Functional characterization and subcellular distribution of two recombinant cytosolic HSP70 isoforms from Entamoeba histolytica under normal and stress conditions.

Amoebiasis is a human intestinal disease caused by the parasite Entamoeba histolytica. It has been previously demonstrated that E. histolytica heat shock protein 70 (EhHSP70) plays an important role in amoebic pathogenicity by protecting the parasite from the dangerous effects of oxidative and nitrosative stresses.

Fully Digital Workflow with Magnetically Connected Guides for Full-Arch Implant Rehabilitation Following Guided Alveolar Ridge Reduction.

This technique report describes a fully digital workflow in which two surgical guides (i.e. one for alveolar bone reduction and the other for implant placement) are magnetically connected to ensure stability during full-arch implant surgery following guided bone reduction.

MICHELINdb: a web-based tool for mining of helminth-microbiota interaction datasets, and a meta-analysis of current research.

Background: The complex network of interactions occurring between gastrointestinal (GI) and extra-intestinal (EI) parasitic helminths of humans and animals and the resident gut microbial flora is attracting increasing attention from biomedical researchers, because of the likely implications for the pathophysiology of helminth infection and disease. Nevertheless, the vast heterogeneity of study designs and microbial community profiling strategies, and of bioinformatic and biostatistical approaches for analyses of metagenomic sequence datasets hinder the identification of bacterial targets for follow-up experimental investigations of helminth-microbiota cross-talk. Furthermore, comparative analyses of published datasets are made difficult by the unavailability of a unique repository for metagenomic sequence data and associated metadata linked to studies aimed to explore potential changes in the composition of the vertebrate gut microbiota in response to GI and/or EI helminth infections.

Exploring the STOP-BANG questionnaire for obstructive sleep apnea screening in seniors.

Study Objectives: The accuracy of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) screening instruments in seniors may change as the predictive role of sex, age, and body mass index (BMI) changes with aging. We investigated the diagnostic performance of the STOP-BANG questionnaire in older individuals with aging-adapted scores and thresholds.

Methods: Independent community-dwelling adults aged 65 years or older were screened for OSA.

Biomarkers and clinical scores to aid the identification of disease severity and intensive care requirement following activation of an in-hospital sepsis code.

Background: Few validated biomarker or clinical score combinations exist which can discriminate between cases of infection and other non-infectious conditions following activation of an in-hospital sepsis code, as well as provide an accurate severity assessment of the corresponding host response. This study aimed to identify suitable blood biomarker (MR-proADM, PCT, CRP and lactate) or clinical score (SOFA and APACHE II) combinations to address this unmet clinical need.

Methods: A prospective, observational study of patients activating the Vall d'Hebron University Hospital sepsis code (ISC) within the emergency department (ED), hospital wards and intensive care unit (ICU).

RORγt Treg to Th17 ratios correlate with susceptibility to Giardia infection.

Infections with Giardia are among the most common causes of food and water-borne diarrheal disease worldwide. Here, we investigated Th17, Treg and IgA responses, and alterations in gut microbiota in two mouse lines with varying susceptibility to Giardia muris infection. Infected BALB/c mice shed significantly more cysts compared with C57BL/6 mice.

Identifying cross-disease components of genetic risk across hospital data in the UK Biobank.

Genetic risk factors frequently affect multiple common human diseases, providing insight into shared pathophysiological pathways and opportunities for therapeutic development. However, systematic identification of genetic profiles of disease risk is limited by the availability of both comprehensive clinical data on population-scale cohorts and the lack of suitable statistical methodology that can handle the scale of and differential power inherent in multi-phenotype data. Here, we develop a disease-agnostic approach to cluster the genetic risk profiles for 3,025 genome-wide independent loci across 19,155 disease classification codes from 320,644 participants in the UK Biobank, representing a large and heterogeneous population.

Evaluation of Factors That Influence Dose Variability of Marek's Disease Vaccines.

Marek's disease (MD) vaccines are cell-associated and require special handling and care during administration. Vaccine dose is evaluated by plaque assay and is indicated as the number of plaque-forming units (PFUs) per dose. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the dose variability within each vial of MD vaccines and to assess those factors (from both manufacturing and handling and administration of the vaccine) that could affect vaccine dose variability.

Last-Generation Genome-Environment Associations Reveal the Genetic Basis of Heat Tolerance in Common Bean ( L.).

Genome-environment associations (GEAs) are a powerful strategy for the study of adaptive traits in wild plant populations, yet they still lack behind in the use of modern statistical methods as the ones suggested for genome-wide association studies (GWASs). In order to bridge this gap, we couple GEA with last-generation GWAS algorithms in common bean to identify novel sources of heat tolerance across naturally heterogeneous ecosystems. Common bean ( L.

Full digital workflow for crown lengthening by using a single surgical guide.

A technique using a digital workflow for performing crown lengthening by using a free software program is presented to digitally design a single surgical guide. The technique consists of obtaining standard tessellation language (STL) files from intraoral scans from a digital design of the new tooth shape and from a cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scan, after which Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) files are converted to the STL format. These files are then superimposed and used for surgical planning of the crown-lengthening procedure.

Characterizing the Use of Expectations in Orthopedic Surgery Research: A Scoping Review.

Objective: Orthopedic literature on expectations is limited by lack of uniformity in how expectations are defined, conceptualized, and measured. Within this scoping review, we present a conceptual framework for understanding the construct of expectations and its derivatives (ie, expectation, expectancy, expectancies, etc) in studies of elective surgical orthopedic procedures. We also utilize this framework to map the current orthopedic surgery literature on expectations, highlighting its strengths, weaknesses, and gaps in its knowledge base.

Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS) into Spanish (Chile).

Purpose: To adapt and validate the English version of the Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS) into Spanish FAOS-CL, following the WHO guidelines.

Methods: A cross-sectional study including 318 outpatients with non-traumatic conditions. Validity, acceptability and internal consistency including correlations with the Medical Outcome Study Short Form 36 are reported.

Secreted cathepsin L-like peptidases are involved in the degradation of trapped antibodies on the surface of Echinostoma caproni.

Antibody trapping is a recently described strategy for immune evasion observed in the intestinal trematode Echinostoma caproni, which may aid to avoiding the host humoral response, thus facilitating parasite survival in the presence of high levels of local-specific antibodies. Parasite-derived peptidases carry out the degradation of trapped antibodies, being essential for this mechanism. Herein, we show that cathepsin-like cysteine endopeptidases are active in the excretory/secretory products (ESPs) of E.

Reporter lines based on the gexp02 promoter enable early quantification of sexual conversion rates in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum.

Transmission of malaria parasites from humans to mosquito vectors requires that some asexual parasites differentiate into sexual forms termed gametocytes. The balance between proliferation in the same host and conversion into transmission forms can be altered by the conditions of the environment. The ability to accurately measure the rate of sexual conversion under different conditions is essential for research addressing the mechanisms underlying sexual conversion, and to assess the impact of environmental factors.

Hepatic Arterial Bland Embolization Increases Th17 Cell Infiltration in a Syngeneic Rat Model of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Purpose: To determine the tumor immune cell landscape after transcatheter arterial bland embolization (TAE) in a clinically relevant rat hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) model.

Materials And Methods: Buffalo rats (n = 21) bearing syngeneic McArdle RH-7777 rat hepatoma cells implanted into the left hepatic lobe underwent TAE using 70-150 µm beads (n = 9) or hepatic artery saline infusion (n = 12). HCC nodules, peritumoral margin, adjacent non-cancerous liver, and splenic parenchyma were collected and disaggregated to generate single-cell suspensions for immunological characterization 14 d after treatment.

Three dimensionally printed surgical guides for removing fixation screws from onlay bone grafts in flapless implant surgeries.

The present technique report describes a digital workflow for flapless implant surgery after onlay block bone graft healing in the esthetic area. Virtual removal of block fixation screws and optimal single-tooth implant position and digital crown waxing were planned from cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and intraoral scans. Two different surgical guides were digitally designed and 3D-printed to allow for flapless implant surgery.

Helminth-microbiota cross-talk - A journey through the vertebrate digestive system.

The gastrointestinal (GI) tract of vertebrates is inhabited by a vast array of organisms, i.e., the microbiota and macrobiota.

Targeting the receptor-based interactome of the dopamine D1 receptor: looking for heteromer-selective drugs.

: G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are a superfamily of membrane proteins highly expressed in the brain that are involved in almost all functions of the CNS. During the last twenty years, a large number of GPCRs have been reported to form homodimers, heterodimers and higher order oligomers. : This review summarizes the functional and pharmacological characteristics of the dopamine D receptor (DR) interactome constituted by heteromers with GPCRs or non-GPCRs.

Clinical and radiographic outcomes of allogeneic block grafts for maxillary lateral ridge augmentation: A randomized clinical trial.

Background: A main drawback of bone block graft surgery is the resorption occurring in early stages of healing. To our knowledge, there are no studies comparing outcomes of freeze-dried bone allograft (FDBA) blocks with different architecture.

Purpose: The aim of this work was to investigate different factors that can affect graft resorption and to compare the resorption rates of two different types of allogeneic blocks, corticocancellous and cancellous.

Effects of climate change and episodic heat events on cyanobacteria in a eutrophic polymictic lake.

Mixing regime and CO availability may control cyanobacterial blooms in polymictic lakes, but the underlying mechanisms still remain unclear. We integrated detailed results from a natural experiment comprising an average-wet year (2011) and one with heat waves (2012), a long-term meteorological dataset (1960-2010), historical phosphorus concentrations and sedimentary pigment records, to determine the mechanistic controls of cyanobacterial blooms in a eutrophic polymictic lake. Intense warming in 2012 was associated with: 1) increased stability of the water column with buoyancy frequencies exceeding 40 cph at the surface, 2) high phytoplankton biomass in spring (up to 125 mg WW L), 3) reduced downward transport of heat and 4) depleted epilimnetic CO concentrations.

Integrated evaluation of wine lees valorization to produce value-added products.

The integrated evaluation of the valorization of wine lees to produce value-added products was carried out in this study from a life-cycle perspective. The consumption of steam has been demonstrated as the main hot spot, reaching 85.7% of the impact on Fossil Depletion and 85.

Factors impacting technical success rate of image-guided intra-arterial therapy in rat orthotopic liver tumor model.

Transcatheter hepatic arterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the current standard of care for intermediate stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. To study the effects of TACE in the tumor immune microenvironment, an immunocompetent rat model is required. The purpose of this study was to determine factors influencing technical success during hepatic arterial catheterization in immunocompetent orthotopic rat liver models.

Identification of Novel Trypanosoma cruzi Proteasome Inhibitors Using a Luminescence-Based High-Throughput Screening Assay.

Chagas' disease, caused by the protozoan parasite , is a potentially life-threatening condition that has become a global issue. Current treatment is limited to two medicines that require prolonged dosing and are associated with multiple side effects, which often lead to treatment discontinuation and failure. One way to address these shortcomings is through target-based drug discovery on validated protein targets.