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Journal of Veterinary Research Jun 2024Benzophenones (BPs) are used in various branches of industry as ultraviolet radiation filters, but they pollute the natural environment, penetrate living organisms, and...
INTRODUCTION
Benzophenones (BPs) are used in various branches of industry as ultraviolet radiation filters, but they pollute the natural environment, penetrate living organisms, and disrupt endocrine balance. Knowledge of the exposure of domestic animals to these substances is extremely scant. The aim of the study was to investigate long-term exposure of companion dogs to BPs and relate this to environmental factors.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
Hair samples taken from 50 dogs and 50 bitches from under 2 to over 10 years old were analysed for BP content with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.
RESULTS
The results revealed that dogs are most often exposed to 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone (BP-3) and 4-dihydroxybenzophenone (BP-1). Concentration levels of BP-3 above the method quantification limit (MQL) were noted in 100% of the samples and fluctuated from 4.75 ng/g to 1,765 ng/g. In turn, concentration levels of BP-1 above the MQL were noted in 37% of the samples and ranged from <0.50 ng/g to 666 ng/g. Various factors (such as the use of hygiene and care products and the dog's diet) were found to affect BP concentration levels. Higher levels of BP-3 were observed in castrated/spayed animals and in animals that required veterinary intervention more often.
CONCLUSION
The results obtained show that the analysis of hair samples may be a useful matrix for biomonitoring BPs in dogs, and that these substances may be toxic to them.
PubMed: 38947164
DOI: 10.2478/jvetres-2024-0022 -
Vavilovskii Zhurnal Genetiki I Selektsii Jun 2024Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) can serve as reliable markers in genetic engineering, selection, screening examinations, and other fields of science, medicine,...
Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) can serve as reliable markers in genetic engineering, selection, screening examinations, and other fields of science, medicine, and manufacturing. Whole-genome sequencing and genotyping by sequencing can detect SNPs with high specificity and identify novel variants. Nonetheless, in situations where the interest of researchers is individual specific loci, these methods become redundant, and their cost, the proportion of false positive and false negative results, and labor costs for sample preparation and analysis do not justify their use. Accordingly, accurate and rapid methods for genotyping individual alleles are still in demand, especially for verification of candidate polymorphisms in analyses of association with a given phenotype. One of these techniques is genotyping using TaqMan allele-specific probes (TaqMan dual labeled probes). The method consists of real-time PCR with a pair of primers and two oligonucleotide probes that are complementary to a sequence near a given locus in such a way that one probe is complementary to the wild-type allele, and the other to a mutant one. Advantages of this approach are its specificity, sensitivity, low cost, and quick results. It makes it possible to distinguish alleles in a genome with high accuracy without additional manipulations with DNA samples or PCR products; hence the popularity of this method in genetic association studies in molecular genetics and medicine. Due to advancements in technologies for the synthesis of oligonucleotides and improvements in techniques for designing primers and probes, we can expect expansion of the possibilities of this approach in terms of the diagnosis of hereditary diseases. In this article, we discuss in detail basic principles of the method, the processes that influence the result of genotyping, criteria for selecting optimal primers and probes, and the use of locked nucleic acid modifications in oligonucleotides as well as provide a protocol for the selection of primers and probes and for PCR by means of rs11121704 as an example. We hope that the presented protocol will allow research groups to independently design their own effective assays for testing for polymorphisms of interest.
PubMed: 38946890
DOI: 10.18699/vjgb-24-40 -
Biomedical Engineering Letters Jul 2024The aim of this study is to propose a new diagnostic model based on "segmentation + classification" to improve the routine screening of Thyroid nodule...
The aim of this study is to propose a new diagnostic model based on "segmentation + classification" to improve the routine screening of Thyroid nodule ultrasonography by utilizing the key domain knowledge of medical diagnostic tasks. A Multi-scale segmentation network based on a pyramidal pooling structure of multi-parallel void spaces is proposed. First, in the segmentation network, the exact information of the underlying feature space is obtained by an Attention Gate. Second, the inflated convolutional part of Atrous Spatial Pyramid Pooling (ASPP) is cascaded for multiple downsampling. Finally, a three-branch classification network combined with expert knowledge is designed, drawing on doctors' clinical diagnosis experience, to extract features from the original image of the nodule, the regional image of the nodule, and the edge image of the nodule, respectively, and to improve the classification accuracy of the model by utilizing the Coordinate attention (CA) mechanism and cross-level feature fusion. The Multi-scale segmentation network achieves 94.27%, 93.90% and 88.85% of mean precision (mPA), Dice value (Dice) and mean joint intersection (MIoU), respectively, and the accuracy, specificity and sensitivity of the classification network reaches 86.07%, 81.34% and 90.19%, respectively. Comparison tests show that this method outperforms the U-Net, AGU-Net and DeepLab V3+ classical models as well as the nnU-Net, Swin UNetr and MedFormer models that have emerged in recent years. This algorithm, as an auxiliary diagnostic tool, can help physicians more accurately assess the benign or malignant nature of Thyroid nodules. It can provide objective quantitative indicators, reduce the bias of subjective judgment, and improve the consistency and accuracy of diagnosis. Codes and models are available at https://github.com/enheliang/Thyroid-Segmentation-Network.git.
