Do You Want to Make a Battery? Insights from the Development and Evaluation of a Chemistry Public Engagement Activity.

Chemistry is often associated with formal learning environments and has been described as overly serious by the general public, lacking some of the fun and energy of other sciences. However, it is difficult to provide hands-on chemistry activities outside the lab and other formal learning environments. Here, a simple electrochemistry based activity has been used for public engagement using household items and play dough to create a fun and playful experience for all ages.

Identifying genomic variant associated with long QT syndrome type 2 in an ecuadorian mestizo individual: a case report.

Introduction: Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is an autosomal dominant inherited cardiac condition characterized by a QT interval prolongation and risk of sudden death. There are 17 subtypes of this syndrome associated with genetic variants in 11 genes. The second most common is type 2, caused by a mutation in the gene, which is part of the potassium channel and influences the final repolarization of the ventricular action potential.

Reduced mitochondrial pyruvate carrier expression in hearts with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction patients: ischemic vs. non-ischemic origin.

Introduction And Objectives: Mitochondrial pyruvate carrier (MPC) mediates the entry of pyruvate into mitochondria, determining whether pyruvate is incorporated into the Krebs cycle or metabolized in the cytosol. In heart failure (HF), a large amount of pyruvate is metabolized to lactate in the cytosol rather than being oxidized inside the mitochondria. Thus, MPC activity or expression might play a key role in the fate of pyruvate during HF.

The Autosomal Short Tandem Repeat Polymorphisms Are Potentially Associated with Cardiovascular Disease Predisposition in the Latin American Population: A Mini Review.

According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death worldwide across nearly all ethnic groups. Inherited cardiac conditions comprise a wide spectrum of diseases that affect the heart, including abnormal structural features and functional impairments. In Latin America, CVDs are the leading cause of death within the region.

Genetic diet interactions of : the increased hypertension predisposition in the Latin American population.

Hypertension is one of the primary risk factors associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). It is a condition that affects people worldwide, and its prevalence is increasing due to several factors, such as lack of physical activity, population aging, and unhealthy diets. Notably, this increase has primarily occurred in low and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Associations of MYPN, TTN, SCN5A, MYO6 and ELN Mutations With Arrhythmias and Subsequent Sudden Cardiac Death: A Case Report of an Ecuadorian Individual.

Cardiac pathologies are among the most frequent causes of death worldwide. Regarding cardiovascular deaths, it is estimated that 5 million cases are caused by sudden cardiac death (SCD) annually. The primary cause of SCD is ventricular arrhythmias.

Current Chemistry Investigators (CCI): Development and Evaluation of a Scientist in a Classroom Electrochemistry Workshop.

Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, school students suffered from a reduction in opportunities to connect with higher education institutions, meet scientific role models in person, discuss scientific career options, and carry out hands-on practical laboratory activities. Current Chemistry Investigators (CCI) is a successful electrochemistry-based STEM career intervention program, developed and evaluated through a co-creation process with teachers and students. The goals of CCI are 2-fold: first, to provide school students with career advice through tangible scientific role models and, second, to provide real-world context for the fundamentals of electrochemistry through hands-on activities.

Identification of mutations on the and genes associated with Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy and deafness: a case report.

Introduction: Hearing loss is the most common sensory disability, and it is estimated that 50% of cases are caused by genetic factors. One of the genes associated with deafness is the eyes absent homolog 4 () gene, a transcription factor related to the development and function of the inner ear. Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy is a rare inherited disease characterized by atrophy and weakness of the humeroperoneal muscles, multi-joint contractures, and cardiac manifestations.

Genomic analysis of a novel pathogenic variant in the gene LMNA associated with cardiac laminopathies found in Ecuadorian siblings: A case report.

Introduction: Cardiac laminopathies are caused by mutations in the LMNA gene and include a wide range of clinical manifestations involving electrical and mechanical changes in cardiomyocytes. In Ecuador, cardiovascular diseases were the primary cause of death in 2019, accounting for 26.5% of total deaths.

Frontal Aslant Tract and Its Role in Language: A Journey Through Tractographies and Dissections.

Background: The frontal aslant tract (FAT) is a bilateral tract located within each frontal lobe. It connects the supplementary motor area in the superior frontal gyrus with the pars opercularis in the inferior frontal gyrus. There is a new and broader conceptualization of this tract called the extended FAT (eFAT).

Partially oxidised boron nitride as a 2D nanomaterial for nanofiltration applications.

Boron nitride (BN) based 2D nanomaterials are an emerging class of materials for the development of new membranes for nanofiltration applications. Here, we report the preparation, characterisation and testing of highly promising nanofiltration membranes produced from partially oxidised BN (BNOx) 2D nanosheets. In our work, the partial oxidation of BN was successfully achieved by heating the bulk h-BN powder in air at 1000 °C, resulting in BNOx product.

Case report: Genomic screening for inherited cardiac conditions in Ecuadorian mestizo relatives: Improving familial diagnose.

Introduction: Genomic screening is an informative and helpful tool for the clinical management of inherited conditions such as cardiac diseases. Cardiac-inherited diseases are a group of disorders affecting the heart, its system, function, and vasculature. Among the cardiac inherited abnormalities, one of the most common is Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

Specialized Proresolving Mediators Protect Against Experimental Autoimmune Myocarditis by Modulating Ca Handling and NRF2 Activation.

