Spotted fever group rickettsiae in hard ticks in eastern and southern Kazakhstan.

Infections with spotted fever group rickettsiae represent a worldwide health problem, characterized by persistent high fever, headache, and rash in humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. To date, the occurrence of Rickettsia species in hard ticks has not been thoroughly studied, especially in eastern and southern Kazakhstan. A total of 1,245 adult ticks, comprising 734 Dermacentor marginatus, 219 Hyalomma scupense, 144 Hyalomma asiaticum, 84 Hyalomma marginatum, 48 Rhipicephalus turanicus, and 16 Haemaphysalis erinacei, collected from East Kazakhstan, Abay, Jetsu, Almaty, Jambyl, South Kazakhstan and Qyzylorda oblasts of Kazakhstan, were used to screen rickettsial agents using molecular methods.

Enabling simultaneous valorization of tannery effluent and waste plastic via sustainable preparation of Cr-BDC MOFs for water adsorption.

Advanced materials undergo a complex and lengthy process of maturation for scaling up and deployment, mainly due to the high cost of their precursors. Therefore, it is highly desirable to fabricate highly valuable advanced porous solid-state materials, with proven applicability, by sustainably combining organic and inorganic waste materials as precursors. This study successfully demonstrates the preparation of Cr-terephthalate Metal-Organic Frameworks (Cr-BDC MOFs) by combining metal salt and organic linker extracted from tannery effluent and waste plastic bottles.

Clinical Outcome in Patients With Early-Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer Treated With Surgery or Radiation in the Absence of Prophylactic Cranial Irradiation: A Single-Center Retrospective Study.

Purpose: As screening chest computed tomography for patients at high risk for cancer has become more widely accepted, increasing numbers of patients with early-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC) are being diagnosed. Although surgery is an accepted option for patients with early-stage SCLC, for patients who decline or cannot undergo surgery, stereotactic body radiation treatment (SBRT) is an alternative. Although prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) improves survival in patients with limited-stage SCLC, PCI for early-stage SCLC (stage T1-T2) has not been explored.

Augmented impulsive behavior in febrile seizure-induced mice.

Febrile seizure (FS) is one of the most prevalent etiological events in childhood affecting 2-5% of children from 3 months to 5 years old. Debates on whether neurodevelopmental consequences rise in later life following a febrile seizure or not are still ongoing however there is limited evidence of its effect, especially in a laboratory setting. Moreover, the comparative study using both male and female animal models is sparse.

Feasibility of radical cardiac-sparing, treatment planning strategies for patients with locally advanced, non-small cell lung cancer.

Purpose: A set of treatment planning strategies were designed and retrospectively implemented for locally advanced, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients in order to minimize cardiac dose without compromising target coverage goals.

Methods: Retrospective analysis was performed for 20 NSCLC patients prescribed to 60-66 Gy that received a mean heart dose (MHD) ≥10 Gy. Three planning approaches were designed and implemented.

MRI-guided Radiotherapy (MRgRT) for Treatment of Oligometastases: Review of Clinical Applications and Challenges.

Purpose: Early clinical results on the application of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) coupled with a linear accelerator to deliver Magnetic Resonance-guided Radiation Therapy (MRgRT) have demonstrated feasibility for safe delivery of stereotactic body radiation therapy in treatment of oligometastatic disease. Here, we set out to review the clinical evidence and challenges associated with MRgRT in this setting.

Methods And Materials: We performed a systematic review of the literature pertaining to clinical experiences and trials on the use of MRgRT primarily for the treatment of oligometastatic cancers.

Behavioral Deficits in Adolescent Mice after Sub-Chronic Administration of NMDA during Early Stage of Postnatal Development.

Neurodevelopmental disorders are complex conditions that pose difficulty in the modulation of proper motor, sensory and cognitive function due to dysregulated neuronal development. Previous studies have reported that an imbalance in the excitation/ inhibition (E/I) in the brain regulated by glutamatergic and/or GABAergic neurotransmission can cause neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric behavioral deficits such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). NMDA acts as an agonist at the NMDA receptor and imitates the action of the glutamate on that receptor.

Autism-Like Behavioral Phenotypes in Mice Treated with Systemic N-Methyl-D-Aspartate.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) having core characteristics of social interaction problems and repetitive behaviors and interests affects individuals at varying degrees and comorbidities, making it difficult to determine the precise etiology underlying the symptoms. Given its heterogeneity, ASD is difficult to treat and the development of therapeutics is slow due to the scarcity of animal models that are easy to produce and screen with. Based on the theory of excitation/inhibition imbalance in the brain with ASD which involves glutamatergic and/or GABAergic neurotransmission, a pharmacologic agent to modulate these receptors might be a good starting point for modeling.

