Associations between Social Contact, Sleep and Dietary Patterns among Children: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Social isolation in adults can be associated with altered sleep and eating behavior. This study aimed to investigate the interactions between the extent of social contact, eating behavior and sleep in infants and preschool children. In an observational study, 439 caregivers of 562 children aged 0-6 years provided information on sleep (i.

Lack of association between behavioral development and simplified topographical markers of the sleep EEG in infancy.

The sleep EEG mirrors neuronal connectivity, especially during development when the brain undergoes substantial rewiring. As children grow, the slow-wave activity (SWA; 0.75-4.

Sleep as a protective factor of children's executive functions: A study during COVID-19 confinement.

Confinements due to the COVID-19 outbreak affected sleep and mental health of adults, adolescents and children. Already preschool children experienced acutely worsened sleep, yet the possible resulting effects on executive functions remain unexplored. Longitudinally, sleep quality predicts later behavioral-cognitive outcomes.

Spatial Bias in Antibody Microarrays May Be an Underappreciated Source of Variability.

Antibody microarrays enable multiplexed protein detection with minimal reagent consumption, but they continue to be plagued by lack of reproducibility. Chemically functionalized glass slides are used as substrates, yet antibody binding spatial inhomogeneity across the slide has not been analyzed in antibody microarrays. Here, we characterize spatial bias across five commercial slides patterned with nine overlapping dense arrays (by combining three buffers and three different antibodies), and we measure signal variation for both antibody immobilization and the assay signal, generating 270 heatmaps.

Severe effects of the COVID-19 confinement on young children's sleep: A longitudinal study identifying risk and protective factors.

The COVID-19 confinement has dramatically altered daily routines, causing decreased sleep quality in adults. This necessitates careful observation, as sleep plays a crucial role in brain maturation and poor sleep increases the risk of psychopathology, particularly in the young population. Through an online survey with one baseline (April 2020) and two follow-up assessments (May and June 2020), we examined the effect of confinement on sleep quality in 452 babies (0-35 months) and 412 preschool children (36-71 months) from several, mainly European, countries.

Estimate of hepatocellular carcinoma incidence in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis.

Background & Aims: More than 90% of cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) occur in patients with cirrhosis, of which alcohol is a major cause. The CIRRAL cohort aimed to assess the burden of complications in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis, particularly the occurrence of HCC.

Methods: Patients with biopsy-proven compensated alcoholic cirrhosis were included then prospectively followed.

Capillary microfluidics in microchannels: from microfluidic networks to capillaric circuits.

Microfluidics offer economy of reagents, rapid liquid delivery, and potential for automation of many reactions, but often require peripheral equipment for flow control. Capillary microfluidics can deliver liquids in a pre-programmed manner without peripheral equipment by exploiting surface tension effects encoded by the geometry and surface chemistry of a microchannel. Here, we review the history and progress of microchannel-based capillary microfluidics spanning over three decades.

Impact of controlled attenuation parameter on detecting fibrosis using liver stiffness measurement.

Background: Liver fibrosis is often accompanied by steatosis, particularly in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and its non-invasive characterisation is of utmost importance. Vibration-controlled transient elastography is the non-invasive method of choice; however, recent research suggests that steatosis may influence its diagnostic performance. Controlled Attenuation Parameter (CAP) added to transient elastography enables simultaneous assessment of steatosis and fibrosis.

Metal Binding Properties of the N-Terminus of the Functional Amyloid Orb2.

The cytoplasmic polyadenylation element binding protein (CPEB) homologue Orb2 is a functional amyloid that plays a key regulatory role for long-term memory in . Orb2 has a glutamine, histidine-rich (Q/H-rich) domain that resembles the Q/H-rich, metal binding domain of the Hpn-like protein (Hpnl) found in . In the present study, we used chromatography and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) to show that the Q/H-rich domain of Orb2 binds Ni and other transition metals ions with μM affinity.

Comparative study of the structure and interaction of the pore helices of the hERG and Kv1.5 potassium channels in model membranes.

The hERG channel is a voltage-gated potassium channel found in cardiomyocytes that contributes to the repolarization of the cell membrane following the cardiac action potential, an important step in the regulation of the cardiac cycle. The lipids surrounding K channels have been shown to play a key role in their regulation, with anionic lipids shown to alter gating properties. In this study, we investigate how anionic lipids interact with the pore helix of hERG and compare the results with those from Kv1.

Individual patient data meta-analysis of controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) technology for assessing steatosis.

Background & Aims: The prevalence of fatty liver underscores the need for non-invasive characterization of steatosis, such as the ultrasound based controlled attenuation parameter (CAP). Despite good diagnostic accuracy, clinical use of CAP is limited due to uncertainty regarding optimal cut-offs and the influence of covariates. We therefore conducted an individual patient data meta-analysis.

Magnetically Oriented Bicelles with Monoalkylphosphocholines: Versatile Membrane Mimetics for Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Applications.

Bicelles (bilayered micelles) are model membranes used in the study of peptide structure and membrane interactions. They are traditionally made of long- and short-chain phospholipids, usually dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (D14PC) and dihexanoyl-PC (D6PC). They are attractive membrane mimetics because their composition and planar surface are similar to the native membrane environment.

Hepatocellular Carcinoma within Milan Criteria: No-Touch Multibipolar Radiofrequency Ablation for Treatment-Long-term Results.

