Cortical Neurotransmitters Measured by Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Change Following Traumatic Brachial Plexus Injury.

 GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid) is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. In response to injury within the central nervous system, GABA promotes cortical plasticity and represents a potential pharmacological target to improve functional recovery. However, it is unclear how GABA changes in the brain after traumatic brachial plexus injuries (tBPIs) which represents the rationale for this pilot study.

Systematic review of sarcopenia in inflammatory bowel disease.

Introduction: There is growing evidence of increased muscle atrophy in IBD patients, likely resulting in a higher sarcopenia prevalence in IBD. The aims of this systematic review are A1; to estimate sarcopenia prevalence in IBD patients, A2; to investigate its impact on IBD patients, and A3; the effectiveness of nutritional interventions on muscle mass and/or strength in IBD patients.

Methods: On 28 July 2021, three electronic databases were used to identify eligible studies, including peer-reviewed studies (randomised controlled trials [RCTs], non-RCTs, observation studies) in adult (⩾ 18 years) IBD patients.

Multi-Modal Decentralized Interaction in Multi-Entity Systems.

Current multi-agent frameworks usually use centralized, fixed communication infrastructures for the entities that are deployed using them. This decreases the robustness of the system but is less challenging when having to deal with mobile agents that can migrate between nodes. We introduce, in the context of the F (Fast and Lightweight Agent Shell) multi-entity deployment framework, methods to build decentralized interaction infrastructures which support migrating entities.

Introducing Semi-Interpenetrating Networks of Chitosan and Ammonium-Quaternary Polymers for the Effective Removal of Waterborne Pathogens from Wastewaters.

The present work aims to study the influence of ammonium-quaternary monomers and chitosan, obtained from different sources, upon the effect of semi-interpenetrating polymer network (semi-IPN) hydrogels upon the removal of waterborne pathogens and bacteria from wastewater. To this end, the study was focused on using vinyl benzyl trimethylammonium chloride (VBTAC), a water-soluble monomer with known antibacterial properties, and mineral-enriched chitosan extracted from shrimp shells, to prepare the semi-IPNs. By using chitosan, which still contains the native minerals (mainly calcium carbonate), the study intends to justify that the stability and efficiency of the semi-IPN bactericidal devices can be modified and better improved.

A case of idiopathic chylous ascites.

Chylous ascites is a rare condition found in 1 in 20 000 patients admitted to hospital with abdominal distention. It is caused by a limited number of pathologies but can, in rare situations, be idiopathic. Its management is difficult and usually involves correcting the primary pathology, making idiopathic chylous ascites particularly difficult to manage.

The rangeomorph : Hydrodynamic function at the dawn of animal life.

Rangeomorphs are among the oldest putative eumetazoans known from the fossil record. Establishing how they fed is thus key to understanding the structure and function of the earliest animal ecosystems. Here, we use computational fluid dynamics to test hypothesized feeding modes for the fence-like rangeomorph , comparing this to the morphologically similar extant carnivorous sponge .

Comprehensive Neonatal Cardiac, Feed and Wrap, Non-contrast, Non-sedated, Free-breathing Compressed Sensing 4D Flow MRI Assessment.

Background: Cardiac MRI is an important imaging tool in congenital cardiac disease, but its use has been limited in the neonatal population as general anesthesia has been needed for breath-holding. Technological advances in four-dimensional (4D) flow MRI have now made nonsedated free-breathing acquisition protocols a viable clinical option, but the method requires prospective validation in neonates.

Purpose: To test the feasibility of compressed sensing (CS) 4D flow MRI in the neonatal population and to compare with standard previously validated two-dimensional (2D) phase-contrast (PC) flow MRI.

In Vitro User Assessment of a Novel Wound Protection and Specimen Extraction System for Laparoscopic Procedures Involving Morcellation.

Introduction: The risk of unknowingly disseminating leiomyosarcoma by morcellation in women undergoing laparoscopic hysterectomy has massively impacted gynaecological practice. Here, we present the results of an in vitro assessment of a novel protection system developed to mitigate this hazard.

Methods: The Tissue Containment System for Manual Morcellation (Guardenia™, Advanced Surgical Concepts, Wicklow, Ireland) is an evolved wound protection/specimen extraction guarded bag system compatible with any 12mm trocar.

Mitigating Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Wastewater by Sequential Treatment with Novel Nanomaterials.

Wastewater (WW) has been widely recognized as the major sink of a variety of emerging pathogens (EPs), antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), which may disseminate and impact wider environments. Improving and maximizing WW treatment efficiency to remove these microbial hazards is fundamentally imperative. Despite a variety of physical, biological and chemical treatment technologies, the efficiency of ARG removal is still far from satisfactory.

Tocolysis compared with no tocolysis in women with threatened preterm birth and ruptured membranes: A propensity score analysis.

Introduction: In women with preterm ruptured membranes and contractions, the administration of tocolysis is controversial. This study compares tocolysis with no tocolysis in women with threatened preterm birth and ruptured membranes.

Objective: To compare tocolysis with no tocolysis in women with threatened preterm birth and ruptured membranes.

Cytogenetic Study on the Biostimulation Potential of the Aqueous Fruit Extract of for a Sustainable Agricultural Ecosystem.

This cytogenetic study evaluates the biostimulation potential of the aqueous extract of seabuckthorn fruits (AESF) in plant cells, using the species as a test plant. The effects were monitored both at the macroscopic and microscopically level. The onion bulbs were exposed to the action of different concentrations of AESF (0.

