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The Science of the Total Environment Jun 2024Hammam Faraun (HF) geothermal site in Egypt shows potential for addressing energy demand and fossil fuel shortages. This study utilizes abandoned oil well logs, seismic...
Hammam Faraun (HF) geothermal site in Egypt shows potential for addressing energy demand and fossil fuel shortages. This study utilizes abandoned oil well logs, seismic data, and surface geology to assess HF geothermal energy resources. Seismic interpretation identified a significant clysmic fault parallel to Hammam Faraun fault (HFF), named CLB fault. The two faults together create a renewable geothermal cycle through circulation of mixed formation-sea waters. Petrophysics revealed two main geothermal reservoirs: the Nubian sandstone reservoir and the Eocene Thebes carbonate reservoir with water saturation values approaching 100 %. Corrected borehole temperatures indicated reservoir temperatures around 120 °C and 140 °C for the Thebes and Nubian reservoirs, respectively. Fracture analysis and stress state provided insights into subsurface fractures. A geomechanical model demonstrated the impact of different stresses and pore pressure on geothermal fluid flow. NE-SW oriented fractures showed a higher dilation tendency due to aquathermal expansion. The integrated conceptual geothermal model suggested a magma chamber beneath HF as the heat source, related to Oligo-Miocene volcanic activity. The breached relay ramp and fault-related open fracture system serve as pathways for geothermal fluids. Evaluation of the geothermal potential utilized volumetric calculations and Monte Carlo simulation. The estimated hot water volumes were 1.72 km, 4.242 km, and 5.332 km for the Nubian reservoir in the onshore part, Thebes reservoir in the offshore part, and Nubian reservoir in the offshore part, respectively. The results indicate a medium enthalpy resource suitable for electricity generation using a Kalina geothermal power plant. The predicted geothermal power output is promising, with an average power output of 9.64 MWe, 21.38 MWe, and 43.76 MWe for the Nubian reservoir in the onshore part, Thebes reservoir in the offshore part, and Nubian reservoir in the offshore part, respectively. These outputs can potentially supply electricity to approximately 12,000, 29,000 and 53,000 households, respectively.
PubMed: 38942302
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174283 -
Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Jun 2024Many distal humerus nonunions are associated with bone loss and rigid internal fixation is difficult to obtain, especially for low transcondylar nonunions and those with...
INTRODUCTION
Many distal humerus nonunions are associated with bone loss and rigid internal fixation is difficult to obtain, especially for low transcondylar nonunions and those with severe intraarticular comminution. The purpose of this study was to analyze the results of a strategy to address this challenge utilizing internal fixation using the Supracondylar Ostectomy + Shortening (i.e. S.O.S.) procedure for distal humerus nonunions. The goals of this procedure are to (1) optimize bony contact and compression through re-shaping the nonunited fragments at the supracondylar level with selective humeral metaphyseal shortening, (2) maximize fixation using parallel-plating, and (3) provide biologic and structural augmentation with bone graft.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Between 1995 and 2019, 28 distal humerus nonunions underwent internal fixation using the S.O.S. procedure at a single Institution. There were 14 males and 14 females with mean age of 47 (range 14-78) years at the time of the S.O.S procedure and an average of 1.7 prior surgeries. Medical records and radiographs were reviewed to determine rates of union, reoperations, complications, and Mayo Elbow Performance Scores (MEPS). Patients were also prospectively contacted to update their MEPS and gather additional information on complications and reoperations. Mean clinical exam follow-up was 17 months, mean clinical contact follow-up was 19 months, and mean radiographic follow-up was 32 months.
RESULTS
Four patients did not have adequate follow-up to determine union. Of the remaining 24 elbows, 22 achieved union. Two elbows developed collapse of the articular surface and were converted to a total elbow arthroplasty (TEA). There were complications in 10 elbows: contracture (5), superficial infection (2), ulnar neuropathy (1), deep infection (1), and hematoma (1). Twelve elbows underwent reoperation: 4 for contracture release, 3 for hardware removal, 2 for total elbow arthroplasty, 1 for bone grafting, 1 for hematoma evacuation, and 1 for ulnar nerve neurolysis. Compared to preoperative data, there was a significant improvement in postoperative flexion, extension and pronation (p<0.01). The mean range of motion was 21° of extension, 119° of flexion, 79° of pronation, and 77° of supination. The mean MEPS was 80 points (range, 25 to 100 points) and 19 elbows (76%) rated as excellent or good.
