Starting stiripentol in adults with Dravet syndrome? Watch for ammonia and carnitine.

Objective: Dravet syndrome (DS) is a rare cause of severe and pharmacoresistant epileptic encephalopathy. Stiripentol (STP) has a significant therapeutic benefit in the pediatric DS population. However, STP effects on adult patients have not been well studied.

Prevalence and Outcomes of Congenital Heart Disease in Very Low Birth Weight Preterm Infants: An Observational Study From the Brazilian Neonatal Network Database.

Objectives: To evaluate the prevalence of congenital heart disease and their outcomes in a Brazilian cohort of very low birth weight preterm infants.

Design: Post hoc analysis of data from the Brazilian Neonatal Network database, complemented by retrospective data from medical charts and a cross-sectional survey.

Setting: Twenty public tertiary-care university hospitals.

When the lead extractor becomes the assistant for new lead implant.

With the increasing number of cardiovascular implantable electronic device upgrade and vein obstruction caused by previous leads, it is important to have alternative techniques to upgrade the device with the maintenance of functioning leads. We report an 83-year old male with 13-year old one-lead dual-chamber pacemaker, ischemic cardiac disease and pre-dialytic chronic kidney disease submitted to an upgrade to cardiac resynchronization therapy. A sub-occlusion in the transition of left brachiocephalic vein and the superior vena cava was documented.

The role of the tumour microenvironment in the angiogenesis of pituitary tumours.

Purpose: Angiogenesis has been studied in pituitary neuroendocrine tumours (PitNETs), but the role of the tumour microenvironment (TME) in regulating PitNET angiogenesis remains unknown. We aimed to characterise the role of TME components in determining the angiogenetic PitNET profile, focusing on immune cells and tumour-derived cytokines.

Methods: Immune cells were studied by immunohistochemistry in 24 human PitNETs (16 non-functioning-PitNETs (NF-PitNETs) and 8 somatotrophinomas): macrophages (CD68, CD163, HLA-DR), cytotoxic (CD8) and T helper (CD4) lymphocytes, regulatory T cells (FOXP3), B cells (CD20) and neutrophils (neutrophil elastase); endothelial cells were assessed with CD31.

Modified snare technique improves left ventricular lead implant success for cardiac resynchronization therapy.

Background: Left ventricular (LV) lead placement is the most challenging aspect of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) device implantation, with a failure rate of up to 10% due to complex coronary anatomies. We describe a modified snare technique for LV lead placement and evaluate its safety and efficacy in cases when standard methods fail.

Methods And Results: A prospective study was conducted of patients indicated for a CRT implant.

Factors associated with cervical cancer screening participation among migrant women in Europe: a scoping review.

Background: Cervical cancer screening has been effective in reducing incidence and mortality of cervical cancer, leading European countries to implement screening programs. However, migrant women show lower screening participation compared to nationals. This scoping review aims to provide a synthesis of the growing evidence on factors associated with participation in cervical cancer screening among migrant women in Europe.

Higher Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet Is Associated With Preserved White Matter Integrity and Altered Structural Connectivity.

The Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) has been associated with cognitive performance. Yet, controlled trials have yielded contradictory results. To tackle this controversy, a comprehensive multimodal analysis of the association of the MedDiet with cognitive performance and brain structure in normative aging is still necessary.

Anabolic steroids and their effects of on neuronal density in cortical areas and hippocampus of mice.

Anabolic substances have been increasingly used by bodybuilders and athletes with the goal of improving performance and aesthetics. However, this practice has caused some concern to physicians and researchers because of unknowledge of consequences that the indiscriminate and illicit use of these substances can cause. Thus, this study analyzed the effects of two commercially available anabolic steroids (AS), Winstrol Depot® (Stanozolol) and Deposteron® (Testosterone Cypionate), in the neuronal density of limbic, motor and sensory regions on the cerebral cortex and in CA1, CA2, CA3 regions of the hippocampus.

3D Reduced Graphene Oxide Scaffolds with a Combinatorial Fibrous-Porous Architecture for Neural Tissue Engineering.

Graphene oxide (GO) assists a diverse set of promising routes to build bioactive neural microenvironments by easily interacting with other biomaterials to enhance their bulk features or, alternatively, self-assembling toward the construction of biocompatible systems with specific three-dimensional (3D) geometries. Herein, we first modulate both size and available oxygen groups in GO nanosheets to adjust the physicochemical and biological properties of polycaprolactone-gelatin electrospun nanofibrous systems. The results show that the incorporation of customized GO nanosheets modulates the properties of the nanofibers and, subsequently, markedly influences the viability of neural progenitor cell cultures.

Green Graphene-Chitosan Sorbent Materials for Mercury Water Remediation.

