Ambulation for latency during expectant management of preterm prelabor rupture of membranes: a randomized controlled trial (AMBLE).

Background: Individuals hospitalized with preterm prelabor rupture of membranes are often advised to limit their activity or adhere to bed rest. Some evidence suggests that greater activity is associated with longer latency and improved outcomes, but no high-quality evidence from a randomized controlled trial exists.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate whether encouragement to ambulate at least 2000 steps daily affects latency among individuals with preterm prelabor rupture of membranes compared with usual care.

A ubiquitous gammaproteobacterial clade dominates expression of sulfur oxidation genes across the mesopelagic ocean.

The deep ocean (>200 m depth) is the largest habitat on Earth. Recent evidence suggests sulfur oxidation could be a major energy source for deep ocean microbes. However, the global relevance and the identity of the major players in sulfur oxidation in the oxygenated deep-water column remain elusive.

Designing a Clinical Trial with Olfactory Ensheathing Cell Transplantation-Based Therapy for Spinal Cord Injury: A Position Paper.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) represents an urgent unmet need for clinical reparative therapy due to its largely irreversible and devastating effects on patients, and the tremendous socioeconomic burden to the community. While different approaches are being explored, therapy to restore the lost function remains unavailable. Olfactory ensheathing cell (OEC) transplantation is a promising approach in terms of feasibility, safety, and limited efficacy; however, high variability in reported clinical outcomes prevent its translation despite several clinical trials.

Spanish version of the Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium scale: translation and cross-cultural adaptation.

Background: Emergence delirium (ED) is a mental disturbance in children during recovery from general anaesthesia. The Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium (PAED) scale is the only validated scale that assesses ED in paediatric patients undergoing general anaesthesia. The aim of this study was the translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the PAED scale into Spanish (Chile).

In vitro modulation of Schwann cell behavior by VEGF and PDGF in an inflammatory environment.

Peripheral glial cell transplantation with Schwann cells (SCs) is a promising approach for treating spinal cord injury (SCI). However, improvements are needed and one avenue to enhance regenerative functional outcomes is to combine growth factors with cell transplantation. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) are neuroprotective, and a combination of these factors has improved outcomes in rat SCI models.

Effect of Oats and Wheat Genotype on In Vitro Gas Production Kinetics of Straw.

Increases in cereals grain yield in the last decades have increased the accumulation of straw on the soil after harvest. Farmers typically open burn the straw to prepare the soil for the next crop, resulting in pollution, emission of greenhouse gases, erosion, loss of soil organic matter, and wildfires. An alternative is feeding straw to ruminants, but straw nutritive value is limited by its high content of lignocellulose and low content of protein.

Longitudinal assessment of SARS-CoV-2 IgG seroconversionamong front-line healthcare workers during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic at a tertiary-care hospital in Chile.

Background: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at high risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2. Cross-sectional studies have provided variable rates of seroprevalence in HCWs. Longitudinal assessments of the serological response to Covid-19 among HCWs are crucial to understanding the risk of infection and changes in antibody titers over time.

Climatic requirements of the eastern paralysis tick, Ixodes holocyclus, with a consideration of its possible geographic range up to 2090.

The eastern paralysis tick, Ixodes holocyclus, is an ectoparasite of medical and veterinary importance in Australia. The feeding of I. holocyclus is associated with an ascending flaccid paralysis which kills many dogs and cats each year, with the development of mammalian meat allergy in some humans, and with the transmission of Rickettsia australis (Australian scrub typhus) to humans.

Covid-19 in South America: clinical and epidemiological characteristics among 381 patients during the early phase of the pandemic in Santiago, Chile.

Background: Understanding the characteristics of the Covid-19 pandemic in different geographical regions, ethnic and socioeconomic settings are of emerging importance. This study presents the demographic and clinical features of SARS-CoV-2 infected patients in a large private healthcare center in Santiago, Chile, during the first month of the pandemic.

Methods: We analyzed the demographics, laboratory and clinical characteristics including severity and outcome of all patients diagnosed with Covid-19 during the first month of the pandemic.

Endobronchial ultrasound- guided transbronchial needle aspiration for mediastinal lymph node staging in patients with typical pulmonary carcinoids.

Background: Pulmonary carcinoids, which are well-differentiated lung neuroendocrine carcinomas, account for only 1-2 % of primary lung malignancies. Although fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography/computed tomography performs poorly in the identification of mediastinal lymph node metastases, particularly for pulmonary carcinoids, endobronchial ultrasound-guided (EBUS) transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) may be a useful means of preoperative nodal assessment in patients with these conditions. However, the diagnostic performance of EBUS TBNA is unknown.

