Traumatic Tension Pneumothorax: A Tale of Two Pathologies.

Pneumothorax resulting from injury is a common phenomenon in both civilian and military trauma. A pneumothorax or simple pneumothorax is defined as air in the pleural space. A tension pneumothorax can evolve from a simple pneumothorax if there is a continued air leak from the lung without mechanism for egress.

Determinants of COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 vaccine confidence in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review of qualitative evidence and thematic synthesis.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the immediate risk for global and public health posed by vaccination inequities worldwide. The regions most affected are low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In addition to systemic challenges, vaccine hesitancy driven by low vaccine confidence has been identified as a threat to vaccine uptake.

Single Particle Tracking of Genetically Encoded Nanoparticles: Optimizing Expression for Cytoplasmic Diffusion Studies.

Single particle tracking (SPT) is a powerful technique for probing the diverse physical properties of the cytoplasm. Genetically encoded nanoparticles provide an especially convenient tool for such investigations, as they can be expressed and tracked in cells via fluorescence. Among these, 40-nm GEMs provide a unique opportunity to explore the cytoplasm.

TopoLoop: A new tool for chromatin loop detection in live cells via single-particle tracking.

We present a novel method for identifying topological features of chromatin domains in live cells using single-particle tracking and topological data analysis (TDA). By applying TDA to particle trajectories, we can effectively detect complex spatial patterns, such as loops, that are often missed by traditional time series analysis. Using simulations of polymer bead-spring chains, we have validated the accuracy of our method and determined its limitations for detecting loops.

Nanoscale Optical Imaging, Reconstruction, and Spatial Analysis of Whole Mouse Glomeruli.

Renal glomeruli have traditionally been studied by micrometer-scale optical microscopy to interrogate overall physiology or molecular distributions and by nanoscale electron microscopy to interrogate the ultrastructure of thin sections. While these approaches are powerful, they have been limited in their ability to obtain detailed views of the glomeruli as holistic 3D functional units. To fill this knowledge gap, we have developed a novel pipeline for imaging, reconstructing, and analyzing whole mouse glomeruli at 100 nm resolution using super-resolution fluorescence microscopy.

Enzymatic production, physicochemical characterization, and prebiotic potential of pectin oligosaccharides from pisco grape pomace.

The prebiotic capacity of Pectin Oligosaccharides (POS) is influenced by structural factors such as molecular size, composition, and degree of esterification, which affect their interaction with the gut microbiota. While existing literature has predominantly examined POS derived from apple and citrus pectins, the extrapolation of these findings to other pectin sources remains complex due to variations in their composition. This study focused on obtaining POS with prebiotic potential from pisco grape pomace through controlled enzymatic hydrolysis, resulting in three molecular size fractions: <3 kDa, 3-10 kDa, and > 10 kDa.

The association between vitamin D deficiency and multiple sclerosis: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Although there is evidence of a link between vitamin D status and risk of multiple sclerosis (MS), there has been no systematic review where the exposure measure was vitamin D deficiency rather than 25 hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) concentration. We conducted an updated systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the association between vitamin D deficiency, defined in most studies as a serum 25(OH)D concentration of < 50 nmol L, and MS.

Methods: We searched the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL databases to identify relevant publications.

Societal Preferences in Health Technology Assessments for Rare Diseases and Orphan Drugs: A Systematic Literature Review of New Analytic Approaches.

Objectives: This systematic literature review aimed to explore experiences worldwide of societal preferences integration into health technology assessments (HTAs) for rare diseases (RDs) and orphan drugs (ODs) through the implementation of multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA), discrete choice experiments (DCEs), and person trade-off (PTO) methods, among others.

Methods: A systematic search of the literature was conducted in April 2021 using PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, and Scopus databases. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses approach was used for the review phases.

Airway decision making in major head and neck surgery: Irish multicenter, multidisciplinary recommendations.

Major head and neck surgery poses a threat to perioperative airway patency. Adverse airway events are associated with significant morbidity, potentially leading to hypoxic brain injury and even death. Following a review of the literature, recommendations regarding airway management in head and neck surgery were developed with multicenter, multidisciplinary agreement among all Irish head and neck units.

FABP5-binding lipids regulate autophagy in differentiated SH-SY5Y cells.

The motor features of Parkinson's disease result from loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra with autophagy dysfunction being closely linked to this disease. While a large body of work focusing on protein effectors of autophagy has been reported, regulation of autophagy by lipids has garnered far less attention. Therefore, we sought to identify endogenous lipid molecules that act as signaling mediators of autophagy in differentiated SH-SY5Y cells, a commonly used dopaminergic neuron-like cell model.

Barriers and Enablers Affecting the Uptake of Biosimilar Medicines Viewed Through the Lens of Actor Network Theory: A Systematic Review.

Background And Objective: Biosimilars represent an opportunity to realise savings against the costs of innovative medicines. Despite efforts made by stakeholders, there are numerous barriers to the uptake of biosimilars. To realise the promise of biosimilars reducing costs, barriers must be identified, understood, and overcome, and enablers magnified.

Associations of Allostatic Load with Level of and Change in Cognitive Function Among Middle-Aged and Older Hispanic/Latino Adults: The Study of Latinos-Investigation of Neurocognitive Aging (SOL-INCA).

Background: Higher allostatic load (AL), a multi-system measure of physiological dysregulation considered a proxy for chronic stress exposure, is associated with poorer global cognition (GC) in older non-Hispanic white adults. However, evidence of these associations in middle-aged and older US-based Hispanic/Latino adults is limited.

