Telomerase reverse transcriptase promoter mutations in cancers derived from multiple organ sites among middle eastern population.

Sanger Sequencing and immunohistochemistry was employed to investigate the TERT promoter mutations and TERT protein expression with their association to clinicopathological characteristics in over 2200 samples of Middle Eastern origin from 13 different types of cancers. The TERT promoter mutations were most frequently present in bladder cancer (68.6%), followed by central nervous system tumors (28.

Distribution pattern of ABO and Rhesus blood groups among different ethnic population of Karachi.

Objective: To determine the distribution pattern of ABO and Rhesus blood groups among different ethnic populations in an urban centre.

Methods: The retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at Kharadar General Hospital, Karachi, from May to Dec 2017, and comprised antenatal and walk-in individuals of different ethnic groups who were tested at the hospital's clinical laboratory. Blood groups typing was carried out using Slide Agglutination (antigen-antibody) method with antisera anti-A, anti-B, and anti-D.

Defining the Characteristics of Chronic Hypoparathyroidism Not Adequately Controlled on Conventional Therapy: Consensus Findings of Three European Delphi Panels.

Introduction: European Society of Endocrinology (ESE) guidelines provide goals for hypoparathyroidism management but do not define characteristics of chronic hypoparathyroidism that is not adequately controlled. Three European country-specific Delphi panels were conducted to gain consensus on these characteristics.

Methods: Delphi panels were conducted in the UK, Sweden, and Portugal using similar methodology.

CORRIGENDUM to: Correlation of Apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing Enzyme, Catalytic Polypeptide- like 3G Genetic Variant rs8177832 with HIV-1 Predisposition in Pakistani Population.

Due to oversight of an author, in the manuscript entitled "Correlation of Apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing Enzyme, Catalytic Polypeptide- like 3G Genetic Variant rs8177832 with HIV-1 Predisposition in Pakistani Population" one author's name in the authors' list was erroneously published in the Journal "Current HIV Research" 2018; 16(4): 297-301.

N-doped carbon coated MnO/PdCu nanocomposite as a high-performance catalyst for 4-nitrophenol reduction.

This paper reports the chemical synthesis of highly-active MnO/PdCu nanocomposites coated with N-doped carbon (NC) shell using polydopamine (PDA) as the carbon source, which provides high specific surface area and pore volume. The structure and morphology of MnO/PdCu@NC nanocomposites were systematically studied. Taking advantage of the synergistic effects of PdCu alloy and MnO support, the MnO/PdCu@NC catalyst exhibited an outstanding activity toward the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP), in comparison to MnO/PdM@NC (M = Ni, Au, Ag), MnO/PdCu@PDA, and commercial Pd/C catalyst.

Pharmacy Data as an Alternative Data Source for Implementation of a Data to Care Strategy.

Background: Data to Care (D2C) is a strategy for using health departments' HIV surveillance data (HIV viral load and CD4 laboratory reports) to identify and re-engage not-in-care persons with HIV. In the current D2C model, there is a delay in the identification of persons not in care due to the time interval between recommended monitoring tests (ie, every 3-6 months) and the subsequent reporting of these tests to the health department.

Methods: Pharmacy claims and fulfillment data can be used to identify persons with HIV who have stopped filling antiretroviral therapy and are at risk of falling out of care.

Elevation of casein kinase 1ε associated with TDP-43 and tau pathologies in Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by the presence of extracellular amyloid β plaques and intraneuronal neurofibrillary tangles of hyperphosphorylated microtubule-associated protein tau in the brain. Aggregation of transactive response DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa (TDP-43) in the neuronal cytoplasm is another feature of AD. However, how TDP-43 is associated with AD pathogenesis is unknown.

BODIPY-based asymmetric monosubstituted (turn-on) and symmetric disubstituted (ratiometric) fluorescent probes for selective detection of phosgene in solution and gas phase.