DISCUSSION
Stable fixation and high union rates are possible in distal humerus nonunions with bone loss using a technique that combines supracondylar humeral shortening, parallel plating, and bone grafting. Secondary procedures are commonly needed to restore function in this challenging patient population.
PubMed: 38942224
DOI: 10.1016/j.jse.2024.05.004 -
Journal of Physics. Condensed Matter :... Jun 2024Quantum anomalous Hall insulators are topologically characterized by non-zero integer Chern numbers, the sign of which depends on the direction of the exchange field...
Quantum anomalous Hall insulators are topologically characterized by non-zero integer Chern numbers, the sign of which depends on the direction of the exchange field that breaks time-reversal symmetry. This feature allows the manipulation of the conducting chiral edge states present at the interface of two magnetic domains with opposite magnetization and opposite Chern numbers. Motivated by this broad understanding, the present study investigates the quantum transport properties of a magnetized $Bi_2Se_3$ topological insulator nanoribbon with a domain wall oriented either parallel or perpendicular to the transport direction. Employing an atomistic tight-binding model and a non-equilibrium Green's function formalism, we calculate the quantum conductance and explore the nature of the edge states. We elucidate the conditions leading to exact conductance quantization and identify the origin of deviations from this behavior. Our analysis shows that although the conductance is quantized in the presence of the horizontal domain wall, the quantization is absent in the perpendicular domain wall case. Furthermore, the investigation of the spin character of the edge modes confirms that the conductance in the horizontal domain wall configuration is spin polarized. This finding underscores the potential of our system as a simple three dimensional spin-filter device.
PubMed: 38941992
DOI: 10.1088/1361-648X/ad5d34 -
The International Journal of Medical... Aug 2024The method of stem cell transfer to narrow cochlear canals in vivo to generate hair cells is still an unclear operation. Thus, the development of any possible method...
BACKGROUND
The method of stem cell transfer to narrow cochlear canals in vivo to generate hair cells is still an unclear operation. Thus, the development of any possible method that will ensure the usage of medical microrobots in small cochlear workspaces is a challenging procedure.
METHODS
The current study tries to introduce a macro-micro manipulator system composed of a 6-DoF industrial serial manipulator as a macro manipulator and a proposed 5-DoF parallel manipulator with dual end effectors as a micro manipulator carrying permanent magnets for tetherless microrobot actuation inside the cochlea.
RESULTS
Throughout the study, structural synthesis and kinematic analysis of the proposed micro manipulator were introduced. A prototype of the manipulator was manufactured and its hardware verification procedures were carried out using motion capture cameras and surgical navigation registration methodologies.
CONCLUSIONS
Following motion training, the assembled macro-micro manipulator was successfully utilised to actuate a microrobot placed inside a manufactured cochlea mockup model.
Topics: Equipment Design; Cochlea; Robotic Surgical Procedures; Humans; Motion; Cochlear Implantation; Surgery, Computer-Assisted; Biomechanical Phenomena
PubMed: 38941214
DOI: 10.1002/rcs.2654 -
Clinical Nutrition ESPEN Jun 2024The present systematic review and meta-analysis aims to determine the difference in the interdialytic weight gain (IDWG) between low salt intake diet and normal/high...
OBJECTIVE
The present systematic review and meta-analysis aims to determine the difference in the interdialytic weight gain (IDWG) between low salt intake diet and normal/high salt intake diet or between nutritional counseling aimed at reducing diet salt intake and no nutritional counseling in patients on chronic hemodialysis.
