Developmental characteristics of cutaneous telocytes in late embryos of the silky fowl.

Telocytes (TCs) have been identified in various animals. However, information on TCs in the embryos is still very limited. In this work, the developing skin of the silky fowl was sampled for TCs identification by histology, immunohistochemistry and transmission electron microscopy.

Ultrastructural characteristics and morphological relationships of cardiomyocytes and telocytes in the myocardium of the bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana).

Telocytes (TCs) are distinctive interstitial cells due to their characteristic structures and heterogeneity. They are suggested to participate in tissue repair/regeneration. TCs have been identified in many organs of various mammals.

Population-Based Estimates and Predictors of Child and Adolescent Linkage to HIV Care or Death in Western Kenya.

Background: Population-level estimates of linkage to HIV care among children and adolescents (CAs) can facilitate progress toward 95-95-95 goals.

Setting: This study was conducted in Bunyala, Chulaimbo, and Teso North subcounties, Western Kenya.

Methods: Linkage to care was defined among CAs diagnosed with HIV through Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH)'s home-based counseling and testing initiative (HBCT) by merging HBCT and AMPATH Medical Record System data.

Outcome-Stratified Analysis of Biomarker Trajectories for Patients Infected With Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2.

Longitudinal trajectories of vital signs and biomarkers during hospital admission of patients with COVID-19 remain poorly characterized despite their potential to provide critical insights about disease progression. We studied 1884 patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection from April 3, 2020, to June 25, 2020, within 1 Maryland hospital system and used a retrospective longitudinal framework with linear mixed-effects models to investigate relevant biomarker trajectories leading up to 3 critical outcomes: mechanical ventilation, discharge, and death. Trajectories of 4 vital signs (respiratory rate, ratio of oxygen saturation (Spo2) to fraction of inspired oxygen (Fio2), pulse, and temperature) and 4 laboratory values (C-reactive protein (CRP), absolute lymphocyte count (ALC), estimated glomerular filtration rate, and D-dimer) clearly distinguished the trajectories of patients with COVID-19.

Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies in Rhode Island From a Statewide Random Sample.

To characterize statewide seroprevalence and point prevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Rhode Island. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of randomly selected households across Rhode Island in May 2020. Antibody-based and polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based tests for SARS-CoV-2 were offered.

Population-based estimates of engagement in HIV care and mortality using double-sampling methods following home-based counseling and testing in western Kenya.

Introduction: Data on engagement in HIV care from population-based samples in sub-Saharan Africa are limited. The objective of this study was to use double-sampling methods to estimate linkage to HIV care, ART initiation, and mortality among all adults diagnosed with HIV by a comprehensive home-based counseling and testing (HBCT) program in western Kenya.

Methods: HBCT was conducted door-to-door from December 2009 to April 2011 in three sub-counties of western Kenya by AMPATH (Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare).

Classification using ensemble learning under weighted misclassification loss.

Binary classification rules based on covariates typically depend on simple loss functions such as zero-one misclassification. Some cases may require more complex loss functions. For example, individual-level monitoring of HIV-infected individuals on antiretroviral therapy requires periodic assessment of treatment failure, defined as having a viral load (VL) value above a certain threshold.

Enhancing microbial fuel cell (MFC) performance in treatment of solid potato waste by mixed feeding of boiled potato and waste activated sludge.

The effects of mixed feeding of boiled potato and waste activated sludge (WAS) on the performance of a microbial fuel cell (MFC) in treating solid potato waste were investigated. The coulombic efficiency (CE) of four MFCs fed with potato cubes containing 0, 48.7, 67.

Synergistic effect of mixing cationic and nonionic surfactants on corrosion inhibition of mild steel in HCl: Experimental and theoretical investigations.

We studied the inhibition performances of IMB (imidazoline quaternary salt (IM) and benzotriazole (BTAH)) and IMO (IM and octyl phenol ethoxylates (OP)) mixtures as inhibitors of L245 steel placed in 10 vol% HCl solution at 298 K using experimental methods and theoretical calculations. We found that the mixtures adsorb on the steel by an endothermic spontaneous process, and the adsorption model follows Langmuir isotherm. The mixtures exhibit good synergistic inhibition effect, and the inhibition efficiency enhanced in turn (IMB < IMO).

Improved HIV-1 Viral Load Monitoring Capacity Using Pooled Testing With Marker-Assisted Deconvolution.

Objective: Improve pooled viral load (VL) testing to increase HIV treatment monitoring capacity, particularly relevant for resource-limited settings.

Design: We developed marker-assisted mini-pooling with algorithm (mMPA), a new VL pooling deconvolution strategy that uses information from low-cost, routinely collected clinical markers to determine an efficient order of sequential individual VL testing and dictates when the sequential testing can be stopped.

Methods: We simulated the use of pooled testing to ascertain virological failure status on 918 participants from 3 studies conducted at the Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare in Eldoret, Kenya, and estimated the number of assays needed when using mMPA and other pooling methods.

Switching to once-daily liraglutide from twice-daily exenatide further improves glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes using oral agents.

Objective: To evaluate efficacy and safety of switching from twice-daily exenatide to once-daily liraglutide or of 40 weeks of continuous liraglutide therapy.

Research Design And Methods: When added to oral antidiabetes drugs in a 26-week randomized trial (Liraglutide Effect and Action in Diabetes [LEAD]-6), liraglutide more effectively improved A1C, fasting plasma glucose, and the homeostasis model of beta-cell function (HOMA-B) than exenatide, with less persistent nausea and hypoglycemia. In this 14-week extension of LEAD-6, patients switched from 10 microg twice-daily exenatide to 1.

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase-deficient mice have increased renal oxidative stress and increased albuminuria.

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) is the rate-limiting enzyme of the pentose phosphate pathway and the principal source of NADPH, a major cellular reductant, and is central to cell survival. Our previous work showed that diabetes and increased aldosterone are acquired forms of G6PD deficiency, leading to decreased G6PD activity and NADPH levels and damage to kidney tissue and endothelial cells. In this study, G6PD-deficient mice were studied to test the hypothesis that decreased G6PD activity per se can cause changes similar to those seen in the acquired conditions of G6PD deficiency.

Effects of N-acetyl-cysteine on endothelial function and inflammation in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Endothelial dysfunction has been associated with premature vascular disease. There is increasing data that N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) may prevent or improve endothelial dysfunction. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of NAC on endothelial function in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, a population at high risk for endothelial dysfunction.

Diabetes causes inhibition of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase via activation of PKA, which contributes to oxidative stress in rat kidney cortex.

The incidence of diabetic nephropathy has been increasing. Studies have shown that oxidative stress (due to increased oxidant production and/or decreased antioxidant activity) is a critical underlying mechanism. The principal intracellular reductant is NADPH whose production is mainly dependent on glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) activity.

Introduction of hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia in the pathogenesis of diabetic vascular complications.

Hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia are significant and independent risk factors for the vascular complications in patients with diabetes. They have been suggested to cause cardiovascular pathologic changes in diabetic states through the following molecular mechanisms: formation and accumulation of advanced glycation end products; increased oxidative stress; activation of protein kinase C pathway; increased activity of hexosamine pathway; and vascular inflammation and the impairment of insulin action in the vascular tissues.