Dietary selenium (Se) is vital for human health and can be provided through consumption of Se-rich vegetables. Soil Se is often poorly available and so biofortification using Se-enriched fertilizers is used to enhance dietary intake. This study aimed to (a) evaluate the feasibility of biofortifying vegetables, commonly grown in the calcareous soils of Kurdistan, with a single application of Se (10 g ha) as selenate and, (b) trace the fate of applied Se using an enriched stable isotope, ⁷⁷Se.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a long-term condition affecting the digestive tract and is an umbrella term for two main conditions: ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's Disease (CD), which can cause diarrhoea, anaemia, weight loss, rectal bleeding and abdominal pain. Approximately 500,000 people live with IBD in the UK, with half being diagnosed before the age of 35 years (Ferguson, Mahsud-Dornan, and Patterson 2008). IBD increases the risk of pregnancy complications, with symptoms being unpredictable during pregnancy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlast Reconstr Surg Glob Open
October 2024
The deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap is the preferred method for autologous breast reconstruction after mastectomy, but risks the development of hernia, bulge, and decreased core strength. Robotic harvest of DIEP vessels may limit abdominal wall morbidity through smaller fascial incisions and preservation of motor nerves. This study shows the expected learning curve (LC) for robotic harvest and compares the LC between a general surgeon (GS) and a plastic surgeon (PS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Autologous tissue transfer is an effective option for breast reconstruction post-mastectomy, with microsurgical techniques continually evolving. However, a comprehensive analysis of the relationship between prolonged ischemia time during free flap-based breast reconstruction and increased postoperative complications is still lacking.
Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted following PRISMA guidelines.
Licensed nonmedical, skin-aware professionals (e.g., hairdressers, massage therapists, etc.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The deep inferior epigastric artery perforator (DIEP) flap is the gold standard for autologous breast reconstruction. However, the conventional procedure's anterior sheath division, from perforating vessels to the pedicle origin, risks weakening the abdominal wall's primary strength layer. Employing the da Vinci Xi Surgical System with indocyanine green dye and near-infrared fluorescence imaging, we refined a robotic technique for bilateral DIEP flap harvest.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Altering the curriculum of a program can have negative repercussions for the student experience, including peer mentorships and interclass relationships. This study investigated the effect of curriculum reform on students' emotional and social well-being in a predoctoral dental program. We explored if any of these consequences could be related to stereotype threat.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Traditional deep inferior epigastric artery perforator (DIEP) flap harvest splits the anterior sheath, weakening the abdominal wall and predisposing patients to bulge or hernia. Abdominal wall morbidity may be decreased using minimally invasive techniques. We refined a transabdominal approach to the robotic harvest of bilateral DIEP flaps.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObtaining comprehensive structural descriptions of macromolecules within their natural cellular context holds immense potential for understanding fundamental biology and improving health. Here, we present the landscape of protein synthesis inside human cells in unprecedented detail obtained using an approach which combines automated cryo-focused ion beam (FIB) milling and single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). With this cryo-EM approach we resolved a 2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThere is growing evidence showing the existence of selenium (Se) deficiency among women and children in sub-Saharan Africa. Unfortunately, the key drivers of Se deficiency are not clearly understood. This study assessed the determinants of Se deficiency among children aged 6-59 months and Women of Reproductive Age (WRA), in Zimbabwe.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Land uses such as crop production, livestock grazing, mining, and urban development have contributed to degradation of drylands worldwide. Loss of big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) on disturbed drylands across the western U.S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The current study investigated the value of urine selenium (Se) concentration as a biomarker of population Se status in rural sub-Saharan Africa.
Method: Urine and plasma Se concentrations were measured among children aged 6-59 months ( = 608) and women of reproductive age (WRA, = 781) living in rural Zimbabwe (Murehwa, Shamva, and Mutasa districts) and participating in a pilot national micronutrient survey. Selenium concentrations were measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and urine concentrations were corrected for hydration status.
We report herein that the anti-CD20 therapeutic antibody, rituximab, is rearranged into microclusters within the phagocytic synapse by macrophage Fcγ receptors (FcγR) during antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis. These microclusters were observed to potently recruit Syk and to undergo rearrangements that were limited by the cytoskeleton of the target cell, with depolymerization of target-cell actin filaments leading to modest increases in phagocytic efficiency. Total internal reflection fluorescence analysis revealed that FcγR total phosphorylation, Syk phosphorylation, and Syk recruitment were enhanced when IgG-FcγR microclustering was enabled on fluid bilayers relative to immobile bilayers in a process that required Arp2/3.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrevious research has suggested that making classrooms more active and student centered improves learning, and this usually involves encouraging student talk in the classroom. However, the majority of students remain silent during whole-class discussions, and men's voices are more likely to be heard in science classrooms. Previous interview studies and quantitative studies have discussed the role instructors play in encouraging or discouraging participation, the weight students put into the fear of negative evaluation, and other factors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImproved crop genotypes are constantly introduced. However, information on their nutritional quality is generally limited. The present study reports the proximate composition and the concentration and relative bioavailability of minerals of improved finger millets of different genotypes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImportance: Cultural humility training is of growing interest, yet the religious and cultural accommodations of Muslim patients in dermatology have not been studied.
Objective: To explore the perceptions of Muslim patients of their dermatology care.
Design, Setting, And Participants: This qualitative mixed-methods study, consisting of surveys and semistructured interviews, recruited participants from 2 clinical sites within a large academic health care system in California.
Several barriers along the cascade of care reduce hepatitis C treatment access. We propose an investment in patient-centered care strategies to initiate and engage this vulnerable population with curative treatment, such as the implementation of community-based educational peer support groups. Barriers to implementing these patient-centered care strategies remain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer are significant causes of mortality. Previous studies regarding skin cancer education in nonmedical professionals have shown increases in favorable attitudes and likelihood of approaching clients about concerning lesions with training. However, few studies have investigated the use of estheticians in skin cancer screening.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Supporting families during the first 1001 days from conception to the age of two is vital for setting the emotional, cognitive, and physical building blocks for children's futures. Families with twins, triplets, or higher order multiples (multiple birth families) have unique challenges due to caring for more than one baby at the same time. Therefore, identifying the needs of multiple birth families is necessary to provide optimum support during the first 1001 critical days.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: There is spatial variability of selenium (Se) in soil and crops in Ethiopia. We assessed the Se content of food items, breast milk, and urine among infants in Ethiopia from two areas with contrasting Se concentrations in soils.
Methods: Dietary Se intakes among children (6-23 months) were evaluated using a weighed food record on two non-consecutive days.
Stable and radiogenic isotope analysis - particularly using lead isotope analysis (LIA) - has previously been shown to be a useful tool for the provenancing of ancient metal artefacts of silver and copper and its alloys, but less progress has been made in the provenancing of iron artefacts, despite their importance and frequency in the archaeological record. In this pilot study we investigate for the first time the possibilities of iron isotope analysis in combination with trace strontium isotope analysis and LIA for the provenancing of iron objects believed to be from the Viking Age in the British Isles. Previous studies have shown that analysis of each of these isotopes can contribute to provenancing iron artefacts, but they are not individually resolutory.
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