METHODS
Medline, PubMed, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library were searched. Randomized, crossover or parallel studies and observational studies were considered for inclusion and: 1) included adult patients on chronic hemodialysis since at least 6 months; 2) compared normal salt intake diet with low salt intake diet on IDWG; 3) compared nutritional counseling aimed at reducing diet salt intake with no intervention on IDWG; 4) reported on IDWG.
RESULTS
Eight articles (783 patients) were fully assessed for eligibility and included in the investigation. Meta-analysis showed frequencies of patients that increased their weight after dialysis more than 2.5 Kg (events) over total enrolled subjects for each group (control and experimental). As no significant heterogeneity was observed (I = 8%; p = 0.36), the pooled analysis was performed using a fixed-effect model. Funnel plot was generated and no obvious asymmetry was observed. The Overall Odds Ratio to get an event in the experimental group, in respect to controls, is 0.57 (0.33-0.97) (p = 0.04] with single studies OR ranging between 0.11 and 1.08.
CONCLUSION
The present systematic review and meta-analysis suggest that the use of a low salt diet sodium or a nutritional counseling aimed at reducing diet salt intake is associated with a statistically significant reduction of the IDWG in patients on chronic hemodialysis.
PubMed: 38941185
DOI: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2024.06.022 -
GigaScience Jan 2024Colletotrichum fungi infect a wide diversity of monocot and dicot hosts, causing diseases on almost all economically important plants worldwide. Colletotrichum is also a...
BACKGROUND
Colletotrichum fungi infect a wide diversity of monocot and dicot hosts, causing diseases on almost all economically important plants worldwide. Colletotrichum is also a suitable model for studying gene family evolution on a fine scale to uncover events in the genome associated with biological changes.
RESULTS
Here we present the genome sequences of 30 Colletotrichum species covering the diversity within the genus. Evolutionary analyses revealed that the Colletotrichum ancestor diverged in the late Cretaceous in parallel with the diversification of flowering plants. We provide evidence of independent host jumps from dicots to monocots during the evolution of Colletotrichum, coinciding with a progressive shrinking of the plant cell wall degradative arsenal and expansions in lineage-specific gene families. Comparative transcriptomics of 4 species adapted to different hosts revealed similarity in gene content but high diversity in the modulation of their transcription profiles on different plant substrates. Combining genomics and transcriptomics, we identified a set of core genes such as specific transcription factors, putatively involved in plant cell wall degradation.
CONCLUSIONS
These results indicate that the ancestral Colletotrichum were associated with dicot plants and certain branches progressively adapted to different monocot hosts, reshaping the gene content and its regulation.
Topics: Colletotrichum; Transcriptome; Genome, Fungal; Evolution, Molecular; Phylogeny; Adaptation, Physiological; Gene Expression Profiling; Plant Diseases
PubMed: 38940768
DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/giae036 -
Health Technology Assessment... Jun 2024Anterior cruciate ligament injury of the knee is common and leads to decreased activity and risk of secondary osteoarthritis of the knee. Management of patients with a... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
BACKGROUND
Anterior cruciate ligament injury of the knee is common and leads to decreased activity and risk of secondary osteoarthritis of the knee. Management of patients with a non-acute anterior cruciate ligament injury can be non-surgical (rehabilitation) or surgical (reconstruction). However, insufficient evidence exists to guide treatment.
OBJECTIVE(S)
To determine in patients with non-acute anterior cruciate ligament injury and symptoms of instability whether a strategy of surgical management (reconstruction) without prior rehabilitation was more clinically and cost-effective than non-surgical management (rehabilitation).
DESIGN
A pragmatic, multicentre, superiority, randomised controlled trial with two-arm parallel groups and 1:1 allocation. Due to the nature of the interventions, no blinding could be carried out.
SETTING
Twenty-nine NHS orthopaedic units in the United Kingdom.
PARTICIPANTS
Participants with a symptomatic (instability) non-acute anterior cruciate ligament-injured knee.
