Role of age and comorbidities in mortality of patients with infective endocarditis.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyse the characteristics of patients with IE in three groups of age and to assess the ability of age and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) to predict mortality.

Methods: Prospective cohort study of all patients with IE included in the GAMES Spanish database between 2008 and 2015.Patients were stratified into three age groups:<65 years,65 to 80 years,and ≥ 80 years.

Preoperative factors associated with resection and anastomosis in horses presenting with strangulating lesions of the small intestine.

Objective: To determine if preoperative and intraoperative clinical variables correlate with resection and anastomosis (RA) in horses presenting with strangulating small intestinal (SI) lesions.

Study Design: Retrospective case series.

Animals: Horses undergoing exploratory celiotomy for a strangulating SI lesion (n = 243).

Lumen apposing metal stents are superior to plastic stents in pancreatic walled-off necrosis: a large international multicenter study.

 The use of lumen apposing metal stents (LAMS) during EUS-guided transmural drainage (EUS-TD) of pancreatic walled-off necrosis (WON) has gained popularity. Data supporting their use in WON over plastic stents (PS), however, remain scarce. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical efficacy of LAMS (Axios, Boston Scientific) with PS in WON.

The challenge of well-being and quality of life: A meta-analysis of psychological interventions in schizophrenia.

Well-being is a critical outcome in the recovery from psychosis and the prevention of symptoms. Previous reviews of the effectiveness of psychological interventions have focused on psychotic symptoms and general psychopathology, not recognising well-being as an essential outcome. This study conducted a meta-analysis of the effects of psychological interventions on the well-being and quality of life (QoL) of people with schizophrenia and analysed some critical moderating factors.

Migrated T lymphocytes into malignant pleural effusions: an indicator of good prognosis in lung adenocarcinoma patients.

The presence of leukocyte subpopulations in malignant pleural effusions (MPEs) can have a different impact on tumor cell proliferation and vascular leakiness, their analysis can help to understand the metastatic microenvironment. We analyzed the relationship between the leukocyte subpopulation counts per ml of pleural fluid and the tumor cell count, molecular phenotype of lung adenocarcinoma (LAC), time from cancer diagnosis and previous oncologic therapy. We also evaluated the leukocyte composition of MPEs as a biomarker of prognosis.

A spatio temporal spectral framework for plant stress phenotyping.

Background: Recent advances in high throughput phenotyping have made it possible to collect large datasets following plant growth and development over time, and those in machine learning have made inferring phenotypic plant traits from such datasets possible. However, there remains a dirth of datasets following plant growth under stress conditions along with methods for inferring them using only remotely sensed data, especially under a combination of multiple stress factors such as drought, weeds and nutrient deficiency. Such stress factors and their combinations are commonly encountered during crop production and being able to accurately detect and treat such stress conditions in an automated and timely manner can provide a major boost to farm yields with minimal resource input.

Tocilizumab in giant cell arteritis. Observational, open-label multicenter study of 134 patients in clinical practice.

Objective: Tocilizumab (TCZ) has shown efficacy in clinical trials on giant cell arteritis (GCA). Real-world data are scarce. Our objective was to assess efficacy and safety of TCZ in unselected patients with GCA in clinical practice Methods: Observational, open-label multicenter study from 40 national referral centers of GCA patients treated with TCZ due to inefficacy or adverse events of previous therapy.

Endoscopic ultrasound guided gastrojejunostomy.

Endoscopic ultrasound guided gastrojejunostomy (EUS-GJ) has been mostly employed in the treatment of benign and malignant gastric outlet obstruction (GOO). Additionally, EUS-GJ has been used in the treatment of afferent loop syndrome. EUS-GJ has been employed in the treatment of benign and malignant GOO.

Novel nonsense mutation in the α1-globin gene [HBA1:C.49A>T] is responsible for non-deletion α-thalassemia.

Background: In the α-thalassemia one of the less frequent mechanisms is the nonsense mutations, which generate the substitution of a triplet that encodes an amino acid for a stop codon and, therefore, protein synthesis stops prematurely. At present, 9 mutations of this type have been documented, 6 that affect the HBA2 gene and 3 that affect the HBA1 gene.

Objectives: We present a new mutation in CD16 of the HBA1 gene, where the change AAG>TAG generates a stop codon.

Predictive value of plasma and peritoneal creatine kinase in horses with strangulating intestinal lesions.

Objective: To determine the ability of plasma and peritoneal creatine kinase (CK) to predict the presence of a strangulating lesion in horses presented for colic.

Study Design: Prospective clinical study.

Animals: Ten healthy control horses and 61 clinical colic cases.

Response to article by Matthew Wasserman et al. (2018): "Modeling the sustained use of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine compared to switching to the 10-valent vaccine in Mexico".

In a recent article, Wasserman et al. estimated and forecasted the health and economic impact of switching from the 13-valent (PCV-13) to the 10-valent (PHiD-CV) pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in Mexico's national immunization program. In this response letter, we highlight various methodological inconsistencies and model input considerations that potentially bias the results and further recommendations made by the authors.

Cellular Markers of Active Disease and Cure in Different Forms of -Induced Disease.

Increased numbers of peripheral blood mononucleocytes (PBMC) and increased IFN-γ secretion following challenge of blood samples with soluble antigen (SLA), have been proposed as biomarkers of specific cell-mediated immunity, indicating that treatment of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) has been successful. However, infection may manifest as cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), and less commonly as localized leishmanial lymphadenopathy (LLL) or mucosal leishmaniasis (ML). The present work examines the value of these biomarkers as indicators of cured leishmaniasis presenting in these different forms.

Histologic Analysis of Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Through the Needle Microforceps Biopsies Accurately Identifies Mucinous Pancreas Cysts.

