[Expression and enzymatic characterization of a chitosanase with tolerance to a wide range of pH from ].

To screen and identify a chitosanase with high stability, we cloned the chitosanase gene from with a high protease yield from the barren saline-alkali soil and expressed this gene in . The expressed chitosanase of . (BA-CSN) was purified by nickel-affinity column chromatography.

Reversing Cochlear Nucleus Maladaptive Plasticity via Customized Extracochlear Stimulation: A New Approach for Tinnitus Treatment.

Tinnitus, a widespread condition affecting numerous individuals worldwide, remains a significant challenge due to limited effective therapeutic interventions. Intriguingly, patients using cochlear implants (CIs) have reported significant relief from tinnitus symptoms, although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear and intracochlear implantation risks cochlear damage and hearing loss. This study demonstrates that targeted intracochlear electrical stimulation (ES) in guinea pigs with noise-induced hearing loss reversed tinnitus-related maladaptive plasticity in the cochlear nucleus (CN), characterized by reduced auditory innervation, increased somatosensory innervation, and diminished inhibitory neural networks.

Emerging threats in Сentral Asia: Comparative characterization of organic and elemental carbon in ambient PM in urban cities of Kazakhstan.

This study (June 2022-July 2023) investigates the atmospheric concentrations of carbonaceous species, including organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC), in PM in two major cities in Kazakhstan. Samples were collected from two sites in Almaty (Seifullin and KazNU) and one in Astana. The results showed that Almaty had significantly higher annual average concentrations of OC (10.

Characterizing the SARS-CoV-2 antibody response and associations with patient factors: Serological profiling of participants enrolled in the GENCOV study.

Introduction: The GENCOV study sought to evaluate serological differences between individuals with differing COVID-19 severity and outcomes. We assessed the SARS-CoV-2 antibody response of GENCOV participants cross-sectionally 1-, 6-, and 12-months following COVID-19 diagnosis to identify patient factors associated with more robust and durable humoral immune responses.

Materials And Methods: COVID-19 patients and a control cohort of vaccinated infection-naïve participants were recruited at hospital sites across the Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, Canada.

Complete Mitogenomes of Xinjiang Hares and Their Selective Pressure Considerations.

Comparative analysis based on the mitogenomes of hares in Xinjiang, China, is limited. In this study, the complete mitochondrial genomes of seven hare samples including four hare species and their hybrids from different environments were sequenced, assembled, and annotated. Subsequently, we performed base content and bias analysis, tRNA analysis, phylogenetic analysis, and amino acid sequence analysis of the annotated genes to understand their characteristics and phylogenetic relationship.

The Importance of Multidisciplinary Treatment Planning: Revision Treatment for Maxillary and Mandibular Arches Following Catastrophic Failure of Initial Implant Reconstruction.

The high success rate of current dental implant protocols makes studies of catastrophic failures a rarity; however, this article presents a case study in which faulty medical intervention was the direct cause of traumatic implant failure. The patient, who had been treated with implants that successfully osseointegrated, ultimately experienced a life-threatening medical incident due to an ill-fitting definitive prosthesis. This case report includes a detailed narrative of how this patient, who began his dental journey with compromised and missing teeth, became edentulous and then, following an arduous recovery, was restored to full function with a meticulously planned revision treatment.

What Predicts Complete Response to Total Neoadjuvant Therapy in Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer?

Background: Total neoadjuvant therapy in the treatment of stage II and III rectal cancer involves the administration of either induction or consolidation chemotherapy with chemoradiation before surgery. Total neoadjuvant therapy is associated with an increased complete response rate, which is defined as the proportion of patients who either had a pathological complete response after surgery or sustained a clinical complete response for at least 1 year under surveillance.

Objective: To identify the predictors of complete response to total neoadjuvant therapy and compare different diagnostic tools in predicting complete response.

Measures of insulin resistance and beta cell function before and after treatment of HCV infection.

The association between chronic HCV infection and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been established; however, there is limited research on β-cell function particularly in the pre-diabetic population. Here, we evaluated indices of β-cell function and insulin sensitivity across the spectrum from normal glucose tolerance to T2DM in individuals with and without chronic hepatitis C (CHC), and the effects of antiviral treatments on these variables. A total of 153 non-cirrhotic, non-fibrotic CHC patients with a BMI <25 were enrolled in the study.

Declining Levels of Neutralizing Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variants Are Enhanced by Hybrid Immunity and Original/Omicron Bivalent Vaccination.

We determined neutralizing antibody levels to the ancestral Wuhan SARS-CoV-2 strain and three Omicron variants, namely BA.5, XBB.1.

Hybrid immunity from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection and vaccination in Canadian adults: A cohort study.

Background: Few national-level studies have evaluated the impact of 'hybrid' immunity (vaccination coupled with recovery from infection) from the Omicron variants of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

Methods: From May 2020 to December 2022, we conducted serial assessments (each of ~4000-9000 adults) examining SARS-CoV-2 antibodies within a mostly representative Canadian cohort drawn from a national online polling platform. Adults, most of whom were vaccinated, reported viral test-confirmed infections and mailed self-collected dried blood spots (DBSs) to a central lab.

Effect of catheter needle caliber on polidocanol foam stability in foam sclerotherapy.

