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The Kurume Medical Journal May 2024A 35-year-old pregnant woman was referred to our institution at 33 weeks' gestation for evaluation of a fetal abdominal tumor. B-mode ultrasonography demonstrated a...
A 35-year-old pregnant woman was referred to our institution at 33 weeks' gestation for evaluation of a fetal abdominal tumor. B-mode ultrasonography demonstrated a massive lesion. Bidirectional power Doppler mode showed abundant blood flow surrounding the tumor. On superb micro-vascular imaging, various Doppler signal patterns were observed within the tumor, including diffuse fine dotted-like signals, linear flow, and internal shunt flow. Sequential observations of the tumor and cardiac cycles also revealed pulsatile flow beneath the edges of the tumor and continuous fine flow in the central area, resembling a 'centripetal fill-in' appearance on contrast computed tomography. Therefore, we assumed the fetal tumor to be a hepatic hemangioma. Fetal heart failure was detected at 37 weeks' gestation, and a 2,484-g female infant was delivered with 1- and 5-min Apgar scores of 7 and 8, respectively. A postnatal contrast computed tomography examination showed a progressive centripetal fill-in appearance, leading to a diagnosis of hepatic hemangioma. Kasabach-Merritt syndrome was also noted. Intensive treatment was performed, and the infant was discharged at 3 months after birth. In summary, we experienced a case of hepatic hemangioma diagnosed in utero using superb micro-vascular imaging. And basing seamless postnatal treatments on prenatal imaging findings may help to reduce the perinatal mortality.
PubMed: 38763740
DOI: 10.2739/kurumemedj.MS7012008 -
Carbohydrate Polymers Aug 2024The dynamic interplay between cells and their native extracellular matrix (ECM) influences cellular behavior, imposing a challenge in biomaterial design. Dynamic...
The dynamic interplay between cells and their native extracellular matrix (ECM) influences cellular behavior, imposing a challenge in biomaterial design. Dynamic covalent hydrogels are viscoelastic and show self-healing ability, making them a potential scaffold for recapitulating native ECM properties. We aimed to implement kinetically and thermodynamically distinct crosslinkers to prepare self-healing dynamic hydrogels to explore the arising properties and their effects on cellular behavior. To do so, aldehyde-substituted hyaluronic acid (HA) was synthesized to generate imine, hydrazone, and oxime crosslinked dynamic covalent hydrogels. Differences in equilibrium constants of these bonds yielded distinct properties including stiffness, stress relaxation, and self-healing ability. The effects of degree of substitution (DS), polymer concentration, crosslinker to aldehyde ratio, and crosslinker functionality on hydrogel properties were evaluated. The self-healing ability of hydrogels was investigated on samples of the same and different crosslinkers and DS to obtain hydrogels with gradient properties. Subsequently, human dermal fibroblasts were cultured in 2D and 3D to assess the cellular response considering the dynamic properties of the hydrogels. Moreover, assessing cell spreading and morphology on hydrogels having similar modulus but different stress relaxation rates showed the effects of matrix viscoelasticity with higher cell spreading in slower relaxing hydrogels.
Topics: Hyaluronic Acid; Hydrogels; Humans; Fibroblasts; Schiff Bases; Cross-Linking Reagents; Biocompatible Materials; Extracellular Matrix; Cells, Cultured
PubMed: 38763720
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2024.122173 -
Carbohydrate Polymers Aug 20242-Hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPBCD) is one of the most important cyclodextrin derivatives, finding extensive applications in the pharmaceutical sector. Beyond its...
2-Hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPBCD) is one of the most important cyclodextrin derivatives, finding extensive applications in the pharmaceutical sector. Beyond its role as an excipient, HPBCD achieved orphan drug status in 2015 for Niemann-Pick type C disease treatment, prompting research into its therapeutic potential for various disorders. However, the acceptance of HPBCD as an active pharmaceutical ingredient may be impeded by its complex nature. Indeed, HPBCD is not a single entity with a well-defined structure, instead, it is a complex mixture of isomers varying in substituent positions and the degree of hydroxypropylation, posing several challenges for unambiguous characterization. Pharmacopoeias' methods only address the average hydroxypropylation extent, lacking a rapid approach to characterize the substituent positions on the CD scaffold. Recognizing that the distribution of substituents significantly influences the complexation ability and overall activity of the derivative, primarily by altering cavity dimensions, we present a straightforward and non-destructive method based on liquid state NMR spectroscopy to analyze the positions of the hydroxypropyl sidechains. This method relies on a single set of routine experiments to establish quantitative assignment and it provides a simple yet effective tool to disclose the substitution pattern of this complex material, utilizing easily accessible (400 MHz NMR) instrumentation.