Characterization of Chilean patients with sporadic colorectal cancer according to the three main carcinogenic pathways: Microsatellite instability, CpG island methylator phenotype and Chromosomal instability.

Molecular classification of colorectal cancer is difficult to implement in clinical settings where hundreds of genes are involved, and resources are limited. This study aims to characterize the molecular subtypes of patients with sporadic colorectal cancer based on the three main carcinogenic pathways microsatellite instability (MSI), CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP), and chromosomal instability (CIN) in a Chilean population. Although several reports have characterized colorectal cancer, most do not represent Latin-American populations.

Complications following symptom-limited thoracentesis using suction.

Background: Thoracentesis using suction is perceived to have increased risk of complications, including pneumothorax and re-expansion pulmonary oedema (REPO). Current guidelines recommend limiting drainage to 1.5 L to avoid REPO.

The plant natural product 2-methoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone stimulates therapeutic neural repair properties of olfactory ensheathing cells.

Olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) are crucial for promoting the regeneration of the primary olfactory nervous system that occurs throughout life. Transplantation of OECs has emerged as a promising therapy for nervous system injuries, in particular for spinal cord injury repair. Functional outcomes in both animals and humans are, however, highly variable, primarily because it is difficult to rapidly obtain enough OECs for transplantation.

3D-tips: user-friendly mesh barrier pipette tips for 3D-spheroid culture.

Background: Three dimensional (3D) cell cultures have been an area of increasing interest and relevance across several research fields including drug discovery, developmental biology and stem cell-based therapies. However, handling 3D structures can be difficult. In particular, the replacement of liquid media and reagents in which liquid is removed using pipettes is difficult to perform as the 3D spheroids can be easily aspirated into the pipette tip.

Pleural Fluid Cytokine Levels at Baseline and Over Time are Associated With Time to IPC Removal: An Exploratory Study.

Background: The behavior of pleural fluid cytokine (PFCs) levels and their association with pleurodesis after indwelling pleural catheter (IPC) placement is unknown.

Objective: A prospective exploratory study was conducted to obtain preliminary data on PFC levels after IPC placement.

Methods: The PFC panel consisted of 4 cytokines [interleukin -8 (IL-8), vascular endothelial growth factor, total (but not activated) transforming growth factor betas, and basic fibroblast growth factor], measured across 5 time points (T0: insertion; T1: 24 to 48 h; T2: 72 to 96 h; T3: 1 wk; and T4: 2 wk).

Secondary spontaneous pneumothorax in cancer patients.

Background: Malignancy-associated secondary spontaneous pneumothorax (MSSP) poses significant challenges due to limited survival. By assessing risk factors associated with a MSSP recurrence, there is potential to identify patients who could benefit from early intervention intended to prevent recurrence.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients with MSSP.

Naked Liquid Marbles: A Robust Three-Dimensional Low-Volume Cell-Culturing System.

Three-dimensional (3D) multicellular structures allow cells to behave and interact with each other in a manner that mimics the in vivo environment. In recent years, many 3D cell culture methods have been developed with the goal of producing the most in vivo-like structures possible. Whilst strongly preferable to  conventional cell culture, these approaches are often poorly reproducible, time-consuming, expensive, and labor-intensive and require specialized equipment.

Use of a personalized iterative score to evaluate risk of venous thromboembolism during pregnancy and puerperium.

Objective: To determine whether a personalized iterative venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk score improved preventive prophylaxis during pregnancy and puerperium.

Methods: An observational retrospective comparative study was conducted at single French hospital. Women who gave birth from February 1 to April 30, 2012 (n=557) or from February 1 to April 30, 2015 (n=512) underwent VTE risk assessment.

Secondary spontaneous pneumothorax in patients with sarcoma treated with Pazopanib, a case control study.

Background: The tyrosine kinase inhibitor pazopanib is used for treatment of sarcoma. Recent studies have suggested that the use of pazopanib may lead to the development of pneumothorax, an unexpected adverse effect in patients with sarcoma metastatic to the chest.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective case control study of patients with sarcoma with metastases to the chest with pneumothorax (cases) and without pneumothorax (controls).

Non-small cell lung cancer transdifferentiation into small cell lung cancer: A case series.

Transdifferentiation from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to small cell lung cancer (SCLC) has been reported mostly in adenocarcinomas and has been described as a cause of acquired tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) resistance. However, transdifferentiation has also been described in patients with different histologic characteristics and patients not exposed to TKIs and with no epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation (the target of TKIs). To this date transdifferentiation remains poorly understood.