Comprehensive methodology for semi-volatile organic compound determination in ambient air with emphasis on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons analysis by GC-MS/MS.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are air pollutants that affect the human health and the environment, and their accurate determination in outdoor and indoor environments is important. This study presents a methodology for sampling and analysis of semi-volatile compounds in ambient air with emphasis on the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, collected with low-volume pumps (4.8 m) in unconditioned solid phase extraction cartridges (Isolute ENV+).

Protective role of fetal bovine serum on PLHC-1 spheroids exposed to a mixture of plastic additives: A lipidomic perspective.

The use of fetal bovine serum (FBS) in cell culture is being questioned for scientific and ethical reasons, prompting the exploration of alternative approaches. Nevertheless, the influence of FBS on cell functioning, especially in fish cells, has not been comprehensively examined. This study aims to evaluate the impact of FBS on the lipidome of PLHC-1 spheroids and investigate cellular and molecular responses to plastic additives in the presence/absence of FBS.

Development of fish liver PLHC-1 spheroids and its applicability to investigate the toxicity of plastic additives.

Fish liver cell lines are valuable tools to understand the toxicity of chemicals in aquatic vertebrates. While conventional 2D cell cultures grown in monolayers are well established, they fail to emulate toxic gradients and cellular functions as in in-vivo conditions. To overcome these limitations, this work focuses on the development of Poeciliopsis lucida (PLHC-1) spheroids as a testing platform to evaluate the toxicity of a mixture of plastic additives.

Species delineation and genetic structure of two species ( and ) on Madagascar and the Comoro archipelago.

Cryptic species diversity is known to be common in bats but remains challenging to study in these mammals, whose natural history traits render their sampling and monitoring challenging. For these animals, indirect genetic approaches provide a powerful tool to gain insight into the evolutionary history and ecology of cryptic bat species. The speciation history of the polyphyletic species group (Molossidae) is poorly understood, including those found on western Indian Ocean islands.

Personalized pathology test for Cardio-vascular disease: Approximate Bayesian computation with discriminative summary statistics learning.

Cardio/cerebrovascular diseases (CVD) have become one of the major health issue in our societies. But recent studies show that the present pathology tests to detect CVD are ineffectual as they do not consider different stages of platelet activation or the molecular dynamics involved in platelet interactions and are incapable to consider inter-individual variability. Here we propose a stochastic platelet deposition model and an inferential scheme to estimate the biologically meaningful model parameters using approximate Bayesian computation with a summary statistic that maximally discriminates between different types of patients.

Radiological findings in low-dose CT for COVID-19 pneumonia in 182 patients: Correlation of signs and severity with patient outcome.

To characterize computed tomography (CT) findings of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia and their value in outcome prediction.Chest CTs of 182 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 infection by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction were evaluated for the presence of CT-abnormalities and their frequency. Regarding the patient outcome each patient was categorized in 5 progressive stages and the duration of hospitalization was determined.

Three-dimensional analysis of blood platelet spreading using digital holographic microscopy: a statistical study of the differential effect of coatings in healthy volunteers and dialyzed patients.

In cardiovascular disorders, the study of thrombocytes, commonly known as platelets, is highly important since they are involved in blood clotting, essential in hemostasis, and they can in pathological situations affect the blood circulation. In this paper, single deposited platelets are measured using interferometric digital holographic microscopy. We have shown that the average optical height of platelets is significantly lower in healthy volunteers than in dialyzed patients, meaning a better spreading.

Cell-penetrating Alphabody protein scaffolds for intracellular drug targeting.

The therapeutic scope of antibody and nonantibody protein scaffolds is still prohibitively limited against intracellular drug targets. Here, we demonstrate that the Alphabody scaffold can be engineered into a cell-penetrating protein antagonist against induced myeloid leukemia cell differentiation protein MCL-1, an intracellular target in cancer, by grafting the critical B-cell lymphoma 2 homology 3 helix of MCL-1 onto the Alphabody and tagging the scaffold's termini with designed cell-penetration polypeptides. Introduction of an albumin-binding moiety extended the serum half-life of the engineered Alphabody to therapeutically relevant levels, and administration thereof in mouse tumor xenografts based on myeloma cell lines reduced tumor burden.