The development of new graphene-based nanocomposites able to provide synergistic effects for the adsorption of toxic heavy metals in realistic conditions (environment) is of higher demand for future applications. This work explores the preparation of a green nanocomposite based on the self-assembly of graphene oxide (GO) with chitosan (CH) for the remediation of Hg(II) in different water matrices, including ultrapure and natural waters (tap water, river water, and seawater). Starting at a concentration of 50 μg L, the results showed that GO-CH nanocomposite has an excellent adsorption capacity of Hg (II) using very small doses (10 mg L) in ultrapure water with a removal percentage (% R) of 97 % R after only two hours of contact time.

Microfabrication of a biomimetic arcade-like electrospun scaffold for cartilage tissue engineering applications.

In recent years, the engineering of biomimetic cellular microenvironments has emerged as a top priority for regenerative medicine, being the in vitro recreation of the arcade-like cartilaginous tissue one of the most critical challenges due to the notorious absence of cost- and time-efficient microfabrication techniques capable of building 3D fibrous scaffolds with precise anisotropic properties. Taking this into account, we suggest a feasible and accurate methodology that uses a sequential adaptation of an electrospinning-electrospraying set up to construct a hierarchical system comprising both polycaprolactone (PCL) fibres and polyethylene glycol sacrificial microparticles. After porogen leaching, the bi-layered PCL scaffold was capable of presenting not only a depth-dependent fibre orientation similar to natural cartilage, but also mechanical features and porosity proficient to encourage an enhanced cell response.

Electrospinning of bioactive polycaprolactone-gelatin nanofibres with increased pore size for cartilage tissue engineering applications.

Polycaprolactone (PCL) electrospun scaffolds have been widely investigated for cartilage repair application. However, their hydrophobicity and small pore size has been known to prevent cell attachment, proliferation and migration. Here, PCL was blended with gelatin (GEL) combining the favorable biological properties of GEL with the good mechanical performance of the former.

Highly Electroconductive Nanopapers Based on Nanocellulose and Copper Nanowires: A New Generation of Flexible and Sustainable Electrical Materials.

Nowadays, the development of sustainable high-performance functional nanomaterials is in the spotlight. In this work, we report the preparation of a new generation of flexible and high electroconductive nanopapers based on nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) and copper nanowires (CuNWs). Homogeneous red brick color nanopapers (thickness 30.

The tumour microenvironment of pituitary neuroendocrine tumours.

The tumour microenvironment (TME) includes a variety of non-neoplastic cells and non-cellular elements such as cytokines, growth factors and enzymes surrounding tumour cells. The TME emerged as a key modulator of tumour initiation, progression and invasion, with extensive data available in many cancers, but little is known in pituitary tumours. However, the understanding of the TME of pituitary tumours has advanced thanks to active research in this field over the last decade.

Endoprotector: Protective box for safe endoscopy use during COVID-19 outbreak.

 Outbreak of COVID-19 began in Wuhan in December 2019 and has rapidly spread from China to the rest of the world. Although it is primarily transmitted by contact and droplets, aerosol-generating procedures also seem to carry the possibility of airborne viral transmission. As such, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy can be considered a risky procedure, with several position statements recommending the adoption of safe practices in endoscopic procedures.

Rates of Incomplete Resection of 1- to 20-mm Colorectal Polyps: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background & Aims: Incomplete resection of neoplastic colorectal polyps can result in postcolonoscopy colorectal cancer. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the incomplete resection rate (IRR) of colorectal polyps and associated factors.

Methods: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, EBM Reviews, and CINAHL to identify full-text articles that reported IRRs of polyps 1 to 20 mm, published until March 2019.

Theoretical and experimental investigation on the intersystem crossing kinetics in benzothioxanthene imide luminophores, and their dependence on substituent effects.

In spite of their remarkable luminescence properties, benzothioxanthene imide (BTXI, an imide containing rylene chromophores) derivatives have been largely overlooked compared to their perylene bisimide and naphthalene bisimide counterparts. Thus, their detailed photophysics are much less understood. In this paper, we show how relatively simple structural modifications of the backbone of BTXIs can lead to impressive variations in their inter-system crossing kinetics.

Multifunctional hybrid structures made of open-cell aluminum foam impregnated with cellulose/graphene nanocomposites.

This work focuses on exploring combinations of disintegrated bacterial cellulose nanofibres (BC) with graphene oxide (GO) (reduced and non-reduced) and phase change materials (PCMs) prepared in the form of foam-like structures. The presence of GO remarkable improves the fire-retardancy and provides dimensional stability to the foams while PCMs gives thermal energy storage capacity. The foams were exposed to methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) vapour to become hydrophobic which was confirmed by measuring water absorption capacity and water contact angle.