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Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia 2023
Topics: Humans; Pemphigus; Conjunctiva; Epidermal Cyst; Herpes Simplex
PubMed: 36949003
DOI: 10.1016/j.abd.2021.09.019 -
Bioinformation 2022CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats)/Cas9 (CRISPR-associated system) is used to edit specific genomic sequences with precision and...
CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats)/Cas9 (CRISPR-associated system) is used to edit specific genomic sequences with precision and efficacy. There are many online platforms/software for the design of gRNAs and related primers. However, there are concerns in design regarding off-site deletions besides knocking out sequences in the target genes. Nonetheless, a well known robust platform for CRISPR/gRNA primers design is CRISPRdirect. We demonstrate the use of this tool in the design of CRISPR/gRNA primers for soluble starch synthases (SSS) II-1, 2, and 3 genes in the Oryza sativa genome followed by the PCR-mediated amplification of SSS genes with corresponding confirmation towards genome editing having improved phenotype features.
PubMed: 36945226
DOI: 10.6026/97320630018471 -
Frontiers in Public Health 2023The Innovation for Gender Equality in Academia (IGEA) project is focused on the analysis of the gender composition in academia, on the identification of the health needs...
The Innovation for Gender Equality in Academia (IGEA) project is focused on the analysis of the gender composition in academia, on the identification of the health needs of the academic population and on the assessment of their organizational wellbeing, in order to promote equal working conditions and opportunities. The study, focused on the identification of health needs, involved the construction of an questionnaire in order to collect the socio-demographic characteristics and the perception of working environment of the participants. Differences between males and females were evaluated by the Mann-Whitney test, and Pearson Chi-Square or Fisher exact tests as appropriate, highlighting significant differences between genders regarding the occurrence of anxiety, panic, irritation and annoyance related to work activities. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with the perception of work-related anxiety/panic, showing a direct association with the difficulty in work performance and the work-related stress during the pandemic period, whereas, an indirect association was found with job satisfaction and the feeling of being appreciated by colleagues. Occupational stress can increase the risk of developing physical and mental conditions, also affecting work performance and absenteeism. It is therefore fundamental to plan targeted interventions, implement policies and specific actions, in order to avoid and reduce any differences related to gender.
Topics: Humans; Male; Female; Gender Equity; Occupational Stress; Job Satisfaction; Working Conditions; Work Performance
PubMed: 36895683
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1125496 -
Cureus Jan 2023Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a malignancy that arises from keratinocytes of the epidermis. Cystic variants of several types of cutaneous neoplasms have been rarely...
Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a malignancy that arises from keratinocytes of the epidermis. Cystic variants of several types of cutaneous neoplasms have been rarely described in the literature. We report a case of biopsy-proven, well-differentiated invasive SCC treated with Mohs surgery. On frozen sections, the pathology slides showed benign-appearing cystic structures in the margins that persisted after it had appeared that the original malignancy had been cleared. After taking another Mohs stage due to clinical suspicion, additional SCC was found and was subsequently cleared after two more Mohs stages. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to histologically demonstrate biopsy-proven invasive SCC with benign-appearing cystic structures on frozen sections.
PubMed: 36788857
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.33610 -
Journal of Clinical Medicine Feb 2023Epidermolysis bullosa acquisita (EBA) is a rare chronic autoimmune subepidermal blistering disease of the skin and mucous membranes, usually beginning in adulthood. EBA... (Review)
Review
Epidermolysis bullosa acquisita (EBA) is a rare chronic autoimmune subepidermal blistering disease of the skin and mucous membranes, usually beginning in adulthood. EBA is induced by autoantibodies to type VII collagen, a major component of anchoring fibrils in the dermal-epidermal junction (DEJ). The binding of autoantibodies to type-VII collagen subsequently leads to the detachment of the epidermis and the formation of mucocutaneous blisters. EBA has two major clinical subtypes: the mechanobullous and inflammatory variants. The classic mechanobullous variant presentation consists of skin fragility, bullae with minimal clinical or histological inflammation, erosions in acral distribution that heal with scarring, and milia formation. The inflammatory variant is challenging to differentiate from other autoimmune bullous diseases, most commonly bullous pemphigoid (BP) but also mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP), Brunsting-Perry pemphigoid, and linear IgA dermatosis. Due to its recalcitrance conventional treatment of epidermolysis bullosa acquisita is shown to be demanding. Here we discuss novel therapeutic strategies that have emerged and which could potentially improve the quality of life in patients with EBA.
PubMed: 36769788
DOI: 10.3390/jcm12031139 -
Skin Health and Disease Feb 2023A 65-year-old Japanese woman was referred to our department because of a 5-month history of asymptomatic papules on the face. She was diagnosed with cutaneous...
