Comparative Prevalence of Ineffective Esophageal Motility: Impact of Chicago v4.0 vs. v3.0 Criteria.

: The threshold for ineffective esophageal motility (IEM) diagnosis was changed in Chicago v4.0. Our aim was to determine IEM prevalence using the new criteria and the differences between patients with definite IEM versus "inconclusive diagnosis".

A Hidden Cause of Hypertransaminasemia: Liver Toxicity Caused by Chelidonium Majus L. : Report of Two Cases of Herb-Induced Liver Injury and Literature Review.

Background: In instances where individuals manifest elevated transaminase levels without a clearly discernible cause, a comprehensive patient history proves invaluable in unveiling latent triggers. In this report, we present 2 cases of herb-induced liver injury (HILI) characterized by severe hypertransaminasemia attributed to the consumption of Chelidonium majus L . (also known as greater celandine [GC]), an agent considered an alternative therapeutic remedy.

A scalable fabrication method for gold nanodisk-upconverting nanoparticle hybrid nanostructures.

Plasmonic nanostructures can be used to enhance the efficiency of upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) and enable new functionalities. However, the fabrication of these hybrid plasmon-UCNP nanostructures has traditionally relied on either wet chemistry or nanolithography routes that are difficult to control, scale up, or both. In this work, we present a scalable nanofabrication process, capable of producing a massive array of gold-UCNP hybrid nanostructures over a few mm area and with excellent uniformity in the photoluminescence intensity.

Real-world experience of direct oral anticoagulant use in a single pediatric center.

Background: Pediatric venous thromboembolism has increased by 130%-200%, specifically in hospitalized children, and direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) offer several therapeutic advantages.

Methods: This study aims to evaluate the real-world epidemiological and outcome data from a retrospective review of pediatric patients treated with DOACs from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2022. In this single-center, IRB-approved study, 65 patients were identified and analyzed using SPSS statistical software, and a descriptive statistical analysis was conducted.

Hemogram-Derived Ratios in the Prognosis of Acute Diverticulitis.

: It is crucial to quickly identify those patients who need immediate treatment in order to avoid the various complications related to acute diverticulitis (AD). Although several studies evaluated the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) suggesting its predictive value in assessing the severity of AD, results have been inconclusive. Therefore, we aimed to assess the relationship between the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), the monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), and systemic immune inflammation (SII) with the severity of AD, the ability to predict the presence or absence of complications, and the recurrence rate, based on the values of inflammatory markers.

Diet and Gut Inflammation: The Effect of Diet on Inflammatory Markers in Inflammatory Bowel Disease - A Scoping Review.

Background And Aims: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract. Studies evaluated the effect of several diets on inflammatory markers in IBD patients. Nevertheless, the results have been inconsistent.

Do Colonic Mucosal Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Levels Play a Role in Diverticular Disease? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Diverticular disease (DD) is the most frequent condition in the Western world that affects the colon. Although chronic mild inflammatory processes have recently been proposed as a central factor in DD, limited information is currently available regarding the role of inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis aiming to assess the mucosal TNF-α levels in DD.

Microbiota and the irritable bowel syndrome.

Gut microbiota plays a vital role in human health. The number of microorganisms inhabiting the gastrointestinal (GI) tract has been estimated to exceed 10. The dominant genera in the human intestine are Firmicutes (more than 180 species of Lactobacillus), Actinobacteria (among others the Bifidobacteriae), Bacteroidetes (the most important is B.

Providing a Safe, In-Person, Residential College Experience During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, higher education institutions were forced to make difficult decisions regarding the 2020-2021 academic year. Many institutions decided to have courses in an online remote format, others decided to attempt an in-person experience, while still others took a hybrid approach. Hope College (Holland, MI) decided that an in-person semester would be safer and more equitable for students.

Chronic Abdominal Pain in General Practice.

Background and Summary: Chronic abdominal pain is a challenging complaint for both primary care providers and gastroenterologists alike, due to a broad differential diagnosis and sometimes extensive and negative workup. In the absence of red flag features that herald more acute conditions, the majority of patients with chronic abdominal pain have a benign cause or a functional disorder (e.g.

Recombinant Von Willebrand factor concentrate in 2A Von Willebrand disease: comparison to plasma-derived Von Willebrand factor concentrate therapy.

: Type 2A sub-type of Von Willebrand disease (VWD) is characterized by the loss of high molecular weight multimers. Several plasma-derived Von Willebrand factor concentrates (PD-VWFC) are available for treatment and recently a recombinant VWF concentrate (rVWFC) has been approved for use in VWD for adults in the United States. We describe a patient with Type 2A VWD who had persistent refractory epistaxis despite treatment with PD-VWFC.

Abstract concept learning in a simple neural network inspired by the insect brain.

