Predictive modelling of the effectiveness of vaccines against COVID-19 in Bogotá: Methodological innovation involving different variants and computational optimisation efficiency.

The uncertainty associated with the future of viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 poses a challenge to public health officials because of its implications for welfare, economics and population health. In this document, we develop an age-stratified epidemiological-mathematical model to predict various health outcomes, considering the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. The analytical model proposed and developed for this research is based on the approach constructed by the COVID-19 International Modelling Consortium.

Opioid use disorder's impact on asthma hospitalizations: A propensity-matched nationwide study.

Background: Patients with asthma and opioid use disorder (OUD) experience higher rates of acute exacerbation, but the effects of OUD on asthma hospitalizations have been poorly described.

Objective: To explore how concurrent OUD may affect the clinical outcomes of adult patients hospitalized for asthma.

Methods: Using the National Inpatient Sample, adult patients admitted for asthma with concomitant OUD were identified and compared with those without OUD.

Improvement of endometrial thickness and fertilization outcomes in patients with Asherman's refractory endometrium using autologous mesenchymal stem cells from the stromal vascular fraction.

Objective: Patients with Asherman's Syndrome (AS) and an endometrial thickness (EMT) less than 7 mm are infertile women with suboptimal endometrium due to uterine scarring or endometrial atrophy. This study aimed to examine the effect of intrauterine injections of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSC) from the Stromal Vascular Fraction (SVF) of adipose tissue on EMT and in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes: which are improvements in EMT and pregnancy rates.

Methods: This double-arm retrospective study included 41 AS patients with hysteroscopic adhesiolysis.

Alternative molecular mechanisms for force transmission at adherens junctions via β-catenin-vinculin interaction.

Force transmission through adherens junctions (AJs) is crucial for multicellular organization, wound healing and tissue regeneration. Recent studies shed light on the molecular mechanisms of mechanotransduction at the AJs. However, the canonical model fails to explain force transmission when essential proteins of the mechanotransduction module are mutated or missing.

Acute Transient Contrast-Induced Neurologic Deficit as a Complication of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Acute transient contrast-induced neurologic deficit is an uncommon condition triggered by the administration of intra-arterial contrast during angiography. It can present with encephalopathy, cortical blindness, seizures, or focal deficits. This report describes a patient who presented with severe neurologic deficits after percutaneous coronary intervention, with complete symptom resolution within 72 hours.

Stroke Strikes in Silence: Bilateral Medial Medullary Infarction in a Patient With Complete Hearing Loss.

Bilateral medial medullary infarction (BMMI) is a rare stroke subtype that accounts for less than 1% of acute strokes. Common manifestations of this stroke include quadriparesis, bilateral hypoglossal palsy, bilateral sensory loss, and respiratory failure. We present the case of a 39-year-old male with deafness and mutism who was brought to the emergency department due to acute onset of altered mental status and generalized weakness, further decompensated, and was lately diagnosed with bilateral medial medullary infarction.

When Two Syndromes Collide: Managing Fanconi and Refeeding Syndrome in a Single Patient.

Refeeding syndrome is the potentially fatal shift in fluids and electrolytes that may occur in malnourished patients after receiving artificial refeeding. Its hallmark feature is hypophosphatemia, although other electrolytes might also be affected. Fanconi syndrome is a generalized dysfunction of the proximal tubule characterized by proximal renal tubular acidosis (RTA), phosphaturia, glycosuria, aminoaciduria, and proteinuria.

Predictive models for health outcomes due to SARS-CoV-2, including the effect of vaccination: a systematic review.

Background: The interaction between modelers and policymakers is becoming more common due to the increase in computing speed seen in recent decades. The recent pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus was no exception. Thus, this study aims to identify and assess epidemiological mathematical models of SARS-CoV-2 applied to real-world data, including immunization for coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).

The Adsorption of P2X2 Receptors Interacting with IgG Antibodies Revealed by Combined AFM Imaging and Mechanical Simulation.

