CT-Defined Pectoralis Muscle Density Predicts 30-Day Mortality in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19: A Nationwide Multicenter Study.

Rationale And Objectives: The prognostic role of computed tomography (CT)-defined skeletal muscle features in COVID-19 is still under investigation. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prognostic role of CT-defined skeletal muscle area and density in patients with COVID-19 in a multicenter setting.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study is a part of the German multicenter project RACOON (Radiological Cooperative Network of the COVID-19 pandemic).

A pulsar in a binary with a compact object in the mass gap between neutron stars and black holes.

Some compact objects observed in gravitational wave events have masses in the gap between known neutron stars (NSs) and black holes (BHs). The nature of these mass gap objects is unknown, as is the formation of their host binary systems. We report pulsar timing observations made with the Karoo Array Telescope (MeerKAT) of PSR J0514-4002E, an eccentric binary millisecond pulsar in the globular cluster NGC 1851.

Prenatally Diagnosed Interventricular Septal Aneurysm with Associated Ventricular Dysfunction.

Congenital interventricular septal aneurysms (IVSA) of the muscular septum are rare and can be associated with other familial abnormalities of the ventricular septum, arrhythmias, additional congenital heart disease, and chromosomal abnormalities. IVSA is also linked to ventricular dysfunction and non-compaction, although there are limited reports of this association presenting in utero. We describe a case of fetal ventricular septal aneurysm associated with ventricular dysfunction and pericardial effusion.

Health-related quality of life in early-onset-scoliosis patients treated with growth-friendly implants is influenced by etiology, complication rate and ambulatory ability.

Background: Progressive Early-Onset Scoliosis (EOS) in children may lead to surgical interventions with growth-friendly implants, which require repeated lengthening procedures in order to allow adequate growth. Quality of life was studied using the validated German version of the EOS-Questionnaire (EOSQ-24-G) in surgically treated EOS children with different lengthening modalities.

Methods: EOSQ-24-G and the KINDL questionnaire were given to families with EOS children who had been treated by either vertical expandable prosthetic titanium rib implants and repetitive lengthening surgeries every 6 months or children who had received a magnetically expansion controlled implant, which was externally lengthened every 3 months.

COMPASS for rapid combinatorial optimization of biochemical pathways based on artificial transcription factors.

Balanced expression of multiple genes is central for establishing new biosynthetic pathways or multiprotein cellular complexes. Methods for efficient combinatorial assembly of regulatory sequences (promoters) and protein coding sequences are therefore highly wanted. Here, we report a high-throughput cloning method, called COMPASS for COMbinatorial Pathway ASSembly, for the balanced expression of multiple genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Momentary lapse of control: A cognitive continuum approach to understanding and mitigating perseveration in human error.

Everyday complex and stressful real-life situations can overwhelm the human brain to an extent that the person is no longer able to accurately evaluate the situation and persists in irrational actions or strategies. Safety analyses reveal that such perseverative behavior is exhibited by operators in many critical domains, which can lead to potentially fatal incidents. There are neuroimaging evidences of changes in healthy brain functioning when engaged in non-adaptive behaviors that are akin to executive deficits such as perseveration shown in patients with brain lesion.

Pyrrolizidine alkaloid-induced alterations of prostanoid synthesis in human endothelial cells.

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PA) are a group of secondary plant metabolites belonging to the most widely distributed natural toxins. PA intoxication of humans leads to severe liver damage, such as hepatomegaly, hepatic necrosis, fibrosis and cirrhosis. An acute consequence observed after ingestion of high amounts of PA is veno-occlusive disease (VOD) where the hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells are affected.

Contact with a glyphosate-based herbicide has long-term effects on the activity and foraging of an agrobiont wolf spider.

Animals that live in conventional agroecosystems must cope with a variety of anthropogenic chemicals. Most of the focus of toxicology is on lethality, deformities, or short-term shifts in behavior. However, for animals that succeed in spite of their exposure, it is important to determine if long-term changes are brought on by their experience.

German general practitioners' views on their involvement and role in cancer care: a qualitative study.

Background: The multidisciplinary and sequential nature of cancer care makes continuity of care for patients difficult. Cancer patients have often known their general practitioners (GPs) for years and are often in constant contact with them. Objective(s).

Prevalence and deletion types of the pathogenicity island ETT2 among Escherichia coli strains from oedema disease and colibacillosis in pigs.

Piglet pathogenic Escherichia coli encoding Shigatoxin 2e and F18 adhesins are the etiological agents of oedema disease as well as of non-oedema disease colibacillosis. In order to reveal virulence differences among this pathogen, the presence of the pathogenicity island (PAI) E. coli type three secretion system 2 (ETT2) was examined.

Nitrogen Metabolism in Plant Cell Suspension Cultures: II. Role of Organic Acids during Growth on Ammonia.

Tobacco cells (Nicotiana tabacum) are capable of growth on ammonia as a sole nitrogen source only when succinate, malate, fumarate, citrate, alpha-ketoglutarate, glutamate, or pyruvate is added to the growth medium. A ratio between the molar concentrations of ammonia to succinate (as a complementary organic acid) in the growth medium of 1.5 was optimal.

Nitrogen metabolism in plant cell suspension cultures: I. Effect of amino acids on growth.

Certain amino acids inhibit growth of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. var. xanthi), tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) carrot (Daucus carota), and soybean (Glycerine max L.