Constitutional chromosomal anomalies in children, fetal alcohol syndrome, and maternal toxicant exposures: A longitudinal cohort study.

DNA alterations in gametes, which may occur either spontaneously or as a result of exposure to genotoxicants, can lead to constitutional chromosomal anomalies in the offspring. Alcohol is an established genotoxicant. The goal of this hypothesis-testing longitudinal cohort study was to evaluate the effect of significant/sustained maternal alcohol exposure on clinically diagnosed constitutional chromosomal anomalies among children diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS).

Estimated mercury vapor exposure from amalgams among American pregnant women.

This study examined the impact of mercury (Hg) vapor exposure from amalgams among all American pregnant women. Amalgam-Hg vapor exposure among 1,665,890 weighted-pregnant women ( = 37) was examined in the 2015-2020 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Correlation coefficients between amalgam surfaces and daily micrograms (µg) of urinary Hg excretion and daily µg of Hg vapor exposure from amalgams per kilogram (Kg) bodyweight were calculated.

Reductions in plasma and urine mercury concentrations following N,N'bis-(2-mercaptoethyl) isophthalamide (NBMI) therapy: a post hoc analysis of data from a randomized human clinical trial.

Environmental mercury exposure possesses a significant risk to many human populations. At present there are no effective treatments for acute mercury toxicity. A new compound, N,N'bis-(2-mercaptoethyl) isophthalamide (NBMI), a lipophilic chelating agent was created to tightly/irreversibly bind mercury.

Colon Cancer Risk Following Intestinal Infection: A Longitudinal Cohort Study.

Background: The gut microbiome may play an important role in the etiology and progression of colon cancer. The present hypothesis-testing study compared the colon cancer incidence rate among adults diagnosed with intestinal (formerly (Cdiff) (the Cdiff cohort) to adults not diagnosed with intestinal Cdiff infection (the non-Cdiff cohort).

Methods: De-identified eligibility and claim healthcare records within the Independent Healthcare Research Database (IHRD) from a longitudinal cohort of adults (the overall cohort) enrolled in the Florida Medicaid system between 1990 through 2012 were examined.

Ultrasonic Wave Mode-Based Application for Contactless Density Measurement of Highly Aerated Batters.

An ultrasonic wave mode-based method for density measurement in highly foamed batters was developed. Therefore, a non-contact ultrasonic sensor system was designed to generate signals for batch-wise processes. An ultrasonic sensor, containing a piezoelectric ceramic at the fundamental longitudinal frequency of 2 MHz, was used to take impedance measurements in pulse-echo mode.

Generalizability of Soft Sensors for Bioprocesses through Similarity Analysis and Phase-Dependent Recalibration.

A soft sensor concept is typically developed and calibrated for individual bioprocesses in a time-consuming manual procedure. Following that, the prediction performance of these soft sensors degrades over time, due to changes in raw materials, biological variability, and modified process strategies. Through automatic adaptation and recalibration, adaptive soft sensor concepts have the potential to generalize soft sensor principles and make them applicable across bioprocesses.

Urine glyphosate exposure and serum sex hormone disruption within the 2013-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination survey (NHANES).

Glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) are one of the most commonly used herbicides worldwide. Numerous in vitro and in vivo model system studies have demonstrated endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC) properties associated with glyphosate/GBH exposure. The present hypothesis-testing study evaluated the potential inverse dose-dependent relationship between increasing urinary glyphosate and decreasing concentrations of blood sex hormones.

Fetal alcohol syndrome and the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders: A longitudinal cohort study.

Background: This hypothesis-testing study evaluated the relationship between fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and neurodevelopmental disorder (ND) diagnoses within the Independent Healthcare Research Database (IHRD).

Methods: De-identified eligibility and claim healthcare records prospectively generated from the 1990-2012 Florida Medicaid system were analyzed using SAS software. There were 89,766 children continuously eligible with ≥10 outpatient office visits during the 120 month period following birth in the cohort examined.

Dental amalgam fillings and mercury vapor safety limits in American adults.

Objective: For more than 150 years, dental amalgam fillings (50% metallic mercury (Hg) by weight) have been used in American dentistry. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) acknowledged that amalgams release Hg vapor that may be harmful to certain patients. This study examined the impact of Hg vapor exposure from amalgams in American adults.

Investigations on Backflush Cleaning of Spent Grain-Contaminated Filter Cloths Using Continuous and Pulsed Jets.

This study investigated the continuous and pulsed backflush cleaning of woven fabrics that act as filter media in the food and beverage industry. Especially in breweries, they are commonly used in mash filters to separate solid spent grains from liquid wort. After filtration, the removal of such cereal residues via self-discharge is necessary.

Combined Longitudinal and Surface Acoustic Wave Analysis for Determining Small Filling Levels in Curved Steel Containers.

Measurement of the small filling levels in closed steel container systems is still a challenge. Ultrasound, however, is a sensitive and non-invasive technique and is suitable for online monitoring. This study describes a new ultrasonic sensor system for sensing small filling levels using longitudinal and surface acoustic wave analysis.

Childhood MMR Vaccination Effectiveness Against Rubella: A Longitudinal Cohort Study.