The adsorption of proteins onto surfaces significantly impacts biomaterials, medical devices, and biological processes. This study aims to provide insights into the irreversible adsorption process of multiprotein complexes, particularly focusing on the interaction between anti-His6 IgG antibodies and the His6-tagged P2X2 receptor. Traditional approaches to understanding protein adsorption have centered around kinetic and thermodynamic models, often examining individual proteins and surface coverage, typically through Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations.

Fractional Factorial Design to Evaluate the Synthesis and Electrochemical Transfer Parameters of h-BN Coatings.

In this study, we present a fractional factorial design approach for exploring the effects and interactions of key synthesis and electrochemical transfer parameters on the roughness and wettability of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) coatings, due to their essential role in biofilm formation. The studied parameters for the synthesis process include precursor mass, growth time, and substrate conditioning, whereas for the transfer process, applied voltage and aqueous medium concentration were studied. Through this polynomial model, we confirmed the strong influence of precursor mass and medium concentration parameters on h-BN surface roughness and its resulting antibiofilm properties.

Uncommon Complications of Cystoscopy: Presentations of Concurrent Perirenal Hematoma and Candida albicans Sepsis.

Subcapsular hematoma (SRH) or perirenal hematoma (PRH) can be seen after trauma, interventional radiological procedures, urological procedures, anticoagulant medications, coagulation disorders, infections, and spontaneously in some patients. Within the urological procedures, PRH can occur after percutaneous nephrolithotomy and extracorporeal shortwave lithotripsy but has only been reported a few times after cystoscopy/ureteroscopy. Here, we present the case of PRH as a complication from cystoscopy with retrograde pyelography in a patient with underlying chronic kidney disease (CKD) and an extensive surgical history for nephrolithiasis.

Swimming With Sharks: Left Main Coronary Obstruction Following Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation.

Delayed coronary obstruction (DCO) occurs when there is obstruction of the coronary ostia following a transcatheter aortic valvular implantation (TAVI). It is an uncommon but serious complication that often leads to death, usually presents as severe hypotension after TAVI, and should be suspected if migration of the valve occurs. We report the case of a 70-year-old female patient with severe aortic stenosis who underwent TAVI using a 26-mm CoreValve Evolut Pro (Medtronic, Dublin, Ireland).

A Devastating Tear: Atypical Presentation of Aortic Dissection Discovered on Echocardiography.

Acute aortic dissection (AAD) is a serious medical problem that requires prompt recognition in order to prevent deadly complications. Nevertheless, making the diagnosis can often be challenging. The clinical signs and symptoms of AAD may vary depending on the location of the dissection, leading to subtle differences in the initial patient presentation.

Nanoscale Dynamics of Streptococcal Adhesion to AGE-Modified Collagen.

The adhesion of initial colonizers such as to collagen is critical for dentinal and root caries progression. One of the most described pathological and aging-associated changes in collagen-including dentinal collagen-is the generation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) such as methylglyoxal (MGO)-derived AGEs. Despite previous reports suggesting that AGEs alter bacterial adhesion to collagen, the biophysics driving oral streptococcal attachment to MGO-modified collagen remains largely understudied.

Crosstalking interactions between P2X4 and 5-HT receptors.

Ionotropic receptors are ligand-gated ion channels triggering fast neurotransmitter responses. Among them, P2X and 5-HT receptors have been shown to physically interact each other and functionally inducing cross inhibitory responses. Nevertheless, despite the importance of P2X4 and 5-HT receptors that mediate for example neuropathic pain and psychosis respectively, complementary evidence has recently started to move forward in the understanding of this interaction.

Ultrastructural characterisation of young and aged dental enamel by atomic force microscopy.

Recent advances in atomic force microscopy (AFM) have allowed the characterisation of dental-associated biomaterials and biological surfaces with high resolution. In this context, the topography of dental enamel - the hardest mineralised tissue in the body - has been explored with AFM-based approaches at the microscale. With age, teeth are known to suffer changes that can impact their structural stability and function; however, changes in enamel structure because of ageing have not yet been explored with nanoscale resolution.