Topics: 2-Hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Excipients
PubMed: 38763706
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2024.122167 -
Food Research International (Ottawa,... Jul 2024Price is one of the most important product-extrinsic factors influencing the consumers' response to, and presumably experience of, wine. This is ironic inasmuch as the... (Review)
Review
Price is one of the most important product-extrinsic factors influencing the consumers' response to, and presumably experience of, wine. This is ironic inasmuch as the research tends to highlight either no, or else even a slightly negative relationship between price and liking in typical consumers when they taste wines blind. Nevertheless, providing price information, especially when it is high leads to enhanced taste ratings, especially for low to mid-priced wines. Similarly, bottle and label information (that makes a wine look cheaper or more expensive) has also been shown to influence the evaluation of wine by regular consumers (i.e., non-experts). Indeed, product-extrinsic information often appears to outweigh the product-intrinsic sensory attributes of wine in people's hedonic (in not necessarily in their sensory-discriminative) ratings. Such findings therefore highlight the importance of cognitive as compared to direct sensory cues in the evaluation of wine. This narrative historical review critically reviews and evaluates the published experimental literature that has examined the impact of price on wine ratings.
Topics: Wine; Humans; Consumer Behavior; Taste; Cognition; Commerce; Taste Perception
PubMed: 38763664
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2024.114411 -
Food Research International (Ottawa,... Jul 2024Due to the constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic, conducting sensory evaluations requiring direct interactions became challenging. In response, researchers have been...
Due to the constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic, conducting sensory evaluations requiring direct interactions became challenging. In response, researchers have been motivated to devise non-face-to-face testing methods as alternatives. This study aimed to compare two non-face-to-face home-use tests (HUT) with the traditional face-to-face central location test (CLT). Both HUTs involved online recruitment and sample delivery to participants' homes. One HUT provided a written protocol with no direct interaction (contactless HUT; C-HUT), whereas the other included an online meeting with a researcher for live guidance (online HUT; O-HUT). Four coffee samples were evaluated on the basis of liking and sensory and emotional attributes. The comparison between CLT and O-HUT showed RV coefficients of 0.92, 0.93, and 0.98 (P < 0.05) for liking and sensory and emotional attributes, respectively. In addition, based on the RV coefficient, the CLT results showed a significantly greater similarity to those of O-HUT compared to those of C-HUT. The O-HUT also outperformed the C-HUT in its ability to significantly discriminate between samples. Hence, real-time interactions between researchers and participants, as facilitated by O-HUT, may be more suitable in certain scenarios compared to C-HUT, which relies solely on a written protocol. Overall, these findings suggest that C-HUT and O-HUT are suitable methods for collecting sensory data and overcoming geographic and face-to-face contact limitations, providing greater flexibility, and reducing the time and cost associated with traditional sensory evaluations.
Topics: Humans; Coffee; Consumer Behavior; Male; Female; Adult; COVID-19; Young Adult; Taste; Middle Aged; SARS-CoV-2; Emotions; Food Preferences; Internet
PubMed: 38763638
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2024.114349 -
Food Research International (Ottawa,... Jul 2024Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a significant public health threat, with the food production chain, and, specifically, fermented products, as a potential vehicle for...
Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of antimicrobial resistances reveals the effect of the production chain in reducing resistant lactic acid bacteria in an artisanal raw ewe milk PDO cheese.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a significant public health threat, with the food production chain, and, specifically, fermented products, as a potential vehicle for dissemination. However, information about dairy products, especially raw ewe milk cheeses, is limited. The present study analysed, for the first time, the occurrence of AMRs related to lactic acid bacteria (LAB) along a raw ewe milk cheese production chain for the most common antimicrobial agents used on farms (dihydrostreptomycin, benzylpenicillin, amoxicillin and polymyxin B). More than 200 LAB isolates were obtained and identified by Sanger sequencing (V1-V3 16S rRNA regions); these isolates included 8 LAB genera and 21 species. Significant differences in LAB composition were observed throughout the production chain (P ≤ 0.001), with Enterococcus (e.g., E. hirae and E. faecalis) and Bacillus (e.g., B. thuringiensis and B. cereus) predominating in ovine faeces and raw ewe milk, respectively, along with Lactococcus (L. lactis) in whey and fresh cheeses, while Lactobacillus and Lacticaseibacillus species (e.g., Lactobacillus sp. and L. paracasei) prevailed in ripened cheeses. Phenotypically, by broth microdilution, Lactococcus, Enterococcus and Bacillus species presented the greatest resistance rates (on average, 78.2 %, 56.8 % and 53.4 %, respectively), specifically against polymyxin B, and were more susceptible to dihydrostreptomycin. Conversely, Lacticaseibacillus and Lactobacillus were more susceptible to all antimicrobials tested (31.4 % and 39.1 %, respectively). Thus, resistance patterns and multidrug resistance were reduced along the production chain (P ≤ 0.05). Genotypically, through HT-qPCR, 31 antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) and 6 mobile genetic elements (MGEs) were detected, predominating Str, StrB and aadA-01, related to aminoglycoside resistance, and the transposons tnpA-02 and tnpA-01. In general, a significant reduction in ARGs and MGEs abundances was also observed throughout the production chain (P ≤ 0.001). The current findings indicate that LAB dynamics throughout the raw ewe milk cheese production chain facilitated a reduction in AMRs, which has not been reported to date.
