Optimizing Medical Care during a Nerve Agent Mass Casualty Incident Using Computer Simulation.

Introduction: Chemical mass casualty incidents (MCIs) pose a substantial threat to public health and safety, with the capacity to overwhelm healthcare infrastructure and create societal disorder. Computer simulation systems are becoming an established mechanism to validate these plans due to their versatility, cost-effectiveness and lower susceptibility to ethical problems.

Methods: We created a computer simulation model of an urban subway sarin attack analogous to the 1995 Tokyo sarin incident.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of patients diagnosed with inflammatory bowel diseases.

Understanding the profound impact of a viral pandemic on the mental health of patients with autoimmune diseases undergoing biological treatment is crucial for future insights. This cross-sectional case-control study aimed to assess the mental health implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Romania, spanning from November 2022 to March 2023. A specialized self-report questionnaire in the Romanian language was developed to measure the multifaceted effects of COVID-19 on the mental well-being of these patients.

Proteomic Profiles of Whole Seeds, Hulls, and Dehulled Seeds of Two Industrial Hemp ( L.) Cultivars.

As a source of nutritionally important components, hemp seeds are often dehulled for consumption and food applications by removing the hard hulls, which increases their nutritional value. The hulls thus become waste, although they may contain valuable protein items, about which there is a lack of information. The present work is therefore aimed at evaluating the proteome of hemp ( L.

Novel Approaches for Elongation of Fish Oils into Very-Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Their Enzymatic Interesterification into Glycerolipids.

Elongation of the Very-Long-Chain Fatty Acids-4 (ELOVL4) enzyme that is expressed in neuronal tissues, sperm, and testes mediates biosynthesis of very-long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (VLC-PUFAs) from dietary long chain PUFAs (LC-PUFAs). The VLC-PUFAs are critical for neuronal and reproductive function. Therefore, mutations in ELOVL4 that affect VLC-PUFA biosynthesis contribute to retinal degenerative diseases including Autosomal Dominant Stargardt-like Macular Dystrophy (STGD3).

Value-Added Squalene in Single-Cell Oil Produced with for Food Applications.

Single-cell oil (SCO) produced by oleaginous microorganisms is potentially a more land-efficient and sustainable alternative to vegetable oil. The cost of SCO production can be reduced by value-added co-products like squalene, a highly relevant compound for the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industry. For the first time, squalene in the oleaginous yeast was analyzed, reaching 172.

Raising awareness through continuous indoor radon measurements in workplaces.

When radon is taken out of the scientific context in order to be understood by the public, the way the media approaches radon is prone to sensationalising. Communicating risk in a clear and effective manner was never easy and communication of radon risk poses serious challenges because radon is not widely known and specialists need to be more involved in engagement activities and campaigns to inform about radon exposure. This paper presents the results of the continuous radon measurements performed in workplaces for raising awareness among occupationally exposed workers.

Formation of Previously Undescribed Δ-Phytosterol Oxidation Products and Tocopherylquinone Adducts in Pumpkin Seed Oil during Roasting, Screw-Pressing, and Simulated Culinary Processing at Elevated Temperatures.

The influence of pumpkin seed roasting conditions (110-140 °C) and screw-pressing on the formation of previously undescribed Δ-phytosterol oxidation products and tocopherylquinone adducts with nucleophilic phosphatidylethanolamine species was investigated. The roasting process of pumpkin seed paste at a temperature above 120 °C for 30 min considerably enhanced the formation of Δ-oxysterols. Targeted analysis [electron impact mass spectrometry (MS), 1D-nuclear magnetic resonance] led to the identification of five novel markers of pumpkin paste roasting, among which (3β,5α,22,24)-stigmasta-7,22-dien-6-one-3-ol (6-oxo-α-spinasterol), stereoisomers of (3β,5α,22)-7,8-epoxystigmast-22-en-3-ol (7,8-epoxy-α-spinasterol), and (3β,5α)-22,23-epoxystigmast-7-en-3-ol (7,8-epoxy-α-spinasterol) were reported in edible oils for the first time.

Oilseed Cake Flour Composition, Functional Properties and Antioxidant Potential as Effects of Sieving and Species Differences.

Oilseed cakes are produced as a by-product of oil pressing and are mostly used as feed. Their use for human consumption is due to the functional properties and benefits for human health. Herein, oilseed cake flours of eight species (flax, hemp, milk thistle, poppy, pumpkin, rapeseed, safflower, sunflower) were sieved into fractions above (A250) and below (B250) 250 µm.

Comparison of bone remodelling around short stem and conventional straight stem in total hip replacement: a prospective randomized radiographic and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometric study.

Objective: The aim of study was to evaluate periprosthetic bone mineral density (BMD) changes of proximal femur, osseointegration and clinical outcomes after implantation of short-stemmed and conventional straight-stemmed prostheses.

Methods: This prospective, randomized study included 50 patients with unilateral total hip replacement. The patients were randomized into 2 cohorts: patients with a cementless short stem Metha (n=25) and patients with a cementless conventional straight stem Bicontact evaluated as the control (n=25).

A Preliminary Study of Combined Detection of COMP, TIMP-1, and MMP-3 in Synovial Fluid: Potential Indicators of Osteoarthritis Progression.

Objective: Osteoarthritis (OA) commonly affects weight-bearing joints and is characterized by articular cartilage breakdown combined with osteophyte formation at the joint margins and chronic nonspecific inflammation of synovium. Understanding the profile of inflammation in a patient population is an essential starting point to predict or prevent OA progression. The aim of this study was to identify the profile of selected biomolecules in synovial fluid (SF) and investigate the correlation according to gender, age, and severity of the disease within patients from among the general knee OA population.

