Recent advances in clinical practice: epidemiology of autoimmune liver diseases.

Autoimmune liver diseases are chronic inflammatory hepatobiliary disorders that when classically defined encompass three distinctive clinical presentations; primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). Meaningful changes in disease epidemiology are reported, with increasing incidence and prevalence of AIH and PSC in Europe, and rising prevalence of PBC across Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific region. However, there appears to be very significant global variation with contemporary incidence rates of disease per 100 000 ranging from 0.

Global homogenization of the structure and function in the soil microbiome of urban greenspaces.

The structure and function of the soil microbiome of urban greenspaces remain largely undetermined. We conducted a global field survey in urban greenspaces and neighboring natural ecosystems across 56 cities from six continents, and found that urban soils are important hotspots for soil bacterial, protist and functional gene diversity, but support highly homogenized microbial communities worldwide. Urban greenspaces had a greater proportion of fast-growing bacteria, algae, amoebae, and fungal pathogens, but a lower proportion of ectomycorrhizal fungi than natural ecosystems.

3D Modeling of Epithelial Tumors-The Synergy between Materials Engineering, 3D Bioprinting, High-Content Imaging, and Nanotechnology.

The current statistics on cancer show that 90% of all human cancers originate from epithelial cells. Breast and prostate cancer are examples of common tumors of epithelial origin that would benefit from improved drug treatment strategies. About 90% of preclinically approved drugs fail in clinical trials, partially due to the use of too simplified in vitro models and a lack of mimicking the tumor microenvironment in drug efficacy testing.

Comparative efficacy and safety of the Captus device for inferior vena cava filter retrieval.

Purpose: Retrievable inferior vena cava filters (IVCF) have been increasingly used for mechanical pulmonary embolism prophylaxis since their development. The Captus Vascular Retrieval System (Avantec Vascular, Sunnyvale, California) is a new device developed for retrieval of IVCF. This study compared the safety and efficacy of the new Captus device against the existing EnSnare Endovascular Snare System (Merit Medical, South Jordan, Utah) for IVCF retrieval.

Cytomorphology, Immunophenotype, and cytogenetic profile of leukemic serous effusions.

Background: Serous effusions (SE) in leukemic patients can be due to infections, therapy, volume overload, lymphatic obstruction or malignancy having implications on treatment and mortality. The objective of the present study is to highlight the spectrum of cytomorphology, immunophenotype, and cytogenetics in leukemic serous effusions (LSE).

Materials: Present study is retrospective and descriptive.

Selected 2020 Highlights in Congenital Cardiac Anesthesia.

This article is a review of the highlights of pertinent literature published during the 12 months of 2020 that are of interest to the congenital cardiac anesthesiologist. After a search of the US National Library of Medicine's PubMed database, several topics emerged for which significant contributions were made in 2020. The authors of the present article considered the following topics noteworthy to be included in this review: pediatric cardiac care in the coronavirus disease 2019 era, the use of mechanical circulatory support in coronavirus disease 2019-related multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, transfusion and coagulation management in children undergoing congenital heart surgery, and pulmonary vein stenosis.

Utilization and Outcomes of Cholecystostomy and Cholecystectomy in Patients Admitted With Acute Cholecystitis: A Nationwide Analysis.

The purpose of this study was to report national utilization trends and outcomes after percutaneous cholecystostomy, cholecystectomy, or no intervention among patients admitted to hospitals with acute cholecystitis. The Nationwide Inpatient Sample was queried from 2005 to 2014. Admissions were identified and stratified into treatment groups of percutaneous cholecystostomy, cholecystectomy, and no intervention on the basis of International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision, codes.

Histiocytic and follicular dendritic cell sarcoma: Diagnostically challenging rare entities.

Background: Follicular dendritic cell sarcomas (FDCSs) and histiocytic sarcomas (HSs) are exceedingly rare tumors. Most of the data on those entities are based on case reports or small case series. The natural history and response to different treatment modalities have not been well established.

Genomic Variations in SARS-CoV-2 Genomes From Gujarat: Underlying Role of Variants in Disease Epidemiology.

Humanity has seen numerous pandemics during its course of evolution. The list includes several incidents from the past, such as measles, Ebola, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), etc. The latest edition to this is coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

MiR-200c-3p Contrasts PD-L1 Induction by Combinatorial Therapies and Slows Proliferation of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer through Downregulation of β-Catenin and c-Myc.

Conventional/targeted chemotherapies and ionizing radiation (IR) are being used both as monotherapies and in combination for the treatment of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Several studies show that these therapies might favor oncogenic signaling and impede anti-tumor responses. MiR-200c is considered a master regulator of EOC-related oncogenes.

Appraising the Validity of Tools to Measure Multijoint Leg Power: A Systematic Review.

Objective: To critically appraise the validity of tools used to measure maximum multijoint leg extension power in older individuals.

Data Sources: A systematic literature search was performed in 5 electronic databases: PUBMED, EMBASE, CINAHL, SPORTDISCUS, and PEDRO from inception and without limits on the year of publication. Secondary searches included hand searching of the reference lists.

Role of FNAC in Extramammary Tumors Metastatic to the Breast.

Background: Metastasis to the breast of an extra-mammary origin is very rare. FNAC plays an important role in differentiating non-mammary breast metastasis from primary malignancy. This study aimed to analyze the cytomorphological criteria and its pitfalls in differentiating metastatic lesion of the breast from primary malignancy.

