Serial biomarker measurements may be helpful to predict the successful application of high flow nasal cannula in COVID-19 pneumonia patients.

High flow nasal cannula (HFNC) can reduce the need for intubation in patients with coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pneumonia induced acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (AHRF), but predictors of HFNC success could be characterized better. C-reactive protein (CRP) and D-dimer are associated with COVID-19 severity and progression. However, no one has evaluated the use of serial CRP and D-dimer ratios to predict HFNC success.

Copy Number Variation in Asthma: An Integrative Review.

Asthma is a complex disease with varied clinical manifestations resulting from the interaction between environmental and genetic factors. While chronic airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness are central features, the etiology of asthma is multifaceted, leading to a diversity of phenotypes and endotypes. Although most research into the genetics of asthma focused on the analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), studies highlight the importance of structural variations, such as copy number variations (CNVs), in the inheritance of complex characteristics, but their role has not yet been fully elucidated in asthma.

Climate change impact on water treatment plants: analysis of chlorophyll-a levels and process performance.

Climate change significantly impacts the risk of eutrophication and, consequently, chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentrations. Understanding the impact of water flows is a crucial first step in developing insights into future patterns of change and associated risks. In this study, the Statistical DownScaling Model (SDSM)-a widely used daily downscaling method-is implemented to produce downscaled local climate variables, which serve as input for simulating future hydro-climate conditions using a hydrological model.

Propyl paraben removal using CuO/ZnO-NPs photocatalyst elaborated via green method.

The aim of the present work is to investigate the photocatalytic degradation of propyl paraben (propyl para-hydroxybenzoate, PrP) using CuO-ZnO-NPs photocatalyst followed by the identification of the oxidation by-products. The CuO-ZnO-NPs material, synthesized using a green chemistry approach, was used as a photocatalyst for the removal of PrP. The nanoparticles were characterized by XRD, XRF, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, ATG/DTG, FTIR, SEM-EDX, BET and FRX techniques.

Machine learning techniques for non-destructive estimation of plum fruit weight.

Plum fruit fresh weight (FW) estimation is crucial for various agricultural practices, including yield prediction, quality control, and market pricing. Traditional methods for estimating fruit weight are often destructive, time-consuming, and labor-intensive. In this study, we addressed the problem of predicting plum FW using artificial intelligence (AI) methods based on fruit dimensions.

Effectiveness of a protocol with antimicrobial photodynamic therapy for treating osteoradionecrosis: a retrospective study.

Objective: To compare the treatment of osteoradionecrosis (ORN) using a protocol that incorporates antimicrobial photodynamic therapy with a conventional treatment protocol.

Methodology: This retrospective study analyzed 55 patients diagnosed with ORN at a reference hospital between 2002 and 2021. Patients were treated using two different clinical protocols.

The impact of spillover and crossover effects of job stressors on pregnancy rates in couples undergoing in vitro fertilization treatments.

Purpose: Studies have shown mixed findings regarding the impact of stress on the success of fertility treatments. To the best of our knowledge, stress in the context of the workplace has not been investigated to date in relation to the success of fertility treatments. This research investigates the impact of work-related stress and emotional exhaustion experienced by both partners on in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment outcomes.

Immunopathogenesis and immunotherapy of diabetes-associated periodontitis.

Objectives: This paper aims to review the immunopathogenesis of Diabetes-associated periodontitis (DPD) and to propose a description of the research progress of drugs with potential clinical value from an immunotherapeutic perspective.

Materials And Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus and the Cochrane Library. Inclusion criteria were studies on the association between diabetes and periodontitis using the Boolean operator "AND" for association between diabetes and periodontitis, with no time or language restrictions.

Medical & Socioeconomic Risk Factors Associated with Lack of Neurodevelopmental Evaluation Following Neonatal Cardiac Surgery.