Objective: To examine associations of AL with level of cognition, performance in cognition 7 years later, and change in cognition over 7 years among middle-aged and older US-based Hispanic/Latino adults.

Th17/1 and ex-Th17 cells are detected in patients with polyarticular juvenile arthritis and increase following treatment.

Background: A better understanding of the pathogenesis of polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (polyJIA) is needed to aide in the development of data-driven approaches to guide selection between therapeutic options. One inflammatory pathway of interest is JAK-STAT signaling. STAT3 is a transcription factor critical to the differentiation of inflammatory T helper 17 cells (Th17s).

The power of weak, transient interactions across biology: A paradigm of emergent behavior.

A growing list of diverse biological systems and their equally diverse functionalities provides realizations of a paradigm of emergent behavior. In each of these biological systems, pervasive ensembles of weak, short-lived, spatially local interactions act autonomously to convey functionalities at larger spatial and temporal scales. In this article, a range of diverse systems and functionalities are presented in a cursory manner with literature citations for further details.

Dephosphorylation of the MAP kinases MPK6 and MPK3 fine-tunes responses to wounding and herbivory in Arabidopsis.

The Arabidopsis MAP Kinases (MAPKs) MPK6 and MPK3 and orthologs in other plants function as major stress signaling hubs. MAPKs are activated by phosphorylation and are negatively regulated by MAPK-inactivating phosphatases (MIPPs), which alter the intensity and duration of MAPK signaling via dephosphorylation. Unlike in other plant species, jasmonic acid (JA) accumulation in Arabidopsis is apparently not MPK6- and MPK3-dependent, so their role in JA-mediated defenses against herbivorous insects is unclear.

Psychosocial factors associated with 7-year change in cognition among middle-aged and older Hispanics/Latinos: The Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos-Investigation of Neurocognitive Aging (SOL-INCA) and Sociocultural ancillary studies.

Introduction: Few studies have examined the associations of psychosocial factors with cognitive change in Hispanics/Latinos.

Methods: Data from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos-Investigation of Neurocognitive Aging (HCHS/SOL INCA) and Sociocultural studies were used (n = 2,155; ages ≥45 years). Psychosocial exposures included intrapersonal (ethnic identity, optimism, purpose in life), interpersonal (family cohesion, familism, social networks, social support), and social factors (ethnic discrimination, loneliness, subjective social status).

The influence of continuous renal replacement therapy on 1,3-β-d-glucan levels in critically ill patients: a single-center retrospective propensity score study.

1,3-β-d-Glucan (BDG) is commonly used for diagnosing invasive fungal infections (IFIs). While exposure to cellulose-based hemodialyzers is known to cause false-positive BDG results, the impact of modern hemofilters used in continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) remains unclear. This retrospective, single-center cohort study aimed to evaluate the effect of CRRT on BDG levels in critically ill patients.

Predictive Maintenance of Pins in the ECD Equipment for Cu Deposition in the Semiconductor Industry.

Nowadays, Predictive Maintenance is a mandatory tool to reduce the cost of production in the semiconductor industry. This paper considers as a case study a critical part of the electrochemical deposition system, namely, the four Pins that hold a wafer inside a chamber. The aim of the study is to replace the schedule of replacement of Pins presently based on fixed timing (Preventive Maintenance) with a Hardware/Software system that monitors the conditions of the Pins and signals possible conditions of failure (Predictive Maintenance).

Population analysis of complete mitogenomes for 334 samples from El Salvador.

The use of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in the field of forensic genetics is widely spread mainly due to its advantages when identifying highly degraded samples. In this sense, massive parallel sequencing has made the analysis of the whole mitogenome more accessible, noticeably increasing the informativeness of mtDNA haplotypes. The civil war (1980-1992) in El Salvador caused many deaths and disappearances (including children) all across the country and the economic and social instability after the war forced many people to emigration.

Interaction analysis of ancestry-enriched variants with APOE-ɛ4 on MCI in the Study of Latinos-Investigation of Neurocognitive Aging.

APOE-ɛ4 risk on Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's Disease (AD) differs between race/ethnic groups, presumably due to ancestral genomic background surrounding the APOE locus. We studied whether African and Amerindian ancestry-enriched genetic variants in the APOE region modify the effect of the APOE-ɛ4 alleles on Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) in Hispanics/Latinos. We defined African and Amerindian ancestry-enriched variants as those common in one Hispanic/Latino parental ancestry and rare in the other two.

An implementation of a multilayer network model for the Covid-19 pandemic: A Costa Rica study.

We present a numerical implementation for a multilayer network to model the transmission of Covid-19 or other diseases with a similar transmission mechanism. The model incorporates different contact types between individuals (household, social and sporadic networks) and includes an SEIR type model for the transmission of the virus. The algorithm described in this paper includes the main ideas of the model used to give public health authorities an additional tool for the decision-making process in Costa Rica by simulating extensive possible scenarios and projections.

Assessing dengue fever risk in Costa Rica by using climate variables and machine learning techniques.

Dengue fever is a vector-borne disease affecting millions yearly, mostly in tropical and subtropical countries. Driven mainly by social and environmental factors, dengue incidence and geographical expansion have increased in recent decades. Therefore, understanding how climate variables drive dengue outbreaks is challenging and a problem of interest for decision-makers that could aid in improving surveillance and resource allocation.

Infective spondylodiscitis in hemodialysis patients.

Background: Spondylodiscitis is a potentially catastrophic complication in patients on hemodialysis. It is slow and insidious onset and nonspecific symptoms have contributed to the late detection of this infectious process. Here, we reviewed the clinical characteristics and outcomes for patients on hemodialysis who developed spondylodiscitis who were diagnosed with spondylodiscitis.