-
Bulletin Du Cancer Jun 2024A new role for biomarkers circulating in kidney cancer in 2024?
A new role for biomarkers circulating in kidney cancer in 2024?
Topics: Humans; Kidney Neoplasms; Biomarkers, Tumor; Carcinoma, Renal Cell
PubMed: 38945662
DOI: 10.1016/S0007-4551(24)00222-4 -
Évolution de la prise en charge du cancer du rein : place des biomarqueurs et facteurs pronostiques.Bulletin Du Cancer Jun 2024Evolution of the support kidney cancer: place of biomarkers and prognostic factors.
Evolution of the support kidney cancer: place of biomarkers and prognostic factors.
Topics: Humans; Kidney Neoplasms; Biomarkers, Tumor; Prognosis; Carcinoma, Renal Cell
PubMed: 38945661
DOI: 10.1016/S0007-4551(24)00219-4 -
Food Research International (Ottawa,... Aug 2024The food industry is increasingly striving to produce probiotics-based food and beverages using sustainable processes. Therefore, the use of by-products in product...
The food industry is increasingly striving to produce probiotics-based food and beverages using sustainable processes. Therefore, the use of by-products in product development has been investigated by several authors. The aim of this work was to investigate the effects of cocoa bean shell infusion in the production of kombucha through microbiological and genetic characterization. Three beverage formulations were prepared, one based on black tea (KBT), one based on cocoa bean shell infusion (KCS) and one containing 50 % black tea and 50 % cocoa shell infusion (KBL). The infusions were prepared with water, filtered, and sucrose was added. They were then homogenized and a portion of finished kombucha and SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) were added. Fermentation took place for 13 days and aliquots were collected every three days for physicochemical and microbial count analyses. Samples from the last day of fermentation were sent for DNA sequencing, extraction and quantification. The results were subjected to analysis of variance and compared by using Tukey's test (p < 0.05). The results show that there was a significant decrease in pH over time in all samples, while the titratable acidity increased, indicating an acidification of the beverage due to the production of organic acids. There was an increase in lactic acid bacterial colonies in all the formulations, which have a probiotic nature and are not always found in this type of beverage. Regarding the taxonomic classification of the samples, microorganisms of the kingdoms Fungi and Bacteria, of the families Saccharomycetaceae and Acetobacteraceae, were found in KBT, KCS and KBL, but with different microbiological compositions, with different amounts of yeasts and bacteria. Therefore, the use of by-products such as cocoa bean shell in the production of kombucha can contribute to the reduction of waste in the food industry and, at the same time, accelerate fermentation increasing the presence of lactic acid bacteria when compared to black tea.
Topics: Cacao; Fermentation; Kombucha Tea; Food Microbiology; Tea; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Food Handling; Probiotics
PubMed: 38945598
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2024.114568 -
Food Research International (Ottawa,... Aug 2024Fungal contaminations of cereal grains are a profound food-safety and food-security concern worldwide, threatening consumers' and animals' health and causing enormous...