PubMed: 38946824
DOI: 10.1007/s13534-024-00375-2 -
Biomedical Engineering Letters Jul 2024Surface electromyography (sEMG) is a non-invasive technique to characterize muscle electrical activity. The analysis of sEMG signals under muscle fatigue play a crucial...
PURPOSE
Surface electromyography (sEMG) is a non-invasive technique to characterize muscle electrical activity. The analysis of sEMG signals under muscle fatigue play a crucial part in the branch of neurorehabilitation, sports medicine, biomechanics, and monitoring neuromuscular pathologies. In this work, a method to transform sEMG signals to complex networks under muscle fatigue conditions using Markov transition field (MTF) is proposed. The importance of normalization to a constant Maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) is also considered.
METHODS
For this, dynamic signals are recorded using two different experimental protocols one under constant load and another referenced to 50% MVC from Biceps brachii of 50 and 45 healthy subjects respectively. MTF is generated and network graph is constructed from preprocesses signals. Features such as average self-transition probability, average clustering coefficient and modularity are extracted.
RESULTS
All the extracted features showed statistical significance for the recorded signals. It is found that during the transition from non-fatigue to fatigue, average clustering coefficient decreases while average self-transition probability and modularity increases.
CONCLUSION
The results indicate higher degree of signal complexity during non-fatigue condition. Thus, the MTF approach may be used to indicate the complexity of sEMG signals. Although both datasets showed same trend in results, sEMG signals under 50% MVC exhibited higher separability for the features. The inter individual variations of the MTF features is found to be more for the signals recorded using constant load. The proposed study can be adopted to study the complex nature of muscles under various neuromuscular conditions.
PubMed: 38946822
DOI: 10.1007/s13534-024-00372-5 -
Clinical and Translational Radiation... Jul 2024Concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is the standard treatment for locally advanced cervical cancer. We investigated how additional bone marrow sparing (BMS) affects the... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is the standard treatment for locally advanced cervical cancer. We investigated how additional bone marrow sparing (BMS) affects the clinical outcomes.
METHODS
We queried MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science Core Collection, Google Scholar, Sinomed, CNKI, and Wanfang databases for articles published in English or Chinese between 2010/01/01 and 2023/10/31. Full-text manuscripts of prospective, randomised trials on BMS in cervical cancer patients treated with definitive or postoperative CRT were included. Risk of bias (RoB) was assessed using Cochrane Collaboration's RoB tool. Random-effects models were used for the -analysis.
RESULTS
A total of 17 trials encompassing 1297 patients were included. The majority were single-centre trials (n = 1268) performed in China (n = 1128). Most trials used CT-based anatomical BMS (n = 1076). There was a comparable representation of trials in the definitive (n = 655) and postoperative (n = 582) settings, and the remaining trials included both.Twelve studies reported data on G ≥ 3 (n = 782) and G ≥ 2 (n = 754) haematologic adverse events. Both G ≥ 3 (OR 0.39; 95 % CI 0.28-0.55; p < 0.001) and G ≥ 2 (OR 0.29; 95 % CI 0.18-0.46; p < 0.001) toxicity were significantly lowered, favouring BMS. Seven studies (n = 635) reported data on chemotherapy interruptions, defined as receiving less than five cycles of cisplatin, which were significantly less frequent in patients treated with BMS (OR 0.44; 95 % CI 0.24-0.81; p = 0.016). There was no evidence of increased gastrointestinal or genitourinary toxicity.There were no signs of significant heterogeneity. Four studies were assessed as high RoB; sensitivity analyses excluding these provided comparable results for main outcomes. The main limitations include heterogeneity in BMS methodology between studies, low representation of populations most affected by cervical cancer, and insufficient data to assess survival outcomes.