The vaccine effectiveness (VE) of childhood measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine to reduce childhood rubella infections in the US during the 1990s/2000s was undertaken in a retrospective longitudinal cohort study. SAS and StatsDirect software were utilized to examine non-identifiable linked eligibility and claim healthcare records prospectively generated from the Florida Medicaid system in the Independent Healthcare Research Database (IHRD). A total of 33 839 children received a single MMR vaccination (vaccinated) and 44 154 children never received a rubella-containing vaccine (unvaccinated) were continuously eligible from 1990 to 2009 for Florida Medicaid within the first 10 years following birth.

Ensemble-based adaptive soft sensor for fault-tolerant biomass monitoring.

The accuracy and precision of soft sensors depend strongly on the reliability of underlying model inputs. These inputs (particularly readings of hardware sensors) are frequently subject to faults. This study aims to develop an adaptive soft sensor capable of reliable and robust biomass concentration predictions in the presence of faulty model inputs for a bioprocess.

Reported asthma and dental amalgam exposure among adults in the United States: An assessment of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Mercury (Hg)-based amalgam is a dental restorative material in common use. This hypothesis-testing study evaluated the relationship between dental amalgam exposure and the risk of reported asthma diagnoses in American adults. A total of 97,861,577 weighted-persons with one or more dental amalgam surfaces (exposed group) and 31,716,558 weighted-persons with one or more other dental surfaces (no dental amalgams, unexposed group) were examined in the 2015-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Challenges in the Development of Soft Sensors for Bioprocesses: A Critical Review.

Among the greatest challenges in soft sensor development for bioprocesses are variable process lengths, multiple process phases, and erroneous model inputs due to sensor faults. This review article describes these three challenges and critically discusses the corresponding solution approaches from a data scientist's perspective. This main part of the article is preceded by an overview of the status quo in the development and application of soft sensors.

A Longitudinal Cohort Study of Precocious Puberty and Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Introduction: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is defined by persistent deficits in communication, socialization, and stereotypic behaviors. It was previously hypothesized that hormone dysfunction is a frequent occurrence among children diagnosed with an ASD.

Objectives: A hypothesis-testing epidemiological study examined the relationship between precocious puberty (PP) (a known disorder of childhood sex hormone dysfunction) and ASD diagnoses.

Dental Amalgams and the Incidence Rate of Arthritis among American Adults.

This hypothesis-testing study evaluated the relationship between mercury (Hg)-based dental amalgams and arthritis diagnoses among adults in the United States (US). A total of 86 305 425 weighted-persons with ⩾1 dental amalgam filling surface (DAFS) (exposed group) and 32 201 088 weighted-persons with ⩾1 other dental filling surface (ODFS) (no DAFS, unexposed group) were examined in the 2015 to 2016 National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES). All persons were 20 to 80 years-old with known demographic characteristics and arthritis status.

The Challenge of Implementing Digital Twins in Operating Value Chains.

The concept of digital twins has become increasingly popular in recent years. To exploit their full potential, integration of systems and data across entire value chains is required. Implementing digital twins to newly built plants or production lines is challenging and even more complicated for currently operating production processes or factories.

A longitudinal cohort study of childhood MMR vaccination and seizure disorder among American children.

Background: Measles (rubeola) is a highly contagious infectious disease with significant morbidity/mortality. Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) is a live-attenuated vaccine used in the United States (US) to prevent measles. This retrospective longitudinal cohort study evaluated childhood MMR vaccination and the risk of a seizure episode and seizure disorder.

Mercury as a hapten: A review of the role of toxicant-induced brain autoantibodies in autism and possible treatment considerations.

Background: Mercury has many direct and well-recognized neurotoxic effects. However, its immune effects causing secondary neurotoxicity are less well-recognized. Mercury exposure can induce immunologic changes in the brain indicative of autoimmune dysfunction, including the production of highly specific brain autoantibodies.

Biomass soft sensor for a Pichia pastoris fed-batch process based on phase detection and hybrid modeling.

A common control strategy for the production of recombinant proteins in Pichia pastoris using the alcohol oxidase 1 (AOX1) promotor is to separate the bioprocess into two main phases: biomass generation on glycerol and protein production via methanol induction. This study reports the establishment of a soft sensor for the prediction of biomass concentration that adapts automatically to these distinct phases. A hybrid approach combining mechanistic (carbon balance) and data-driven modeling (multiple linear regression) is used for this purpose.

Respiratory conditions in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): Important considerations regarding novel treatment strategies to reduce mortality.

A novel virus named 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV/SARS-CoV-2) causes symptoms that are classified as coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Respiratory conditions are extensively described among more serious cases of COVID-19, and the onset of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is one of the hallmark features of critical COVID-19 cases. ARDS can be directly life-threatening because it is associated with low blood oxygenation levels and can result in organ failure.

A ten year longitudinal examination of the incidence rate and age of childhood encephalopathy diagnoses in an autism spectrum disorder diagnosed cohort.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is defined by persistent deficits in social communication/interaction and stereotypic behaviors with many diagnosed persons experiencing a developmental regression at >1 year‑old. It was hypothesized that progressive childhood encephalopathy is an important etiological factor in ASD pathogenesis. This hypothesis‑testing study examined the relationship between diagnosed childhood encephalopathy and ASD.

Examining the evidence that ethylmercury crosses the blood-brain barrier.

Scientific research can provide us with factual, repeatable, measurable, and determinable results. As such, scientific research can provide information that can be used in the decision-making process in the care of patients and in public policy. Although it has been suggested that ethylmercury (CHHg)-containing compounds do not cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), this review examines the literature that addresses the question as to whether ethylmercury-containing compounds cross the BBB.