Here, we designed and synthesized two fluorescent probes for detecting phosgene by nucleophilic substitution reaction using BODIPY as a fluorophore and 2-aminobenzylamine as reactive functional group. For the first time, we have studied the similarities and differences between asymmetric monosubstituted (1) and symmetric disubstituted (2) probes. A monosubstituted probe 1 (having a 2-aminobenzylamine group at the 3-position of BODIPY) has fluorescence-enhancing (weak green fluorescence to strong green fluorescence) responce to phosgene in 30 s with a large Stokes shift (∼70 nm) and sensitive property (DL = 0.

Intranasal Administration of Insulin Reduces Chronic Behavioral Abnormality and Neuronal Apoptosis Induced by General Anesthesia in Neonatal Mice.

Children, after multiple exposures to general anesthesia, appear to be at an increased risk of developing learning disabilities. Almost all general anesthetics-including sevoflurane, which is commonly used for children-are potentially neurotoxic to the developing brain. Anesthesia exposure during development might also be associated with behavioral deficiencies later in life.

Intranasal Insulin Increases Synaptic Protein Expression and Prevents Anesthesia-Induced Cognitive Deficits Through mTOR-eEF2 Pathway.

General anesthesia increases the risk for cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease (AD) in vulnerable individuals such as the elderly. We previously reported that prior administration of insulin through intranasal delivery can prevent the anesthesia-induced cognitive impairment and biochemical changes in the brain. However, little is known about the underlying molecular mechanisms.

Prognostic significance of DNMT3A alterations in Middle Eastern papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Background: Thyroid cancer is the second most common cancer affecting Saudi women after breast cancer, with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) accounting for 80-90% of thyroid cancers. DNA methyltransferases affect DNA methylation, and it is thought that they play an important role in the malignant transformation of various cancers.

Methods: We sought to evaluate the frequency of DNA methyltransferase 3A (DNMT3A) alterations in a large cohort of >1000 PTC cases using exome sequencing, capture sequencing, immunohistochemistry and methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction.

An empirical evaluation of financial development-carbon footprint nexus in One Belt and Road region.

The aspiration of study is to explore the financial development-carbon footprint nexus in One Belt and Road initiative (BRI) region utilizing the panel dataset from 1990-2017. The cross-sectional dependence tests and second-generation panel unit tests were applied to affirm the cross-section dependence and integration level. The panel regression estimators from the Driscoll-Kraay standard error method for robust estimators in the presence of cross-sectional dependence have been applied to compute the estimators concerning the financial development-carbon footprint nexus for One Belt and Road economies.

Potential Pharmacologic Targets for the Prevention of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) immunopathology starts many years before clinical disease manifests. An early event is the breakdown in B-cell tolerance and the emergence of autoantibodies. Some years later, the autoantibody response matures, with epitope spreading and isotype switching suggesting more focused T-cell involvement.

A naphthalimide-based lysosome-targeting fluorescent probe for the selective detection and imaging of endogenous peroxynitrite in living cells.

The morpholine (ML) group can be used as a targeting unit for lysosomes. Here, a novel turn-off fluorescence probe for the highly selective imaging of peroxynitrite (ONOO) produced by the endogenous stimulation of lysosomes in living cells is presented. The probe, denoted ML-NAP-DPPEA, comprises ML and 2-(diphenylphosphino)ethylamine (DPPE) groups attached to the fluorophore naphthalimide (NAP).

Customizable 3D printed diffusion chambers for studies of bacterial pathogen phenotypes in complex environments.

Gaps in our understanding of the natural ecology and survival mechanisms of pathogenic bacteria in complex microenvironments such as soil typically occur due to the difficulty in characterizing biochemical profiles and morphological characteristics as they exist in environmental samples. Conversely, accurate simulation of the abiotic and biotic chemistries of soil habitats within the laboratory is often a significant challenge. Herein, we present the fabrication of customizable and precisely engineered 3D printed diffusion chambers that can be used to incubate bacterial cultures directly in soil matrices within a controlled laboratory experiment, and study the dynamics between bacterial cells and soil components.

Intake of 12 food groups and disability-adjusted life years from coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and colorectal cancer in 16 European countries.

