Results of endoscopic biliary drainage in patients with malignant hilar stricture.

In Malignant Hilar Biliary Stricture (MHBS) palliative biliary drainage is a frequent strategy, improving the quality of life, reducing pruritus, loss of appetite and relieving cholangitis. The endoscopic approach is an effective, although challenging procedure. This study aimed to evaluate technical and clinical success rates of biliary drainage by ERCP.

Underwater versus conventional EMR for nonpedunculated colorectal lesions: a randomized clinical trial.

Background And Aims: Conventional endoscopic mucosal resection (CEMR) is the standard modality for removing nonpedunculated colorectal lesions. Underwater endoscopic mucosal resection (UEMR) has emerged as an alternative method. There are few comparative studies between these techniques, especially evaluating recurrence.

Pore-scale visualization of hydrogen storage in a sandstone at subsurface pressure and temperature conditions: Trapping, dissolution and wettability.

Hypothesis: Underground hydrogen (H) storage is a potentially viable solution for large-scale cyclic H storage; however, the behavior of H at subsurface pressure and temperature conditions is poorly known. This work investigates if the pore-scale displacement processes in H-brine systems in a porous sandstone can be sufficiently well defined to enable effective and economic storage operations. In particular, this study investigates trapping, dissolution, and wettability of H-brine systems at the pore-scale, at conditions that are realistic for subsurface H storage.

Endoscopy infection control strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic: experience from a tertiary cancer center in Brazil.

Objectives: Strategic planning for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) care has dominated the agenda of medical services, which have been further restricted by the need for minimizing viral transmission. Risk is particularly relevant in relation to endoscopy procedures. This study aimed to describe a contingency plan for a tertiary academic cancer center, define a strategy to prioritize and postpone examinations, and evaluate the infection rate among healthcare workers (HCWs) in the endoscopy unit of the Cancer Institute of the State of São Paulo (ICESP).

Poromechanical controls on spontaneous imbibition in earth materials.

Over the last century, the state of stress in the earth's upper crust has undergone rapid changes because of human activities associated with fluid withdrawal and injection in subsurface formations. The stress dependency of multiphase flow mechanisms in earth materials is a substantial challenge to understand, quantify, and model for many applications in groundwater hydrology, applied geophysics, CO subsurface storage, and the wider geoenergy field (e.g.

UNDERWATER ENDOSCOPIC MUCOSAL RESECTION FOR NON-PEDUNCULATED COLORECTAL LESIONS. A PROSPECTIVE SINGLE-ARM STUDY.

Background: Underwater endoscopic mucosal resection (UEMR) has emerged as a revolutionary method allowing resection of colorectal lesions without submucosal injection. Brazilian literature about this technique is sparse.

Objective: The aim of this study was evaluate the efficacy and safety of UEMR technique for removing non-pedunculated colorectal lesions in two Brazilian tertiary centers.

Effects of dietary menthol-rich bioactive lipid compounds on zootechnical traits, blood variables and gastrointestinal function in growing sheep.

Background: The present study aimed at investigating the influence of 90% menthol-containing plant bioactive lipid compounds (PBLC, essential oils) on growth performance, blood haematological and biochemical profile, and nutrient absorption in sheep. Twenty-four growing Suffolk sheep were allotted into three dietary treatments: Control (without PBLC), lower dose of PBLC (PBLC-L; 80 mg/d) and higher dose of PBLC (PBLC-H; 160 mg/d). Sheep in all groups were fed meadow hay ad libitum plus 600 g/d of concentrate pellets for 28 d.

Dietary supplementation of menthol-rich bioactive lipid compounds alters circadian eating behaviour of sheep.

Background: Plant bioactive lipid compounds (PBLC), commonly known as essential oils, are increasingly evaluated as feed additives in ruminants due to beneficial effects on animal performance and health; however, there is no study evaluating circadian eating behaviour in ruminants. Altered eating behaviour may be implicated in changes of feed intake in ruminants. Therefore, the present study investigated the influence of menthol-rich PBLC on circadian eating behaviour in 24 growing sheep that were equally divided into three treatments, control (without PBLC), a lower dose (80 mg/d) or a higher dose (160 mg/d) of PBLC.

Dietary Bioactive Lipid Compounds Rich in Menthol Alter Interactions Among Members of Ruminal Microbiota in Sheep.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of two practically relevant doses of menthol-rich plant bioactive lipid compounds (PBLC) on fermentation, microbial community composition, and their interactions in sheep rumen. Twenty-four growing Suffolk sheep were divided into three treatments and were fed hay plus 600 g/d of concentrate containing no PBLC (Control) or PBLC at low dose (80 mg/d; PBLC-L) or high dose (160 mg/d; PBLC-H). After 4 weeks on the diets, samples of ruminal digesta were collected and analyzed for short-chain fatty acid (SCFA), ammonia, and microbiota; microbiota being analyzed in the solid and the liquid digesta fractions separately.

Comparison of the pull and introducer percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy techniques in patients with head and neck cancer.

Background And Study Aims: Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients is associated with higher complication and mortality rates when compared to a general patient population. The pull technique is still the preferred technique worldwide but it has some limitations. The aim of this study is to compare the pull and introducer PEG techniques in patients with HNC.