Fungal contaminations of cereal grains are a profound food-safety and food-security concern worldwide, threatening consumers' and animals' health and causing enormous economic burdens. Because far-ultraviolet C (far-UVC) light at 222 nm has recently been shown to be human-safe, we investigated its efficacy as an alternative to thermal, chemical, and conventional 254 nm UVC anti-fungal treatments. Our microplasma-based far-UVC lamp system achieved a 5.21-log reduction in the conidia of Aspergillus flavus suspended in buffer with a dose of 1032.0 mJ/cm, and a 5.11-log reduction of Fusarium graminearum conidia in suspension with a dose of 619.2 mJ/cm. We further observed that far-UVC treatments could induce fungal-cell apoptosis, alter mitochondrial membrane potential, lead to the accumulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species, cause lipid peroxidation, and result in cell-membrane damage. The lamp system also exhibited a potent ability to inhibit the mycelial growth of both A. flavus and F. graminearum. On potato dextrose agar plates, such growth was completely inhibited after doses of 576.0 mJ/cm and 460.8 mJ/cm, respectively. To test our approach's efficacy at decontaminating actual cereal grains, we designed a cubical 3D treatment chamber fitted with six lamps. At a dose of 780.0 mJ/cm on each side, the chamber achieved a 1.88-log reduction of A. flavus on dried yellow corn kernels and a 1.11-log reduction of F. graminearum on wheat grains, without significant moisture loss to either cereal type (p > 0.05). The treatment did not cause significant changes in the propensity of wheat grains to germinate in the week following treatment (p > 0.05). However, it increased the germination propensity of corn kernels by more than 71% in the same timeframe (p < 0.05). Collectively, our results demonstrate that 222 nm far-UVC radiation can effectively inactivate fungal growth in liquid, on solid surfaces, and on cereal grains. If scalable, its emergence as a safe, cost-effective alternative tool for reducing fungi-related post-harvest cereal losses could have important positive implications for the fight against world hunger and food insecurity.
Topics: Fusarium; Aspergillus flavus; Edible Grain; Ultraviolet Rays; Spores, Fungal; Food Contamination; Food Irradiation; Food Microbiology; Reactive Oxygen Species
PubMed: 38945594
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2024.114550 -
The Bone & Joint Journal Jul 2024This study aims to identify the top unanswered research priorities in the field of knee surgery using consensus-based methodology.
AIMS
This study aims to identify the top unanswered research priorities in the field of knee surgery using consensus-based methodology.
METHODS
Initial research questions were generated using an online survey sent to all 680 members of the British Association for Surgery of the Knee (BASK). Duplicates were removed and a longlist was generated from this scoping exercise by a panel of 13 experts from across the UK who provided oversight of the process. A modified Delphi process was used to refine the questions and determine a final list. To rank the final list of questions, each question was scored between one (low importance) and ten (high importance) in order to produce the final list.
RESULTS
This consensus exercise took place between December 2020 and April 2022. A total of 286 clinicians from the BASK membership provided input for the initial scoping exercise, which generated a list of 105 distinct research questions. Following review and prioritization, a longlist of 51 questions was sent out for two rounds of the Delphi process. A total of 42 clinicians responded to the first round and 24 responded to the second round. A final list of 24 research questions was then ranked by 36 clinicians. The topics included arthroplasty, infection, meniscus, osteotomy, patellofemoral, cartilage, and ligament pathologies. The management of early osteoarthritis was the highest-ranking question.
CONCLUSION
A Delphi exercise involving the BASK membership has identified the future research priorities in knee surgery. This list of questions will allow clinicians, researchers, and funders to collaborate in order to deliver high-quality research in knee surgery and further advance the care provided to patients with knee pathology.
Topics: Humans; Delphi Technique; United Kingdom; Societies, Medical; Biomedical Research; Knee Joint; Consensus; Surveys and Questionnaires; Research; Orthopedic Procedures
PubMed: 38945547
DOI: 10.1302/0301-620X.106B7.BJJ-2023-0691.R1 -
The Bone & Joint Journal Jul 2024It is not clear which type of casting provides the best initial treatment in adults with a distal radial fracture. Given that between 32% and 64% of adequately reduced... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
AIMS
It is not clear which type of casting provides the best initial treatment in adults with a distal radial fracture. Given that between 32% and 64% of adequately reduced fractures redisplace during immobilization in a cast, preventing redisplacement and a disabling malunion or secondary surgery is an aim of treatment. In this study, we investigated whether circumferential casting leads to fewer the redisplacement of fewer fractures and better one-year outcomes compared with plaster splinting.