Topics: Animals; Cheese; Milk; Sheep; Lactobacillales; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Phenotype; Food Microbiology; Genotype; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Feces; Female
PubMed: 38763625
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2024.114308 -
Journal of Bodywork and Movement... Apr 2024Exercise adherence is necessary for achieving long-term benefits. Along with other elements, stories and narratives can play a role in understanding and promoting...
INTRODUCTION
Exercise adherence is necessary for achieving long-term benefits. Along with other elements, stories and narratives can play a role in understanding and promoting adherence. The aim of the present study was to explore how stories and narratives may affect adherence to Pilates.
METHOD
8 Pilates practitioners who had been participating in a Pilates program for 6 or more years were interviewed. Data obtained were analysed using thematic narrative analysis, (focusing on the whats of stories) and holistic narrative analysis (examining how narratives acted on adherence).
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Results highlight pain, Pilates as a health-related method, and the social relations as characters, plots and scenarios of stories enhancing long-term participation in Pilates. Exercise is medicine and eudaimonic well-being are presented as narratives articulating the coherence to practitioners' adherence. They act for participants subjectivizing their Pilates practice into a serious commitment to health.
CONCLUSION
Stories and narratives are relevant to give meaning and sense to the adherence to Pilates. A focus on stories can be added as a strategy to promote adherence to Pilates.
Topics: Humans; Exercise Movement Techniques; Female; Male; Adult; Narration; Patient Compliance; Middle Aged; Qualitative Research
PubMed: 38763604
DOI: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2024.03.046 -
Journal of Bodywork and Movement... Apr 2024Individuals who experience migraines often seek out a variety of treatment options including manual or physical therapy. Evidence suggests that manual therapy, including...
BACKGROUND
Individuals who experience migraines often seek out a variety of treatment options including manual or physical therapy. Evidence suggests that manual therapy, including osteopathy, can play a role in the management of migraines. Whilst there is some literature on the role osteopathy therapy plays in migraine management, none describes the treatment approaches used by practitioners.
OBJECTIVES
To explore the demographic, practice and clinical management characteristics of Australian osteopaths who report treating migraine 'often' in clinical practice.
METHODS
Secondary analysis of a cross-sectional survey of 988 osteopaths from the Osteopathy Research and Innovation Network (ORION), an Australian practice-based research network. Regression analysis was used to identify demographic, practice and clinical management characteristics of Australian osteopaths who reported 'often' treating migraine patients.
RESULTS
Over 40% of respondents (n = 400) indicated treating patients with migraines 'often'. These osteopaths were less likely to be involved in research and be co-located with a dietician compared to osteopaths who do 'not often' treat migraine. Osteopaths who reported 'often' treating migraine were: five times as likely to treat non-English speaking ethnic groups; 2.5 times as likely to treat chronic pain, temporomandibular joint disorders and hand musculoskeletal complaints; compared to those that do not treat migraines 'often'.
CONCLUSION
Australian osteopaths who treat migraine are five times more likely to treat non-English speaking ethnic groups; twice as likely to treat chronic pain; temporomandibular joint disorders, and hand musculoskeletal complaints. More research is needed to identify the practices and patient outcomes associated with osteopathy care for those experiencing migraines.
