An integrated simulation framework for the prevention and mitigation of pandemics caused by airborne pathogens.

In this work, we developed an integrated simulation framework for pandemic prevention and mitigation of pandemics caused by airborne pathogens, incorporating three sub-models, namely the spatial model, the mobility model, and the propagation model, to create a realistic simulation environment for the evaluation of the effectiveness of different countermeasures on the epidemic dynamics. The spatial model converts images of real cities obtained from Google Maps into undirected weighted graphs that capture the spatial arrangement of the streets utilized next for the mobility of individuals. The mobility model implements a stochastic agent-based approach, developed to assign specific routes to individuals moving in the city, through the use of stochastic processes, utilizing the weights of the underlying graph to deploy shortest path algorithms.

Protective effect of NAC preconditioning against ischemia-reperfusion injury in piglet small bowel transplantation: effects on plasma TNF, IL-8, hyaluronic acid, and NO.

Background: Ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury is one of the main factors affecting the function and structure of small bowel transplantation (SBT), by generation of proinflammatory mediators such as reactive oxygen species, reactive nitrogen species, cytokines, and endotoxin. Experimental data have demonstrated that N-acetylcysteine (NAC) attenuates intestinal I/R injury. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of NAC preconditioning on the SBT-I/R induced inflammatory cascade, with particular focus on TNF, IL-8, hyaluronic acid, and NO.

A prospective randomized controlled clinical trial of zoledronic acid for bone metastases.

In this study, we assessed the safety, tolerability, and effectiveness of two therapeutic regimens relating to the frequency of zoledronic acid (ZOL) infusion. Sixty adult patients with bone metastases were randomly assigned to two study groups. The first group (group A) received 4 mg ZOL every two weeks, and the second group (group B) received 4 mg ZOL every four weeks.

Endogenous sex steroids and bone mineral density in healthy Greek postmenopausal women.

The aim of this study was to assess the association of endogenous sex steroids with bone mineral density (BMD) in healthy postmenopausal women not on hormone therapy. A total of 884 postmenopausal women aged 42-71 years were studied in a cross-sectional design. Parameters assessed were follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, estradiol, total testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin, free estrogen index (FEI), free androgen index (FAI), Delta4-androstendione (Delta4A), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), bone alkaline posphatase, and bone mineral density at the lumbar spine (L-BMD) and femoral neck (N-BMD).

Evaluation of epoetin supplemented with oral iron in patients with solid malignancies and chronic anemia not receiving anticancer treatment.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness and improvement in quality of life (QOL) of epoetin alfa administration supplemented with oral iron as a therapeutic regimen for patients with solid malignancies and anemia of chronic disease (ACD), not receiving chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy.

Patients And Methods: A total of 100 patients with cancer-related anemia, not subjected to chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy, were randomized to receive for a maximum of 24 weeks either oral iron, equivalent to 200 mg elemental iron once daily, or epoetin alfa 40,000 IU subcutaneously once weekly plus oral iron once daily.

Results: Patients in the epoetin alfa group had, from baseline to study end, a mean increase in hemoglobin (Hb) levels of 2.