The fallopian tubes play key roles in processes from pregnancy to ovarian cancer where three-dimensional (3D) cellular and extracellular interactions are important to their pathophysiology. Here, we develop a 3D multicompartment assembloid model of the fallopian tube that molecularly, functionally, and architecturally resembles the organ. Global label-free proteomics, innovative assays capturing physiological functions of the fallopian tube (i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImmune cell-mediated killing of cancer cells in a solid tumor is prefaced by a multi-step infiltration cascade of invasion, directed migration, and cytotoxic activities. In particular, immune cells must invade and migrate through a series of different extracellular matrix (ECM) boundaries and domains before reaching and killing their target tumor cells. These infiltration events are a central challenge to the clinical success of CAR T cells against solid tumors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Multiple sclerosis (MS) indirect patient-care time is often underreported and uncompensated. Data on time spent on indirect and direct care by MS providers is lacking.
Methods: A survey was designed to understand the practice patterns among MS providers in the United States, including time spent on direct and indirect patient care, as well as managing electronic medical record portal messages.
Unlabelled: The fallopian tube has an essential role in several physiological and pathological processes from pregnancy to ovarian cancer. However, there are no biologically relevant models to study its pathophysiology. The state-of-the-art organoid model has been compared to two-dimensional tissue sections and molecularly assessed providing only cursory analyses of the model's accuracy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To describe regional differences and change over time in the degree of centralization of pediatric intensive care in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) and to compare the characteristics and ICU mortality of children admitted to specialist PICUs and general ICUs (GICUs).
Design: A retrospective cohort study using registry data for two epochs of ICU admissions, 2003-2005 and 2016-2018.
Setting: Population-based study in ANZ.
Background & Aims: Globally, there has been a concerning rise in the incidence of young-onset cancers. The aim of this study was to provide trends in the incidence and survival of gastrointestinal adenocarcinomas (oesophagus, stomach, pancreas, and colorectal) in South Australia over a 27-year period.
Methods: This is a cross-sectional analysis of a prospective longitudinal database including all cases of gastrointestinal adenocarcinomas prospectively reported to the South Australian (State) Cancer Registry from 1990 to 2017.
Cataract surgeries are among the most common procedures requiring anesthesia care. Cataracts are a common cause of blindness. Surgery remains the only effective treatment of cataracts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: Hospital readmissions within 28 days are an important performance measurement of quality and safety of health care. The aims of this study were to examine the rates, trends and characteristics of paediatric intensive care unit admissions, and factors associated with readmissions to hospital within 28 days of discharge.
Methods: This retrospective, population-based record linkage study included all children ≥28 days and <16 years old admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) in a New South Wales (NSW) public hospital from 2004 to 2013.
A nonrandomized 50-person case study of COVID-19-positive patients was conducted employing (for the first time) a regimen of whole-organ deep-tissue transdermal dynamic photobiomodulation (PBM) as a primary (or exclusive) therapeutic modality in the treatment of coronavirus. Therapy sessions comprised algorithmically alternating red (650 nm) and near-infrared (NIR; 850 nm) LEDs with an average irradiance of 11 mW/cm dynamically sequenced at multiple pulse frequencies. Delivered via 3D bendable polymeric pads maintaining orthogonal optical incidence to body contours over 1,000 cm , a single 84-minute session concurrently delivered 20 kJ to the sinuses and 15 kJ to each lung at skin temperatures below 42°C.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe COVID-19 pandemic has affected all individuals across the globe in some way. Despite large numbers of reported seroprevalence studies, there remains a limited understanding of how the magnitude and epitope utilization of the humoral immune response to SARS-CoV-2 viral anti-gens varies within populations following natural infection. Here, we designed a quantitative, multi-epitope protein microarray comprising various nucleocapsid protein structural motifs, including two structural domains and three intrinsically disordered regions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Behav Exp Finance
September 2020
This paper studies the differences in stock market reactions to the same kind of disease-related news by analyzing abnormal returns of global stock markets during Public Health Risk Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) announcements. Drawing the data from 26 stock market indices over the period from 22 April 2008 to 12 March 2020, we compare stock market reactions to all six PHEIC announcements made by the World Health Organization since 2009. Although the PHEIC announcements can be categorized as the same type of event, we found no consistent patterns in market reactions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To investigate if the performance of Pediatric Index of Mortality 3 is improved by including imputed values for the PaO2/FIO2 ratio where measurements of PaO2 or FIO2 are missing.
Design: A prospective observational study.
Setting: A bi-national pediatric intensive care registry.
