Clinical features, hemorrhage risk and epilepsy outcomes of familial cerebral cavernous malformation: A 20-year observational pragmatic single-center study.

Introduction: Familial Cerebral Cavernous Malformations (fCCMs) are rare, hereditary conditions characterized by multiple central nervous system lesions. Despite their rarity, CCMs can cause significant clinical challenges when symptomatic, manifesting as seizure and symptomatic hemorrhage (CASH). Guidelines suggest neurosurgical intervention for symptomatic or previously symptomatic lesions, while conservative management is recommended for new-onset epilepsy.

Establishment of a Protocol for Viability qPCR in Dental Hard Tissues.

The aim of the study was to establish a live/dead qPCR with propidium monoazide (PMA) that can quantitatively differentiate between viable/non-viable microorganisms in dental hard tissues. Human premolars ( = 88) were prepared with nickel-titanium instruments and incubated with (21 d). Subsequently, the bacteria in half of the teeth were devitalized by heat inactivation (100 °C, 2 h).

Club cell protein (CC16) in serum as an effect marker for small airway epithelial damage caused by diesel exhaust and blasting fumes in potash mining.

Objective: The effect marker club cell protein (CC16) is secreted by the epithelium of the small respiratory tract into its lumen and passes into the blood. Increased amounts of CC16 in serum are observed during acute epithelial lung injury due to air pollutants. CC16 in serum was determined as part of this cross-sectional study in underground potash miners on acute and chronic health effects from exposures to diesel exhaust and blasting fumes.

Multi-proxy assessment of coral reef formation and biotic-abiotic diversity in an urban coastal reef ecosystem in northeastern Brazil.

Coral reefs are habitats with high animal and mineral diversity and are subject to both climate change and anthropogenic impacts. This article presents novel and relevant data on the Seixas coral reef environment's geological, sedimentological, mineralogical, and biotic aspects in Paraíba State, northeastern Brazil. The aim of this study is to evaluate the processes of reef formation and the diversity of coral reef species in urban coastal environments in northeastern Brazil using a multi-proxy approach.

Impact of diesel exhaust exposure on urinary 1-hydroxypyrene in underground salt and potash workers.

Background: Diesel engine exhaust (DEE) and some of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) it contains are carcinogenic to humans (for example benzo(a)pyrene) and can cause lung cancer in workers. The objective of this study was to assess exposures to DEE and its component PAH and the potential associations between these two health hazards in a salt and potash mining population.

Methods: Between 2017 and 2019, 1003 underground workers (mining n = 801, maintenance n = 202) and 243 above-ground facility workers from two German mines participated.

3D gravity modelling of areas under the aptian lakes in the Jatobá basin and Tucano Norte sub-basin - Negra and Tonã hills.

Due to structural similarities and the possibility of connection between the two Aptian paleolakes in the Jatobá Basin and the Tucano Norte Sub-basin in North-eastern Brazil, the influence of the architecture of the crystalline basement under these lacustrine sedimentary rocks was analysed using gravimetric data near the faulted edges of the basins where the paleolakes are located. The Negra (Jatobá Basin) and Tonã (Tucano Norte Sub-basin) Hills are mainly sedimentary deposits of Aptian age and are linked to the post-rift I tectonic sequence. Aiming at the study of reservoirs analogous to pre-salt reservoirs, the gravimetric data were processed and interpreted to define the structural framework of the basin regions around these hills.

Examining public views on decentralised health data sharing.

In recent years, researchers have begun to explore the use of Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLT), also known as blockchain, in health data sharing contexts. However, there is a significant lack of research that examines public attitudes towards the use of this technology. In this paper, we begin to address this issue and present results from a series of focus groups which explored public views and concerns about engaging with new models of personal health data sharing in the UK.

Augmented screwdrivers can increase the performance of orthopaedic surgeons compared with use of normal screwdrivers.

Orthopaedic screws insertion can be trivialised as a simple procedure, however it is frequently performed poorly. Limited work exists defining how well surgeons insert screws or whether augmented screwdrivers can aid surgeons to reduce stripping rates and optimise tightness. We aimed to establish the performance of surgeons inserting screws and whether this be improved with screwdriver augmentation.

Non-Fungible Tokens as a Mechanism for Representing Patient Consent.

In recent years we have seen the adoption of distributed ledger technology (DLT), originally the mechanism underpinning the operation of the Bitcoin crypto currency, across a wider range of technology sectors including healthcare. DLT allows for the design of informatics systems with the properties of immutability, security, and decentralization. One recent innovation in the space has been the specification and development of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs).

Underground salt and potash workers exposed to nitrogen oxides and diesel exhaust: assessment of specific effect biomarkers.

Purpose: Occupational exposure limits (OEL) for nitrogen oxides (NO, NO) and diesel exhaust (EC-DPM) were reassessed by the German authorities in 2016/2017. We performed a clinical cross-sectional study among salt and potash underground workers exposed to these substances at relatively high levels to examine possible indicators of acute effects on workers' health.

Methods: We measured post- versus pre-shift differences in cardiovascular, inflammatory, immune, and respiratory effect biomarkers and assessed their associations with personal exposures measured during the same shift.

Screw tightness and stripping rates vary between biomechanical researchers and practicing orthopaedic surgeons.

Background: Screws are the most frequently inserted orthopaedic implants. Biomechanical, laboratory-based studies are used to provide a controlled environment to investigate revolutionary and evolutionary improvements in orthopaedic techniques. Predominantly, biomechanical trained, non-surgically practicing researchers perform these studies, whilst it will be orthopaedic surgeons who will put these procedures into practice on patients.

