The impact of outpatient inpatient management on health-related quality of life outcomes for patients with malignant pleural effusion: the OPTIMUM randomised clinical trial.

Background: The principal aim of malignant pleural effusion (MPE) management is to improve health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and symptoms.

Methods: In this open-label randomised controlled trial, patients with symptomatic MPE were randomly assigned to either indwelling pleural catheter (IPC) insertion with the option of talc pleurodesis or chest drain and talc pleurodesis. The primary end-point was global health status, measured with the 30-item European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Core Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) at 30 days post-intervention.

Nebulized Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator (rt-PA) for Acute COVID-19-Induced Respiratory Failure: An Exploratory Proof-of-Concept Trial.

Acute lung injury in COVID-19 results in diffuse alveolar damage with disruption of the alveolar-capillary barrier, coagulation activation, alveolar fibrin deposition and pulmonary capillary thrombi. Nebulized recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) has the potential to facilitate localized thrombolysis in the alveolar compartment and improve oxygenation. In this proof-of-concept safety study, adults with COVID-19-induced respiratory failure and a <300 mmHg PaO/FiO (P/F) ratio requiring invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) or non-invasive respiratory support (NIRS) received nebulized rt-PA in two cohorts (C1 and C2), alongside standard of care, between 23 April-30 July 2020 and 21 January-19 February 2021, respectively.

Cross-sectional study evaluating the impact of SARS-CoV-2 variants on Long COVID outcomes in UK hospital survivors.

Objectives: COVID-19 studies report on hospital admission outcomes across SARS-CoV-2 waves of infection but knowledge of the impact of SARS-CoV-2 variants on the development of Long COVID in hospital survivors is limited. We sought to investigate Long COVID outcomes, aiming to compare outcomes in adult hospitalised survivors with known variants of concern during our first and second UK COVID-19 waves, prior to widespread vaccination.

Design: Prospective observational cross-sectional study.

Expression and copper binding studies of a Plasmodium falciparum protein with Cox19 copper binding motifs.

Copper can exist in an oxidized and a reduced form, which enables the metal to play essential roles as a catalytic co-factor in redox reactions in many organisms. Copper confers redox activity to the terminal electron transport chain cytochrome c oxidase protein. Cytochrome c oxidase in yeast obtains copper for the Cu site in the Cox1 subunit from Cox11 in association with Cox19.

Expression and copper binding characteristics of Plasmodium falciparum cytochrome c oxidase assembly factor 11, Cox11.

Background: Copper is an essential metal for living organisms as a catalytic co-factor for important enzymes, like cytochrome c oxidase the final enzyme in the electron transport chain. Plasmodium falciparum parasites in infected red blood cells are killed by excess copper and development in erythrocytes is inhibited by copper chelators. Cytochrome c oxidase in yeast obtains copper for the Cu site in the Cox1 subunit from Cox11.

Ongoing Exercise Intolerance Following COVID-19: A Magnetic Resonance-Augmented Cardiopulmonary Exercise Test Study.

Background Ongoing exercise intolerance of unclear cause following COVID-19 infection is well recognized but poorly understood. We investigated exercise capacity in patients previously hospitalized with COVID-19 with and without self-reported exercise intolerance using magnetic resonance-augmented cardiopulmonary exercise testing. Methods and Results Sixty subjects were enrolled in this single-center prospective observational case-control study, split into 3 equally sized groups: 2 groups of age-, sex-, and comorbidity-matched previously hospitalized patients following COVID-19 without clearly identifiable postviral complications and with either self-reported reduced (COVID) or fully recovered (COVID) exercise capacity; a group of age- and sex-matched healthy controls.

The high mental health burden of "Long COVID" and its association with on-going physical and respiratory symptoms in all adults discharged from hospital.

https://bit.ly/3d22SJM

Patterns of myocardial injury in recovered troponin-positive COVID-19 patients assessed by cardiovascular magnetic resonance.

Background: Troponin elevation is common in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, but underlying aetiologies are ill-defined. We used multi-parametric cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) to assess myocardial injury in recovered COVID-19 patients.