A 65-year-old Japanese woman was referred to our department because of a 5-month history of asymptomatic papules on the face. She was diagnosed with cutaneous sarcoidosis on the face 20 years ago. All of the lesions had completely disappeared with oral corticosteroids. Twenty years after the diagnosis of sarcoidosis, small papules developed in areas where the cutaneous sarcoidosis had been located. Physical examination revealed four yellow-white papules on the face. Dermoscopy revealed a homogenous, round, and yellow-white lesion. Serum levels of calcium and phosphorus were normal. Histopathology demonstrated calcium deposits in the dermis surrounded by inflammatory infiltrates without sarcoid granulomas. We made a diagnosis of calcinosis cutis. Basal cell carcinoma with calcinosis cutis, milia-like calcinosis cutis, and subcutaneous calcified nodule should be differentiated. Calcinosis cutis can be classified into four subtypes based on pathogenesis: dystrophic, metastatic, idiopathic, and iatrogenic. Dystrophic calcinosis cutis is caused by local tissue damage or abnormalities. Whereas, metastatic calcinosis cutis is often associated with hypercalcaemia, hyperphosphatemia, or hyperparathyroidism. There are reported cases of metastatic calcinosis cutis associated with sarcoidosis because patients with sarcoidosis often present with hypercalcaemia. However, dystrophic calcinosis cutis associated with sarcoidosis has been rarely reported. In the present case, systemic treatment for sarcoidosis may have degraded sarcoid granulomas and yielded necrotic tissue and dermal fibrosis, which might have induced ectopic calcification. Thus, we thought the present case consisted of dystrophic calcinosis cutis that developed in areas with cutaneous sarcoidosis in remission.
PubMed: 36751335
DOI: 10.1002/ski2.174 -
PloS One 2023The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) of the lower limbs in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonia in a non-ICU...
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) of the lower limbs in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonia in a non-ICU setting according to the different waves of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
METHODS
Multicenter, prospective study of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia admitted to Internal Medicine units in Italy during the first (March-May 2020) and subsequent waves (November 2020 -April 2021) of the pandemic using a serial compression ultrasound (CUS) surveillance to detect DVT of the lower limbs.
RESULTS
Three-hundred-sixty-three consecutive patients were enrolled. The pooled incidence of DVT was 8%: 13.5% in the first wave, and 4.2% in the subsequent waves (p = 0.002). The proportion of patients with early (< 4 days) detection of DVT was higher in patients during the first wave with respect to those of subsequent waves (8.1% vs 1.9%; p = 0.004). Patients enrolled in different waves had similar clinical characteristics, and thrombotic risk profile. Less patients during the first wave received intermediate/high dose anticoagulation with respect to those of the subsequent waves (40.5% vs 54.5%; p = 0.005); there was a significant difference in anticoagulant regimen and initiation of thromboprophylaxis at home (8.1% vs 25.1%; p<0.001).
CONCLUSIONS
In acutely ill patients with COVID-19 pneumonia, the incidence of DVT of the lower limbs showed a 3-fold decrease during the first with respect to the subsequent waves of the pandemic. A significant increase in thromboprophylaxis initiation prior to hospitalization, and the increase of the intensity of anticoagulation during hospitalization, likely, played a relevant role to explain this observation.
Topics: Humans; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; Prospective Studies; Anticoagulants; Incidence; Pandemics; Risk Factors; Venous Thromboembolism; Venous Thrombosis; Lower Extremity
PubMed: 36730264
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0280247 -
Bioinformatics Advances 2022Recently, several computational modeling approaches, such as agent-based models, have been applied to study the interaction dynamics between immune and tumor cells in...
MOTIVATION
Recently, several computational modeling approaches, such as agent-based models, have been applied to study the interaction dynamics between immune and tumor cells in human cancer. However, each tumor is characterized by a specific and unique tumor microenvironment, emphasizing the need for specialized and personalized studies of each cancer scenario.
RESULTS
We present MAST, a hybrid Multi-Agent Spatio-Temporal model which can be informed using a data-driven approach to simulate unique tumor subtypes and tumor-immune dynamics starting from high-throughput sequencing data. It captures essential components of the tumor microenvironment by coupling a discrete agent-based model with a continuous partial differential equations-based model.The application to real data of human colorectal cancer tissue investigating the spatio-temporal evolution and emergent properties of four simulated human colorectal cancer subtypes, along with their agreement with current biological knowledge of tumors and clinical outcome endpoints in a patient cohort, endorse the validity of our approach.
AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION
MAST, implemented in Python language, is freely available with an open-source license through GitLab (https://gitlab.com/sysbiobig/mast), and a Docker image is provided to ease its deployment. The submitted software version and test data are available in Zenodo at https://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7267745.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
Supplementary data are available at online.
PubMed: 36699399
DOI: 10.1093/bioadv/vbac092