Specialized proresolving mediators and, in particular, 5(S), (6)R, 7-trihydroxyheptanoic acid methyl ester (BML-111) emerge as new therapeutic tools to prevent cardiac dysfunction and deleterious cardiac damage associated with myocarditis progression. The cardioprotective role of BML-111 is mainly caused by the prevention of increased oxidative stress and nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2-like 2 (NRF2) down-regulation induced by myocarditis. At the molecular level, BML-111 activates NRF2 signaling, which prevents sarcoplasmic reticulum-adenosine triphosphatase 2A down-regulation and Ca mishandling, and attenuates the cardiac dysfunction and tissue damage induced by myocarditis.

Cardiac protection induced by urocortin-2 enables the regulation of apoptosis and fibrosis after ischemia and reperfusion involving miR-29a modulation.

Urocortin-2 (Ucn-2) has demonstrated cardioprotective actions against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injuries. Herein, we explored the protective role of Ucn-2 through microRNAs (miRNAs) post-transcriptional regulation of apoptotic and pro-fibrotic genes. We determined that the intravenous administration of Ucn-2 before heart reperfusion in a Wistar rat model of I/R recovered cardiac contractility and decreased fibrosis, lactate dehydrogenase release, and apoptosis.

Three-Dimensional Anatomy of the Anterior Commissure: A Tractography and Anatomical Study.

Background: The anterior commissure (AC) is one of the main commissural fibers of the brain. The commissural fibers are involved in bilateral integration and coordination of any normal brain activity. The AC is an important interhemispheric structure that forms a bidirectional communication channel between the frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital lobes bilaterally.

Extracellular Matrix in Heart Failure: Role of ADAMTS5 in Proteoglycan Remodeling.

Background: Remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM) is a hallmark of heart failure (HF). Our previous analysis of the secretome of murine cardiac fibroblasts returned ADAMTS5 (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs 5) as one of the most abundant proteases. ADAMTS5 cleaves chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans such as versican.

Mitochondrial pyruvate carrier abundance mediates pathological cardiac hypertrophy.

Cardiomyocytes rely on metabolic substrates, not only to fuel cardiac output, but also for growth and remodelling during stress. Here we show that mitochondrial pyruvate carrier (MPC) abundance mediates pathological cardiac hypertrophy. MPC abundance was reduced in failing hypertrophic human hearts, as well as in the myocardium of mice induced to fail by angiotensin II or through transverse aortic constriction.

Xenoantibodies and Complement Activity Determinations by Flow Cytometry in Pig-to-Primate Xenotransplantation.

In pig-to-primate xenotransplantation, flow cytometry assays allow the examination of antibody reactivity to intact antigens in their natural conformation and location on cell membranes. Here we describe in detail the procedures of two flow cytometry assays to measure the antibody-mediated complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) response or serum levels of IgG and IgM xenoantibodies. This information is key for understanding the rejection process of vascularized xenografts and finding strategies to overcome it.

Circulating Galectin-3 Following Heart Transplant: Long-term Dynamics and Prognostic Value.

Introduction And Objectives: Circulating galectin-3 (Gal-3) is elevated and significantly correlates with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in patients with heart failure. However, the relationship between serum Gal-3 and heart transplant (HT) outcomes is unclear. The aim of this study was to describe the longitudinal trend and prognostic value of Gal-3 levels after HT.

Intraneural IFG-1 in Cryopreserved Nerve Isografts Increase Neural Regeneration and Functional Recovery in the Rat Sciatic Nerve.

Background: Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) was found to stimulate Schwann cell mitosis. Exogenous IGF-1 may improve nerve regeneration after cryopreservation.

Objective: To evaulate the effect of intraneural administration of IGF-1 in cryopreserved nerve isografts.

The addition of albumin improves Schwann cells viability in nerve cryopreservation.

The purpose of the current study was to establish a valid protocol for nerve cryopreservation, and to evaluate if the addition of albumin supposed any advantage in the procedure. We compared a traditional cryopreservation method that uses dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as cryoprotectant, to an alternative method that uses DMSO and albumin. Six Wistar Lewis rats were used to obtain twelve 20 mm fragments of sciatic nerve.

HORMONAL SUPPLEMENTATION TRIGGERING CHOROIDAL NEOVASCULARIZATION IN HEALTHY YOUNG FEMALES.

Purpose: To report three cases of choroidal neovascularization after hormonal treatment for ovarian stimulation during a fertility therapy.

Methods: A comprehensive ophthalmic examination was performed in all cases including best-corrected visual acuity, color fundus examination, fluorescein angiography, and optical coherence tomography.

Results: Three females in their thirties developed unilateral acuity vision loss and metamorphopsia.

Role of NOD1 in Heart Failure Progression via Regulation of Ca Handling.

Background: Heart failure (HF) is a complex syndrome associated with a maladaptive innate immune system response that leads to deleterious cardiac remodeling. However, the underlying mechanisms of this syndrome are poorly understood. Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing protein 1 (NOD1) is a newly recognized innate immune sensor involved in cardiovascular diseases.

Tissue engineering for neurodegenerative diseases using human amniotic membrane and umbilical cord.

Regenerative medicine, based on the use of stem cells, scaffolds and growth factors, has the potential to be a good approach for restoring damaged tissues of the central nervous system. This study investigated the use of human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSC), human amniotic epithelial stem cells (hAESC), and human Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cells (hWJMSC) derived from human umbilical cord as a source of stem cells, and the potential of the human amniotic membrane (HAM) as a scaffold and/or source of growth factors to promote nerve regeneration. The hAMSC and hAESC obtained from HAM and the hWJMSC from umbilical cords were cultured in induction medium to obtain neural-like cells.