Publications by authors named "BLUM L"

The high resolution ro-vibrational spectrum of the diatomic molecule vanadium oxide (VO) in the gas phase was measured around 1000 cm. In total, 1529 ro-vibrational transitions were assigned, in a spectral range of 984-1036 cm. For many transitions, the hyperfine structure resulting from the nuclear spin of V were resolved and the molecular parameters for the first ( = 1) and second ( = 2) excited vibrational state of VO were derived.

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  • The Earth's radiation belts are affected by different factors that can make the number of energetic electrons change a lot.
  • One important factor is called microbursts, which are quick blasts of energetic electrons that come from space and enter our atmosphere.
  • Interesting new observations show that lightning can cause these microbursts, connecting storms on Earth with space events.
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Background: The increasing knowledge in medicine makes continuous education for clinicians necessary more than ever. The range of skills to be covered in anesthesia is constantly growing. How to optimize complex training in practical skills in an increasingly economized environment remains unclear.

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Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is one of the most devasting diseases affecting preterm neonates. However, despite a lot of research, NEC's pathogenesis remains unclear. It is known that the pathogenesis is a multifactorial process, including (1) a pathological microbiome with abnormal bacterial colonization, (2) an immature immune system, (3) enteral feeding, (3) an impairment of microcirculation, and (4) possibly ischemia-reperfusion damage to the intestine.

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Lymphatic filariasis is caused by parasitic nematodes and is a leading cause of disability worldwide. Many filarial worms contain the bacterium as an obligate endosymbiont. RNA sequencing is a common technique used to study their molecular relationships and to identify potential drug targets against the nematode and bacteria.

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In the perioperative setting, a suboptimal total hemoglobin (Hb) mass puts women and men at an unreasonable disadvantage. Anemia is an independent risk factor for transfusion, postoperative complications, and mortality. The Hb cut-off value for women was set at <12.

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Placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) has become a significant life-threatening issue due to its increased incidence and associated morbidity and mortality. Pregnancy is often associated with states of anaemia, and severe maternal haemorrhage represents a major risk factor for red blood cell (RBC) transfusion. The present study retrospectively analyzed the prevalence of anaemia, transfusion requirements and outcome in women with PAS.

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Solid tumors are dense three-dimensional (3D) multicellular structures that enable efficient receptor-ligand trans interactions via close cell-cell contact. Immunoglobulin-like transcript (ILT)2 and ILT4 are related immune-suppressive receptors that play a role in the inhibition of myeloid cells within the tumor microenvironment. The relative contribution of ILT2 and ILT4 to immune inhibition in the context of solid tumor tissue has not been fully explored.

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Background: Diagnostic laboratory tests are an integral part of managing hospitalized patients. In particular, patients in the intensive care units (ICUs) can experience a concerning amount of blood loss due to diagnostic testing, which can increase the risk developing iatrogenic anemia. Several interventions exist to curtail avoidable blood loss, for example computerized decision support, smaller phlebotomy tubes, and other blood conservation devices.

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Objectives: Mean arterial hypotension between 55 and 65 mm Hg could be tolerated safely in the absence of tissue hypoperfusion, but the consequences on fluid balance and kidney function remain unknown.

Design: During a 1-year period, we retrospectively collected data of consecutive septic patients admitted for sepsis with a mean arterial pressure (MAP) less than 65 mm Hg despite fluid resuscitation.

Setting: Medical 18-bed ICU in a tertiary teaching hospital.

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The onsite detection of glyphosate requires an easy-to-handle, low-cost and disposable assay for untrained users as requested by the ASSURED guidelines. A new strategy based on the expression of fusion proteins is proposed here. A glyphosate oxidase derived from Bacillus subtilis and the 6E10 variant of the dye peroxidase from Pseudomonas putida, both fused with the carbohydrate binding module (CBM) 3a from Clostridium thermocellum, were designed and expressed, leading to GlyphOx-CBM and 6E10-CBM.

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The identification of antifungal compounds produced by microorganisms is crucial in the context of sustainable agriculture. Bacteria of the genus Bacillus have a broad spectrum of action that can influence plant growth and control pests, vectors of public health relevance and phytopathogens. Lipopeptides are the main compounds related to the biological control of several pathogen species.