CONCLUSIONS
The addition of BMS to definitive CRT in cervical cancer patients decreases hematologic toxicity and the frequency of interruptions in concurrent chemotherapy. However, data are insufficient to verify the impact on survival and disease control.
PubMed: 38946805
DOI: 10.1016/j.ctro.2024.100801 -
The Korean Journal of Pain Jul 2024Radiofrequency ablation is an effective treatment modality in the symptomatic treatment of knee osteoarthritis. Our aim was to compare the efficacy of radiofrequency...
Is conventional radiofrequency ablation of the superolateral branch, one of the three genicular nerves targeted as standard, necessary or not? A non-inferiority randomized controlled trial.
BACKGROUND
Radiofrequency ablation is an effective treatment modality in the symptomatic treatment of knee osteoarthritis. Our aim was to compare the efficacy of radiofrequency ablation of the superomedial and inferomedial genicular nerves (2 branches) with the superolateral, superomedial, and inferomedial genicular nerves (3 branches) and to show whether the 2-branch procedure is inferior to the 3-branch procedure.
METHODS
This study is a prospective, randomized, single-blind clinical study. Eligible participants were randomized into 2 groups: group A, which applied the procedure to the superomedial and inferomedial genicular nerves, and group B, which applied it to the superomedial, superolateral and inferomedial genicular nerves. Pain was evaluated with the numerical rating scale, quality of life with the Short Form-36 (SF-36), and disability with the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) Osteoarthritis Index before, and at 1 and 3 months after the procedure.
RESULTS
A total of 41 patients were included. There were no differences between the groups except for the SF-36 physical health sub-score at baseline. A significant improvement was seen in the numeric rating scale (NRS) score, SF-36 sub-scores, WOMAC Index total, as well as pain and physical function scores in both groups, though no significant difference was detected between the groups during follow-up.
CONCLUSIONS
Although we were unable to establish the noninferiority of conventional radiofrequency ablation (CRFA) applied to 2 branches to CRFA applied to 3 branches, in this trial, significant and similar improvement was observed in NRS, WOMAC total, pain, and physical function and SF-36 scores in both groups.
PubMed: 38946697
DOI: 10.3344/kjp.24098 -
Advanced Science (Weinheim,... Jul 2024Zintl phases typically exhibit low lattice thermal conductivity, which are extensively investigated as promising thermoelectric candidates. While the significance of...
Zintl phases typically exhibit low lattice thermal conductivity, which are extensively investigated as promising thermoelectric candidates. While the significance of Zintl anionic frameworks in electronic transport properties is widely recognized, their roles in thermal transport properties have often been overlooked. This study delves into KCdSb as a representative case, where the [CdSb] tetrahedrons not only impact charge transfer but also phonon transport. The phonon velocity and mean free path, are heavily influenced by the bonding distance and strength of the Zintl anions Cd and Sb, considering the three acoustic branches arising from their vibrations. Furthermore, the weakly bound Zintl cation K exhibits localized vibration behaviors, resulting in strong coupling between the high-lying acoustic branch and the low-lying optical branch, further impeding phonon diffusion. The calculations reveal that grain boundaries also contribute to the low lattice thermal conductivity of KCdSb through medium-frequency phonon scattering. These combined factors create a glass-like thermal transport behavior, which is advantageous for improving the thermoelectric merit of zT. Notably, a maximum zT of 0.6 is achieved for KNaCdSb at 712 K. The study offers both intrinsic and extrinsic strategies for developing high-efficiency thermoelectric Zintl materials with extremely low lattice thermal conductivity.
PubMed: 38946664
DOI: 10.1002/advs.202402209 -
Journal of the American Medical... Jul 2024Acute hepatic porphyria (AHP) is a group of rare but treatable conditions associated with diagnostic delays of 15 years on average. The advent of electronic health...
BACKGROUND
Acute hepatic porphyria (AHP) is a group of rare but treatable conditions associated with diagnostic delays of 15 years on average. The advent of electronic health records (EHR) data and machine learning (ML) may improve the timely recognition of rare diseases like AHP. However, prediction models can be difficult to train given the limited case numbers, unstructured EHR data, and selection biases intrinsic to healthcare delivery. We sought to train and characterize models for identifying patients with AHP.