NaCl and KCl mediate log increase in AAV vector particles and infectious titers in a specific/timely manner with the HSV platform.

The increasing demand for adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors, a result from the surging interest for their potential to cure human genetic diseases by gene transfer, tumbled on low-performing production systems. Innovative improvements to increase both yield and quality of the vector produced have become a priority undertaking in the field. In a previous study, we showed that adding a specific concentration of sodium chloride (NaCl) to the production medium resulted in a dramatic increase of AAV vector particle and infectious titers when using the herpes simplex virus (HSV) production system, both in adherent or suspension platforms.

Combination of fibrates with obeticholic acid is able to normalise biochemical liver tests in patients with difficult-to-treat primary biliary cholangitis.

Background: Obeticholic acid (OCA) and fibrates are second-line therapies for patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) with an inadequate response to ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA).

Aim: To know whether OCA and fibrates, administered together in combination with UDCA, have additive beneficial effects in patients with difficult-to-treat PBC.

Methods: PBC patients treated for ≥3 months with UDCA, OCA and fibrates (bezafibrate or fenofibrate) due to failure of either second-line therapy were included in a multicentre, uncontrolled retrospective cohort study.

Analysis of composition, morphology, and biosynthesis of cuticular wax in wild type bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) and its glossy mutant.

In this study, cuticular wax load, its chemical composition, and biosynthesis, was studied during development of wild type (WT) bilberry fruit and its natural glossy type (GT) mutant. GT fruit cuticular wax load was comparable with WT fruits. In both, the proportion of triterpenoids decreased during fruit development concomitant with increasing proportions of total aliphatic compounds.

Efficient Highly Subsonic Turbulent Dynamo and Growth of Primordial Magnetic Fields.

We present the first study on the amplification of magnetic fields by the turbulent dynamo in the highly subsonic regime, with Mach numbers ranging from 10^{-3} to 0.4. We find that for the lower Mach numbers the saturation efficiency of the dynamo (E_{mag}/E_{kin})_{sat} increases as the Mach number decreases.

State-of-the-Art in CRISPR Technology and Engineering Drought, Salinity, and Thermo-tolerant crop plants.

Our review has described principles and functional importance of CRISPR-Cas9 with emphasis on the recent advancements, such as CRISPR-Cpf1, base editing (BE), prime editing (PE), epigenome editing, tissue-specific (CRISPR-TSKO), and inducible genome editing and their potential applications in generating stress-tolerant plants. Improved agricultural practices and enhanced food crop production using innovative crop breeding technology is essential for increasing access to nutritious foods across the planet. The crop plants play a pivotal role in energy and nutrient supply to humans.

Home-based exercise in patients with refractory fatigue associated with primary biliary cholangitis: a protocol for the EXerCise Intervention in cholesTatic LivEr Disease (EXCITED) feasibility trial.

Introduction: Fatigue is the most commonly reported symptom of the liver disease primary biliary cholangitis (PBC). It affects 40%-80% of patients, has no effective treatment and is associated with heightened mortality risk. The pathogenesis is unknown, but muscle bioenergetic abnormalities have been proposed to contribute.

Enabling sustainable agriculture through understanding and enhancement of microbiomes.

Harnessing plant-associated microbiomes offers an invaluable strategy to help agricultural production become more sustainable while also meeting growing demands for food, feed and fiber. A plethora of interconnected interactions among the host, environment and microbes, occurring both above and below ground, drive recognition, recruitment and colonization of plant-associated microbes, resulting in activation of downstream host responses and functionality. Dissecting these complex interactions by integrating multiomic approaches, high-throughput culturing, and computational and synthetic biology advances is providing deeper understanding of the structure and function of native microbial communities.

Safe Gynecological Laparoscopic Surgery during COVID Times.

Background: SARS-CoV-2 virus is largely transmitted via respiratory droplets and the highest transmission risks arise when undertaking aerosol generating procedures like laparoscopy. Most national societies had advised the urgent suspension of elective surgery with the focus shifting to emergency and cancer surgery only during this pandemic. However very little is known regarding the risks to the health care professionals undertaking emergency laparoscopic procedures.

Road Use Pattern and Street Crossing Habits of Schoolchildren in India.

Road traffic accidents (RTAs) contribute significant DALYs in the global burden of diseases. Vulnerable groups particularly pedestrians and children are at an increased risk. Road use pattern, street crossing habits, and road safety awareness are important determinants of RTAs.

The innate sensor ZBP1-IRF3 axis regulates cell proliferation in multiple myeloma.

Multiple myeloma is a malignancy of plasma cells initiated and driven by primary and secondary genetic events. However, myeloma plasma cell survival and proliferation might be sustained by non-genetic drivers. Z-DNA-binding protein 1 (ZBP1; also known as DAI) is an interferon-inducible, Z-nucleic acid sensor that triggers RIPK3-MLKL-mediated necroptosis in mice.

Thyroid Hormones Interaction With Immune Response, Inflammation and Non-thyroidal Illness Syndrome.

The interdependence between thyroid hormones (THs), namely, thyroxine and triiodothyronine, and immune system is nowadays well-recognized, although not yet fully explored. Synthesis, conversion to a bioactive form, and release of THs in the circulation are events tightly supervised by the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis. Newly synthesized THs induce leukocyte proliferation, migration, release of cytokines, and antibody production, triggering an immune response against either sterile or microbial insults.