Aim: To describe the changes to paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission patterns and ventilation requirements for children with bronchiolitis following the introduction of humidified high-flow nasal cannula oxygen outside the PICU.
Methods: Retrospective study comparing patients <24 months of age with a discharge diagnosis of bronchiolitis admitted to the PICU. A comparison was made between those before humidified high-flow nasal cannula oxygen use (year 2008) to those immediately following the introduction of humidified high-flow nasal cannula oxygen use (year 2011) and those following further consolidation of humidified high-flow nasal cannula oxygen use outside the PICU (year 2013).
Background: At sufficiently high doses, methotrexate (HDMTX) achieves substantial CNS penetration, whereas other tissues can be rescued from the effects of HDMTX by leucovorin rescue (LR), which does not penetrate the blood-brain barrier.
Objectives: To report on the efficacy and safety of HDMTX with LR (HDMTX-LR), in the treatment of acute demyelinating inflammatory CNS syndromes refractory to conventional immunotherapy.
Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of 12 patients treated (6 multiple sclerosis [MS], 4 neuromyelitis optica [NMO], and 2 Sjogren's syndrome myelopathy [SSM]) with HDMTX-LR after failing to improve, or exhibiting worsening following conventional immunotherapy.
Background: Pretreatment is a critical step in the biochemical conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to fuels and chemicals. Due to the complexity of the physicochemical transformations involved, predictively scaling up technology from bench- to pilot-scale is difficult. This study examines how pretreatment effectiveness under nominally similar reaction conditions is influenced by pretreatment reactor design and scale using four different pretreatment reaction systems ranging from a 3 g batch reactor to a 10 dry-ton/days continuous reactor.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAccurate mass balance and conversion data from integrated operation is needed to fully elucidate the economics of biofuel production processes. This study explored integrated conversion of corn stover to ethanol and highlights techniques for accurate yield calculations. Acid pretreated corn stover (PCS) produced in a pilot-scale reactor was enzymatically hydrolyzed and the resulting sugars were fermented to ethanol by the glucose-xylose fermenting bacteria, Zymomonas mobilis 8b.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Interv Card Electrophysiol
September 2015
Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine if transcutaneous CO(2) monitoring (TCO(2)) is feasible to avoid hypercapnia during complex catheter ablation. Cumulative analgesic and anxiolytic effects during complex catheter ablation can rarely provoke hypoventilation and respiratory complications. End tidal CO(2) monitors have limitations in non-ventilated patients, and frequent arterial blood gas sampling is impractical.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSolid-liquid separation of pretreated lignocellulosic biomass slurries is a critical unit operation employed in several different processes for production of fuels and chemicals. An effective separation process achieves good recovery of solute (sugars) and efficient dewatering of the biomass slurry. Dilute acid pretreated corn stover slurries were subjected to pressure and vacuum filtration and basket centrifugation to evaluate the technical and economic merits of these technologies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOur goal was to gain a better understanding of the contribution of the burial of polar groups and their hydrogen bonds to the conformational stability of proteins. We measured the change in stability, Δ(ΔG), for a series of hydrogen bonding mutants in four proteins: villin headpiece subdomain (VHP) containing 36 residues, a surface protein from Borrelia burgdorferi (VlsE) containing 341 residues, and two proteins previously studied in our laboratory, ribonucleases Sa (RNase Sa) and T1 (RNase T1). Crystal structures were determined for three of the hydrogen bonding mutants of RNase Sa: S24A, Y51F, and T95A.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Dilute acid pretreatment is a promising process technology for the deconstruction of low-lignin lignocellulosic biomass, capable of producing high yields of hemicellulosic sugars and enhancing enzymatic yields of glucose as part of a biomass-to-biofuels process. However, while it has been extensively studied, most work has historically been conducted at relatively high acid concentrations of 1 - 4% (weight/weight). Reducing the effective acid loading in pretreatment has the potential to reduce chemical costs both for pretreatment and subsequent neutralization.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: The authors describe the development of a new, more objective method of distinguishing experienced competent nonexpert from expert practitioners within pediatric intensive care.
Background: Expert performance involves the acquisition and use of refined feature-event associations (cues) in the operational environment. Competent non-experts, although experienced, possess rudimentary cue associations in memory.
The lignin content measured after dilute sulfuric acid pretreatment of corn stover indicates more lignin than could be accounted for on the basis of the untreated corn stover lignin content. This phenomenon was investigated using a combination of (13)C cross-polarization/magic-angle spinning (CP/MAS) solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and lignin removal using acid chlorite bleaching. Only minimal contamination with carbohydrates and proteins was observed in the pretreated corn stover.
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