Molecularly imprinted films and quaternary ammonium-functionalized microparticles working in tandem against pathogenic bacteria in wastewaters.

Despite major efforts to combat pollution, the presence of pathogenic bacteria is still detected in surface water, soil and even crops due to poor purification of domestic and industrial wastewaters. Therefore, we have designed molecularly imprinted polymer films and quaternary ammonium-functionalized- kaolin microparticles to target specifically Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) and Gram-positive bacteria (GPB) in wastewaters and ensure a higher purification rate by working in tandem. According to the bacteriological indicators, a reduction by 90 % was registered for GNB (total coliforms and Escherichia coli O157) and by 77 % for GPB (Clostridium perfringens) in wastewaters.

Long-term treatment with spermidine increases health span of middle-aged Sprague-Dawley male rats.

Let alone calorie restriction, life span extension in higher organisms has proven to be difficult to achieve using simple drugs. Previous studies have shown that the polyamine spermidine increased the maximum life span in C. elegans and the median life span in mice.

Retrospective cohort study of statin therapy effect on resected colorectal liver metastases.

Background: Above and beyond their role in cardiovascular risk reduction, statins appear to have a chemopreventive role in some gastro-intestinal cancers. In the quest for new chemopreventive agents, some existing established drugs such as statins have shown potential for re-purposing as chemoprevention. Probing existing drugs, whose pharmacodynamics are familiar, for novel beneficial effects offers a more cost-effective and less time-consuming strategy than establishing brand new drugs whose pharmacodynamic profile is unfamiliar.

Toxicity and health impact of nanoparticles. Basic biology and clinical perspective.

Stroke has limited restorative treatment options. In search of new therapeutic strategies for the ischemic brain, cell-based therapies offered new hope, which has been, in the meanwhile, converted into a more realistic approach recognizing difficulties related to unfavorable environments causing low survival rates of transplanted neuronal precursors. Stem cell therapies are based on the transplantation of neuronal precursor cells (NPCs), adult stem cells propagated in cell culture or inducible pluripotent cells (iPSCs) obtained from patients and trans-differentiated into neural cells.

ACE Inhibitor Therapy Does Not Influence the Survival Outcomes of Patients with Colorectal Liver Metastases Following Liver Resection.

Background: Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors have been shown to possibly influence the survival outcomes in certain cancers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of ACE inhibitors on the outcomes of patients undergoing liver resection for colorectal liver metastases (CRLM). The secondary aim was to determine whether ACE inhibitors influenced histopathological changes in CRLM.

Recent Advances in Mono- and Combined Stem Cell Therapies of Stroke in Animal Models and Humans.

Following the failure of acute neuroprotection therapies, major efforts are currently made worldwide to promote neurological recovery and brain plasticity in the subacute and post-acute phases of stroke. Currently, there is hope that stroke recovery might be promoted by cell-based therapies. The field of stem cell therapy for cerebral ischemia has made significant progress in the last five years.

Cell therapy and left ventricular restoration for ischemic cardiomyopathy: long-term results of a perspective, randomized study.

Background: Aim of this study is to verify the potential advantages and benefits of bone-marrow derived autologous stem cells implantation associated to surgical left ventricular restoration (SVR), to report a new modality of cell delivery to myocardium, and to identify possible side effects of this procedure.

Methods: Between March 2007 and March 2013, 30 patients affected by ischemic dilative cardiomyopathy who received a SVR operation were enrolled in the study. The population was divided in two groups:16 patients were randomly assigned to receive stem cells therapy in addition to SVR (groupA), 14 patients received a placebo (group B).

Outcomes of a New-Generation Stentless Aortic Valve: A Single-Center Experience with 251 Consecutive Implants.

Background: The study aim was to investigate the hemodynamic behavior over time and ease of implant and durability of the Sorin Pericarbon Freedom (SPF)® stentless pericardial aortic xenograft.

Methods: Between March 2003 and April 2010, a total of 251 consecutive, non-selected patients (mean age 70.1 years; range: 17-89 years; 17.

Unilateral Eales' disease a case report.

Eales disease is an idiopathic peripheral vascular occlusive disease characterized by inflammation, ischemia, and retinal neovascularization and is hallmarked by recurrent vitreous hemorrhages and vision loss. We present a case of a 48-year-old female with recurrent floaters and decreased vision in her right eye. The onset of symptoms was in 2007 when a diagnose of retinal vasculitis was made.

Present Status and Future Challenges of New Therapeutic Targets in Preclinical Models of Stroke in Aged Animals with/without Comorbidities.

The aging process, comorbidities, and age-associated diseases are closely dependent on each other. Cerebral ischemia impacts a wide range of systems in an age-dependent manner. However, the aging process has many facets which are influenced by the genetic background and epigenetic or environmental factors, which can explain why some people age differently than others.

Extending the Scope of F Hyperpolarization through Signal Amplification by Reversible Exchange in MRI and NMR Spectroscopy.

Fluorinated ligands have a variety of uses in chemistry and industry, but it is their medical applications as F-labelled positron emission tomography (PET) tracers where they are most visible. In this work, we illustrate the potential of using F-containing ligands as future magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents and as probes in magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies by significantly increasing their magnetic resonance detectability through the signal amplification by reversible exchange (SABRE) hyperpolarization method. We achieve F SABRE polarization in a wide range of molecules, including those essential to medication, and analyze how their steric bulk, the substrate loading, polarization transfer field, pH, and rate of ligand exchange impact the efficiency of SABRE.