Impact of High-Dose Intravenous Vitamin C for Treatment of Sepsis on Point-of-Care Blood Glucose Readings.

Background: Intravenous vitamin C therapy has been associated with reduced mortality in patients with sepsis. Of potential concern with this therapy are falsely elevated point-of-care (POC) blood glucose values vs laboratory analyzed (LA) readings. The purpose of this study was to compare POC and LA blood glucose measurements in patients receiving intravenous vitamin C therapy.

The diffusive injection micropipette (DIMP).

The microinjection of fluorescent probes into live cells is an essential component in the toolbox of modern cell biology. Microinjection techniques include the penetration of the plasma membrane and, if present, the cell wall with micropipettes, and the application of pressure or electrical currents to drive the micropipette contents into the cell. These procedures interfere with cellular functions and therefore may induce artifacts.

Evolution of Target-Site Resistance to Glyphosate in an Population from Argentina and Its Expression at Different Plant Growth Temperatures.

The mechanism and expression of resistance to glyphosate at different plant growing temperatures was investigated in an population (VM1) from a soybean field in Vicuña Mackenna, Cordoba, Argentina. Resistance was not due to reduced glyphosate translocation to the meristem or to duplication, as reported for most US samples. In contrast, a proline 106 to serine target-site mutation acting additively with over-expression (1.

Cranberry Proanthocyanidins Neutralize the Effects of Leukotoxin.

is a Gram-negative bacterium that has been strongly associated with localized aggressive periodontitis. The capacity of to produce a leukotoxin (LtxA) that activates pyroptosis in macrophages and induces the release of endogenous danger signals is thought to play a key role in the disease process. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of cranberry proanthocyanidins (PACs) on gene expression and cytotoxic activities of LtxA.

Influenza epidemiology in patients admitted to sentinel Australian hospitals in 2018: the Influenza Complications Alert Network (FluCAN).

The Influenza Complications Alert Network (FluCAN) is a sentinel hospital-based surveillance program that operates at sites in all jurisdictions in Australia. This report summarises the epidemiology of hospitalisations with laboratory-confirmed influenza during the 2018 influenza season. In this observational surveillance system, cases were defined as patients admitted to any of the 17 sentinel hospitals with influenza confirmed by nucleic acid detection.

Evaluating the quality of red blood cell concentrates irradiated before or after cryopreservation.

Background: Cryopreserved red blood cell concentrates (RCCs) are often required for patients with rare blood groups. Although transfusions from blood relatives are irradiated before transfusion, research has yet to make clear if this is necessary in cryopreserved RCCs. Given insufficient evidence to the contrary, irradiation of cryopreserved RCCs has been recommended, but the effect of irradiation timing is unknown.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study to assess bacterial anti-adhesive activity in human urine following consumption of a cranberry supplement.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the common bacterial infections treated with antibiotics. The North American cranberry is recommended for prophylaxis in women with recurrent UTIs as a nutritional alternative. The ability of cranberry components and their metabolites to inhibit adhesion of uropathogenic Escherichia coli (E.

The :p.Arg658* truncating variant is associated with risk of triple-negative breast cancer.

Breast cancer is a common disease partially caused by genetic risk factors. Germline pathogenic variants in DNA repair genes , , , , and are associated with breast cancer risk. , which encodes for a DNA translocase, has been proposed as a breast cancer predisposition gene, with greater effects for the ER-negative and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtypes.

Perceptions of Alcohol Risk Among HIV/Hepatitis C Coinfected Patients.

Objectives: We examined how patient perceptions of alcohol risk, provider discussions about alcohol, and treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) differed among HIV-HCV coinfected patients in primary care.

Methods: Between April, 2016 and April, 2017, we conducted a screening survey with patients in an HIV primary care clinic in Seattle, Washington, who had chronic HCV coinfection or a history of chronic HCV infection who had successfully cleared their infection with treatment.

Results: Of 225 participants, 84 (37%) were active drinkers (drank ≥2-4 times/mo in past 3 months).

Cancer-associated mutations in human pyruvate kinase M2 impair enzyme activity.

Mammalian pyruvate kinase catalyzes the final step of glycolysis, and its M2 isoform (PKM2) is widely expressed in proliferative tissues. Mutations in PKM2 are found in some human cancers; however, the effects of these mutations on enzyme activity and regulation are unknown. Here, we characterized five cancer-associated PKM2 mutations, occurring at various locations on the enzyme, with respect to substrate kinetics and activation by the allosteric activator fructose-1,6-bisphosphate (FBP).

The Ideal Male Nipple-Areola Complex: A Critical Review of the Literature and Discussion of Surgical Techniques for Female-to-Male Gender-Confirming Surgery.

Introduction: Top surgery (mastectomy and masculinization of the chest) is a key gender affirming operation for many female-to-male transgender patients. Positioning of the nipple-areola complex (NAC) is a crucial part of this procedure. To date, there are no standards as to where to place the new NAC based on the patient's anatomy, to achieve the most aesthetically pleasing result.

Chemically induced herbicide tolerance in rice by the safener metcamifen is associated with a phased stress response.

The closely related sulphonamide safeners, metcamifen and cyprosulfamide, were tested for their ability to protect rice from clodinafop-propargyl, a herbicide normally used in wheat. While demonstrating that both compounds were equally bioavailable in planta, only metcamifen prevented clodinafop from damaging seedlings, and this was associated with the enhanced detoxification of the herbicide. Transcriptome studies in rice cultures demonstrated that whereas cyprosulfamide had a negligible effect on gene expression over a 4 h exposure, metcamifen perturbed the abundance of 590 transcripts.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Technology-based Eye Care Services: The Technology-based Eye Care Services Compare Trial Part I.