METHODS
In a pragmatic, open-label, multicentre, two-period cluster-randomized superiority trial, we compared these two types of casting. Recruitment took place in ten hospitals. Eligible patients aged ≥ 18 years with a displaced distal radial fracture, which was acceptably aligned after closed reduction, were included. The primary outcome measure was the rate of redisplacement within five weeks of immobilization. Secondary outcomes were the rate of complaints relating to the cast, clinical outcomes at three months, patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) (using the numerical rating scale (NRS), the abbreviated version of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (QuickDASH), and Patient-Rated Wrist/Hand Evaluation (PRWHE) scores), and adverse events such as the development of compartment syndrome during one year of follow-up. We used multivariable mixed-effects logistic regression for the analysis of the primary outcome measure.
RESULTS
The study included 420 patients. There was no significant difference between the rate of redisplacement of the fracture between the groups: 47% (n = 88) for those treated with a plaster splint and 49% (n = 90) for those treated with a circumferential cast (odds ratio 1.05 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.65 to 1.70); p = 0.854). Patients treated in a plaster splint reported significantly more pain than those treated with a circumferential cast, during the first week of treatment (estimated mean NRS 4.7 (95% CI 4.3 to 5.1) vs 4.1 (95% CI 3.7 to 4.4); p = 0.014). The rate of complaints relating to the cast, clinical outcomes and PROMs did not differ significantly between the groups (p > 0.05). Compartment syndrome did not occur.
CONCLUSION
Circumferential casting did not result in a significantly different rate of redisplacement of the fracture compared with the use of a plaster splint. There were comparable outcomes in both groups.
Topics: Humans; Casts, Surgical; Radius Fractures; Male; Female; Middle Aged; Aged; Adult; Splints; Treatment Outcome; Patient Reported Outcome Measures; Wrist Fractures
PubMed: 38945541
DOI: 10.1302/0301-620X.106B7.BJJ-2024-0014.R1 -
Journal of AAPOS : the Official... Jun 2024A method was developed to measure strabismic angles >50 by stacking commercially available Fresnel and block prisms in the same direction ("piggyback prisms").
PURPOSE
A method was developed to measure strabismic angles >50 by stacking commercially available Fresnel and block prisms in the same direction ("piggyback prisms").
METHODS
With a laser pointer (wavelength of 532 nm) as the light source, the deviation of the laser spot produced by the stacked prisms was measured on a tangent screen placed 100 cm away from the prisms. To the obtained data with combinations of Fresnel prisms (5-40) and block prisms (10-50), a cubic surface function was fitted by polynomial regression.
RESULTS
The combined effect of stacked prisms was always greater than the arithmetic sum of the labeled values of two prisms (by up to 66), increasing exponentially with each prism power and reaching the maximum of 156 for the Fresnel/block combination of 30/50. We obtained contour plots to evaluate the optically induced additivity error and constructed look-up tables for quickly determining the combined effect of the prisms based on their labeled values.
CONCLUSIONS
Stacking prisms is a practical method to evaluate a large strabismic angle that cannot be measured by any single prism and is especially useful in dealing with severely paralytic strabismus.
PubMed: 38945520
DOI: 10.1016/j.jaapos.2024.103961 -
Journal of Theoretical Biology Jun 2024Across early childhood development, sleep behavior transitions from a biphasic pattern (a daytime nap and nighttime sleep) to a monophasic pattern (only nighttime...
Across early childhood development, sleep behavior transitions from a biphasic pattern (a daytime nap and nighttime sleep) to a monophasic pattern (only nighttime sleep). The transition to consolidated nighttime sleep, which occurs in most children between 2- and 5-years-old, is a major developmental milestone and reflects interactions between the developing homeostatic sleep drive and circadian system. Using a physiologically-based mathematical model of the sleep-wake regulatory network constrained by observational and experimental data from preschool-aged participants, we analyze how developmentally-mediated changes in the homeostatic sleep drive may contribute to the transition from napping to non-napping sleep patterns. We establish baseline behavior by identifying parameter sets that model typical 2-year-old napping behavior and 5-year-old non-napping behavior. Then we vary six model parameters associated with the dynamics of and sensitivity to the homeostatic sleep drive between the 2-year-old and 5-year-old parameter values to induce the transition from biphasic to monophasic sleep. We analyze the individual contributions of these parameters to sleep patterning by independently varying their age-dependent developmental trajectories. Parameters vary according to distinct evolution curves and produce bifurcation sequences representing various ages of transition onset, transition durations, and transitional sleep patterns. Finally, we consider the ability of napping and non-napping light schedules to reinforce napping or promote a transition to consolidated sleep, respectively. These modeling results provide insight into the role of the homeostatic sleep drive in promoting interindividual variability in developmentally-mediated transitions in sleep behavior and lay foundations for the identification of light- or behavior-based interventions that promote healthy sleep consolidation in early childhood.