Performance of Low-Dose Chest CT as a Triage Tool for Suspected COVID-19 Patients.

Purpose: To investigate the role of low-dose chest computed tomography (CT) imaging in the triage of patients suspected of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in an emergency setting.

Materials And Methods: Data from 610 patients admitted to our emergency unit from March 20, 2020, until April 11, 2020, with suspicion of COVID-19 were collected. Diagnostic values of low-dose chest CT for COVID-19 were calculated using consecutive reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) as reference.

Unexplained Variation in Benefit of Treatment of Congenital Unilateral Aural Atresia: A Review of the Literature.

Objective: A review of published data regarding binaural hearing after treatment of congenital unilateral conductive hearing loss (UCHL) due to aural atresia. Treatment options concern atresia surgery (reconstructive surgery), application of a bone conduction device (BCD), or application of a middle ear implant (MEI).

Data Sources: Database PubMed was searched for articles published in English and German between January 1, 1994, and January 1, 2019.

M2 Monocyte Polarization in Dialyzed Patients Is Associated with Increased Levels of M-CSF and Myeloperoxidase-Associated Oxidative Stress: Preliminary Results.

Cardiovascular diseases represent a major issue in terms of morbidity and mortality for dialysis patients. This morbidity is due to the accelerated atherosclerosis observed in these patients. Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by key players such as monocytes, macrophages, or oxidized LDLs.

Methodology to create 3D models of COVID-19 pathologies for virtual clinical trials.

We describe the creation of computational models of lung pathologies indicative of COVID-19 disease. The models are intended for use in virtual clinical trials (VCT) for task-specific optimization of chest x-ray (CXR) imaging. Images of COVID-19 patients confirmed by computed tomography were used to segment areas of increased attenuation in the lungs, all compatible with ground glass opacities and consolidations.

Ten-year outcomes after primary vertical sleeve gastrectomy for morbid obesity: a monocentric cohort study.

Objective: To assess the 10-year outcomes after sleeve gastrectomy (SG). Primary end-points were the long-term weight loss and the need for conversion and one of the secondary end-points was the incidence of gastroesophageal reflux (GERD).

Materials And Methods: Between 2006 and 2008, 40 consecutive patients had a primary SG.

Data on myeloperoxidase-oxidized low-density lipoproteins stimulation of cells to induce release of resolvin-D1.

This article present data related to the publication entitled "Native and myeloperoxidase-oxidized low-density lipoproteins act in synergy to induce release of resolvin-D1 from endothelial cells" (Dufour et al., 2018). The supporting materials include results obtained by Mox-LDLs stimulated macrophages and investigation performed on scavenger receptors.

Native and myeloperoxidase-oxidized low-density lipoproteins act in synergy to induce release of resolvin-D1 from endothelial cells.

Background And Aims: Oxidation of native low-density lipoproteins (LDLs-nat) plays an important role in the development of atherosclerosis. A major player in LDL-nat oxidation is myeloperoxidase (MPO), a heme enzyme present in azurophil granules of neutrophils and monocytes. MPO produces oxidized LDLs called Mox-LDLs, which cause a pro-inflammatory response in human microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC), monocyte/macrophage activation and formation of foam cells.

Assessment of predictive factors for recurrence in laparoscopic ventral hernia repair using a bridging technique.

Aim: To assess the long-term incidence and predictive factors for recurrence after laparoscopic ventral hernia repair using a bridging technique.

Methods: The study group consisted of 213 consecutive patients operated by laparoscopy for primary ventral (n = 158) or incisional hernia (n = 55) between 2001 and 2014. Patients had a repair without fascia closure by intra-peritoneal onlay placement of a Parietex composite mesh centred on the defect with an overlap of at least 3 cm.

The presence of modified nucleosides in extracellular fluids leads to the specific incorporation of 5-chlorocytidine into RNA and modulates the transcription and translation.

Myeloperoxidase (MPO) is able to promote several kinds of damage and is involved in mechanisms leading to various diseases such as atherosclerosis or cancers. An example of these damages is the chlorination of nucleic acids, which is considered as a specific marker of the MPO activity. Since 5-chlorocytidine has been recently shown in healthy donor plasmas, this study aimed at discovering if these circulating modified nucleosides could be incorporated into RNA and DNA and if their presence impacts the ability of enzymes involved in the incorporation, transcription, and translation processes.