INTERVENTIONS
Patients in the surgical management arm underwent surgical anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction as soon as possible and without any further rehabilitation. Patients in the rehabilitation arm attended physiotherapy sessions and only were listed for reconstructive surgery on continued instability following rehabilitation. Surgery following initial rehabilitation was an expected outcome for many patients and within protocol.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
The primary outcome was the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score 4 at 18 months post randomisation. Secondary outcomes included return to sport/activity, intervention-related complications, patient satisfaction, expectations of activity, generic health quality of life, knee-specific quality of life and resource usage.
RESULTS
Three hundred and sixteen participants were recruited between February 2017 and April 2020 with 156 randomised to surgical management and 160 to rehabilitation. Forty-one per cent ( = 65) of those allocated to rehabilitation underwent subsequent reconstruction within 18 months with 38% ( = 61) completing rehabilitation and not undergoing surgery. Seventy-two per cent ( = 113) of those allocated to surgery underwent reconstruction within 18 months. Follow-up at the primary outcome time point was 78% ( = 248; surgical, = 128; rehabilitation, = 120). Both groups improved over time. Adjusted mean Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score 4 scores at 18 months had increased to 73.0 in the surgical arm and to 64.6 in the rehabilitation arm. The adjusted mean difference was 7.9 (95% confidence interval 2.5 to 13.2; = 0.005) in favour of surgical management. The per-protocol analyses supported the intention-to-treat results, with all treatment effects favouring surgical management at a level reaching statistical significance. There was a significant difference in Tegner Activity Score at 18 months. Sixty-eight per cent ( = 65) of surgery patients did not reach their expected activity level compared to 73% ( = 63) in the rehabilitation arm. There were no differences between groups in surgical complications ( = 1 surgery, = 2 rehab) or clinical events ( = 11 surgery, = 12 rehab). Of surgery patients, 82.9% were satisfied compared to 68.1% of rehabilitation patients. Health economic analysis found that surgical management led to improved health-related quality of life compared to non-surgical management (0.052 quality-adjusted life-years, = 0.177), but with higher NHS healthcare costs (£1107, < 0.001). The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for the surgical management programme versus rehabilitation was £19,346 per quality-adjusted life-year gained. Using £20,000-30,000 per quality-adjusted life-year thresholds, surgical management is cost-effective in the UK setting with a probability of being the most cost-effective option at 51% and 72%, respectively.
LIMITATIONS
Not all surgical patients underwent reconstruction, but this did not affect trial interpretation. The adherence to physiotherapy was patchy, but the trial was designed as pragmatic.
CONCLUSIONS
Surgical management (reconstruction) for non-acute anterior cruciate ligament-injured patients was superior to non-surgical management (rehabilitation). Although physiotherapy can still provide benefit, later-presenting non-acute anterior cruciate ligament-injured patients benefit more from surgical reconstruction without delaying for a prior period of rehabilitation.
FUTURE WORK
Confirmatory studies and those to explore the influence of fidelity and compliance will be useful.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
This trial is registered as Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN10110685; ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02980367.
FUNDING
This award was funded by the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment programme (NIHR award ref: 14/140/63) and is published in full in ; Vol. 28, No. 27. See the NIHR Funding and Awards website for further award information.
Topics: Humans; Male; Female; Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries; Adult; United Kingdom; Cost-Benefit Analysis; Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction; Quality of Life; Quality-Adjusted Life Years; Middle Aged; Young Adult; State Medicine; Joint Instability; Adolescent; Technology Assessment, Biomedical
PubMed: 38940695
DOI: 10.3310/VDKB6009 -
Journal of Agricultural and Food... Jun 2024Hydroxytyrosol, a naturally occurring compound with antioxidant and antiviral activity, is widely applied in the cosmetic, food, and nutraceutical industries. The...