Neonates with congenital heart disease (CHD) who undergo cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) are at high-risk for unfavorable neurodevelopmental (ND) outcomes and are recommended for ND evaluation (NDE); however, poor rates have been reported. We aimed to identify risk factors associated with lack of NDE. This single-center retrospective observational study included neonates < 30 days old who underwent CPB and survived to discharge between 2012 and 2018.

Genetic landscape in undiagnosed patients with syndromic hearing loss revealed by whole exome sequencing and phenotype similarity search.

There are hundreds of rare syndromic diseases involving hearing loss, many of which are not targeted for clinical genetic testing. We systematically explored the genetic causes of undiagnosed syndromic hearing loss using a combination of whole exome sequencing (WES) and a phenotype similarity search system called PubCaseFinder. Fifty-five families with syndromic hearing loss of unknown cause were analyzed using WES after prescreening of several deafness genes depending on patient clinical features.

Effects of genetic mutations on left ventricular myocardial mechanics and fibrosis patterns in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Myocyte disarray and fibrosis are underlying pathologies of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) caused by genetic mutations. However, the extent of their contributions has not been extensively evaluated. In this study, we investigated the effects of genetic mutations on myofiber function and fibrosis patterns in HCM.

3D CT to 2D X-ray image registration for improved visualization of tibial vessels in endovascular procedures.

Purpose: During endovascular revascularization interventions for peripheral arterial disease, the standard modality of X-ray fluoroscopy (XRF) used for image guidance is limited in visualizing distal segments of infrapopliteal vessels. To enhance visualization of arteries, an image registration technique was developed to align pre-acquired computed tomography (CT) angiography images and to create fusion images highlighting arteries of interest.

Methods: X-ray image metadata capturing the position of the X-ray gantry initializes a multiscale iterative optimization process, which uses a local-variance masked normalized cross-correlation loss to rigidly align a digitally reconstructed radiograph (DRR) of the CT dataset with the target X-ray, using the edges of the fibula and tibia as the basis for alignment.

Toward structured abdominal examination training using augmented reality.

Purpose: Structured abdominal examination is an essential part of the medical curriculum and surgical training, requiring a blend of theory and practice from trainees. Current training methods, however, often do not provide adequate engagement, fail to address individual learning needs or do not cover rare diseases.

Methods: In this work, an application for structured Abdominal Examination Training using Augmented Reality (AETAR) is presented.

Novel numerical and artificial neural computing with experimental validation towards unsteady micropolar nanofluid flow across a Riga plate.

Fluid flow across a Riga Plate is a specialized phenomenon studied in boundary layer flow and magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) applications. The Riga Plate is a magnetized surface used to manipulate boundary layer characteristics and control fluid flow properties. Understanding the behavior of fluid flow over a Riga Plate is critical in many applications, including aerodynamics, industrial, and heat transfer operations.

Quantitative risk assessment of rainstorm-induced flood disaster in Piedmont plain of Pakistan.

Pakistan's geographic location makes it an important land hub between Central Asia, Middle East-North Africa, and China. However, the railways, roads, farmland, riverways, and residential quarters in the Piedmont plains of Baluchistan province in northwestern Pakistan are under serious threat of flooding in the summer of 2022. The urgency and severity of climate change's impact on humanity are underscored by the significant threats posed to human life and property in Piedmont Plains environments through extreme flood events, which has garnered widespread concerns.

Data from the All of Us research program reinforces existence of activity inequality.

Large-scale and detailed analyses of activity in the United States (US) remain limited. In this work, we leveraged the comprehensive wearable, demographic, and survey data from the All of Us Research Program, the largest and most diverse population health study in the US to date, to apply and extend the previous global findings on activity inequality within the context of the US. We found that daily steps differed by sex at birth, age, body characteristics, geography, and built environment.

Development and validation of a nomogram for predicting postoperative fever after endoscopic submucosal dissection for colorectal lesions.

Fever is a complication after colorectal endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). The objective of this study was to explore the incidence and risk factors of fever after colorectal ESD and establish a predictive nomogram model. This retrospective analysis encompassed patients with colorectal lesions who underwent ESD between June 2008 and December 2021 in our center.