Background: Although sclerotherapy is widely used to treat vascular malformations (VMs), it is associated with several challenges. One significant issue is the insufficient understanding of the influence of various factors on the stability of polidocanol (POL) foam used in sclerotherapy.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the effect of the catheter needle caliber on foam stability when using POL with or without hyaluronic acid (HA) for the treatment of VMs.

Antithrombotic pharmacodynamics and metabolomics study in raw and processed products of Whitman.

Objective: As a traditional Chinese medicine, leech has obvious pharmacological activities in anticoagulantion and antithrombosis. Whitman (WP) is the most commonly used leech in the Chinese market. It is often used in clinical applications after high-temperature processing by talcum powder to remove the fishy taste and facilitate crushing.

The Utilization of Emergency Department and Outpatient Clinics among Evacuated Victims after the 2023 Turkey Earthquake.

Background: After the 2023 Turkey earthquake, thousands of people evacuated to different fields. Earthquake victims still need health care in the evacuation location. This study aims to determine the emergency department (ED) and outpatient clinic utilization characteristics of the evacuated earthquake victims outside the earthquake zone and to provide suggestions for planning the health care facilities in the regions where the evacuated earthquake victims will be placed.

Determination of Selenium in Selenium-Enriched Products by Specific Ratiometric Fluorescence.

Selenium (Se), as one of the essential and nutrient components of living organisms and plants, plays an important role in life activities, while excessive selenium is hazardous to human health. So, the establishment of an effective method for simple, rapid, and highly sensitive determination of selenium content is crucial in the field of food composition analysis and other areas. In this paper, a novel and simple ratiometric fluorescence method for the determination of Se has been developed using 9-anthracenemethanol (AM) as the ratiometric fluorescence reagent on the basis of the conventional fluorometric assay which utilized 2,3-diaminonapthalene (DAN) as fluorescent ligand.

Immunogenicity of COVID-19 vaccines and their effect on HIV reservoir in older people with HIV.

Older individuals and people with HIV (PWH) were prioritized for COVID-19 vaccination, yet comprehensive studies of the immunogenicity of these vaccines and their effects on HIV reservoirs are not available. Our study on 68 PWH and 23 HIV-negative participants aged 55 and older post-three vaccine doses showed equally strong anti-spike IgG responses in serum and saliva through week 48 from baseline, while PWH salivary IgA responses were low. PWH had diminished live-virus neutralization responses after two vaccine doses, which were 'rescued' post-booster.

Omicron variant neutralizing antibodies following BNT162b2 BA.4/5 versus mRNA-1273 BA.1 bivalent vaccination in patients with end-stage kidney disease.

Neutralization of Omicron subvariants by different bivalent vaccines has not been well evaluated. This study characterizes neutralization against Omicron subvariants in 98 individuals on dialysis or with a kidney transplant receiving the BNT162b2 (BA.4/BA.

Identifying Molecular Roadblocks for Transcription Factor-Induced Cellular Reprogramming In Vivo by Using as a Model Organism.

Generating specialized cell types via cellular transcription factor (TF)-mediated reprogramming has gained high interest in regenerative medicine due to its therapeutic potential to repair tissues and organs damaged by diseases or trauma. Organ dysfunction or improper tissue functioning might be restored by producing functional cells via direct reprogramming, also known as transdifferentiation. Regeneration by converting the identity of available cells in vivo to the desired cell fate could be a strategy for future cell replacement therapies.

The Relationship between Sphenoid Sinus, Carotid Canal, and Optical Canal in Paranasal Sinus Computed Tomography in Children.

 The authors examined the structural differences in the paranasal sinus region at sphenoid sinus in the pediatric population.  Paranasal sinus computed tomography (PNSCT) images of 86 pediatric subjects (30 males, 56 females) were included. In 13 to 15 years of age group ( =34) and ≥16 years of age group ( =52), sphenoid sinus pneumatization (SSP), optic canal and carotid canal classifications and dehiscence evaluation were performed.

Is Head and Neck Free Flap Reconstruction Feasible in Jehovah's Witness Patients?

Background: Jehovah's Witnesses (JW) population are members of a religious group that refuses blood transfusion. This presents a dilemma for surgical teams when performing major surgical procedures on these patients.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the safety and feasibility of undergoing microvascular free flaps for maxillofacial reconstruction in JW patients and whether the type of underlying pathology impacts outcomes.

fabrication of S-type BiOIBrheterojunction with metallic Bi for boosting photocatalytic activity for COreduction.

Heterojunction construction and morphology control have always been considered effective ways to promote the capability of photocatalysts. In this work, BiOIBr, S-type heterojunction photocatalysts with metallic Bi nanoparticles, were synthesizedusing a solvothermal method, and the influence of reaction temperature (180 °C-220 °C) and dopant doping amount on the catalysts' microscopic morphology, structure, and catalytic properties were researched. Study results revealed the 1:1 BiOIBrsynthesized at 200 °C exhibited the optimum behavior in COreduction.

Immunogenicity of COVID-19 vaccines and their effect on the HIV reservoir in older people with HIV.

Older individuals and people with HIV (PWH) were prioritized for COVID-19 vaccination, yet comprehensive studies of the immunogenicity of these vaccines and their effects on HIV reservoirs are not available. We followed 68 PWH aged 55 and older and 23 age-matched HIV-negative individuals for 48 weeks from the first vaccine dose, after the total of three doses. All PWH were on antiretroviral therapy (cART) and had different immune status, including immune responders (IR), immune non-responders (INR), and PWH with low-level viremia (LLV).