Hydroxytyrosol, a naturally occurring compound with antioxidant and antiviral activity, is widely applied in the cosmetic, food, and nutraceutical industries. The development of a biocatalytic approach for producing hydroxytyrosol from simple and readily accessible substrates remains a challenge. Here, we designed and implemented an effective biocatalytic cascade to obtain hydroxytyrosol from 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde and l-threonine via a four-step enzymatic cascade composed of seven enzymes. To prevent cross-reactions and protein expression burden caused by multiple enzymes expressed in a single cell, the designed enzymatic cascade was divided into two modules and catalyzed in a stepwise manner. The first module (FM) assisted the assembly of 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde and l-threonine into (2,3)-2-amino-3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-3-hydroxypropanoic acid, and the second module (SM) entailed converting (2,3)-2-amino-3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-3-hydroxypropanoic acid into hydroxytyrosol. Each module was cloned into BL21 (DE3) and engineered in parallel by fine-tuning enzyme expression, resulting in two engineered whole-cell catalyst modules, BL21(FM01) and BL21(SM13), capable of converting 30 mM 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde to 28.7 mM hydroxytyrosol with a high space-time yield (0.88 g/L/h). To summarize, the current study proposes a simple and effective approach for biosynthesizing hydroxytyrosol from low-cost substrates and thus has great potential for industrial applications.
PubMed: 38940657
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.4c04228 -
Chembiochem : a European Journal of... Jun 2024Water-soluble phthalocyanine (Pc) derivatives have been regarded as potential G-quadruplex (G4) nucleic acid-targeting ligands for anticancer therapy and have been...
Water-soluble phthalocyanine (Pc) derivatives have been regarded as potential G-quadruplex (G4) nucleic acid-targeting ligands for anticancer therapy and have been extensively studied as effective photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy (PDT). Understanding how photosensitizers interact with nucleic acids and the subsequent photolytic reactions is essential for deciphering the initial steps of PDT, thereby aiding in the development of new photosensitizing agents. In this study, we found that red-light irradiation of a mixture of a Zn(II) Pc derivative and an all-parallel G4 DNA leads to catalytic and selective photodegradation of the DNA by reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated from the Zn(II) Pc derivative bound to DNA through a reaction mechanism similar to that of an enzyme reaction. This finding provides a novel insight into the molecular design of a photosensitizer to enhance its PDT efficacy.
PubMed: 38940417
DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202400197 -
Clinical Cardiology Jul 2024Chronic heart failure (CHF) has always posed a significant threat to human survival and health. The efficacy of thiamine supplementation in CHF patients remains... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Chronic heart failure (CHF) has always posed a significant threat to human survival and health. The efficacy of thiamine supplementation in CHF patients remains uncertain.
HYPOTHESIS
Receiving supplementary thiamine may not confer benefits to patients with CHF.
METHODS
A comprehensive search was conducted across the Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, ClinicalTrials.gov, and Web of Science databases up until May 2023 to identify articles investigating the effects of thiamine supplementation in CHF patients. Predefined criteria were utilized for selecting data on study characteristics and results.
RESULTS
Seven randomized, double-blind, controlled trials (five parallel trials and two crossover trials) involving a total of 274 patients were enrolled. The results of the meta-analysis pooling these studies did not reveal any significant effect of thiamine treatment compared with placebo on left ventricular ejection fraction (WMD = 1.653%, 95% CI: -1.098 to 4.405, p = 0.239, I = 61.8%), left ventricular end-diastolic volume (WMD = -6.831 mL, 95% CI: -26.367 to 12.704, p = 0.493, I = 0.0%), 6-min walking test (WMD = 16.526 m, 95% CI: -36.582 to 69.634, p = 0.542, I = 66.3%), N-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide (WMD = 258.150 pg/mL, 95% CI: -236.406 to 752.707, p = 0.306, I = 21.6%), or New York Heart Association class (WMD = -0.223, 95% CI: -0.781 to 0.335, p = 0.434, I = 87.1%). However, it effectively improved the status of thiamine deficiency (TD).
CONCLUSIONS
Our meta-analysis indicates that thiamine supplementation does not have a direct therapeutic effect on CHF, except for correcting TD.
Topics: Humans; Chronic Disease; Dietary Supplements; Heart Failure; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Stroke Volume; Thiamine; Treatment Outcome; Ventricular Function, Left; Vitamin B Complex
PubMed: 38940395
DOI: 10.1002/clc.24309