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Objective: Shared decision-making (SDM) is the partnership and discussion between clinicians and patients to make an appropriate decision based on scientific evidence and patient preferences. Many benefits are associated with SDM; however, little is known about its awareness or use by inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) clinicians in gastroenterology departments across Israel. This study aims to identify barriers and facilitators in implementing SDM as standard practice to achieve optimal disease management and personalized care for patients with IBD.

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Aims: Atrial remodelling, defined as a change in atrial structure, promotes atrial fibrillation (AF). Bone morphogenetic protein 10 (BMP10) is an atrial-specific biomarker released to blood during atrial development and structural changes. We aimed to validate whether BMP10 is associated with AF recurrence after catheter ablation (CA) in a large cohort of patients.

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  • Couple therapy is generally effective in naturalistic settings, with a moderate pre-post effect size of 0.522 for relational outcomes and 0.587 for individual outcomes, but there is notable variability in results.
  • Studies showed that older couples and those in longer relationships tend to have better results, while a higher percentage of racial/ethnic minority couples and those treated in Veteran Affairs Medical Centers tend to have poorer outcomes.
  • The analysis indicates that factors like the number of therapy sessions and the demographics of the couples influence the effectiveness of treatment, and the role of trainee status in therapy outcomes appears inconsistent.
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Many Archaea produce membrane-spanning lipids that enable life in extreme environments. These isoprenoid glycerol dibiphytanyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) may contain up to eight cyclopentyl and one cyclohexyl ring, where higher degrees of cyclization are associated with more acidic, hotter or energy-limited conditions. Recently, the genes encoding GDGT ring synthases, grsAB, were identified in two Sulfolobaceae; however, the distribution and abundance of grs homologs across environments inhabited by these and related organisms remain a mystery.

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Objective: Identifying factors that may influence aflatoxin exposure in children under 5 years of age living in farming households in western Kenya.

Design: We used a mixed methods design. The quantitative component entailed serial cross-sectional interviews in 250 farming households to examine crop processing and conservation practices, household food storage and consumption and local understandings of aflatoxins.

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Periodontal disease is more common in individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who have detectable anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs), implicating oral mucosal inflammation in RA pathogenesis. Here, we performed paired analysis of human and bacterial transcriptomics in longitudinal blood samples from RA patients. We found that patients with RA and periodontal disease experienced repeated oral bacteremias associated with transcriptional signatures of ISG15HLADR and CD48S100A2 monocytes, recently identified in inflamed RA synovia and blood of those with RA flares.

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Selective or cascade reporting (SR/CR) of antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) results is a strategy for antimicrobial stewardship. SR/CR is often achieved by suppressing AST results of secondary drugs in electronic laboratory reports. We assessed the extent of SR/CR and its impact on cumulative antibiograms (CAs) in a large cohort of U.

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  • Borrelia burgdorferi infection causes Lyme disease and there's a need for better treatments, so researchers sequenced plasmablast antibodies from infected humans.
  • They created and tested monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that target these infections, finding that some promote macrophage phagocytosis of the bacteria.
  • To boost this effect, they developed a mAb conjugated with a TLR9-agonist known as CpG-oligo, which significantly increased phagocytosis and macrophage activation for over 60 hours.
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Adequate intake of high-quality nutritious foods during infancy and early childhood is critical to achieving optimal growth, cognitive and behavioural development, and economic productivity later in life. Integrating high-quality and nutrient-dense animal source foods (ASFs), a major source of protein and micronutrients, into children's diets is increasingly considered essential to reducing the global burden of malnutrition in low- and middle-income countries. While eggs are an ASF that shows promise for mitigating child undernutrition, interventions promoting egg consumption among children have had mixed results in improving egg intake and child growth outcomes.

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Background: Blood transfusions are common medical procedures and every age group requires detailed insights and treatment bundles. The aim of this study was to examine the association of anaemia, co-morbidities, complications, in-hospital mortality, and transfusion according to age groups to identify patient groups who are particularly at risk when undergoing surgery.

Methods: Data from 21 Hospitals of the Patient Blood Management Network Registry were analysed.

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