Berardinelli-Seip Congenital Lipodystrophy Discovered Following a STEMI Event.

Unlabelled: A 60-year-old man, with a history of familial lipodystrophy, hypertriglyceridaemia, hepatic steatosis and bone cysts, was admitted due an acute coronary event. Coronary angiography showed significant stenosis in the left anterior descending artery, which was treated. Transthoracic echocardiography showed a slightly dilated left ventricle with diffuse and heterogeneous thickening of its walls, slightly decreased left ventricular function and reduced global longitudinal strain.

Systemic sclerosis in a patient with muscle dystrophy.

Systemic sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that can result in lung fibrosis, and is strongly associated with the presence of serum anti-topoisomerase-I autoantibodies. A young man with genetic muscular dystrophy caused by titin-cap/telethonin () gene mutation, developed a severe restrictive lung disease due to a fibrosing interstitial pneumonia secondary to systemic sclerosis with positive anti-topoisomerase-I antibodies. Using amino acid sequence alignment and protein structure modelling, we found that mutant telethonin exposes an amino acid sequence with significant homology to an immunodominant site of topoisomerase-I.

Household Rituals and Merchant Caravanners: The Phenomenon of Early Bronze Age Donkey Burials from Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath, Israel.

Most studies of ritual and symbolism in early complex societies of the Near East have focused on elite and/or public behavioural domains. However, the vast bulk of the population would not have been able to fully participate in such public displays. This paper explores the zooarchaeological and associated archaeological evidence for household rituals in lower-stratum residences in the Early Bronze Age (EB) of the southern Levant.

Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis after COVID-19 Pneumonia.

Unlabelled: COVID-19 emerged in China in late 2019 and quickly spread worldwide. The severe immunomodulation and depletion of lymphocytes caused by the virus and its therapy led to an increase in the incidence of superinfections. COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) is a new entity with increasing incidence and high associated mortality.

HCC risk stratification after cure of hepatitis C in patients with compensated advanced chronic liver disease.

Background & Aims: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with advanced chronic liver disease (ACLD) caused by chronic hepatitis C who have achieved sustained virologic response (SVR). We developed risk stratification algorithms for de novo HCC development after SVR and validated them in an independent cohort.

Methods: We evaluated the occurrence of de novo HCC in a derivation cohort of 527 patients with pre-treatment ACLD and SVR to interferon-free therapy, in whom alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and non-invasive surrogates of portal hypertension including liver stiffness measurement (LSM) were assessed pre-/post-treatment.

Fingerprint evidence for the division of labour and learning pottery-making at Early Bronze Age Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath, Israel.

The organization of craft production has long been a marker for broader social, economic and political changes that accompanied urbanism. The identity of producers who comprised production groups, communities, or workshops is out of reach using conventional archaeological data. There has been some success using epidermal prints on artefacts to identify the age and sex of producers.

There and back again: A zooarchaeological perspective on Early and Middle Bronze Age urbanism in the southern Levant.

Multiple arguments for or against the presence of 'urban' settlements in the Early Bronze Age of the southern Levant have identified the need to compare these settlements against their rural hinterlands through multiple lines of evidence. This meta-analysis of zooarchaeological data from the region compares and identifies patterns of animal production, provisioning and consumption between the supposed "urban" and rural sites of the southern Levant from the Early Bronze (EB) against the (more widely recognised urban) Middle Bronze (MB) Ages. It also identifies distinct and regionally specific patterns in animal production and consumption that can be detected between urban and rural sites of the southern Levant.

A Rare Case of Renal AA Amyloidosis Secondary to Sjogren's Syndrome.

Unlabelled: AA amyloidosis is a rare complication of chronic inflammatory disorders and has been associated with rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. We present a case of AA amyloidosis secondary to Sjogren's syndrome (SS). A 79-year-old woman presented with rapidly progressive renal failure and complaints of asthenia, anorexia and generalized oedema.

Correction: Earliest evidence for equid bit wear in the ancient Near East: The "ass" from Early Bronze Age Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath, Israel.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Earliest evidence for equid bit wear in the ancient Near East: The "ass" from Early Bronze Age Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath, Israel.

Analysis of a sacrificed and interred domestic donkey from an Early Bronze Age (EB) IIIB (c. 2800-2600 BCE) domestic residential neighborhood at Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath, Israel, indicate the presence of bit wear on the Lower Premolar 2 (LPM2). This is the earliest evidence for the use of a bit among early domestic equids, and in particular donkeys, in the Near East.

Vitamin D₃ and 25-Hydroxyvitamin D₃ Content of Retail White Fish and Eggs in Australia.

Dietary vitamin D may compensate for inadequate sun exposure; however, there have been few investigations into the vitamin D content of Australian foods. We measured vitamin D₃ and 25-hydroxyvitamin D₃ (25(OH)D₃) in four species of white fish (barramundi, basa, hoki and king dory), and chicken eggs (cage and free-range), purchased from five Australian cities. Samples included local, imported and wild-caught fish, and eggs of varying size from producers with a range of hen stocking densities.

Changes in the Sodium Content of Australian Processed Foods between 1980 and 2013 Using Analytical Data.