Methods And Results: One hundred and forty-eight patients (64 ± 12 years, 70% male) with severe COVID-19 infection [all requiring hospital admission, 48 (32%) requiring ventilatory support] and troponin elevation discharged from six hospitals underwent convalescent CMR (including adenosine stress perfusion if indicated) at median 68 days.

Ambulatory management of secondary spontaneous pneumothorax: a randomised controlled trial.

Secondary spontaneous pneumothorax (SSP) is traditionally managed with an intercostal chest tube attached to an underwater seal. We investigated whether use of a one-way flutter valve shortened patients' length of stay (LoS).This open-label randomised controlled trial enrolled patients presenting with SSP and randomised to either a chest tube and underwater seal (standard care: SC) or ambulatory care (AC) with a flutter valve.

Isolation of Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) serum immunoglobulin M and Y (IgM and IgY).

Crocodile immunity has not been fully characterised with more studies on crocodile innate immunity than cell-mediated or humoral immunity. Crocodile immunoglobulin genes have been described but immunoglobulin proteins have not been isolated or studied biochemically. Two large proteins proposed to be crocodile IgM and IgY were isolated and purified from Crocodylus niloticus sera using two different protocols.

Expression and copper binding properties of the N-terminal domain of copper P-type ATPases of African trypanosomes.

Copper is an essential component of cuproproteins but can be toxic to cells, therefore copper metabolism is very carefully regulated within cells. To gain insight into trypanosome copper metabolism, Trypanosoma spp. genomic databases were screened for the presence of copper-containing and -transporting proteins.

Improving diagnostic performance of F-FDG-PET/CT for assessment of regional nodal involvement in non-small cell lung cancer.

Aim: To assess the diagnostic performance of combined 2-[F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (F-FDG) positron-emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) mediastinal blood pool (MBP) activity cut-off for staging nodal involvement, and to examine other variables that may improve the diagnostic performance of PET/CT in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Materials And Methods: All patients diagnosed with NSCLC who underwent endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) and F-FDG-PET/CT between June 2016 and August 2018 were included. Nodal station and nodal staging-based analyses were performed, comparing the MBP cut-off and five other PET/CT parameters (node maximum standardised uptake value [SUV], node/MBP SUV ratio, node/tumour SUV ratio, node short axis diameter, and node SUV/node short axis diameter ratio) with histopathology results.

Monocyte phagocytosis of malaria β-haematin in the presence of artemisinin, amodiaquine, chloroquine, doxycycline, primaquine, pyrimethamine and quinine.

The intraerythrocytic malaria parasite digests haemoglobin to provide amino acids for metabolism and releases toxic haem that is sequestered into haemozoin, a non-toxic, insoluble, crystalline pigment. Following erythrocyte rupture, haemozoin is released into circulation and phagocytosed by monocytes. Phagocytosed haemozoin and antimalarial drugs have both been reported to modulate monocyte functions.

Crystal violet stains proteins in SDS-PAGE gels and zymograms.

Coomassie brilliant blue R250, an anionic dye is the most popular stain to detect proteins resolved in SDS-PAGE gels. Crystal violet, a cationic dye was found to be versatile and stained proteins in SDS-PAGE gels and in zymograms. Stained proteins can be transferred to nitrocellulose and the stained proteins on the western detected with enzyme coupled antibodies.

Concentrating Proteins by Salt, Polyethylene Glycol, Solvent, SDS Precipitation, Three-Phase Partitioning, Dialysis, Centrifugation, Ultrafiltration, Lyophilization, Affinity Chromatography, Immunoprecipitation or Increased Temperature for Protein Isolation, Drug Interaction, and Proteomic and Peptidomic Evaluation.

In protein isolation, drug interaction studies, and proteomic or peptidomic procedures, protein solutions are often concentrated to remove solvents and undesirable molecules, to separate protein fractions, or to increase protein concentrations. Proteins can be concentrated by precipitation from solution with ammonium sulfate, polyethylene glycol, organic solvents, trichloroacetic acid, potassium chloride/sodium dodecyl sulfate thermal denaturation, and three-phase partitioning. Solvents can be removed by passage through a semipermeable barrier where protein solutions are forced against the barrier in a centrifuge tube or with increased pressure, concentrating proteins in the remaining solution.