Prospective case-controlled sound localisation study after cochlear implantation in adults with single-sided deafness and ipsilateral tinnitus.

Objectives: To analyse the sound localisation skills of subjects with profound single-sided deafness (SSD) and accompanied ipsilateral tinnitus who are using a cochlear implant (CI) for between 4 and 11 years.

Design: Sound localisation skills were tested using nine loudspeakers in a frontal semicircle ranging from -90° to +90°. Subjects were tested in the CION and the CIOFF conditions via 3 localisation stimuli: broadband noise (BB), low-pass noise (LP) and high-pass noise (HP).

Highly efficient, long life, reusable and robust photosynthetic hybrid core-shell beads for the sustainable production of high value compounds.

An efficient one-step process to synthesize highly porous (Ca-alginate-SiO2-polycation) shell: (Na-alginate-SiO2) core hybrid beads for cell encapsulation, yielding a reusable long-life photosynthetically active material for a sustainable manufacture of high-value metabolites is presented. Bead formation is based on crosslinking of an alginate biopolymer and mineralisation of silicic acid in combination with a coacervation process between a polycation and the silica sol, forming a semi-permeable external membrane. The excellent mechanical strength and durability of the monodispersed beads and the control of their porosity and textural properties is achieved by tailoring the silica and alginate loading, polycation concentration and incubation time during coacervation.

Structural basis of IL-23 antagonism by an Alphabody protein scaffold.

Protein scaffolds can provide a promising alternative to antibodies for various biomedical and biotechnological applications, including therapeutics. Here we describe the design and development of the Alphabody, a protein scaffold featuring a single-chain antiparallel triple-helix coiled-coil fold. We report affinity-matured Alphabodies with favourable physicochemical properties that can specifically neutralize human interleukin (IL)-23, a pivotal therapeutic target in autoimmune inflammatory diseases such as psoriasis and multiple sclerosis.

Long-term subjective benefit with a bone conduction implant sound processor in 44 patients with single-sided deafness.

Introduction: Studies that investigate the subjective benefit from a bone conduction implant (BCI) sound processor in patients with single-sided sensorineural deafness (SSD) have been limited to examining short- and mid-term benefit. In the current study, we performed a survey among 44 SSD BCI users with a median follow-up time of 50 months.

Materials And Methods: Forty-four experienced SSD BCI users participated in the survey, which consisted of the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit, the Single-Sided Deafness Questionnaire, the Short Hearing Handicap Inventory for Adults, and a self-made user questionnaire.

An experimental objective method to determine maximum output and dynamic range of an active bone conduction implant: the Bonebridge.

Introduction: Recently, a new active bone conduction implant, the Bonebridge, was introduced. This transcutaneous device is proposed as an alternative to previous percutaneous systems. The current study aims to determine the maximum output (MO) of the Bonebridge by making use of Bonebridge-generated sound pressure levels in the occluded ear canal of the unaided ear.

A comparative study on speech in noise understanding with a direct acoustic cochlear implant in subjects with severe to profound mixed hearing loss.

The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of a direct acoustic cochlear implant (DACI) for speech understanding in noise in patients suffering from severe to profound mixed hearing loss (MHL) due to various etiologies compared to the preoperative best-aided condition. The study was performed at five tertiary referral centers in Europe (Belgium, Germany, Poland and Spain). Nineteen adult subjects with severe to profound MHL due to (advanced) otosclerosis, ear canal fibrosis, chronic otitis media, tympanosclerosis or previous cholesteatoma were implanted with a DACI (Codacs™ Investigational Device) combined with a conventional stapes prosthesis.

Perceptive barriers to peritoneal dialysis implementation: an opinion poll among the French-speaking Belgian nephrologists.

Although peritoneal dialysis (PD) is recognized as an effective renal replacement therapy (RRT) alternative to haemodialysis (HD), its prevalence is around 15% in most of the industrialized countries. In the French-speaking part of Belgium, PD is clearly underused with a prevalence of 8.7% in 2009.