antenna under extreme on-orbit thermal environments. However, predicting the temperature of a mesh is difficult because of its complex yarn configuration. To analyze the thermal behavior of the spaceborne mesh antenna reflector, the thermal optical characteristics with various knitting methods of the metallic mesh were obtained experimentally in this study. Subsequently, to analyze the thermal sensitivity of the reflector based on its optical properties, an on-orbit thermal analysis of the mesh reflector was performed based on measurements of the mesh specimen. We also investigated the influence of deployable solar panels on the thermal gradient of the reflector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bromodomain and extra-terminal domain (BET) family proteins regulate transcription and recognize lysine residues in histones. Selective BET inhibitors targeting one domain have attracted attention because they maintain normal physiological activities, whereas pan (nonselective) BET inhibitors do not. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a joint disorder characterized by cartilage degeneration for which no treatment currently exists. Here, we investigated whether the selective inhibition of BET proteins is an appropriate therapeutic strategy for OA. We focused on the development and characterization of 2-(4-(2-(dimethylamino)ethoxy)-3,5-dimethylphenyl)-5,7-dimethoxyquinazolin-4(3H)-one (BBC0906), a novel bromodomain 2 (BD2)-specific inhibitor designed to suppress OA progression. Using a DNA-encoded chemical library (DEL) screening approach, BBC0906 was identified because of its high affinity with the BD2 domain of BET proteins. BBC0906 effectively reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and suppressed catabolic factor expression in chondrocytes in vitro. Moreover, in an OA mouse model induced by the destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM), BBC0906 intra-articular injection attenuated cartilage degradation and alleviated OA. Importantly, BBC0906 selectively inhibits the BD2 domain, thus minimizing its potential side effects. We highlighted the therapeutic potential of targeting BET proteins to modulate oxidative stress and suppress cartilage degradation in OA. BBC0906 is a promising candidate for OA treatment, offering improved safety and efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest fires pose a multifaceted threat, encompassing human lives and property loss, forest resource destruction, and toxic gas release. This crucial disaster's global occurrence and impact have risen in recent years, primarily driven by climate change. Hence, the scope and frequency of forest fires must be collected to establish disaster prevention policies and conduct relevant research projects. However, some countries do not share details, including the location of forest fires, which can make research problematic when it is necessary to know the exact location or shape of a forest fire. This non-disclosure warrants remote surveys of forest fire sites using satellites, which sidestep national information disclosure policies. Meanwhile, original data from satellites have a great advantage in terms of data acquisition in that they are independent of national information disclosure policies, making them the most effective method that can be used for environmental monitoring and disaster monitoring. The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) aboard the Suomi National Polar-Orbiting Partnership (NPP) satellite has worldwide coverage at a daily temporal resolution and spatial resolution of 375 m. It is widely used for detecting hotspots worldwide, enabling the recognition of forest fires and affected areas. However, information collection on affected regions and durations based on raw data necessitates identifying and filtering hotspots caused by industrial activities. Therefore, this study used VIIRS hotspot data collected over long periods and the Spatio-Temporal Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise (ST-DBSCAN) algorithm to develop ST-MASK, which masks said hotspots. By targeting the concentrated and fixed nature of these hotspots, ST-MASK is developed and used to distinguish forest fires from other hotspots, even in mountainous areas, and through an outlier detection algorithm, it generates identified forest fire areas, which will ultimately allow for the creation of a global forest fire watch system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lupus anticoagulant hypoprothrombinemia syndrome (LAHPS) is a rare entity characterized by the presence of lupus anticoagulant (LA) and prothrombin (factor II) deficiency. It may cause severe bleeding contrary to classical antiphospholipid syndrome. Here, we report a case of LAHPS presenting with a hemorrhagic ovarian cyst in a 17-year-old girl with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) nephritis. She had been followed up for 8 years. Her first manifestation of SLE was prolonged gingival bleeding after tooth extraction at 9 years of age. During the follow-up period, she had neither severe bleeding nor thrombotic complications despite a positive LA and a prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT). At this visit, the patient presented with colicky abdominal pain, a hemorrhagic ovarian cyst, a prolonged prothrombin time, a prolonged aPTT, a low factor II level, and a positive LA, leading to the diagnosis of LAHPS. While a hemorrhagic ovarian cyst resolved completely in 3 months, she received oral pill, transfusions of red blood cells and plasma, and intravenous cyclophosphamide pulse therapy in combination with glucocorticoids due to persistent menorrhagia, anemia, prolonged aPTT, and lupus flaring. Thus, LAHPS needs to be considered in SLE patients with positive LA and prolonged aPTT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]