Wildfire ashes: evaluating threats on the Pantanal wetland reserve (Mato Grosso, Brazil) using ecotoxicological tests.

In 2020, the largest continuous wetland area on the planet, the Brazilian Pantanal, experienced an unprecedented fire that affected the entire ecosystem. Our goal was to elucidate the effects of ash presence following the fire events. We quantified the impact of ashes, collected in four Conservation Units, on soil, water, and atmosphere.

Preserved working memory performance along with subcortical modulation during peri-ictal phases in spontaneous migraine attacks.

Objective: To analyze cognitive performance and brain activation during a working memory task in patients with migraine during various phases of the migraine cycle and compare to healthy participants.

Background: Cognitive difficulties reported during migraine attacks remain poorly understood, despite evidence that the lateral frontoparietal network undergoes reversible disturbances and decreased activation during attacks. Recent findings in resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging suggest that brain areas involved in this network interact with subcortical regions during spontaneous migraine attacks.

Hounsfield Units measured in low dose CT reliably assess vertebral trabecular bone density changes over two years in axial spondyloarthritis.

Objectives: To describe low dose Computed Tomography (ldCT) Hounsfield Units (HU) two-year change-from-baseline values (expressing trabecular bone density changes) and analyse their inter-reader reliability per vertebra in radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (r-axSpA).

Methods: We used 49 patients with r-axSpA from the multicentre two-year Sensitive Imaging in Ankylosing Spondylitis (SIAS) study. LdCT HU were independently measured by two trained readers at baseline and two years.

Pulmonary edema in a pediatric cancer patient after anesthetic induction.

Negative pressure pulmonary edema (NPPE) in the context of anesthesia is a rare condition, although pediatric patients are at higher risk. This case stands out for the severe respiratory clinic that quickly developed in a child with a cancer history whose radiological and clinical presentation suggested multiple differential diagnoses, including tumor recurrence with metastasis or pulmonary tuberculosis. NPPE is a well-described, but a probably underrecognized clinical syndrome, that occurs after intense inspiratory effort against an obstructed airway.

Isolated Tillaux Fracture in Adults - Literature Review Based on a Rare Case Report.

Isolated Tillaux fracture is a rare anterolateral distal tibia fracture frequently misdiagnosed in adults. It typically occurs in adolescents nearing skeletal maturity by avulsion of the anterior-inferior tibiofibular ligament. This case-based literature review study aims to elicit the existing information regarding this fracture in adults, and summarize its injury mechanism, diagnosis, and treatment procedures.

Initial Screening of Poly(ethylene glycol) Amino Ligands for Affinity Purification of Plasmid DNA in Aqueous Two-Phase Systems.

Gene therapy and DNA vaccination are among the most expected biotechnological and medical advances for the coming years. However, the lack of cost-effective large-scale production and purification of pharmaceutical-grade plasmid DNA (pDNA) still hampers their wide application. Downstream processing, which is mainly chromatography-based, of pDNA remains the key manufacturing step.

Modified Arthroscopic Suture Fixation of Posterior Cruciate Ligament Tibial Avulsion Fracture in the Setting of Multiligament Knee Injury in Teenager.

The posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) avulsion fracture is a rare injury and occurs mainly in young patients. The development of arthroscopic techniques and fixation methods has improved the treatment of this entity. This report describes a modified arthroscopic suture fixation of a small tibial avulsion fracture of the PCL.

Cardiac microcalcification burden: Global assessment in high cardiovascular risk subjects with Na[F]F PET-CT.

Background: Fluorine-18 sodium fluoride (Na[F]F) atherosclerotic plaque uptake in positron emission tomography with computed tomography (PET-CT) identifies active microcalcification. We aim to evaluate global cardiac microcalcification activity with Na[F]F, as a measure of unstable microcalcification burden, in high cardiovascular (CV) risk patients.

Methods And Results: Thirty-four high CV risk individuals without previous CV events were scanned with Na[F]F PET-CT.

An in vivo multimodal feasibility study in a rat brain tumour model using flexible multinuclear MR and PET systems.

Background: In addition to the structural information afforded by H MRI, the use of X-nuclei, such as sodium-23 (Na) or phosphorus-31 (P), offers important complementary information concerning physiological and biochemical parameters. By then combining this technique with PET, which provides valuable insight into a wide range of metabolic and molecular processes by using of a variety of radioactive tracers, the scope of medical imaging and diagnostics can be significantly increased. While the use of multimodal imaging is undoubtedly advantageous, identifying the optimal combination of these parameters to diagnose a specific dysfunction is very important and is advanced by the use of sophisticated imaging techniques in specific animal models.

Linear Relationships between Partition Coefficients of Different Organic Compounds and Proteins in Aqueous Two-Phase Systems of Various Polymer and Ionic Compositions.