The capacity to learn abstract concepts such as 'sameness' and 'difference' is considered a higher-order cognitive function, typically thought to be dependent on top-down neocortical processing. It is therefore surprising that honey bees apparantly have this capacity. Here we report a model of the structures of the honey bee brain that can learn sameness and difference, as well as a range of complex and simple associative learning tasks.

A lightweight, inexpensive robotic system for insect vision.

Designing hardware for miniaturized robotics which mimics the capabilities of flying insects is of interest, because they share similar constraints (i.e. small size, low weight, and low energy consumption).

A computational model of the integration of landmarks and motion in the insect central complex.

The insect central complex (CX) is an enigmatic structure whose computational function has evaded inquiry, but has been implicated in a wide range of behaviours. Recent experimental evidence from the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) and the cockroach (Blaberus discoidalis) has demonstrated the existence of neural activity corresponding to the animal's orientation within a virtual arena (a neural 'compass'), and this provides an insight into one component of the CX structure. There are two key features of the compass activity: an offset between the angle represented by the compass and the true angular position of visual features in the arena, and the remapping of the 270° visual arena onto an entire circle of neurons in the compass.

Relationships between childhood growth parameters and adult blood pressure: the Fels Longitudinal Study.

Previous research has shown that childhood body size is associated with blood pressure in adulthood, and that early and rapid growth rates are correlated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Our objectives are to estimate associations between childhood body size growth parameters and adult blood pressure, and to examine the effect of early attainment of critical growth milestones on adult blood pressure, relative to normal or late attainment. Lifetime height and body mass index (BMI) measurements in childhood, and systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) measurements in adulthood are taken from participants in the Fels Longitudinal Study.

Novel paradigm for immunotherapy of breast cancer by engaging prophylactic immunity against hepatitis B.

Background: Immunotherapy of patients suffering from the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 overexpressing (HER-2(+)) breast cancers with the anti-HER-2 antibodies results in increase of the patients' overall survival. However, no prophylactic vaccine is available against HER-2(+) breast cancers. Although, prophylactic vaccine for human hepatitis B virus (HBV) is very effective.

A Model for an Angular Velocity-Tuned Motion Detector Accounting for Deviations in the Corridor-Centering Response of the Bee.

We present a novel neurally based model for estimating angular velocity (AV) in the bee brain, capable of quantitatively reproducing experimental observations of visual odometry and corridor-centering in free-flying honeybees, including previously unaccounted for manipulations of behaviour. The model is fitted using electrophysiological data, and tested using behavioural data. Based on our model we suggest that the AV response can be considered as an evolutionary extension to the optomotor response.

Effects of Curtailed Juvenile State on Cardiac Structure and Function in Adulthood: The Fels Longitudinal Study.

Objective: Previous studies have shown associations between body mass index and cardiac structure in both childhood and adulthood. Using Fels Longitudinal Study measurements, we investigate the relationships between a curtailed juvenile state and both adult cardiac structure and function.

Methods: A linear mixed-effect repeated measure analysis of variance model is used to test if there is a relationship between juvenile state and each echocardiographic measurement.

Directed cardiomyogenesis of autologous human induced pluripotent stem cells recruited to infarcted myocardium with bioengineered antibodies.

Objective: Myocardial infarctions constitute a major factor contributing to non-natural mortality world-wide. Clinical trials of myocardial regenerative therapy, currently pursued by cardiac surgeons, involve administration of stem cells into the hearts of patients suffering from myocardial infarctions. Unfortunately, surgical acquisition of these cells from bone marrow or heart is traumatic, retention of these cells to sites of therapeutic interventions is low, and directed differentiation of these cells into cardiomyocytes is difficult.

Recruitment and retention of human autologous CD34+ CD117+ CD133+ bone marrow stem cells to infarcted myocardium followed by directed vasculogenesis: Novel strategy for cardiac regeneration.

Background: Ongoing clinical trials, in regenerative therapy of patients suffering from myocardial infarctions, rely primarily upon administration of bone marrow stem cells to the infarcted zones. Unfortunately, low retention of these cells, to the therapeutic delivery sites, reduces effectiveness of this strategy; thus it has been identified as the most critical problem for advancement of cardiac regenerative medicine.

Specific Aims: The specific aim of this work was three-fold: (1) to isolate highly viable populations of human, autologous CD34+, CD117+, and CD133+ bone marrow stem cells; (2) to bioengineer heterospecific, tetravalent antibodies and to use them for recruiting of the stem cells to regenerated zones of infarcted myocardium; (3) to direct vasculogenesis of the retained stem cells with the defined factors.

Age variation and sexual dimorphism in the sixteen diagnostic clusters of risk factors for the metabolic syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To document age- and sex-related differences in the 16 phenotypes of risk factors for the metabolic syndrome (MS) among adults in the Fels Longitudinal Study (FLS). METHODS: Data on risk factors for the MS were analyzed in 471 white men and 503 white women in the FLS. We used the Cochran-Armitage test to compare age- and sex-related differences in the prevalence of the 16 diagnostic clusters of positive risk factors.