Cyclosporine Use in Epidermal Necrolysis Is Associated with an Important Mortality Reduction: Evidence from Three Different Approaches.

Several immunomodulatory agents are used in the treatment of epidermal necrolysis, but evidence of their efficacy is limited. The Autonomous Community of Madrid has two reference burn units to which all patients with epidermal necrolysis are referred. One burn unit has mostly used cyclosporine (CsA), and the other has used non-CsA therapies (mainly high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin).

Accuracy of transcutaneous laryngeal ultrasound for detecting vocal cord paralysis in the immediate postoperative period after total thyroidectomy.

Background: Transcutaneous laryngeal ultrasound (TLUS) has emerged as a promising imaging tool for vocal cord examination in patients undergoing thyroid surgery. The focus of this prospective, double-blind study was to assess the accuracy of TLUS in the diagnosis of vocal cord paralysis in the immediate postoperative period following total thyroidectomy.

Methods: The study included 93 patients undergoing total thyroidectomy and assessed by videostrobolaryngoscopy (VSL) and TLUS.

CTAB Zymography for the Analysis of Aspartic Proteases from Marine Sponges.

Electrophoresis under denaturing conditions in the presence of SDS is a standard method for the protein and enzyme scientist. Nevertheless, there are special situations where this method may originate nonoptimal results. SDS may cause protein aggregation or precipitation.

Pharmacokinetics of cefazolin for prophylactic administration to dogs.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate pharmacokinetics of cefazolin after IV injection of cefazolin (22 mg/kg) and after simultaneous IV and IM injections of cefazolin (total dose, 44 mg/kg) to dogs. ANIMALS 12 adult Beagles. PROCEDURES Dogs (6/group) were assigned to receive a single injection of cefazolin (IV group; 22 mg/kg, IV) or simultaneous injections (IV + IM group; 22 mg/kg, IV, and 22 mg/kg, IM).

Metabolomic analysis for the study of maturation in pediatrics: Effect of confounding factors in a pilot study.

A pilot study for the investigation of the maturation grade of children has been carried out using plasma samples already analyzed in a previous pharmacokinetic study. By using a meticulous data treatment, possible confounding factors that may hinder the obtained results were identified. By doing so, it was possible to obtain enough evidence to support the feasibility of performing a larger study eluding some unwanted variability and minimizing not only the number of subjects involved but also the time and money spent on the study.

Cost of Deep Brain Stimulation Infection Resulting in Explantation.

Background: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) hardware infection is a serious complication, often resulting in multiple hardware salvage attempts, hospitalizations, and long-term antibiotic therapy.

Objectives: We aimed to quantify the costs of DBS hardware-related infections in patients undergoing eventual device explantation.

Methods: Of 362 patients who underwent 530 electrode placements (1 January 2010 to 30 December 2014), 16 (4.

Doppler assessment of patients with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome and survival following fetoscopic laser surgery.

Objective: To investigate fetal-survival rates following laser surgery for twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) and the impact of Doppler analysis.

Methods: The present retrospective single-center study included data from patients with pregnancies exhibiting TTTS treated with fetoscopic laser surgery between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2016. Perinatal outcomes were examined and variables were compared between the donor and recipient fetuses that survived and died, respectively.

Enhanced detection of nitrogen dioxide via combined heating and pulsed UV operation of indium oxide nano-octahedra.

We report on the use of combined heating and pulsed UV light activation of indium oxide gas sensors for enhancing their performance in the detection of nitrogen dioxide in air. Indium oxide nano-octahedra were synthesized at high temperature (900 °C) via vapour-phase transport and screen-printed onto alumina transducers that comprised interdigitated electrodes and a heating resistor. Compared to the standard, constant temperature operation of the sensor, mild heating (e.

Species interactions in an Andean bird-flowering plant network: phenology is more important than abundance or morphology.

Biological constraints and neutral processes have been proposed to explain the properties of plant-pollinator networks. Using interactions between nectarivorous birds (hummingbirds and flowerpiercers) and flowering plants in high elevation forests (i.e.

Mid-Term Results and Responsiveness Predictors After Two-Step Single-Anastomosis Duodeno-Ileal Bypass with Sleeve Gastrectomy.