Topics: Humans; Migraine Disorders; Australia; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Male; Middle Aged; Adult; Manipulation, Osteopathic; Osteopathic Medicine; Temporomandibular Joint Disorders; Practice Patterns, Physicians'
PubMed: 38763598
DOI: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2024.03.041 -
Journal of Bodywork and Movement... Apr 2024Persistent musculoskeletal pain (PMP) is multifactorial and causes both societal and financial burdens. Integration of multifactorial management in patients with PMP...
INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE
Persistent musculoskeletal pain (PMP) is multifactorial and causes both societal and financial burdens. Integration of multifactorial management in patients with PMP remains challenging. A single-case experimental design was performed on three patients suffering from high impact PMP (lumbar spine, shoulder and knee) to i) assess the potential for Cognitive Functional Therapy (CFT) in interdisciplinary care, ii) describe in detail the clinical journey patients experienced during the intervention, and iii) evaluate the changes and associations in relation to the outcome measures of pain, disability, maladaptive movement behavior, subjective overall improvement, health related quality of life and work status. These were monitored over one year, at the end of each of the six intervention modules.
RESULTS
After introducing the intervention systematic changes were seen, with medium to large changes (Non-overlap of All Pairs 0.67-1) for all outcome measures. Associations between changes of the outcome measures were large (r ≥ 0.50) and changes occurred concurrently. Minimally clinically important difference thresholds were exceeded for all outcome measures and two patients achieved relevant improvements related to work reintegration.
DISCUSSION
The positive results of this study are comparable with recent CFT studies. However, the difference regarding the number of sessions and duration of the intervention is evident. The length of the intervention in this study seemed to enable continuous significant improvements up until 12 months post onset and follow-up.
CONCLUSION
CFT in interdisciplinary care was effective for all measures. The detailed descriptions of the clinical processes aim to improve clinical care.
Topics: Humans; Female; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; Male; Quality of Life; Middle Aged; Adult; Musculoskeletal Pain; Chronic Pain; Patient Care Team
PubMed: 38763565
DOI: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2023.11.063 -
Molecular Metabolism May 2024Aggregation and misfolding of amyloid beta (Aβ) and tau proteins, suggested to arise from post-translational modification processes, are thought to be the main cause of...
OBJECTIVES
Aggregation and misfolding of amyloid beta (Aβ) and tau proteins, suggested to arise from post-translational modification processes, are thought to be the main cause of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Additionally, a plethora of evidence exists that links metabolic dysfunctions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes (T2D), and dyslipidemia to the pathogenesis of AD. We thus investigated the combinatory effect of T2D and human glutaminyl cyclase activity (pyroglutamylation), on the pathology of AD and whether astaxanthin (ASX) treatment ameliorates accompanying pathophysiological manifestations.
METHODS
Male transgenic AD mice, APPxhQC, expressing human APP751 with the Swedish and the London mutation and human glutaminyl cyclase (hQC) enzyme and their non-transgenic (NTG) littermates were used. Both APPxhQC and NTG mice were allocated to 3 groups, control, T2D-control, and T2D-ASX. Mice were fed control or high fat diet ± ASX for 13 weeks starting at an age of 11-12 months. High fat diet fed mice were further treated with streptozocin for T2D induction. Effects of genotype, T2D induction, and ASX treatment were evaluated by analysing glycemic readouts, lipid concentration, Aβ deposition, hippocampus-dependent cognitive function and nutrient sensing using immunosorbent assay, ELISA-based assays, western blotting, immunofluorescence staining, and behavioral testing via Morris water maze (MWM), respectively.
RESULTS
APPxhQC mice presented a higher glucose sensitivity compared to NTG mice. T2D-induced brain dysfunction was more severe in NTG compared to the APPxhQC mice. T2D induction impaired memory functions while increasing hepatic LC3B, ABCA1, and p65 levels in NTG mice. T2D induction resulted in a progressive shift of Aβ from the soluble to insoluble form in APPxhQC mice. ASX treatment reversed T2D- induced memory dysfunction in NTG mice and in parallel increased hepatic pAKT while decreasing p65 and increasing cerebral p-S6rp and p65 levels. ASX treatment reduced soluble Aβ38 and Aβ40 and insoluble Aβ40 levels in T2D-induced APPxhQC mice.
CONCLUSIONS
We demonstrate that T2D induction in APPxhQC mice poses additional risk for AD pathology as seen by increased Aβ deposition. Although ASX treatment reduced Aβ expression in T2D-induced APPxhQC mice and rescued T2D-induced memory impairment in NTG mice, ASX treatment alone may not be effective in cases of T2D comorbidity and AD.
PubMed: 38763496
DOI: 10.1016/j.molmet.2024.101959