METHODS
This diagnostic study used structured and notes-based EHR data from 2 centers at the University of California, UCSF (2012-2022) and UCLA (2019-2022). The data were split into 2 cohorts (referral and diagnosis) and used to develop models that predict (1) who will be referred for testing of acute porphyria, among those who presented with abdominal pain (a cardinal symptom of AHP), and (2) who will test positive, among those referred. The referral cohort consisted of 747 patients referred for testing and 99 849 contemporaneous patients who were not. The diagnosis cohort consisted of 72 confirmed AHP cases and 347 patients who tested negative. The case cohort was 81% female and 6-75 years old at the time of diagnosis. Candidate models used a range of architectures. Feature selection was semi-automated and incorporated publicly available data from knowledge graphs. Our primary outcome was the F-score on an outcome-stratified test set.
RESULTS
The best center-specific referral models achieved an F-score of 86%-91%. The best diagnosis model achieved an F-score of 92%. To further test our model, we contacted 372 current patients who lack an AHP diagnosis but were predicted by our models as potentially having it (≥10% probability of referral, ≥50% of testing positive). However, we were only able to recruit 10 of these patients for biochemical testing, all of whom were negative. Nonetheless, post hoc evaluations suggested that these models could identify 71% of cases earlier than their diagnosis date, saving 1.2 years.
CONCLUSIONS
ML can reduce diagnostic delays in AHP and other rare diseases. Robust recruitment strategies and multicenter coordination will be needed to validate these models before they can be deployed.
PubMed: 38946554
DOI: 10.1093/jamia/ocae141 -
The Journal of Physical Chemistry. A Jul 2024Under irradiation of a vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photon, methane dissociates and yields multiple fragments. This photochemical behavior is not only of fundamental...
Under irradiation of a vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photon, methane dissociates and yields multiple fragments. This photochemical behavior is not only of fundamental importance but also with wide-ranging implications in several branches of science. Despite that and numerous previous investigations, the product channel branching is still under debate, and the underlying dissociation mechanisms remain elusive. In this study, the photofragment imaging technique was exploited for the first time to map out the momentum and anisotropy parameter distributions of the CH, CH, and CH fragments at the 118 nm photolysis wavelength (10.48 eV photon energy). In conjunction with previously reported results of the H atom fragment at 121.6 nm (10.2 eV), a complete set of product channel branching in both two-body and three-body fragmentations is accurately determined. We concluded that extensive nonadiabatic transitions partake in the processes with two-body fragmentations accounting for more than 90% of overall photodissociation, for which the channel branching values for CH + H and CH + H are about 0.66 and 0.25, respectively. Careful kinematic analysis enables us to untangle the intertwined triple fragmentations into the CH( and ) + H + H and CH(Π) + H + H channels and to evidence their underlying sequential (or stepwise) mechanisms. With the aid of electronic correlation and prior theoretical calculations of the potential energy surfaces, the most probable or dominant dissociation pathways are elucidated. Comparisons with fragmentary reports in the literature on various photochemical aspects are also documented, and discrepancies are clarified. This comprehensive study benchmarks the VUV photochemistry of methane and advances our understanding of this important process.
PubMed: 38946501
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.4c01914 -
Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in... Jun 2024Host-guest chemistry, a pivotal branch of supramolecular chemistry, plays an essential role in understanding and constructing complex structures through non-covalent...
Host-guest chemistry, a pivotal branch of supramolecular chemistry, plays an essential role in understanding and constructing complex structures through non-covalent interactions. Organic molecular cages, characterized by their intrinsic confined cavities, can selectively bind a variety of guest molecules. Their host-guest chemistry has been well studied in the solution phase, and several attempts have been made to encode well-defined molecular architectures into solid-state polymeric materials. However, only limited studies have explored their potential in the solid state, where their lack of robustness and less ordered networks significantly hinder practical applications. Herein, we report the synthesis of a single-crystal cage framework and a systematic study of its host-guest chemistry, spanning from the solution state to the solid state. Our studies reveal that the host-guest interactions inherent to the cage are successfully maintained in the solid-state polymeric material. Furthermore, the framework's robustness allows for the guest molecules (fullerene) to be released triggered by an organic acid (trifluoracetic acid), with subsequent regeneration of the framework through an organic base (triethylamine) treatment. Our findings represent the first synthesis of a robust, single-crystal cage framework exhibiting highly selective and reversible host-guest chemistry, thus showing great potential towards molecular separation application.
PubMed: 38946171
DOI: 10.1002/anie.202409432