Background: In patients with insufficient weight loss after sleeve gastrectomy (SG) or in super obese individuals, among many surgical options available, a single-anastomosis duodeno-ileal bypass (SADI) after SG (SADI-S) could be considered. Due to the limited information available about the use of SADI as a second-step procedure, the objective of this study was to evaluate the mid-term results and responsiveness of SADI after sleeve gastrectomy.

Methods: We present prospective data from 30 consecutive patients with a mean BMI of 40.

Non-ribosomal Peptide Synthases from Pseudomonas aeruginosa Play a Role in Cyclodipeptide Biosynthesis, Quorum-Sensing Regulation, and Root Development in a Plant Host.

Diverse molecules mediate cross-kingdom communication between bacteria and their eukaryotic partners and determine pathogenic or symbiotic relationships. N-acyl-L-homoserine lactone-dependent quorum-sensing signaling represses the biosynthesis of bacterial cyclodipeptides (CDPs) that act as auxin signal mimics in the host plant Arabidopsis thaliana. In this work, we performed bioinformatics, biochemical, and plant growth analyses to identify non-ribosomal peptide synthase (NRPS) proteins of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which are involved in CDP synthesis.

Significant HLA class I type associations with aromatic antiepileptic drug (AED)-induced SJS/TEN are different from those found for the same AED-induced DRESS in the Spanish population.

Aromatic antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are among the drugs most frequently involved in severe cutaneous adverse reactions (SCARs), such as Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), and drug reactions with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS). This study investigated the associations between the genetic polymorphisms of HLA class-I and AED-induced SCARs in the Spanish population. HLA class-I genotypes were determined in AED (phenytoin[PHT],lamotrigine[LTG],carbamazepine[CBZ],phenobarbital[PB])-induced SJS/TEN (n=15) or DRESS (n=12) cases included in the Spanish SCAR registry, PIELenRed.

A Note on Testing Mediated Effects in Structural Equation Models: Reconciling Past and Current Research on the Performance of the Test of Joint Significance.

Methods to assess the significance of mediated effects in education and the social sciences are well studied and fall into two categories: single sample methods and computer-intensive methods. A popular single sample method to detect the significance of the mediated effect is the test of joint significance, and a popular computer-intensive method to detect the significance of the mediated effect is the bias-corrected bootstrap method. Both these methods are used for testing the significance of mediated effects in structural equation models (SEMs).

Rosuvastatin Inhibits Interleukin (IL)-8 and IL-6 Production in Human Coronary Artery Endothelial Cells Stimulated With Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans Serotype b.

Background: Rosuvastatin exhibits anti-inflammatory effects and reduces periodontal diseases and atherosclerosis; however, its role in regulating periodontopathogen-induced endothelial proinflammatory responses remains unclear. The purpose of this study is to determine whether rosuvastatin can reduce the proinflammatory response induced by Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa) in human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAECs).

Methods: HCAECs were stimulated with purified Aa serotype b lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (Aa-LPS), heat-killed (HK) bacteria (Aa-HK), or live bacteria.

Pharmacokinetic Modeling of Paracetamol Uptake and Clearance in Zebrafish Larvae: Expanding the Allometric Scale in Vertebrates with Five Orders of Magnitude.

Zebrafish larvae (Danio rerio) are increasingly used to translate findings regarding drug efficacy and safety from in vitro-based assays to vertebrate species, including humans. However, the limited understanding of drug exposure in this species hampers its implementation in translational research. Using paracetamol as a paradigm compound, we present a novel method to characterize pharmacokinetic processes in zebrafish larvae, by combining sensitive bioanalytical methods and nonlinear mixed effects modeling.

Cocowood Fibrovascular Tissue System-Another Wonder of Plant Evolution.

The coconut palm (Cocos nucifera L.) stem tissue (referred to as cocowood in this study) is a complex fibrovascular system that is made up of fibrovascular bundles embedded into a parenchymatous ground tissue. The complex configuration of fibrovascular bundles along with the non-uniform distribution of the material properties likely allow senile coconut stems to optimize their biomechanical performance per unit mass (i.

Aging, inflammation, immunity and periodontal disease.