Background & Aims: It is a challenge to accurately assess pancreatic cystic lesions (PCLs) and determine their risk. We compared the yield of tissue acquired with endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided microforceps (through the needle tissue biopsy [TTNB]) with that of samples collected by EUS-guided fine-needle-aspiration (EUS-FNA), and the accuracy of analyses of each sample type in the diagnosis of mucinous PCLs.

Methods: We performed a prospective open-label study of 114 consecutive adults (56.

HLA in Uros from Peru Titikaka Lake: Tiwanaku, Easter and Pacific Islanders.

Uros people live in floating reed islands in Titikaka Lake in front of Puno town (Peru). They could have started Tiwanaku culture and shared genes and culture with Pacific Islanders; it is particularly relevant the giant hat covered men statues found in both Tiwanaku at Titikaka Lake shore and Easter Island (3700 km far from Chile in Pacific Ocean). These giants monoliths are very similar one another and unique in America and Pacific Islands.

Extinction makes acquisition context-specific in conditioned taste aversion regardless of the context where acquisition and testing take place.

Retrieval of a flavor-illness association has been found to show contextual dependence when the association is learned after a nontarget flavor-illness association has been extinguished in what has been named as the extinction makes acquisition context-specific (EMACS) effect. Four experiments were designed to further explore the EMACS effect in conditioned taste aversion. Experiments 1 and 2 replicated the EMACS effect using rats that did not experience extinction, and rats that underwent extinction of a different flavor as controls.

Historical roasting of thallium- and arsenic-bearing pyrite: Current Tl pollution in the Riotinto mine area.

Samples of an open-air pyrite roasting heap from the 19th century in the Riotinto mine area (SW Spain) and surrounding sediments and soil along a seasonal surface runoff channel were analyzed to study thallium (Tl) phase transformations during historical roasting of Tl-bearing arsenian pyrite, secondary weathering processes, Tl dispersion and current environmental pollution. Results from Electron Probe Microanalyses (EPMA) indicate an even distribution of Tl in pyrite grains of an ore sample (22 mg kg total Tl), suggesting that Tl is incorporated in the pyrite structure rather than in discrete Tl-sulfide microparticles. The roasting residue (122 mg kg total Tl) consists mainly of hematite.

Hb Palencia: a novel δβδ-type two-way fusion variant with β-globin-like expression levels.

Aims: Fusion proteins of unequal recombination events at the β-globin locus have pathological effect. The haemoglobin (Hb) variants of type Lepore are fusion proteins characterised by β-like globin chains with a δ-globin () N-terminus and a β-globin () C-terminus, whereas reciprocal products of underlying crossover events hold a N-terminus and C-terminus instead. Finally, Hb Parchman contains a β-like globin chain with a central fragment and -derived N-termini and C-termini, whereas reciprocal hybrid proteins are as yet unknown.

Thirty-day outcomes in patients with acute pulmonary embolism who discontinued anticoagulant therapy before 90 days.

Background: The contemporary natural history of patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) not receiving (or early discontinuing) anticoagulant therapy has not been consistently evaluated.

Objective: To assess the rate of the composite outcome of PE-related death, sudden death, or recurrent thromboembolism (VTE) within 30 days in all PE patients in whom anticoagulation was not administered or discontinued prematurely (<90 days of anticoagulation).

Methods: We used the RIETE database to assess the incidence rates (per 100 person-days) of the composite outcome within the subsequent 30 days.

Erratum: EUS-guided gastroenterostomy in management of benign gastric outlet obstruction.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-123468.].

Three-way comparative study of endoscopic ultrasound-guided transmural gallbladder drainage using lumen-apposing metal stents versus endoscopic transpapillary drainage versus percutaneous cholecystostomy for gallbladder drainage in high-risk surgical patients with acute cholecystitis: clinical outcomes and success in an International, Multicenter Study.

Background: Percutaneous cholecystostomy tube (PTGBD), endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography with transpapillary gallbladder drainage (TP), and endoscopic ultrasound-guided transmural gallbladder drainage (EGBD) using lumen-apposing metal stents (LAMS) have been offered for gallbladder decompression for acute cholecystitis in high-risk surgical patients. Yet, there are limited data comparing these therapies. Our aim was to compare the safety and efficacy of EGBD to TP and PTGBD for gallbladder drainage.

Indications and use of, and incidence of major bleeding with, antithrombotic agents in myelodysplastic syndrome.

Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and antithrombotic medication both increase the risk of bleeding. We set out to analyze the prevalence of use, indications and bleeding risk of antithrombotic therapy in patients with MDS in a retrospective, single-center study including all patients with MDS with >20 × 10/L platelets. 193 patients (59% male, median age 75 years) were included; 122 did not receive antithrombotic treatment, 51 received antiplatelet agents and 20 received anticoagulants.

Quantitative RNA-seq Analysis Unveils Osmotic and Thermal Adaptation Mechanisms Relevant for Ectoine Production in .

Quantitative RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and the complementary phenotypic assays were implemented to investigate the transcriptional responses of to osmotic and heat stress. These conditions trigger the synthesis of ectoine and hydroxyectoine, two compatible solutes of biotechnological interest. Our findings revealed that both stresses make a significant impact on global physiology.

EMG characteristics of the external anal sphincter guarding reflex and effects of a unilateral ventral root avulsion injury in rhesus macaques ( Macaca mulatta).

The external anal sphincter (EAS) is important for the maintenance of bowel continence and may be compromised by a variety of neuropathic conditions. However, large animal models for the study of EAS functions have been sparse. The EAS guarding reflex was examined by electromyography (EMG) in neurologically intact rhesus macaques ( n = 6) and at 4-6 wk after a unilateral EAS denervation from an L6-S3 ventral root avulsion (VRA) injury ( n = 6).