Closed-loop sacral neuromodulation for bladder function using dorsal root ganglia sensory feedback in an anesthetized feline model.

Overactive bladder patients suffer from a frequent, uncontrollable urge to urinate, which can lead to a poor quality of life. We aim to improve open-loop sacral neuromodulation therapy by developing a conditional stimulation paradigm using neural recordings from dorsal root ganglia (DRG) as sensory feedback. Experiments were performed in 5 anesthetized felines.

How far are we from predicting multi-drug interactions during treatment for COVID-19 infection?

Seriously ill patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and hospitalized in intensive care units (ICUs) are commonly given a combination of drugs, a process known as multi-drug treatment. After extracting data on drug-drug interactions with clinical relevance from available online platforms, we hypothesize that an overall interaction map can be generated for all drugs administered. Furthermore, by combining this approach with simulations of cellular biochemical pathways, we may be able to explain the general clinical outcome.

Nanomechanical and Molecular Characterization of Aging in Dentinal Collagen.

Methylglyoxal (MGO) is an important molecule derived from glucose metabolism with the capacity of attaching to collagen and generating advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which accumulate in tissues over time and are associated with aging and diseases. However, the accumulation of MGO-derived AGEs in dentin and their effect on the nanomechanical properties of dentinal collagen remain unknown. Thus, the aim of the present study was to quantify MGO-based AGEs in the organic matrix of human dentin as a function of age and associate these changes with alterations in the nanomechanical and ultrastructural properties of dentinal collagen.

Drug-dependent inhibition of nucleotide hydrolysis in the heterodimeric ABC multidrug transporter PatAB from Streptococcus pneumoniae.

The bacterial heterodimeric ATP-binding cassette (ABC) multidrug exporter PatAB has a critical role in conferring antibiotic resistance in multidrug-resistant infections by Streptococcus pneumoniae. As with other heterodimeric ABC exporters, PatAB contains two transmembrane domains that form a drug translocation pathway for efflux and two nucleotide-binding domains that bind ATP, one of which is hydrolysed during transport. The structural and functional elements in heterodimeric ABC multidrug exporters that determine interactions with drugs and couple drug binding to nucleotide hydrolysis are not fully understood.

Antibacterial Effect of Honey-Derived Exosomes Containing Antimicrobial Peptides Against Oral Streptococci.

Purpose: Recently, our group found exosome-like extracellular vesicles (EVs) in honey displaying strong antibacterial effects; however, the underlying mechanism is still not understood. Thus, the aim of this investigation was to characterize the molecular and nanomechanical properties of honey-derived EVs in order to elucidate the mechanisms behind their antibacterial effect, as well as to determine differential antibiofilm properties against relevant oral streptococci.

Methods: honey-derived EVs (HEc-EVs) isolated via ultracentrifugation were characterized with Western Blot and ELISA to determine the presence of specific exosomal markers and antibacterial cargo, and atomic force microscopy (AFM) was utilized to explore their ultrastructural and nanomechanical properties via non-destructive immobilization onto poly-L-lysine substrates.

Decline of semen quality over the last 30 years in Uruguay.

Background: Over the last years, there has been an increasing concern about a global decline in men's fertility. Specifically, some evidence indicates that sperm quality has decreased over the last years. However, reports showing the changes in sperm quality with time are inconsistent.

Initial adhesion suppression of biofilm-forming and copper-tolerant bacterium Variovorax sp. on laser microtextured copper surfaces.

The growth of detrimental biofilms on metal surfaces affects their structural performance and lifespan. Microtopographic texturization has emerged as an approach to suppress biofilm growth by preventing the initial stages of bacterial adhesion. This work studies the effects of linear pattern copper texturization on the initial adhesion steps of the biofilm-forming and copper-resistant bacterium Variovorax sp.