Prophylactic non-invasive positive pressure ventilation reduces complications and length of hospital stay after invasive thoracic procedures: a systematic review.

Question: In patients undergoing invasive thoracic procedures, what are the effects of prophylactic non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NIV)?

Design: Systematic review with meta-analysis of randomised trials. Methodological quality was assessed using the PEDro scale and the certainty of evidence with the GRADE approach.

Participants: Patients undergoing invasive thoracic procedures.

Sex dimorphism in pupae and adults of the specialist Ipomoea batatas defoliator Bedellia somnulentella (Lepidoptera: Bedelliidae).

Bedellia somnulentella Zeller, 1847 (Lepidoptera: Bedelliidae), a global pest of the sweet potato Ipomoea batatas, was recorded in Brazil, but morphological information on the sexual dimorphism of this insect is scarce. The objective was to evaluate morphological characters of sexual dimorphism of B. somnulentella pupae and adults.

The hydrogen sulfide donor 4-carboxyphenyl-isothiocyanate decreases blood pressure and promotes cardioprotective effect through reduction of oxidative stress and nuclear factor kappa B/matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 axis in hypertension.

Aims: Our aim was to evaluate whether the hydrogen sulfide (HS) donor, 4-carboxyphenyl-isothiocyanate (4-CPI), exerts cardioprotective effect in the two kidney- one clip (2K-1C) rats through oxidative stress and MMP-2 activity attenuation and compare it with the classical HS donor, Sodium Hydrosulfide (NaHS).

Materials And Methods: Renovascular hypertension (two kidneys-one clip; 2K-1C) was surgically induced in male Wistar rats. After two weeks, normotensive (2K) and hypertensive rats were intraperitoneally treated with vehicle (0.

More time for judo matches? Analysis of type of techniques, time, scores, and penalties in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

This study aimed to analyze the distribution of judo matches in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, considering matches in the regular duration (≤4 min) and during the extra time (the golden score) according to sex, scores, penalties, phases of competition, weight categories, and judo techniques. The data were extracted from the Official Results Books of the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020. The combats were divided in matches that were finished in the regular duration and that were finished by the golden score, with a total of 450 matches.

Short- and Medium-Term Impact of a Structured Medical Intervention in Adolescents with Overweight, Obesity, or Increased Waist Circumference.

Introduction And Objectives: This study aimed to assess the impact of a structured medical intervention in adolescents with overweight or obesity at medical discharge and after 5 years and identify the factors responsible for the reappearance of anthropometric alterations.

Methods: A total of 42 adolescents with overweight, obesity, and/or increased waist circumference (WC) participated in a survey on eating habits, physical exercise, and sedentary habits. Body mass index (BMI), fat mass (FM), and WC were evaluated quarterly during a structured medical intervention, with a maximum duration of 3 years (2007-2010) and 5 years after its conclusion (2015-2016).

Comparison of the effect of nocturnal use of commercial versus custom-made wrist orthoses, in addition to gliding exercises, in the function and symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome: A pilot randomized trial.

Background: Conservative treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) often includes wrist orthosis. However, there is no consensus on whether commercial or custom-made wrist orthosis is better for the treatment.

Purpose: To assess feasibility of a study comparing nocturnal use of commercial versus custom-made wrist orthosis in the treatment of mild/moderate CTS and estimate their potential effects on function and symptoms.

Carcass characteristics and meat quality of lambs that are fed diets with palm kernel cake.

Objective: The aim was to evaluate carcass characteristics, cut yield, and meat quality in lambs that were fed different inclusion levels of palm kernel cake.

Methods: Forty-five woolless castrated male Santa Inês crossbred sheep with an initial average body weight of 23.16±0.

Performance of feedlot lambs fed palm kernel cake-based diets.

Fifty-four castrated male lambs with an average body weight of 23 ± 0.35 kg were randomly assigned to five treatments that consisted of different levels of palm kernel cake in the diet (0.0, 7.

Efficacy of the addition of positive airway pressure to conventional chest physiotherapy in resolution of pleural effusion after drainage: protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Chest drainage for pleural effusion can cause pain and changes in respiratory function. It can also increase the risk of pulmonary complications and impair functional ability, which may increase length of hospital stay and the associated costs. For these reasons, surgical and clinical strategies have been adopted to reduce the duration of chest drainage.

Efficacy of melatonin in the treatment of endometriosis: a phase II, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Endometriosis-associated chronic pelvic pain (EACPP) presents with an intense inflammatory reaction. Melatonin has emerged as an important analgesic, antioxidant, and antiinflammatory agent. This trial investigates the effects of melatonin compared with a placebo on EACPP, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) level, and sleep quality.

Elephant grass, sugarcane, and rice bran in diets for confined sheep.

We aimed to evaluate the effects of diets, based on elephant grass or sugarcane as roughage and corn meal or rice bran as energy concentrate, on performance and body composition in terms of diet intake and digestibility. A total of 30 Santa Ines crossbreds (SIC), castrated male sheep with 19.8 ± 2.

Low percentages of circulating CD8(+)/CD45RA(+) human T lymphocytes expressing beta7 integrin correlate with the occurrence of intestinal acute graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Objective: Effector phase of acute graft-versus-host disease (a-GVHD) is mainly mediated by donor-derived, anti-host cytotoxic T cells. T-cell homing into gut-associated lymphoid tissues is ascribed to the alpha4beta7 integrin. We reasoned that development of intestinal a-GVHD might be triggered by recruitment in the intestinal mucosa of circulating, alloreactive, alpha4beta7(+) donor T cells.

SP-A binds alpha1-antitrypsin in vitro and reduces the association rate constant for neutrophil elastase.

Background: Alpha1-antitrypsin and surfactant protein-A (SP-A) are major lung defense proteins. With the hypothesis that SP-A could bind alpha1-antitrypsin, we designed a series of in vitro experiments aimed at investigating the nature and consequences of such an interaction.

Methods And Results: At an alpha1-antitrypsin:SP-A molar ratio of 1:1, the interaction resulted in a calcium-dependent decrease of 84.

B lymphocyte reconstitution after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: functional immaturity and slow recovery of memory CD27+ B cells.

Objective: Functional recovery of B lymphocytes after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) can take up to 2 years. HSCT recipients may obtain protective titers of pathogen-specific antibody through vaccination, but optimal timing of reimmunization remains to be defined.

Patients And Methods: In this study, we evaluated the reconstitution of B-cell number and activity in 139 children given HSCT, by B-cell subset phenotyping and in vitro immunoglobulin (Ig) production.