Usefulness of the "En face view" method for diagnosing perimembranous ventricular septal defects.

Background: Perimembranous ventricular septal defect (VSD) can be classified as having trabecular, inlet, or outlet extension. The surgical approach used in patch closure depends on the which valve of the tricuspid valve to suture around and the avoidance of the specialized conducting system. This retrospective study evaluated the usefulness of the "En face view" method for classifying perimembranous VSD.

Virological outcomes of various first-line ART regimens in patients harbouring HIV-1 E157Q integrase polymorphism: a multicentre retrospective study.

Background: Integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs) are recommended as first-line ART for people living with HIV (PLWH) in most guidelines. The INSTI-resistance-associated mutation E157Q, a highly prevalent (2%-5%) polymorphism of the HIV-1 (human immunodeficiency virus type 1) integrase gene, has limited data on optimal first-line ART regimens. We assessed the virological outcomes of various first-line ART regimens in PLWH with E157Q in real-world settings.

Dapagliflozin induced hypernatremia via osmotic diuresis: a case report.

Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors have been widely used. They inhibit proximal tubular glucose reabsorption, resulting in glycosuria. Herein, we report the case of a 65-year-old woman who presented with hypernatremia during the perioperative period of a subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Nanopore Sequencing for Characterization of HIV-1 Recombinant Forms.

High genetic diversity, including the emergence of recombinant forms (RFs), is one of the most prominent features of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Conventional detection of HIV-1 RFs requires pretreatments, i.e.

Genotypic and Phenotypic Diversity of the Replication-Competent HIV Reservoir in Treated Patients.

In HIV infection, viral rebound after treatment discontinuation is considered to originate predominantly from viral genomes integrated in resting CD4 T lymphocytes. Replication-competent proviral genomes represent a minority of the total HIV DNA. While the quantification of the HIV reservoir has been extensively studied, the diversity of genomes that compose the reservoir was less explored.

Evaluation of the Geenius HIV 1/2 confirmatory assay for HIV-2 samples isolated in Japan.

Background: Although the number of HIV-2-infected individuals is quite low in Japan, at least three groups of HIV-2 (A, B and CRF01_AB) have been detected thus far. In particular, CRF01_AB HIV-2 cases have been found only in limited areas, Cote d'Ivoire and Japan. Here, we demonstrate that Geenius HIV 1/2 Confirmatory Assay (Geenius, Bio-Rad Laboratories) is able to detect HIV-2 samples, including groups A, B and CRF01_AB, isolated in Japan.

Efficacy of a fine fiber film applied with a water-based lotion to improve dry skin.

Background: Dry skin can trigger eczema that affects >10% of the US population. Dressing films have been developed to improve diseased skin, but there is limited knowledge about their effects, especially for dry skin-related symptoms. We developed an electrospinning method that creates a coating film, called a fine fiber (FF) film, characterized by the production of a transparent, thin, flexible, and adherent membrane on the skin surface.

Specific mutations in the HIV-1 G-tract of the 3'-polypurine tract cause resistance to integrase strand transfer inhibitors.

Background: In vitro selection experiments identified viruses resistant to integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs) carrying mutations in the G-tract (six guanosines) of the 3'-polypurine tract (3'-PPT). A clinical study also reported that mutations in the 3'-PPT were observed in a patient receiving dolutegravir monotherapy. However, recombinant viruses with the 3'-PPT mutations that were found in the clinical study were recently shown to be susceptible to INSTIs.

Source and Filter Acoustic Measures of Young, Middle-Aged and Elderly Adults for Application in Vowel Synthesis.

Introduction: The output sound has important changes throughout life due to anatomical and physiological modifications in the larynx and vocal tract. Understanding the young adult to the elderly speech acoustic characteristics may assist in the synthesis of representative voices of men and women of different age groups.

Objective: To obtain the fundamental frequency (f), formant frequencies (F, F, F, F), and bandwidth (B, B, B, B) values extracted from the sustained vowel /a/ of young, middle-aged, and elderly adults who are Brazilian Portuguese speakers; to present the application of these parameters in vowel synthesis.

Phylodynamic analysis reveals changing transmission dynamics of HIV-1 CRF01_AE in Japan from heterosexuals to men who have sex with men.

Background: HIV-1 circulating recombinant form (CRF) 01_AE is the second major subtype in Japan. Our previous study indicated that CRF01_AE was predominantly circulating in heterosexuals/injecting drug users (IDUs). With implications of increased CRF01_AE infections among men who have sex with men (MSM), this study sought to investigate whether the transmission dynamics of CRF01_AE infections in Japan have changed.

The ISN/RPS 2016 classification predicts renal prognosis in patients with first-onset class III/IV lupus nephritis.

Lupus nephritis (LN) is a life-threatening complication of systemic lupus erythematosus. The 2003 pathological classification of LN was revised in 2016; it quantitatively evaluates the interstitium in addition to the glomeruli. We performed a retrospective multi-centre cohort study and investigated the utility of the 2016 classification-including the activity index (AI), chronicity index (CI), and each pathological component to predict complete remission or renal function decline, defined as 1.