A comparison of experimental compressive axial loading testing with a numerical simulation of topologically optimized cervical implants made by selective laser melting.

In recent years, the number of cervical interventions has increased. The stress shielding effect is a serious complication in cervical spine interventions. Topological optimization is based on finite element method structural analysis and numerical simulations.

Formation of 5α-Sitostan-3-one, 5α-Campestan-3-one, and Steroidal Hydrocarbons in Edible Oils during Catalytic Hydrogenation.

Targeted analysis confirmed the presence of new phytosterol degradation products in fully hydrogenated commercial samples. EI-MS, APCI-MS, and 1D-NMR experiments led to the identification of 10 novel markers of catalytic hydrogenation, among which 5α-sitostan-3-one and 5α-campestan-3-one, isomers of saturated and monounsaturated steroidal hydrocarbons, were reported in edible oils for the first time. Examination of the phytosterol degradation mechanism was done by the catalytic transfer deuteration technique.

Vitamin K Dependent Proteins in Kidney Disease.

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have an increased risk of developing vascular calcifications, as well as bone dynamics impairment, leading to a poor quality of life and increased mortality. Certain vitamin K dependent proteins (VKDPs) act mainly as calcification inhibitors, but their involvement in the onset and progression of CKD are not completely elucidated. This review is an update of the current state of knowledge about the relationship between CKD and four extrahepatic VKDPs: matrix Gla protein, osteocalcin, growth-arrest specific protein 6 and Gla-rich protein.

Antifungal Polyamides of Hydroxycinnamic Acids from Sunflower Bee Pollen.

The aim of the bioassay-guided fractionation was the selection of the most potent group of compounds responsible for the protection of sunflower bee pollen grains. Synthesis of prospective antifungal polyamides of hydroxycinnamic acids was based on previous structural elucidation of ethanol soluble fraction by H,H-PFG-COSY, H,C-HSQC, FT-IR, FT-Raman, and LC-MS experiments. The main compounds found were tri- p-coumaroylspermidines accompanied by other HCAA of spermidine and putrescine.

Mechanism of formation of 3-chloropropan-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) esters under conditions of the vegetable oil refining.

3-MCPD esters are contaminants that can form during refining of vegetable oils in the deodorization step. It was experimentally shown that their content in the vegetable oil depends on the acid value of the vegetable oil and the chloride content. 3-MCPD esters form approximately 2-5 times faster from diacylglycerols than from monoacylglycerols.

Effect of multiple allelic drop-outs in forensic RMNE calculations.

Technological advances such as massively parallel sequencing enable increasing amounts of genetic information to be obtained from increasingly challenging samples. Certainly on low template, degraded and multi-contributor samples, drop-outs will increase in number for many profiles simply by analyzing more loci, making it difficult to probabilistically assess how many drop-outs have occurred and at which loci they might have occurred. Previously we developed a Random Man Not Excluded (RMNE) method that can take into account allelic drop-out while avoiding detailed estimations of the probability that drop-outs have occurred, nor making assumptions about at which loci these drop-outs might have occurred.

Antimicrobial effect of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid ester with glycerol.

What Is Known And Objectives: Parabens have been commonly used as preservatives in pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries for almost 50 years. These compounds are thermostable, pH-stable and inexpensive and have a wide antimicrobial effect. The antimicrobial activity of parabens in emulsion system is limited by their poor solubility in water phase, which is increasing with the length of their alkyl chain.

[Our experience with the metha short hip stem].

Purpose Of The Study: The aim of the study was to evaluate the clinical and radiographic results of total hip arthroplasty (THA) with the Metha short hip stem and their comparison with the outcomes of THA using a conventional cementless stem.

Material And Methods: A total of 30 Metha stems and 30 standard Biocontact stems implanted in the period from 2007 to 2012 were evaluated. The Metha patient group comprised 22 women and six men, with the mean age of 58.

Correlations Among Parental and Neonatal Anthropometric Parameters, Feeding Practices and Infant Obesity.

Background And Aims: Infant and adult obesity is becoming a real public health concern in Romania, similar to other countries of the European Union. Maternal obesity and excessive weight gain during pregnancy are proven risk factors for the obesity of the child. The protective role of the breastfeeding against obesity has also been demonstrated.

Antioxidant effect of mono- and dihydroxyphenols in sunflower oil with different levels of naturally present tocopherols.

Unlabelled: Antioxidant properties of mono- and dihydroxyphenolic acids and their alkyl esters were examined, with emphasis on the relationship between their molecular structure and antioxidant activity. Test media with different tocopherol level were used for determining the oxidative stability: original refined sunflower oil (total tocopherols 149.0 mg/kg), partially tocopherol-stripped sunflower oil (total tocopherols 8.

[Right colon cancer--clinicopathological findings].

Background: The right colon cancer (RCC) has some particularities from point of view of epidemiology, clinical aspects, therapy and prognosis.

Material And Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the patients operated in the First Surgical Unit Iaşi during 2004 until 2009, for right colon cancer. The patients' data from the medical files were digitally encoded and included into a MS Access database, and statistically analyzed.

[The porcelain gallbladder-laparoscopic approach].

A long time porcelain gallbladder was considered a relative contraindication to laparoscopic cholecystectomy, because of a high incidence of gallbladder cancer. From 12,000 patients underwent cholecystectomy in First Surgical Clinic of Iasi, 5 (0.04%) patients had porcelain gallbladder.