Possibilities of the Utilization of Ferritic Nitrocarburizing on Case-Hardening Steels.

This paper is devoted to the possibilities of the utilization of chosen chemical heat treatment technologies on steels used for manufacturing highly stressed components of military vehicles and weapons systems. The technologies chosen for this research are plasma ferritic nitrocarburizing and ferritic nitrocarburizing in a gaseous atmosphere. These technologies were applied on a steel equivalent 1.

Cyclic Fatigue of Dental NiTi Instruments after Plasma Nitriding.

This study investigated the possibility of nitride NiTi instruments using low-temperature plasma nitriding technology in a standard industrial device. Changes in the properties and fatigue life of used NiTi instruments before and after low-temperature nitriding application were investigated and compared. Nontreated and two series of plasma-nitrided NiTi instruments, designed by Mtwo company with tip sizes of 10/.

Comparing accuracy of fish sperm motility measurements obtained from two computational extremes in tracking approaches: Nearest neighbor and multiple hypothesis tracking.

We conducted a study to assess the accuracy of nearest neighbour (NN) and multiple hypothesis tracking (MHT) methods-which are opposite extremes in computational complexity-in determining the percentage of motile sperms and the number of sperms tracked in simulated data of fish sperm movements, and to evaluate the resulting number of tracking errors and analysis duration. Sperm tracking and swimming path assembly were assessed in 36 video clips (1 s length at 100 fps) of emulated Rhamdia quelen sperm kinetics at different densities (50, 100, 200 or 300 spermatozoa in the field of view) and motility rates (30, 60 or 90%). The MHT method accurately estimated the percentage of motile sperms, whereas NN underestimated it by up to 6.

High-Resolution Cone-Beam Computed Tomography is a Fast and Promising Technique to Quantify Bone Microstructure and Mechanics of the Distal Radius.

Obtaining high-resolution scans of bones and joints for clinical applications is challenging. HR-pQCT is considered the best technology to acquire high-resolution images of the peripheral skeleton in vivo, but a breakthrough for widespread clinical applications is still lacking. Recently, we showed on trapezia that CBCT is a promising alternative providing a larger FOV at a shorter scanning time.

Variations in non-locking screw insertion conditions generate unpredictable changes to achieved fixation tightness and stripping rates.

Background: Screws are the most commonly inserted orthopaedic implants. However, several variables related to screw insertion and tightening have not been evaluated. This study aimed firstly to assess the effect of insertion variables on screw tightness, secondly to improve methodologies used by researchers when testing screw insertion techniques and thirdly to assess for any learning or fatigue effects when inserting screws.

New marine data and age accuracy of the Romualdo Formation, Araripe Basin, Brazil.

A combined biostratigraphic and palaeoecological study of foraminifera, ostracodes and microfacies was carried out on the Aptian in the Sítio Sobradinho section of the Araripe Basin, northeast Brazil. The analysed section represents a deepening-upward sequence with mid-ramp shoal and outer ramp to basin facies associations on a mixed siliciclastic-carbonate marine ramp. The analysed rocks are dominated by Early Cretaceous planktic foraminifera (Hedbergella aptiana, H.

Stoichiometry of Rtt109 complexes with Vps75 and histones H3-H4.

Histone acetylation is one of many posttranslational modifications that affect nucleosome accessibility. Vps75 is a histone chaperone that stimulates Rtt109 acetyltransferase activity toward histones H3-H4 in yeast. In this study, we use sedimentation velocity and light scattering to characterize various Vps75-Rtt109 complexes, both with and without H3-H4.

Experimental Assessment of Time-Limited Operation and Rectification of a Bridge Crane.

This paper describes a problem related to a casting bridge crane with a combined load of 200/50/12.5 t and a span of 18.6 m, working in a heavy metallurgical operation.

Surgical performance when inserting non-locking screws: a systematic review.

Billions of screws are inserted by surgeons each year, making them the most commonly inserted implant. When using non-locking screws, insertion technique is decided by the surgeon, including how much to tighten each screw. The aims of this study were to assess, through a systematic review, the screw tightness and rate of material stripping produced by surgeons and the effect of different variables related to screw insertion.

Opioids as Substrates and Inhibitors of the Genetically Highly Variable Organic Cation Transporter OCT1.

Genetic variants in the hepatic uptake transporter OCT1, observed in 9% of Europeans and white Americans, are known to affect pharmacokinetics and efficacy of tramadol, morphine, and codeine. Here, we report further opioids to be substrates and inhibitors of OCT1. Methylnaltrexone, hydromorphone, oxymorphone, and meptazinol were identified as OCT1 substrates.

Inherent DNA-binding specificities of the HIF-1α and HIF-2α transcription factors in chromatin.

Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) is the major transcriptional regulator of cellular responses to hypoxia. The two principal HIF-α isoforms, HIF-1α and HIF-2α, are progressively stabilized in response to hypoxia and form heterodimers with HIF-1β to activate a broad range of transcriptional responses. Here, we report on the pan-genomic distribution of isoform-specific HIF binding in response to hypoxia of varying severity and duration, and in response to genetic ablation of each HIF-α isoform.

Stratigraphic Relations of the Ipubi Formation: Siliciclastic-Evaporitic Succession of the Araripe Basin.

The Ipubi Formation represents the Aptian-Albian siliciclastic-evaporitic succession of Araripe Basin, NE Brazil. This succession comprises siliciclastic rocks (bituminous shales and claystones) and evaporites (gypsum and secondary anhydrite) and represents part of the lacustrine-shallow marine post-rift phase I. This study used sequence stratigraphy concepts to define the relations between changes in the relative lake level and the formation of Ipubi deposits.