Measuring Protein Concentration with Absorbance, Lowry, Bradford Coomassie Blue, or the Smith Bicinchoninic Acid Assay Before Electrophoresis.

Measuring the concentration of proteins is an essential part of enzyme analysis or serves to monitor protein yields and losses during protein isolation procedures. Decisions on the usefulness of any protein isolation procedure depend on knowing the concentration of proteins before and after a procedure. Protein concentration in solution is generally measured with spectrophotometry in the UV range or in the presence of dyes or copper interacting with the protein.

Ten Minute Stain to Detect Proteins in Polyacrylamide Electrophoresis Gels with Direct Red 81 and Amido Black.

Proteins separated by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis need to be stained with organic dyes to be visualized. Once stained the intensity of each stained protein band can be used to compare the differences in protein concentration and to measure the relative concentration of any protein band. The most popular standard protein staining is with Coomassie Blue R-250 which takes an hour to stain proteins to saturation and several hours to remove background staining.

The Roles of Acetic Acid and Methanol During Fixing and Staining Proteins in an SDS-Polyacrylamide Electrophoresis Gel.

After SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis proteins are "fixed" in the gel to prevent dispersion of the proteins and visualized by staining with a chromogenic dye. Dyes like Coomassie Blue R-250, Amido Black, and Direct Red 81 are usually dissolved in an acetic acid-methanol-water mixture. During staining the dye solvent mixture infuses the gel and interacts with the protein.

A Disintegrin and Metalloproteinase Domain-8: A Novel Protective Proteinase in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Rationale: ADAM8 (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase domain-8) is expressed by leukocytes and epithelial cells in health, but its contribution to the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is unknown.

Objectives: To determine whether the expression of ADAM8 is increased in the lungs of patients with COPD and cigarette smoke (CS)-exposed mice, and whether ADAM8 promotes the development of COPD.

Methods: ADAM8 levels were measured in lung, sputum, plasma, and/or BAL fluid samples from patients with COPD, smokers, and nonsmokers, and wild-type (WT) mice exposed to CS versus air.

Towards development of aptamers that specifically bind to lactate dehydrogenase of Plasmodium falciparum through epitopic targeting.

Background: Early detection is crucial for the effective treatment of malaria, particularly in those cases infected with Plasmodium falciparum. There is a need for diagnostic devices with the capacity to distinguish P. falciparum from other strains of malaria.

Phosphoethanolamine-N-methyltransferase is a potential biomarker for the diagnosis of P. knowlesi and P. falciparum malaria.

Background: Plasmodium knowlesi is recognised as the main cause of human malaria in Southeast Asia. The disease is often misdiagnosed as P. falciparum or P.

Assessment of nodal involvement in non-small-cell lung cancer with 18F-FDG-PET/CT: mediastinal blood pool cut-off has the highest sensitivity and tumour SUVmax/2 has the highest specificity.

Objectives: Lymph node involvement in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a major factor in determining management and prognosis. We aimed to evaluate the accuracy of fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose-PET/computed tomography (CT) for the assessment of nodal involvement in patients with NSCLC.

Patients And Methods: In this retrospective study, we included 61 patients with suspected or confirmed resectable NSCLC over a 2-year period from April 2013 to April 2015.

Plasmodium glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase: A potential malaria diagnostic target.

Malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) are immunochromatographic tests detecting Plasmodial histidine-rich protein 2 (HRP2), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and aldolase. HRP2 is only expressed by Plasmodium falciparum parasites and the protein is not expressed in several geographic isolates. LDH-based tests lack sensitivity compared to HRP2 tests.

Cancer patients with community-acquired pneumonia treated in intensive care have poorer outcomes associated with increased illness severity and septic shock at admission to intensive care: a retrospective cohort study.

Patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and an underlying diagnosis of cancer have worse outcomes. However, the characteristics of cancer patients with CAP admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) are not well established. In a retrospective observational study, patients admitted to a London university hospital ICU between January 2006 and October 2011 with a primary diagnosis of CAP were included.