Primary Central Nervous System Vasculitis Following Alemtuzumab Treatment for Multiple Sclerosis: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Introduction: Cerebral vasculitides are often devastating conditions that require immediate diagnosis and treatment.

Case Report: We report a pathologically proven clinical case of primary central nervous system vasculitis in a 50-year-old man with a diagnosis of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis after alemtuzumab therapy, which required additional immunosuppression to control this life-threatening condition.

Conclusion: In patients presenting subacute neurological deterioration after alemtuzumab therapy, primary central nervous system vasculitis should be considered as a differential diagnosis among other autoimmune conditions.

Thalamocortical Projections Are Significantly Impaired in the R6/2 Mouse Model of Huntington's Disease.

As Huntington's disease (HD) progresses, there is a significant loss of neurons in the striatum in addition to a distinct thinning of the cerebral cortex. Despite an early presence of sensorimotor deficits in patients with HD, electrophysiological studies designed to assess the integrity of thalamocortical circuits are sparse. Using the R6/2 mouse model of HD, we provide evidence of reduced connectivity between thalamic cells and their targeted cortical regions.

SARS-CoV-2 positivity rates in asymptomatic workers at a cancer referral center in Mexico City: A prospective observational study in the context of adapting hospitals back to regular practice.

Background: Healthcare workers are at increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The positivity rates in hospitals that do not receive patients with COVID-19, such as the National Cancer Institute (INCan) in Mexico, and the associated factors are unknown.

Objective: To assess the incidence and factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection in health workers at INCan.

Context-Dependent Effects of Seed Inoculation on Anthracnose Disease and Seed Yield of Bean ( ): Ambient Conditions Override Cultivar-Specific Differences.

Root colonizing fungi can stimulate plant immunity, but net effects are strain × cultivar-specific and changing ambient conditions further contribute to variable outcomes. Here, we used four spp. to inoculate seeds of four common bean () cultivars and explored in three different experimental setups the effects on fungal anthracnose after leaf inoculation with .

Effects of the Developmental Regulator BOLITA on the Plant Metabolome.

Transcription factors are important regulators of gene expression. They can orchestrate the activation or repression of hundreds or thousands of genes and control diverse processes in a coordinated way. This work explores the effect of a master regulator of plant development, BOLITA (BOL), in plant metabolism, with a special focus on specialized metabolism.

Converging evidence in support of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids as a potential therapy for Huntington's disease symptoms.

Huntington's disease (HD) is a genetic, inexorably fatal neurodegenerative disease. Patient average survivability is up to 20 years after the onset of symptoms. Those who suffer from the disease manifest motor, cognitive, and psychiatric impairments.

Effect of a moderate electric field on the salting of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar): An experimental study and phenomenological understanding.

Salting is one of the oldest methods of preserving food. The main limitation of salting is its extended processing time due to slow salt diffusion. A moderate electric field (MEF) can improve the mass transfer rate through electroporation.

Development of brushite particles synthesized in the presence of acidic monomers for dental applications.

Objectives: To synthesize and characterize brushite particles in the presence of acidic monomers (acrylic acid/AA, citric acid/CA, and methacryloyloxyethyl phosphate/MOEP) and evaluate the effect of these particles on degree of conversion (DC), flexural strength/modulus (FS/FM) and ion release of experimental composites.

Methods: Particles were synthesized by co-precipitation with monomers added to the phosphate precursor solution and characterized for monomer content, size and morphology. Composites containing 20 vol% brushite and 40 vol% reinforcing glass were tested for DC, FS and FM (after 24 h and 60 d in water), and 60-day ion release.

Importance of the Role of ω-3 and ω-6 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in the Progression of Brain Cancer.

Brain cancer is one of the most malignant types of cancer in both children and adults. Brain cancer patients tend to have a poor prognosis and a high rate of mortality. Additionally, 20-40% of all other types of cancer can develop brain metastasis.

Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Lung Cancer: nutrition or Pharmacology?

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (ω-3 PUFA) supplements for chemoprevention of different types of cancer including lung cancer has been investigated in recent years. ω-3 PUFAs are considered immunonutrients, commonly used in the nutritional therapy of cancer patients. ω-3 PUFAs play essential roles in cell signaling and in cell structure and fluidity of membranes.

Assessment of Capsaicinoid and Capsinoid Accumulation Patterns during Fruit Development in Three Chili Pepper Genotypes ( spp.) Carrying and Alleles Related to Pungency.

Quantification, using an accurate analytical approach, of capsinoids and capsaicinoids was performed on three chili pepper ( spp.) genotypes: "Chiltepı́n", "Tampiqueño 74", and "Bhut Jolokia" at various stages of fruit development. The accumulation of capsinoids, in all these peppers started between 10 to 20 days post-anthesis (dpa), increased and reached the highest capsinoid amount at 40 dpa, and then decreased until 60 dpa.

Optimization of hot-air drying conditions for cassava flour for its application in gluten-free pasta formulation.

The design and development of gluten-free foods requires a comprehensive understanding of the behavior of the raw materials to attain the same cooking and nutritional quality as gluten-based food. The objective of this study was to determine the optimal hot-air drying conditions for elaboration of cassava flour to be used in a gluten-free pasta formulation. The results showed that the operational conditions to minimize the hot-air drying time (57 min) to produce cassava flour with higher water holding capacity was 57 ℃ at 3 m/s.

Expression of the ectodomain-releasing protease ADAM17 is directly regulated by the osteosarcoma and bone-related transcription factor RUNX2.