Synergistic efficacy and diminished adverse effect profile of composite treatment of several ADHD medications.

Although attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is widely studied, problems regarding the adverse effect risks and non-responder problems still need to be addressed. Combination pharmacotherapy using standard dose regimens of existing medication is currently being practiced mainly to augment the therapeutic efficacy of each drug. The idea of combining different pharmacotherapies with different molecular targets to alleviate the symptoms of ADHD and its comorbidities requires scientific evidence, necessitating the investigation of their therapeutic efficacy and the mechanisms underlying the professed synergistic effects.

Differential guest location by host dynamics enhances propylene/propane separation in a metal-organic framework.

Energy-efficient approaches to propylene/propane separation such as molecular sieving are of considerable importance for the petrochemical industry. The metal organic framework NbOFFIVE-1-Ni adsorbs propylene but not propane at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, whereas the isostructural SIFSIX-3-Ni does not exclude propane under the same conditions. The static dimensions of the pore openings of both materials are too small to admit either guest, signalling the importance of host dynamics for guest entrance to and transport through the channels.

Recapitulation of Neuropsychiatric Behavioral Features in Mice Using Acute Low-dose MK-801 Administration.

Despite some innate limitations, animal models are a potent investigative tool when used to model specific symptoms of a disorder. For example, MK-801, an N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist, is used as a pharmacological tool to induce symptoms found in some neuropsychiatric disorders. However, a close examination of literature suggests that the application window of MK-801 doses is relatively narrow between individual behavioral paradigms, necessitating careful characterization of the evoked behavioral aberrations and the doses used to induce them.

Enriching the Reticular Chemistry Repertoire with Minimal Edge-Transitive Related Nets: Access to Highly Coordinated Metal-Organic Frameworks Based on Double Six-Membered Rings as Net-Coded Building Units.

Minimal edge-transitive nets are regarded as suitable blueprints for the successful practice of reticular chemistry, and par excellence ideal for the deliberate design and rational construction of highly coordinated metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). We report the systematic generation of the highly connected minimal edge-transitive nets (transitivity [32]) from parent edge-transitive nets (transitivity [21] or [11]), and their use as a guide for the deliberate design and directional assembly of highly coordinated MOFs from their associated net-coded building units (-cBUs), 12-connected (12-c) double six-membered ring (d6R) building units. Notably, the generated nets enclose the distinctive highly coordinated d6R (12-c) due to the subsequent coordination number increase in one node of the resultant new net; that is, the (3,4,12)-c net is the (4,6)-c - net, and the (3,6,12)-c and nets are the (6,6)-c - nets.

Imaging defects and their evolution in a metal-organic framework at sub-unit-cell resolution.

Defect engineering of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) offers promising opportunities for tailoring their properties to specific functions and applications. However, determining the structures of defects in MOFs-either point defects or extended ones-has proved challenging owing to the difficulty of directly probing local structures in these typically fragile crystals. Here we report the real-space observation, with sub-unit-cell resolution, of structural defects in the catalytic MOF UiO-66 using a combination of low-dose transmission electron microscopy and electron crystallography.

Room-temperature synthesis of a new stable (NH)WO compound: a route for hydrazine trapping.

A new (NH)WO compound has been obtained by mixing WO and aqueous hydrazine solution at room temperature for 24 h. The reaction is catalyzed by the presence of lithium. X-ray, synchrotron and neutron diffraction techniques have shown that the material crystallizes in trigonal space group P321 (No.

Fluorinated MOF platform for selective removal and sensing of SO from flue gas and air.

Conventional SO scrubbing agents, namely calcium oxide and zeolites, are often used to remove SO using a strong or irreversible adsorption-based process. However, adsorbents capable of sensing and selectively capturing this toxic molecule in a reversible manner, with in-depth understanding of structure-property relationships, have been rarely explored. Here we report the selective removal and sensing of SO using recently unveiled fluorinated metal-organic frameworks (MOFs).

Conformation-Controlled Molecular Sieving Effects for Membrane-Based Propylene/Propane Separation.