Purpose: Ophthalmologic telemedicine has the ability to provide eye care for patients remotely, and many countries have used screening tele-ophthalmology programs for several years. One such initiative at the Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System is Technology-based Eye Care Services (TECS). The TECS services are located in primary care clinics and provide basic screening eye care, including vision, refraction, and retinal photography.

Influenza epidemiology in patients admitted to sentinel Australian hospitals in 2017: the Influenza Complications Alert Network (FluCAN).

The Influenza Complications Alert Network (FluCAN) is a sentinel-hospital-based surveillance program that operates at sites in all jurisdictions in Australia. This report summarises the epidemiology of hospitalisations with laboratory-confirmed influenza during the 2017 influenza season. In this observational surveillance system, cases were defined as patients admitted to any of the 17 sentinel hospitals with influenza confirmed by nucleic acid detection.

Accuracy, precision, and error in age estimation of Florida manatees using growth layer groups in earbones.

Ages of Florida manatees () can be estimated by counting annual growth layer groups (GLGs) in the periotic dome portion of the tympanoperiotic complex of their earbones. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission manages an archive of more than 8,700 Florida manatee earbones collected from salvaged carcasses from 1989 to 2017. Our goal was to comprehensively evaluate techniques used to estimate age, given this large sample size and changes to processing protocols and earbone readers over time.

The effectiveness of home versus community-based weight control programmes initiated soon after breast cancer diagnosis: a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Breast cancer diagnosis may be a teachable moment for lifestyle behaviour change and to prevent adjuvant therapy associated weight gain. We assessed the acceptability and effectiveness of two weight control programmes initiated soon after breast cancer diagnosis to reduce weight amongst overweight or obese women and prevent gains in normal-weight women.

Methods: Overweight or obese (n = 243) and normal weight (n = 166) women were randomised to a three-month unsupervised home (home), a supervised community weight control programme (community) or to standard written advice (control).

Nightly Preoperative Huddle Email Improves Perioperative Efficiency.

Background: Our institution created a nightly "Huddle" email for all staff involved in patient care, detailing the next day's cases. This study evaluated the impact of the Huddle email on perioperative efficiency and identified factors associated with operating room delays.

Methods: A total of 1080 first start, open, nonemergent cardiac operations were stratified as Pre-Huddle (January 2013-June 2015) or Huddle (July 2015-January 2017).

A mathematical model of HIV dynamics treated with a population of gene-edited haematopoietic progenitor cells exhibiting threshold phenomenon.

The use of gene-editing technology has the potential to excise the CCR5 gene from haematopoietic progenitor cells, rendering their differentiated CD4-positive (CD4+) T cell descendants HIV resistant. In this manuscript, we describe the development of a mathematical model to mimic the therapeutic potential of gene editing of haematopoietic progenitor cells to produce a class of HIV-resistant CD4+ T cells. We define the requirements for the permanent suppression of viral infection using gene editing as a novel therapeutic approach.

Fasciola hepatica in UK horses.

Background: Fasciola hepatica (liver fluke) affects grazing animals including horses but the extent to which it affects UK horses is unknown.

Objectives: To define how liver fluke affects the UK horse population.

Study Design: Descriptive, cross-sectional, observational study.

A case-control evaluation of 143 single nucleotide polymorphisms for breast cancer risk stratification with classical factors and mammographic density.

Panels of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) stratify risk for breast cancer in women from the general population, but studies are needed assess their use in a fully comprehensive model including classical risk factors, mammographic density and more than 100 SNPs associated with breast cancer. A case-control study was designed (1,668 controls, 405 cases) in women aged 47-73 years attending routine screening in Manchester UK, and enrolled in a wider study to assess methods for risk assessment. Risk from classical questionnaire risk factors was assessed using the Tyrer-Cuzick model; mean percentage visual mammographic density was scored by two independent readers.

"Fear guides the eyes of the beholder": Assessing gaze avoidance in social anxiety disorder via covert eye tracking of dynamic social stimuli.

Gaze avoidance is an important feature of social anxiety disorder (SAD) and may serve as a biobehavioral marker of SAD. The purpose of the present study was to replicate and extend findings on gaze avoidance in SAD via eye tracking during a computerized social simulation. Patients with SAD (n = 27) and a (sub)sample of demographically-matched healthy controls (HC; n = 22) completed a computerized, dynamic social simulation task involving video clips of actors giving positive and negative social feedback to the participant.

Detecting autoreactive B cells in the peripheral blood of people with type 1 diabetes using ELISpot.

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) is an autoimmune disorder where T lymphocytes damage the islet beta cells but B lymphocytes also play an important role. Although changes in peripheral B cell phenotype have been observed, little is known about the B cells that secrete the autoantibodies. We developed a sensitive B cell enzyme-linked immunospot assay (ELISpot assay) to detect individual B cell antibody responses to glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) and islet antigen-2 (IA-2).

Extracellular free water and glutathione in first-episode psychosis-a multimodal investigation of an inflammatory model for psychosis.

Evidence has been accumulating for an immune-based component to the etiology of psychotic disorders. Advancements in diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have enabled estimation of extracellular free water (FW), a putative biomarker of neuroinflammation. Furthermore, inflammatory processes may be associated with altered brain levels of metabolites, such as glutathione (GSH).

Temporal Trends in Cardiovascular Hospital Discharges Following a Mass Chlorine Exposure Event in Graniteville, South Carolina.

On January 6, 2005, a train derailed in Graniteville, South Carolina, releasing nearly 60,000 kg of toxic chlorine gas. The disaster left nine people dead and was responsible for hundreds of hospitalizations and outpatient visits in the subsequent weeks. While chlorine gas primarily affects the respiratory tract, a growing body of evidence suggests that acute exposure may also cause vascular injury and cardiac toxicity.