Comparative Assessment of Two Strategies for Interpreting Tumor Markers in Ascitic Effusions.

Background/aim: There are two strategies for the interpretation of tumor markers (TM) in fluid effusions: i) high cut-off and ii) fluid/serum ratio (F/S) and low cut-off. The objective of this study is to compare these two strategies and to determine whether diagnostic accuracy improves by the identification of possible false positives using Adenosine deaminase (ADA), C reactive protein (CRP) and % of polymorphonuclear cells (%PN).

Patients And Methods: We studied 157 ascitic fluids, 74 of which were malignant.

Gender-Informed Family Planning Perceptions and Decision-Making in Rural Chiapas, Mexico: A Mixed-Methods Study.

Compared to other Mexican states, Chiapas possessed the lowest rate of contraception use among women 15-49 years old (44.6%) in 2018. This convergent mixed-methods study assessed family planning use, perceptions, and decision-making processes among women and men in rural communities where Compañeros En Salud (CES) works in Chiapas, Mexico.

CDF transcription factors: plant regulators to deal with extreme environmental conditions.

In terrestrial environments, water and nutrient availabilities and temperature conditions are highly variable, and especially in extreme environments limit survival, growth, and reproduction of plants. To sustain growth and maintain cell integrity under unfavourable environmental conditions, plants have developed a variety of biochemical and physiological mechanisms, orchestrated by a large set of stress-responsive genes and a complex network of transcription factors. Recently, cycling DOF factors (CDFs), a group of plant-specific transcription factors (TFs), were identified as components of the transcriptional regulatory networks involved in the control of abiotic stress responses.

A flowering inhibitor of the temperature-dependent pathway in Crocus sativus L.

Saffron is the world highest-priced spice because its production requires intensive hand labour. Reduce saffron production costs require containerised plant production under controlled conditions and expand the flowering period. Controlling the flowering process and identify the factors involved in saffron flowering is crucial to introduce technical improvements.

Toward Large-Scale Production of Oxidized Graphene.

The oxidative exfoliation of graphite is a promising approach to the large-scale production of graphene. Conventional oxidation of graphite essentially facilitates the exfoliation process; however, the oxidation procedure releases toxic gases and requires extensive, time-consuming steps of washing and reduction to convert exfoliated graphene oxide (GO) into reduced graphene oxide (rGO). Although toxic gases can be controlled by modifying chemical reactions, filtration, dialysis, and extensive sonication are unfavorable for large-scale production.

Monthly changes in serum levels of S100B protein as a predictor of metastasis development in high-risk melanoma patients.

Background: The role of S100B protein in detecting early melanoma relapses is controversial, since most metastasis occur within normal values of S100B.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the performance of S100B in detecting early disease progression in high-risk melanoma patients.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study including patients with an initial diagnosis of stage IIB, IIC and III melanoma between January 2003 and July 2013.

Photoprotected spin Hall effect on graphene with substrate induced Rashba spin-orbit coupling.

We propose an experimental realization of the spin Hall effect in graphene by illuminating a graphene sheet on top of a substrate with circularly polarized monochromatic light. The substrate induces a controllable Rashba type spin-orbit coupling which breaks the spin-degeneracy of the Dirac cones but it is gapless. The circularly polarized light induces a gap in the spectrum and turns graphene into a Floquet topological insulator with spin dependent edge states.

Nurses' and auxiliary nurse midwives' adherence to essential birth practices with peer coaching in Uttar Pradesh, India: a secondary analysis of the BetterBirth trial.

Background: The BetterBirth trial tested the effect of a peer coaching program around the WHO Safe Childbirth Checklist for birth attendants in primary-level facilities in Uttar Pradesh, India on a composite measure of perinatal and maternal mortality and maternal morbidity. This study aimed to examine the adherence to essential birth practices between two different cadres of birth attendants-nurses and auxiliary nurse midwives (ANMs)-during and after a peer coaching intervention for the WHO Safe Childbirth Checklist.

Methods: This is a secondary analysis of birth attendant characteristics, coaching visits, and behavior uptake during the BetterBirth trial through birth attendant surveys, coach observations, and independent observations.

Leishmania sp. detection and blood-feeding behaviour of Sergentomyia minuta collected in the human leishmaniasis focus of southwestern Madrid, Spain (2012-2017).

Phlebotomine sand flies are the only known vectors of Leishmania spp. protozoan which causes leishmaniasis in 98 countries. In Spain, 11 sand fly species are described, but only Phlebotomus perniciosus and Phlebotomus ariasi are proven vectors of the disease.

Short-term effects of text-background color combinations on the dynamics of the accommodative response.

The purpose of the present study was to assess the accommodative response and pupillary dynamics while reading passages with different text-background color combinations on an LCD screen. Twenty healthy young adults read fourteen 2-min passages designed with fourteen different color combinations between text and background, while the accommodative and pupil responses were continuously measured with a binocular open-field autorefractometer. Our results revealed that the text-background color combination modulates the accommodative and pupillary dynamics during a 2-minutes reading task.

Parameter-free Gaussian PSF Model for Extended Depth of Field in Brightfield Microscopy.

Due to their limited depth of field, conventional brightfield microscopes cannot image thick specimens entirely in focus. A common way to obtain an all-in-focus image is to acquire a z-stack of images by optically sectioning the specimen and then apply a multi-focus fusion method. Unfortunately, for undersampled image stacks, fusion methods cannot remove the blur in regions where the in-focus position is between two optical sections.