Purpose To assess the long-term outcome in 108 consecutive patients treated with no-touch multibipolar radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) that met the Milan criteria. Materials and Methods This retrospective study was approved by the ethical review board, and the need to obtain informed consent was waived. Between November 1, 2006, and December 31, 2011, 132 HCC tumors (diameter, 10-45 mm; 39 tumors ≥ 30 mm) in 108 consecutive patients (106 with cirrhosis) that met Milan criteria were treated with no-touch multibipolar RFA, which consisted of activating, in bipolar mode, three or four electrodes inserted just beyond the tumor margins.

Diagnostic performance of controlled attenuation parameter for predicting steatosis grade in chronic hepatitis B.

Background & Aims: A novel controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) using the signals acquired by the FibroScan® has been developed as a method for evaluating steatosis. The aim of this study is to assess the performance of the CAP for the detection and quantification of steatosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB).

Material And Methods: 136 subjects with CHB underwent liver biopsy and FibroScan® within 60 days.

Prevalence and clinical significance of nodular regenerative hyperplasia in liver biopsies.

Background: Nodular regenerative hyperplasia (NRH) is a rare histological disorder associated with a wide variety of systemic diseases.

Aims: We aimed (i) to report the prevalence of NRH in a database of liver biopsies (LBs) and the frequency of portal hypertension (PHT) at diagnosis, and (ii) to investigate whether associated diseases and/or specific histological lesions, including abnormalities of the microvasculature, were related to PHT.

Methods: Patients with a histological diagnosis of NRH, referred by seven clinical departments, were retrospectively selected.

Inflammation-adapted liver stiffness values for improved fibrosis staging in patients with hepatitis C virus and alcoholic liver disease.

Background & Aims: It is well known that inflammation increases liver stiffness (LS) in patients with chronic hepatitis C (HCV) and alcoholic liver disease (ALD) independent of fibrosis stage, but no inflammation-adapted cut-off values have been settled so far. An early identification of rapid fibrosers, however, is essential to decide whom to treat first with the novel but expensive antiviral drugs.

Methods: Liver stiffness, biopsy-proven fibrosis stages F0-F4 (METAVIR or Kleiner score) and routine laboratory parameters were studied in 2068 patients with HCV (n = 1391) and ALD (n = 677).

Predicting recurrence following radiofrequency percutaneous ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Within 5 years after percutaneous ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma, roughly 70% of patients experience tumor recurrence. Relapses beyond curative options affected patients' survival. Ablation shares with resection common predictive factors of recurrence as size of the tumor, multinodularity and presence of vascular invasion.

Lipid concentration and molar ratio boundaries for the use of isotropic bicelles.

Bicelles are model membranes generally made of long-chain dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and short-chain dihexanoyl-PC (DHPC). They are extensively used in the study of membrane interactions and structure determination of membrane-associated peptides, since their composition and morphology mimic the widespread PC-rich natural eukaryotic membranes. At low DMPC/DHPC (q) molar ratios, fast-tumbling bicelles are formed in which the DMPC bilayer is stabilized by DHPC molecules in the high-curvature rim region.

Impact of cytokine gene variants on the prediction and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with cirrhosis.

Background & Aims: Genetic polymorphisms modulate the expression of proinflammatory cytokines. We prospectively assessed the influence of 6 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in TNFα, IL6, and IL1β genes on the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with cirrhosis.

Methods: TNFα (G-238A, C-863A, G-308A), IL6 (C-174G), and IL1β (C-31T, C-511T) SNPs were assessed in 232 alcoholics and 253 HCV-infected patients with biopsy-proven cirrhosis, prospectively followed-up and screened for HCC.

High frequency of X chromosome abnormalities in women with short stature and elevated liver enzymes.

Context: Paucisymptomatic forms of Turner's syndrome (TS), in which short stature is the predominant clinical abnormality, remain underdiagnosed. Abnormal liver tests are extremely frequent in adult TS patients reflecting various types of hepatic lesions.

Objective: The objective of the study was to investigate whether unexplained elevated liver enzymes in women with short stature could reveal X chromosome abnormalities of undiagnosed TS.

Histopathologic comparison of monopolar versus no-touch multipolar radiofrequency ablation to treat hepatocellular carcinoma within Milan criteria.

Purpose: To compare histopathologically the completeness of radiofrequency (RF) ablation to treat hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with monopolar or multipolar technique.

Materials And Methods: Thirty-five consecutive patients (mean age, 59 y) with cirrhosis and HCC (n = 59) within Milan criteria received RF ablation and subsequently underwent liver transplantation (LT) for tumor progression or liver failure. Data were extracted retrospectively from a prospective database.

Single-channel electrophysiology of cell-free expressed ion channels by direct incorporation in lipid bilayers.

Single-channel electrophysiology with lipid bilayer systems requires ion channel expression, purification from cell culture, and reconstitution in proteoliposomes for delivery to a planar bilayer. Here we demonstrate that single-channel current measurements of the potassium channels KcsA and hERGS5-S6 can be obtained by direct insertion in interdroplet lipid bilayers from microliters of a cell-free expression medium.

ESM-1 expression in stromal cells is predictive of recurrence after radiofrequency ablation in early hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background & Aims: The prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated by radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is mainly linked to tumor recurrence. So far, no tissue biomarker of recurrence has been validated in biopsy samples. We aimed at investigating the prognostic value of tissue biomarkers in HCC biopsy samples of patients treated with RFA.