Analysis of the partition coefficients of small organic compounds and proteins in different aqueous two-phase systems under widely varied ionic compositions shows that logarithms of partition coefficients for any three compounds or proteins or two organic compounds and one protein are linearly interrelated, although for protein(s) there are ionic compositions when the linear fit does not hold. It is suggested that the established interrelationships are due to cooperativity of different types of solute-solvent interactions in aqueous media. This assumption is confirmed by analysis of distribution coefficients of various drugs in octanol-buffer systems with varied ionic compositions of the buffer.

PIÑATA: Pinpoint insertion of intravenous needles via augmented reality training assistance.

Conventional needle insertion training relies on medical dummies that simulate surface anatomy and internal structures such as veins or arteries. These dummies offer an interesting space to augment with useful information to assist training practices, namely, internal anatomical structures (subclavian artery and vein, internal jugular vein and carotid artery) along with target point, desired inclination, position and orientation of the needle. However, limited research has been conducted on Optical See-Through Augmented Reality (OST-AR) interfaces for training needle insertion, especially for central venous catheterization (CVC).

Perfusion weighted imaging using combined gradient/spin echo EPIK: Brain tumour applications in hybrid MR-PET.

Advanced perfusion-weighted imaging (PWI) methods that combine gradient echo (GE) and spin echo (SE) data are important tools for the study of brain tumours. In PWI, single-shot, EPI-based methods have been widely used due to their relatively high imaging speed. However, when used with increasing spatial resolution, single-shot EPI methods often show limitations in whole-brain coverage for multi-contrast applications.

Dynamic susceptibility contrast parametric imaging using accelerated dual-contrast echo planar imaging with keyhole.

Background: Echo planar imaging (EPI) is one of the methods of choice in dynamic susceptibility contrast MRI (DSC-MRI) because it provides a sufficient temporal resolution. However, the relatively long readout duration of EPI often imposes limitations on increased spatial coverage or the use of multiple contrasts.

Purpose: To develop a DSC-MRI method using EPIK (EPI with keyhole) to provide dual-contrast (TE and TE ) information with a higher spatial coverage than EPI.

Effects of sodium chloride and sodium perchlorate on properties and partition behavior of solutes in aqueous dextran-polyethylene glycol and polyethylene glycol-sodium sulfate two-phase systems.

Effects of two salt additives, NaCl and NaClO, at the fixed concentrations of 0.215 M on the properties of aqueous two-phase systems (ATPSs) formed by dextran (Dex) and polyethylene glycol (PEG), and the effects of NaClO at the same concentration on the properties of ATPS formed by PEG and NaSO were examined. The effects of these salt additives on partitioning of 12 small organic compounds and five proteins in the above ATPSs were studied.

B1+ inhomogeneity mitigation in CEST using parallel transmission.

Purpose: In order to benefit from the increased spectral bandwidth at ultrahigh field (UHF), the use of parallel transmission (pTx) to mitigate flip-angle inhomogeneity in chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) imaging is investigated.

Theory And Methods: A pTx basis pulse is homogenised by magnitude least-squares (MLS) optimization and expanded to form a frequency-selective saturation pulse for CEST. The pTx saturation pulse was simulated with a three-pool Bloch-McConnell equation to evaluate the impact of pTx on CEST contrast.

Interrelationship between partition behavior of organic compounds and proteins in aqueous dextran-polyethylene glycol and polyethylene glycol-sodium sulfate two-phase systems.

Partition behavior of adenosine and guanine mononucleotides was examined in aqueous dextran-polyethylene glycol (PEG) and PEG-sodium sulfate two-phase systems. The partition coefficients for each series of mononucleotides were analyzed as a functions of the number of phosphate groups and found to be dependent on the nature of nucleic base and on the type of ATPS utilized. It was concluded that an average contribution of a phosphate group into logarithm of partition coefficient of a mononucleotide cannot be used to estimate the difference between the electrostatic properties of the coexisting phases of ATPS.

Effect of sodium chloride on solute-solvent interactions in aqueous polyethylene glycol-sodium sulfate two-phase systems.

Partition behavior of eight small organic compounds and six proteins was examined in poly(ethylene glycol)-8000-sodium sulfate aqueous two-phase systems containing 0.215M NaCl and 0.5M osmolyte (sorbitol, sucrose, TMAO) and poly(ethylene glycol)-10000-sodium sulfate-0.

Analysis of partitioning of organic compounds and proteins in aqueous polyethylene glycol-sodium sulfate aqueous two-phase systems in terms of solute-solvent interactions.

Partition behavior of nine small organic compounds and six proteins was examined in poly(ethylene glycol)-8000-sodium sulfate aqueous two-phase systems containing 0.5M osmolyte (sorbitol, sucrose, trehalose, TMAO) and poly(ethylene glycol)-10000-sodium sulfate system, all in 0.01M sodium phosphate buffer, pH 6.