PubMed: 38945471
DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2024.111892 -
Journal of Equine Veterinary Science Jun 2024Periods of limited activity during semester break may reduce performance during return to ridden work. This study evaluated fitness and muscling of horses when returning...
Periods of limited activity during semester break may reduce performance during return to ridden work. This study evaluated fitness and muscling of horses when returning to work, following a 12-week period during which horses either continued (conditioned) or discontinued (non-conditioned) ridden work. It was hypothesized that non-conditioned horses would have a lower level of fitness, resulting in higher resting and peak heart rates and lower levels of muscling. Twelve mature, stock type horses aged 16 ± 5 years were assigned to either a conditioned group that maintained light-to-moderate riding or a non-conditioned group receiving no formal exercise. All horses had access to voluntary exercise for 12-24hr/d on grass pasture (1.5-2.5 hectares). Following the 12-week period, all horses were placed into a light-to-moderate intensity exercise program with resting heart rate, peak heart rate, body condition score, gaskin and forearm circumference, and topline muscle measurements performed on d 0, 14, and 28. Peak and resting heart rates were not different between groups (P > 0.05) but increased for both groups throughout the study (P = 0.04). Gaskin circumference of non-conditioned horses was larger (P = 0.04), although non-conditioned horses tended to be heavier (551.4 versus 491.4 ± 21.4 kg; P = 0.07). Conditioned horses had greater average topline muscling scores (P = 0.02). Horses that were conditioned over a 12-week break had greater muscling, but changes in fitness were not detected. Pasture access could contribute to maintenance of fitness during unridden periods.
PubMed: 38945460
DOI: 10.1016/j.jevs.2024.105143 -
Journal of Controlled Release :... Jun 2024Vascular diseases constitute a significant contributor to worldwide mortality rates, placing a substantial strain on healthcare systems and socio-economic aspects. They... (Review)
Review
Vascular diseases constitute a significant contributor to worldwide mortality rates, placing a substantial strain on healthcare systems and socio-economic aspects. They are closely associated with inflammatory responses, as sustained inflammation could impact endothelial function, the release of inflammatory mediators, and platelet activation, thus accelerating the progression of vascular diseases. Consequently, directing therapeutic efforts towards mitigating inflammation represents a crucial approach in the management of vascular diseases. Traditional anti-inflammatory medications may have extensive effects on multiple tissues and organs when absorbed through the bloodstream. Conversely, treatments targeting inflammatory vascular diseases, such as monoclonal antibodies, drug-eluting stents, and nano-drugs, can achieve more precise effects, including precise intervention, minimal non-specific effects, and prolonged efficacy. In addition, personalized therapy is an important development trend in targeted therapy for inflammatory vascular diseases. Leveraging advanced simulation algorithms and clinical trial data, treatment strategies are gradually being personalized based on patients' genetic, biomarker, and clinical profiles. It is expected that the application of precision medicine in the field of vascular diseases will have a broader future. In conclusion, targeting therapies offer enhanced safety and efficacy compared to conventional medications; investigating novel targeting therapies and promoting clinical transformation may be a promising direction in improving the prognosis of patients with inflammatory vascular diseases. This article reviews the pathogenesis of inflammatory vascular diseases and presents a comprehensive overview of the potential for targeted therapies in managing this condition.
PubMed: 38945301
DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2024.06.063