Our aim was to estimate and rank 12 food groups according to disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) from coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, type 2 diabetes (T2D), and colorectal cancer (CRC) in 16 European countries. De novo published non-linear dose-response meta-analyses of prospective studies (based on 297 primary reports), and food consumption data from the European Food Safety Authority Comprehensive European Food Consumption Database in Exposure Assessment, and DALY estimates from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation were used. By implementing disease-specific counterfactual scenarios of theoretical minimum risk exposure level (TMRELs), the proportion of DALYs attributed to 12 food groups was estimated.

Correction to: Meal analysis for understanding eating behavior: meal- and participant-specific predictors for the variance in energy and macronutrient intake.

Following publication of the original article [1], the authors reported an error in Table 3. The correct Table 3 is provided below.

Natural resources, globalization, and economic growth: evidence from Pakistan.

Globalization is increasingly a driving force behind vibrant economies around the world. This paper discusses the impact of globalization and natural resources on economic growth from 1970 to 2014 in Pakistan. Based on an auto-regressive distributive lag (ARDL) model, the paper infers that globalization promotes economic growth in Pakistan.

Analyzing the role of information and telecommunication technology in human development: panel data analysis.

Economic growth in modern-day world get attention primarily through innovation and higher productivity, which places technology and knowledge at the core of the issue on economic policy. In this regard, information and communication technology (ICT) has a unique place for offering the potential to improve efficiency, promote the sharing of knowledge, and improve innovation leading to an overall change in social and human development processes around the globe. This study examines the role of ICT and economic growth on human development.

Effective and Reliable Framework for Lung Nodules Detection from CT Scan Images.

Lung cancer is considered more serious among other prevailing cancer types. One of the reasons for it is that it is usually not diagnosed until it has spread and by that time it becomes very difficult to treat. Early detection of lung cancer can significantly increase the chances of survival of a cancer patient.

Pathological Tau From Alzheimer's Brain Induces Site-Specific Hyperphosphorylation and SDS- and Reducing Agent-Resistant Aggregation of Tau .

Neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) made up of hyperphosphorylated tau are a histopathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related tauopathies. Hyperphosphorylation of tau is responsible for its loss of normal physiological function, gain of toxicity and its aggregation to form NFTs. Injection of misfolded tau seeds into mouse brain induces tau aggregation, but the nature of tau phosphorylation in pathologic tau seeded pathology is unclear.

A ratiometric fluorescent probe for detection of endogenous and exogenous hydrogen sulfide in living cells.

A ratiometric visualized fluorescent probe of HS of intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) and excited intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) mechanisms due to solvation effects has been designed and synthesized. This chemosensor shows the distinct signal changes with dual-emission in blue and green fluorescence spectral channel (from 495 nm to 525 nm) upon the addition of HS in a single wavelength excitation. This chemosensor exhibits the low detection limit (91 nM) and high sensitivity and selectivity.

Local edge-enhanced active contour for accurate skin lesion border detection.

Background: Dermoscopy is one of the common and effective imaging techniques in diagnosis of skin cancer, especially for pigmented lesions. Accurate skin lesion border detection is the key to extract important dermoscopic features of the skin lesion. In current clinical settings, border delineation is performed manually by dermatologists.

Subacute to chronic Alzheimer-like alterations after controlled cortical impact in human tau transgenic mice.

Repetitive traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been linked to late life development of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disorder histopathologically characterized by perivascular tangles of hyperphosphorylated tau at the depth of sulci to later widespread neurofibrillary pathology. Although tau hyperphosphorylation and neurofibrillary-like pathology have been observed in the brain of transgenic mice overexpressing human tau with aggregation-prone mutation after TBI, they have not been consistently recapitulated in rodents expressing wild-type tau only. Here, we characterized Alzheimer-like alterations behaviorally, biochemically and immunohistochemically 6 weeks and 7 months after unilateral mild-to-moderate controlled cortical impact (CCI) in 5-7-month-old Tg/htau mice, which express all six isoforms of non-mutated human tau in a mouse tau null background.