Adverse events of self-expandable esophageal metallic stents in patients with long-term survival from advanced malignant disease.

Background And Aims: Self-expandable metallic stents are considered the best palliative treatment of dysphagia for patients with advanced esophageal cancer. Adverse events (AEs) are a major concern, especially in patients with better prognosis and longer survival. The present study aimed to evaluate the AEs of patients who survived longer than 6 months with esophageal stents in place.

Diagnostic accuracy of probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy in Lugol-unstained esophageal superficial lesions of patients with head and neck cancer.

Background And Aims: Surveillance programs of patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) detect synchronous or metachronous esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in up to 15% of patients. Noninvasive, probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy (pCLE) technique may improve the diagnosis allowing acquisition of high-resolution in vivo images at the cellular and microvascular levels. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of pCLE for the differential diagnosis of nonneoplastic and neoplastic Lugol-unstained esophageal lesions in patients with HNC.

Droplet fragmentation: 3D imaging of a previously unidentified pore-scale process during multiphase flow in porous media.

Using X-ray computed microtomography, we have visualized and quantified the in situ structure of a trapped nonwetting phase (oil) in a highly heterogeneous carbonate rock after injecting a wetting phase (brine) at low and high capillary numbers. We imaged the process of capillary desaturation in 3D and demonstrated its impacts on the trapped nonwetting phase cluster size distribution. We have identified a previously unidentified pore-scale event during capillary desaturation.

Improving compliance to colorectal cancer screening using blood and stool based tests in patients refusing screening colonoscopy in Germany.

Background: Despite strong recommendations for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening, participation rates are low. Understanding factors that affect screening choices is essential to developing future screening strategies. Therefore, this study assessed patient willingness to use non-invasive stool or blood based screening tests after refusing colonoscopy.

Analysis of the interdiffusion of resin monomers into pre-polymerized fiber-reinforced composites.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to analyze the dissolving depth of adhesive resin monomers into pre-polymerized fiber-reinforced composites (FRC) with either a semi-interpenetrating polymer network (semi-IPN) or a cross-linked polymer (CLP) matrix.

Methods: Five unidirectional FRCs were tested, including one semi-IPN FRC (everStick(®) C&B, StickTech, (ES)) and four CLP-FRCs (GrandTec(®), VOCO, (GT); Dentapreg(®), ADM, (DP); TenderFiber(®), Micerium, (TF); Splint-It(®), Pentron Clinical Technologies, (SI)). The FRCs were light-polymerized following manufacturers' instructions: the oxygen inhibition layers were removed and the adhesive resin (Optibond-FL(®), KerrHawe) was labeled with a fluorescent dye (Rhodamine-B-isothiocyanate), which was then applied to the FRCs (5 min) and light-polymerized (40s).

RNA polymerase I contains a TFIIF-related DNA-binding subcomplex.

The eukaryotic RNA polymerases Pol I, II, and III use different promoters to transcribe different classes of genes. Promoter usage relies on initiation factors, including TFIIF and TFIIE, in the case of Pol II. Here, we show that the Pol I-specific subunits A49 and A34.

Crystallization of RNA polymerase I subcomplex A14/A43 by iterative prediction, probing and removal of flexible regions.

The removal of flexible protein regions is generally used to promote crystallization, but advanced strategies to quickly remove multiple flexible regions from proteins or protein complexes are lacking. Here, it is shown how a protein heterodimer with multiple flexibilities, the RNA polymerase I subcomplex A14/A43, could be crystallized with the use of an iterative procedure of predicting flexible regions, experimentally testing and improving these predictions and combining deletions of flexible regions in a stepwise manner. This strategy should enable the crystallization of other proteins and subcomplexes with multiple flexibilities, as required for hybrid structure solution of large macromolecular assemblies.

Structural and functional relationships in the virulence-associated cathepsin L proteases of the parasitic liver fluke, Fasciola hepatica.

The helminth parasite Fasciola hepatica secretes cysteine proteases to facilitate tissue invasion, migration, and development within the mammalian host. The major proteases cathepsin L1 (FheCL1) and cathepsin L2 (FheCL2) were recombinantly produced and biochemically characterized. By using site-directed mutagenesis, we show that residues at position 67 and 205, which lie within the S2 pocket of the active site, are critical in determining the substrate and inhibitor specificity.

Functional architecture of RNA polymerase I.

Synthesis of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) by RNA polymerase (Pol) I is the first step in ribosome biogenesis and a regulatory switch in eukaryotic cell growth. Here we report the 12 A cryo-electron microscopic structure for the complete 14-subunit yeast Pol I, a homology model for the core enzyme, and the crystal structure of the subcomplex A14/43. In the resulting hybrid structure of Pol I, A14/43, the clamp, and the dock domain contribute to a unique surface interacting with promoter-specific initiation factors.

Structure and TBP binding of the Mediator head subcomplex Med8-Med18-Med20.

The Mediator head module stimulates basal RNA polymerase II (Pol II) transcription and enables transcriptional regulation. Here we show that the head subunits Med8, Med18 and Med20 form a subcomplex (Med8/18/20) with two submodules. The highly conserved N-terminal domain of Med8 forms one submodule that binds the TATA box-binding protein (TBP) in vitro and is essential in vivo.