Short-term effects of caffeine intake on anterior chamber angle and intraocular pressure in low caffeine consumers.

Background: Acute caffeine consumption causes a transient increase in IOP; however, the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain unknown. This study aims to determine the structural changes in cornea and anterior chamber associated with caffeine ingestion.

Methods: Seventeen healthy low caffeine consumers ingested a capsule of caffeine (~ 4 mg/kg) or placebo (300 mg of corn-starch) in a counterbalanced manner.

Detection of autoantibodies in central nervous system inflammatory disorders: Clinical application of cell-based assays.

The identification of autoantibodies in central nervous system (CNS) inflammatory disorders improves diagnostic accuracy and the identification of patients with a relapsing disease. Usual methods to detect autoantibodies are usually divided into 3 categories: tissue-based assays, protein-based assays and cell-based assays (CBA). Tissue-based assays are commonly used for initial identification of autoantibodies based on staining patterns and co-localization.

Trametes versicolor immobilized on rotating biological contactors as alternative biological treatment for the removal of emerging concern micropollutants.

White rot fungi have been studied for the removal of micropollutants of emerging concern from wastewater during the last decade. However, several issues need to be overcome for its plausible implementation at full-scale installations such as the addition of supplementary substrates, the partial re-inoculation of fresh fungi or the use of extended hydraulic retention times. This work proposes the immobilization of Trametes versicolor on rotating biological contactors at bench scale (flowrates of 10 L/d and reactor capacity of 10 L) for the treatment of different urban wastewater.

Effects of oxygen on post-surgical infections during an individualised perioperative open-lung ventilatory strategy: a randomised controlled trial.

Background: We aimed to examine whether using a high fraction of inspired oxygen (FIO) in the context of an individualised intra- and postoperative open-lung ventilation approach could decrease surgical site infection (SSI) in patients scheduled for abdominal surgery.

Methods: We performed a multicentre, randomised controlled clinical trial in a network of 21 university hospitals from June 6, 2017 to July 19, 2018. Patients undergoing abdominal surgery were randomly assigned to receive a high (0.

Very high levels of PSA in patients with cardiogenic shock: Report of four clinical cases.

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is the tumor marker most widely used in conjunction with digital rectal examination (DRE) for the early detection of prostate cancer (PCa). Due to its limitations, especially the high rate of false positive (FP) results, PSA screening of transplant candidates is a controversial issue. Moreover, obtaining a FP result in the PCa screening of heart transplant candidates may lead to potentially harmful effects.

Contamination of N-poor wastewater with emerging pollutants does not affect the performance of purple phototrophic bacteria and the subsequent resource recovery potential.

Propagation of emerging pollutants (EPs) in wastewater treatment plants has become a warning sign, especially for novel resource-recovery concepts. The fate of EPs on purple phototrophic bacteria (PPB)-based systems has not yet been determined. This work analyzes the performance of a photo-anaerobic membrane bioreactor treating a low-N wastewater contaminated with 25 EPs.

The power of language-concordant care: a call to action for medical schools.

We live in a world of incredible linguistic diversity; nearly 7000 languages are spoken globally and at least 350 are spoken in the United States. Language-concordant care enhances trust between patients and physicians, optimizes health outcomes, and advances health equity for diverse populations. However, historical and contemporary trauma have impaired trust between communities of color, including immigrants with limited English proficiency, and physicians in the U.

Validation of an Objective Method for the Qualitative and Quantitative Assessment of Binocular Accommodative Facility.

: Assessing binocular accommodative facility (BAF) enables the evaluation of the interaction between the accommodative and vergence systems, which is relevant for the diagnosis of accommodative and binocular disorders. However, the tests used to assess BAF present methodological caveats (e.g.

Correction to: A genetically encoded Ca indicator based on circularly permutated sea anemone red fluorescent protein eqFP578.

In the online version of the article [ 1 ], Figure S1 was mistakenly replaced with Figure 1.

Community Health Center Engagement and Training During Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency.

Background: Community health centers (CHCs) and federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) are critical health care access points for medically underserved areas in the United States. They also provide opportunities for residents to learn about health system challenges, including workforce shortages, social determinants of health, and health equity.

Objective: We sought to describe current obstetrics and gynecology (OB-GYN) resident engagement and training in community health settings.

Variational Bayesian Blind Color Deconvolution of Histopathological Images.

Most whole-slide histological images are stained with two or more chemical dyes. Slide stain separation or color deconvolution is a crucial step within the digital pathology workflow. In this paper, the blind color deconvolution problem is formulated within the Bayesian framework.

Epidemiological survey of hepatitis C in a region considered to have high prevalence: the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Introduction: The prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is affected by demographic, virological, clinical, and lifestyle-related factors and varies in different regions in Brazil or worldwide. The present study aimed to clarify the epidemiological patterns of HCV infection in the interior region of Brazil.

Methods: This study was conducted in the Southern Triangle Macro-region of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, according to the guidelines of the National Program for the Prevention and Control of Viral Hepatitis.

Maternal Mortality in the United States: Updates on Trends, Causes, and Solutions.

The rising trend in pregnancy-related deaths during the past 2 decades in the United States stands out among other high-income countries where pregnancy-related deaths are declining. Cardiomyopathy and other cardiovascular conditions, hemorrhage, and other chronic medical conditions are all important causes of death. Unintentional death from violence, overdose, and self-harm are emerging causes that require medical and public health attention.