The increased prevalence and severity of periodontal disease have long been associated with aging, such that this oral condition affects the majority of the adult population over 50 years of age. Although the immune system is a critical component for maintaining health, aging can be characterized by quantitative and qualitative modifications of the immune system. This process, termed 'immunosenescence', is a progressive modification of the immune system that leads to greater susceptibility to infections, neoplasia and autoimmunity, presumably reflecting the prolonged antigenic stimulation and/or stress responses that occur across the lifespan.

Antibodies and Acidic Environment Do Not Enhance HIV-1 Transcytosis.

A limited number of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) variants initially infect HIV-1-naive individuals. Recent studies imply that this may occur because generally inefficient transcytosis across intact mucosal surfaces could be enhanced for specific viruses with bound antibodies and in the presence of acidic pH. We found that transcytosis of both cell-free and cell-associated viruses with diverse envelopes was significantly decreased in the presence of either antibodies or plasma from chronically infected transmitting partners regardless of pH.

Transcriptome Analysis of B Cell Immune Functions in Periodontitis: Mucosal Tissue Responses to the Oral Microbiome in Aging.

Evidence has shown activation of T and B cells in gingival tissues in experimental models and in humans diagnosed with periodontitis. The results of this adaptive immune response are noted both locally and systemically with antigenic specificity for an array of oral bacteria, including periodontopathic species, e.g.

Comparison of Three Non-Imaging Angle-Diversity Receivers as Input Sensors of Nodes for Indoor Infrared Wireless Sensor Networks: Theory and Simulation.

In general, the use of angle-diversity receivers makes it possible to reduce the impact of ambient light noise, path loss and multipath distortion, in part by exploiting the fact that they often receive the desired signal from different directions. Angle-diversity detection can be performed using a composite receiver with multiple detector elements looking in different directions. These are called non-imaging angle-diversity receivers.

Humoral Immune Pressure Selects for HIV-1 CXC-chemokine Receptor 4-using Variants.

Although both C-C chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5)- and CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4)-using HIV-1 strains cause AIDS, the emergence of CXCR4-utilizing variants is associated with an accelerated decline in CD4+ T cells. It remains uncertain if CXCR4-using viruses hasten disease or if these variants only emerge after profound immunological damage. We show that exclusively CXCR4- as compared to cocirculating CCR5-utilizing variants are less sensitive to neutralization by both contemporaneous autologous plasma and plasma pools from individuals that harbor only CCR5-using HIV-1.

Diabetic and dyslipidaemic morbidly obese exhibit more liver alterations compared with healthy morbidly obese.

Background & Aims: To study the origin of fat excess in the livers of morbidly obese (MO) individuals, we analysed lipids and lipases in both plasma and liver and genes involved in lipid transport, or related with, in that organ.

Methods: Thirty-two MO patients were grouped according to the absence (healthy: DM - DL -) or presence of comorbidities (dyslipidemic: DM - DL +; or dyslipidemic with type 2 diabetes: DM + DL +) before and one year after gastric bypass.

Results: The livers of healthy, DL and DM patients contained more lipids (9.

Influence of the temperature on the moment of awakening in patients treated with therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest.

Introduction: Target temperature management (TTM) has shown to reduce brain damage after an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (CA), but the time to neurological recovery is not defined yet. We sought to determine the time these patients need to regain consciousness, as well as factors associated with a late post-arrest awakening.

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of patients cooled to 32-34°C during 24h after CA, who regained neurological responsiveness after rewarming.

Bone biology-related gingival transcriptome in ageing and periodontitis in non-human primates.

Aim: Cellular and molecular immunoinflammatory changes in gingival tissues drive alveolar bone loss in periodontitis. Since ageing is a risk factor for periodontitis, we sought to identify age-related gingival transcriptome changes associated with bone metabolism in both healthy and in naturally occurring periodontitis.

Materials And Methods: Adult (12-16 years) and aged (18-23 years) non-human primates (M.

A new invasive weed-feeding species of Polypedilum (Pentapedilum) Kieffer from South Africa (Diptera: Chironomidae, Chironominae).

Polypedilum (Pentapedilum) tuburcinatum Andersen et Bello González sp. n. is described and figured as male, female, pupa and larva based on material collected in the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa, imported into quarantine in Ireland and reared in the laboratory.