Historical redlining and clustering of present-day breast cancer factors.

Purpose: Historical redlining, a 1930s-era form of residential segregation and proxy of structural racism, has been associated with breast cancer risk, stage, and survival, but research is lacking on how known present-day breast cancer risk factors are related to historical redlining. We aimed to describe the clustering of present-day neighborhood-level breast cancer risk factors with historical redlining and evaluate geographic patterning across the US.

Methods: This ecologic study included US neighborhoods (census tracts) with Home Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC) grades, defined as having a score in the Historic Redlining Score dataset; 2019 Population Level Analysis and Community EStimates (PLACES) data; and 2014-2016 Environmental Justice Index (EJI) data.

Nobiletin: a potential erythropoietin receptor activator protects renal cells against hypoxia.

Tangerine peel is a traditional Chinese herb and has been widely applied in foods and medicine for its multiple pharmacological effects. Erythropoietin receptor (EPOR), a member of the cytokine receptor family, is widely expressed in multiple tissues in especial kidney and plays protective effects in adverse physiological and pathological conditions. We hypothesized that it might be EPOR agonists existing in Tangerine peel bring such renal benefits.

Research progress of non-coding RNA regulating the role of PANoptosis in diabetes mellitus and its complications.

Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disease that is endemic worldwide and is characterized by persistent hyperglycemia accompanied by multiple severe complications, including cardiovascular disease, kidney dysfunction, neuropathy, and retinopathy. The pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus and its complications is multifactorial, involving various molecular and cellular pathways. In recent years, research has indicated that mechanisms of cell death play a significant role in the advancement of diabetes and its complications.

Prognostic implications and therapeutic opportunities related to CAF subtypes in CMS4 colorectal cancer: insights from single-cell and bulk transcriptomics.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) significantly influence tumor progression and therapeutic resistance in colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the distributions and functions of CAF subpopulations vary across the four consensus molecular subtypes (CMSs) of CRC. This study performed single-cell RNA and bulk RNA sequencing and revealed that myofibroblast-like CAFs (myCAFs), tumor-like CAFs (tCAFs), inflammatory CAFs (iCAFs), CXCL14CAFs, and MTCAFs are notably enriched in CMS4 compared with other CMSs of CRC.

The incidence of and risk factors for axillary web syndrome with limited shoulder movement after surgery for breast cancer, and the effect of early physical therapy intervention.

Background: The aims of this cohort study were to identify (1) the incidence and risk factors for axillary web syndrome (AWS) with shoulder movement limitation within 4 weeks after axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) for Asian women with breast cancer (BC), and (2) whether early intervention with physical therapy (PT) could improve AWS, and how many PT sessions would be needed.

Methods: A cohort study of patients with BC receiving ALND was performed at Changhua Christian Hospital, Taiwan, between January 2019 and December 2020. Those patients who were diagnosed with AWS with shoulder movement limitation were referred to receive PT twice weekly at the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Cyclin E1/CDK2 activation defines a key vulnerability to WEE1 kinase inhibition in gynecological cancers.

Upregulation of Cyclin E1 and subsequent activation of CDK2 accelerates cell cycle progression from G1 to S phase and is a common oncogenic driver in gynecological malignancies. WEE1 kinase counteracts the effects of Cyclin E1/CDK2 activation by regulating multiple cell cycle checkpoints. Here we characterized the relationship between Cyclin E1/CDK2 activation and sensitivity to the selective WEE1 inhibitor azenosertib.

Machine learning-based interpretation of non-contrast feature tracking strain analysis and T1/T2 mapping for assessing myocardial viability.

Assessing myocardial viability is crucial for managing ischemic heart disease. While late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is the gold standard for viability evaluation, it has limitations, including contraindications in patients with renal dysfunction and lengthy scan times. This study investigates the potential of non-contrast CMR techniques-feature tracking strain analysis and T1/T2 mapping-combined with machine learning (ML) models, as an alternative to LGE-CMR for myocardial viability assessment.