The objective of this study was to obtain analytical data on the sodium content of a range of processed foods and compare the levels obtained with their label claims and with published data of the same or equivalent processed foods in the 1980s and 1990s to investigate the extent of any change in sodium content in relation to reformulation targets. The sodium contents of 130 Australian processed foods were obtained by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) analysis and compared with previously published data. The sodium content between 1980 and 2013 across all products and by each product category were compared.

The effect of parathyroid hormone on the uptake and retention of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in skeletal muscle cells.

Data from our studies, and those of others, support the proposal that there is a role for skeletal muscle in the maintenance of vitamin D status. We demonstrated that skeletal muscle is able to internalise extracellular vitamin D binding protein, which then binds to actin in the cytoplasm, to provide high affinity binding sites which accumulate 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) [1]. This study investigated the concentration- and time-dependent effects of parathyroid hormone (PTH) on the capacity of muscle cells to take up and release H-25(OH)D.

Isotopic Evidence for Early Trade in Animals between Old Kingdom Egypt and Canaan.

Isotope data from a sacrificial ass and several ovicaprines (sheep/goat) from Early Bronze Age household deposits at Tell es-Safi/Gath, Israel provide direct evidence for the movement of domestic draught/draft and husbandry animals between Old Kingdom Egypt (during the time of the Pyramids) and Early Bronze Age III Canaan (ca. 2900-2500 BCE). Vacillating, bi-directional connections between Egypt and Canaan are known throughout the Early Bronze Age, but here we provide the first concrete evidence of early trade in animals from Egypt to Canaan.

Australian seafood compositional profiles: A pilot study. Vitamin D and mercury content.

Given the scarcity of comprehensive nutritional data for Australia's >400 commercially produced seafood species a pilot study was undertaken to collect and analyse 22 species of wild and aquaculture seafood in order to develop a model for future comprehensive surveys. The species analysed were: Atlantic salmon, Australian sardine, prawn (six species), barramundi, abalone (three species), blue sprat, burrowing blackfish, gummy shark, oyster (four species), ocean trout and yellowtail kingfish. The analyses undertaken in this pilot study were: moisture, protein, total fat, cholesterol, fatty acids, vitamin C, vitamins A and D, and 21 mineral elements (including total mercury and methyl mercury).

Aibika (Abelmoschus manihot L.): Genetic variation, morphology and relationships to micronutrient composition.

Aibika (Abelmoschus manihot L.) is believed to be a good source of micronutrients. However, although many varieties of aibika are commonly consumed in Papua New Guinea, their micronutrient content is unknown.

New data for vitamin D in Australian foods of animal origin: impact on estimates of national adult vitamin D intakes in 1995 and 2011-13.

Objectives: To assess the potential dietary supply of vitamin D to Australian adults by application of new data for Australian primary foods of animal origin.

Methods: New published analytical data on the vitamin D contents of Australian primary foods from animal products were obtained and assessed for reliability. Using food consumption data from Australian population dietary surveys for 1995 and 2011-2013, estimates were made of the likely average daily intakes of vitamin D equivalents from these sources by Australian adults.

How polymer additives reduce the pour point of hydrocarbon solvents containing wax crystals.

We have investigated how four different pour point depressant (PPD) polymers affect the pour point transition in mixtures of a single pure wax in a solvent. We used either n-eicosane (C20), CH3(CH2)18CH3, n-tetracosane (C24), CH3(CH2)22CH3 or n-hexatriacontane (C36), CH3(CH2)34CH3 as the wax component with either n-heptane or toluene as the solvent component. For all wax-solvent combinations, the measured variation of wax solubility with temperature is well predicted by ideal solution theory.

Uncovering key data points to improve OR profitability.

Using data analysis to target areas for performance improvement in the operating room (OR) involves: regularly monitoring key OR statistics, such as through use of a dashboard, determining the root causes of problems uncovered by the data analysis, making appropriate corrections and continuing to monitor performance.

The influence of latitude on the concentration of vitamin D3 and 25-hydroxy-vitamin D3 in Australian red meat.

There is little information on the vitamin D content of Australian red meat or on the possible influence of latitude on this content. To determine the content of vitamin D3 and 25-hydroxy-vitamin D3 (25OHD3), lamb and beef were analysed from 34° S with LC-IT-MS. To investigate the possible influence of latitude on vitamin D in meat, the lean meat and fat from five cuts of beef were analysed from 17° S and 41° S.

Vitamin D and 25-hydroxyvitamin D determination in meats by LC-IT-MS.

This paper reports a method for the rapid, sensitive and simultaneous analysis of vitamin D (Vit D) and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OH-Vit D) in meats. Samples were saponified and underwent solid phase extraction with analysis by normal phase liquid chromatography (LC) with ion trap mass spectroscopy (IT-MS), using positive polarity atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation (APCI). Limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) for Vit D and 25OH-Vit D were 0.

The association between dietary protein intake and bone mass accretion in pubertal girls with low calcium intakes.

To assess the association between protein intakes and bone mass accrual in girls, data were analysed for 757 pre-pubertal girls (mean age 10.1 years) in urban Beijing, China, who participated in a 5-year study including 2 years of milk supplementation (intervention groups only) and 3 years of follow-up study. At 0, 12, 24, 48 and 60 months from the baseline, bone mass of the proximal or distal forearm (PF or DF) and total body (TB) was measured with dual energy X-ray absorptiometry; dietary intakes were assessed by a 3-d food record (including two weekdays and one weekend day).