Membrane-based separation is poised to reduce the operation cost of propylene/propane separation; however, identifying a suitable molecular sieve for membrane development is still an ongoing challenge. Here, the successful identification and use of a metal-organic framework (MOF) material as fillers, namely, the Zr-fum-fcu-MOF possessing an optimal contracted triangular pore-aperture driving the efficient diffusive separation of propylene from propane in mixed-matrix membranes are reported. It is demonstrated that the fabricated hybrid membranes display a high propylene/propane separation performance, far beyond the current trade-off limit of polymer membranes with excellent properties under industrial conditions.

Comparative Behavioral Correlation of High and Low-Performing Mice in the Forced Swim Test.

Behavioral analysis in mice provided important contributions in helping understand and treat numerous neurobehavioral and neuropsychiatric disorders. The behavioral performance of animals and humans is widely different among individuals but the neurobehavioral mechanism of the innate difference is seldom investigated. Many neurologic conditions share comorbid symptoms that may have common pathophysiology and therapeutic strategy.

Concurrent Sensing of CO and HO from Air Using Ultramicroporous Fluorinated Metal-Organic Frameworks: Effect of Transduction Mechanism on the Sensing Performance.

Conventional materials for gas/vapor sensing are limited to a single probe detection ability for specific analytes. However, materials capable of concurrent detection of two different probes in their respective harmful levels and using two types of sensing modes have yet to be explored. In particular, the concurrent detection of uncomfortable humidity levels and CO concentration (400-5000 ppm) in confined spaces is of extreme importance in a great variety of fields, such as submarine technology, aerospace, mining, and rescue operations.

Sex-specific Behavioral Features of Rodent Models of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Sex is an important factor in understanding the clinical presentation, management, and developmental trajectory of children with neuropsychiatric disorders. While much is known about the clinical and neurobehavioral profiles of males with neuropsychiatric disorders, surprisingly little is known about females in this respect. Animal models may provide detailed mechanistic information about sex differences in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in terms of manifestation, disease progression, and development of therapeutic options.

Enhanced Separation of Butane Isomers via Defect Control in a Fumarate/Zirconium-Based Metal Organic Framework.

The discovery of appropriate synthetic reaction conditions for fabricating a stable zirconium-based molecular sieve (Zr-fum-fcu-MOF) with minimal defects and its utilization in the challenging separation of linear paraffins from branched paraffins is reported. The crystallinity and structural defects were modulated and adjusted at the molecular level by controlling the synthetic reaction conditions (i.e.

Trianglamine-Based Supramolecular Organic Framework with Permanent Intrinsic Porosity and Tunable Selectivity.

Here we introduce for the first time a metal-free trianglamine-based supramolecular organic framework, T-SOF-1, with permanent intrinsic porosity and high affinity to CO. The capability of tuning the pore aperture dimensions is also demonstrated by molecular guest encapsulation to afford excellent CO/CH separation for natural gas upgrading.

Enabling Fluorinated MOF-Based Membranes for Simultaneous Removal of H S and CO from Natural Gas.

Membrane-based gas separations are energy efficient processes; however, major challenges remain to develop high-performance membranes enabling the replacement of conventional separation processes. Herein, a new fluorinated MOF-based mixed-matrix membrane is reported, which is formed by incorporating the MOF crystals into selected polymers via a facile mixed-matrix approach. By finely controlling the molecular transport in the channels through the MOF apertures tuned by metal pillars and at the MOF-polymer interfaces, the resulting fluorinated MOF-based membranes exhibit excellent molecular sieving properties.

Achieving Superprotonic Conduction with a 2D Fluorinated Metal-Organic Framework.

A hydrolytically stable metal-organic framework (MOF) material, named KAUST-7', was derived from a structural phase change of KAUST-7 upon exposure to conditions akin to protonic conduction (363 K/95% relative humidity). KAUST 7' exhibited a superprotonic conductivity as evidenced by the impedance spectroscopic measurement revealing an exceptional conductivity up to 2.0 × 10 S cm at 363 K and under 95% RH, a performance maintained over 7 days.

Anisotropic Bladder Planning Target Volume in Bladder Radiation Therapy.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate 3 planning target volume (PTV) margin expansions and determine the most appropriate volume to be used in bladder preservation therapy when using daily cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). We aimed to establish whether a smaller PTV expansion is feasible without risking geographical miss.

Methods And Materials: The study included patients with bladder cancer who were treated with a hypofractionated course of radiation therapy delivered with intensity modulated radiation therapy.