Nation-Wide Viral Sequence Analysis of HIV-1 Subtype B Epidemic in 2003-2012 Revealed a Contribution of Men Who Have Sex With Men to the Transmission Cluster Formation and Growth in Japan.

To better understand the epidemiology of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) subtype B transmission in Japan, phylodynamic analysis of viral sequences was conducted on individuals newly diagnosed as HIV-1 seropositive. A total of 5,018 patients newly diagnosed with HIV-1 infection and registered in the Japanese Drug Resistance HIV Surveillance Network from 2003 to 2012 were enrolled in the analysis. Using the protease-reverse transcriptase nucleotide sequences, their subtypes were determined, and phylogenetic relationships among subtype B sequences were inferred using three different methods: distance-matrix, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo.

Exploitation of long-lasting ultraweak photon emission to estimate skin photodamage after ultraviolet exposure.

Background: Establishing a noninvasive method to estimate skin damage immediately after ultraviolet (UV) exposure is required to minimize the anticipated severe symptoms triggered by early phase UV-induced reactions in the skin. To develop a suitable method, we focused on ultraweak photon emission (UPE) immediately after UV exposure to characterize the relationship of UPE to skin photodamage caused by the UV exposure.

Materials And Methods: Analysis of the correlation between UV-induced UPE and erythema formation characterized by skin redness was conducted in a clinical study.

Acquired Fanconi Syndrome in a Patient with Nontyphoidal Salmonella Bacteremia.

Nontyphoidal Salmonella is a common cause of bacterial gastroenteritis, occasionally causing bacteremia. We herein report the case of an 80-year-old man who presented with bacteremia and pre-renal acute kidney injury (AKI) secondary to diarrhea caused by nontyphoidal Salmonella. Despite AKI improvement on fluid administration, some serological abnormalities, such as hypokalemia, hypophosphatemia, and hypouricemia, and abnormal urinary findings emerged, including renal glycosuria and aminoaciduria.

Bipedicled Vocal Fold Mucosal Flap: An Experimental Study.

Objective: To determine the dimensions of mucosal defects that can be covered by a bipedicled vocal fold mucosal flap.

Methods: We used 20 adults human larynges (10 of each gender) excised from cadavers, divided into 2 groups of 10 larynges (5 of each gender) each. In one group (the normal flap group), we created the largest possible bipedicled vocal fold mucosal flap and then quantified the dimensions of the largest defect that could be covered by displacing the flap medially.

Novel HIV-1 capsid-targeting small molecules of the PF74 binding site.

The PF74 binding site in HIV-1 capsid protein (CA) is a compelling antiviral drug target. Although PF74 confers mechanistically distinct antiviral phenotypes by competing against host factors for CA binding, it suffers from prohibitively low metabolic stability. Therefore, there has been increasing interest in designing novel sub-chemotypes of PF74 with similar binding mode and improved metabolic stability.

Autophagy Declines with Premature Skin Aging resulting in Dynamic Alterations in Skin Pigmentation and Epidermal Differentiation.

Autophagy is a membrane traffic system that provides sustainable degradation of cellular components for homeostasis, and is thus considered to promote health and longevity, though its activity declines with aging. The present findings show deterioration of autophagy in association with premature skin aging. Autophagy flux was successfully determined in skin tissues, which demonstrated significantly decreased autophagy in hyperpigmented skin such as that seen in senile lentigo.

Chemical profiling of HIV-1 capsid-targeting antiviral PF74.

The capsid protein (CA) of HIV-1 plays essential roles in multiple steps of the viral replication cycle by assembling into functional capsid core, controlling the kinetics of uncoating and nuclear entry, and interacting with various host factors. Targeting CA represents an attractive yet underexplored antiviral approach. Of all known CA-targeting small molecule chemotypes, the peptidomimetic PF74 is particularly interesting because it binds to the same pocket used by a few important host factors, resulting in highly desirable antiviral phenotypes.

An update on COVID-19 for the otorhinolaryngologist - a Brazilian Association of Otolaryngology and Cervicofacial Surgery (ABORL-CCF) Position Statement.

Introduction: We are facing a pandemic with a great impact worldwide, as a result of the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The medical community is still getting to know behavior of this virus and the consequences from a population point of view. All this knowledge is extremely dynamic, so some behaviors are still not well established.

Bipedicled Vocal Fold Mucosal Flap Use in Phonomicrosurgery: Case Series.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to present a novel surgical technique involving the use of a "bipedicled vocal fold mucosal flap" to repair a mucosal defect and to evaluate the outcomes of patients in whom it was used.

Material And Methods: This was a retrospective study of 6 clinical cases. All patients underwent surgery between November 2000 and July 2018, and all procedures were performed by the same surgeon.