Osteoblast differentiation is controlled by transcription factor RUNX2 which temporally activates or represses several bone-related genes, including those encoding extracellular matrix proteins or factors that control cell-cell, and cell-matrix interactions. Cell-cell communication in the many skeletal pericellular micro-niches is critical for bone development and involves paracrine secretion of growth factors and morphogens. This paracrine signaling is in part regulated by "A Disintegrin And Metalloproteinase" (ADAM) proteins.

Mechanical characterization and ion release of bioactive dental composites containing calcium phosphate particles.

Objective: to verify the effect of the addition of dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (DCPD) particles functionalized with di- or triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (DEGDMA or TEGDMA) on the degree of conversion (DC), post-gel shrinkage (PS), mechanical properties, and ion release of experimental composites.

Methods: Four composites were prepared containing a BisGMA/TEGDMA matrix and 60 vol% of fillers. The positive control contained only barium glass fillers, while in the other composites 15 vol% of the barium was replaced by DCPD.

Improvement of the Elevated Tryptase Criterion to Discriminate IgE- From Non-IgE-Mediated Allergic Reactions.

Background: Differentiating between immunoglobulin E (IgE)-dependent and IgE-independent hypersensitivity reactions may improve the etiologic orientation and clinical management of patients with allergic reactions in the anesthesia setting. Serum tryptase levels may be useful to discriminate the immune mechanism of allergic reactions, but the diagnostic accuracy and optimal cutpoint remain unclear.We aimed to compare the diagnostic accuracy of tryptase during reaction (TDR) alone and the TDR/basal tryptase (TDR/BT) ratio for discriminating IgE- from non-IgE-mediated allergic reactions, and to estimate the best cut point for these indicators.

Omalizumab efficacy in cases of chronic spontaneous urticaria is not explained by the inhibition of sera activity in effector cells.

Omalizumab (OmAb) is a humanized anti-IgE antibody approved for the treatment of chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU). OmAb's mechanism of action is known to include actions on free IgE and on pre-bound IgE. However, OmAb is equally and rapidly effective against autoimmune and non-autoimmune urticaria where IgE involvement is not clear, suggesting the involvement of additional mechanisms of action.

Airborne observations reveal elevational gradient in tropical forest isoprene emissions.

Isoprene dominates global non-methane volatile organic compound emissions, and impacts tropospheric chemistry by influencing oxidants and aerosols. Isoprene emission rates vary over several orders of magnitude for different plants, and characterizing this immense biological chemodiversity is a challenge for estimating isoprene emission from tropical forests. Here we present the isoprene emission estimates from aircraft eddy covariance measurements over the Amazonian forest.

Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Activates Expression of the Bone-Related Transcription Factor RUNX2 in Select Human Osteosarcoma Cell Types.

Osteosarcoma is the most common malignant bone tumor in children and adolescents. Metastasis and poor responsiveness to chemotherapy in osteosarcoma correlates with over-expression of the runt-related transcription factor RUNX2, which normally plays a key role in osteogenic lineage commitment, osteoblast differentiation, and bone formation. Furthermore, WNT/β-catenin signaling is over-activated in osteosarcoma and promotes tumor progression.

The Lin28/Let-7 system in early human embryonic tissue and ectopic pregnancy.

Our objective was to determine the expression of the elements of the Lin28/Let-7 system, and related microRNAs (miRNAs), in early stages of human placentation and ectopic pregnancy, as a means to assess the potential role of this molecular hub in the pathogenesis of ectopic gestation. Seventeen patients suffering from tubal ectopic pregnancy (cases) and forty-three women with normal on-going gestation that desired voluntary termination of pregnancy (VTOP; controls) were recruited for the study. Embryonic tissues were subjected to RNA extraction and quantitative PCR analyses for LIN28B, Let-7a, miR-132, miR-145 and mir-323-3p were performed.

The cancer-related transcription factor Runx2 modulates cell proliferation in human osteosarcoma cell lines.

Runx2 regulates osteogenic differentiation and bone formation, but also suppresses pre-osteoblast proliferation by affecting cell cycle progression in the G(1) phase. The growth suppressive potential of Runx2 is normally inactivated in part by protein destabilization, which permits cell cycle progression beyond the G(1)/S phase transition, and Runx2 is again up-regulated after mitosis. Runx2 expression also correlates with metastasis and poor chemotherapy response in osteosarcoma.

Robotic-assisted total laparoscopic hysterectomy and staging for the treatment of endometrial cancer: a comparison with conventional laparoscopy and abdominal approaches.

The treatment of endometrial cancer using a minimally invasive approach provides benefits to the patient; however, there are currently few papers comparing robotic total laparoscopic hysterectomy with staging to conventional laparoscopic and abdominal approaches. Analyses of 102 consecutive patients undergoing robotic total hysterectomy were compared to historical cohorts of 104 patients undergoing laparoscopic total hysterectomy and 78 patients undergoing abdominal total hysterectomy (laparotomy). The majority of all patients were FIGO'88 stage IB.

Approaching an organic semimetal: Electron pockets at the Fermi level for a -benzoquinonemonoimine zwitterion.

There is compelling evidence of electron pockets, at the Fermi level, in the band structure for an organic zwitterion molecule of the -benzoquinonemonoimine type. The electronic structure of the zwitterion molecular film has a definite, although small, density of states evident at the Fermi level as well as a nonzero inner potential and thus is very different from a true insulator. In spite of a small Brillouin zone, significant band width is observed in the intermolecular band dispersion.

A new device for alveolar bone transportation.

We present a retrospective review of a new technique for the transportation of alveolar bone using a Hyrax device modified by the principal author (O.A.V.