The Second Round of a Population-Based Seroprevalence Study of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies and COVID-19 Vaccination Assessment in the Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Introduction: The aim of the study was to assess the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in the Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina, after five waves of COVID-19 and 1 year after introduction of vaccination to better understand the true extent of the COVID-19 pandemic in the population of the Republika Srpska and role of vaccination in achieving herd immunity.

Methods: The population-based study was conducted from December 2021 to February 2022 in a group of 4463 individuals in the Republika Srpska. Total anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were determined in serum specimens using the Wantai total antibody ELISA assay.

An Overview of In Vitro Models of Alcohol-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background: Chronic and excessive alcohol consumption is the leading cause of death due to chronic liver disease. Alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) encompasses a broad spectrum of clinical and pathological features, ranging from asymptomatic and reversible pathologies to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a highly prevalent and deadly liver cancer. Indeed, alcohol consumption is one of the main worldwide etiologies of HCC.

The Novel HLA-B*40:02:39 Allele Characterised by Two Different Sequencing-Based Typing Techniques.

The novel allele HLA-HLA-B*40:02:39 differs from HLA-B*40:02:01:01 by one synonymous nucleotide substitution in exon 2.

Enlightening the invisible: Applications, limits and perspectives of intraoperative fluorescence in neurosurgery.

Introduction: The introduction of intraoperative fluorophores represented a significant advancement in neurosurgical practice. Nowadays they found different applications: in oncology to improve the visualization of tumoral tissue and optimize resection rates and in vascular neurosurgery to assess the exclusion of vascular malformations or the permeability of bypasses, with real-time intraoperative evaluations.

Research Question: A comprehensive knowledge of how fluorophores work is crucial to maximize their benefits and to incorporate them into daily neurosurgical practice.

Coronal alignment in normal individuals and moderate scoliosis: Normative values, variation with age and comparison with sagittal alignment.

Introduction: Global coronal alignment is mainly assessed by C7 plumbline and central sacral vertical line (CSVL), pelvic obliquity and shoulder alignment. A detailed analysis is mandatory when treating spinal deformity. It remains unclear to what extent mild scoliosis influences global coronal alignment.

Extracellular vesicles: from intracellular trafficking molecules to fully fortified delivery vehicles for cancer therapeutics.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are emerging as viable tools in cancer treatment due to their ability to carry a wide range of theranostic activities. This review summarizes different forms of EVs such as exosomes, microvesicles, apoptotic bodies, and oncosomes. It also sheds the light onto isolation methodologies, characterization techniques and therapeutic applications of all discussed EVs.

Common insect pests in homes and cultural heritage sites.

Insect pests represent a threat to the integrity of historic buildings and homes, causing serious losses and irreversible damage. These pests can cause extensive damage to organic materials, including wood, textiles, and paper. Beetles, termites, booklice, moths, and cockroaches are just some of the main insect pests that are frequently found in historic buildings and homes.

synthesis of degradable polymer prodrug nanoparticles.

The synthesis of degradable polymer prodrug nanoparticles is still a challenge to be met, which would make it possible to remedy both the shortcomings of traditional formulation of preformed polymers (, low nanoparticle concentrations) and those of the physical encapsulation of drugs (, burst release and poor drug loadings). Herein, through the combination of radical ring-opening polymerization (rROP) and polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) under appropriate experimental conditions, we report the successful preparation of high-solid content, degradable polymer prodrug nanoparticles, exhibiting multiple drug moieties covalently linked to a degradable vinyl copolymer backbone. Such a rROPISA process relied on the chain extension of a biocompatible poly(ethylene glycol)-based solvophilic block with a mixture of lauryl methacrylate (LMA), cyclic ketene acetal (CKA) and drug-bearing methacrylic esters by reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) copolymerization at 20 wt% solid content.

Unusual Cause of Ventricular Arrhythmia.

Although relatively rare, cardiac metastases represent a significant clinical challenge because of their impact on cardiac function and overall patient prognosis. This case presents a rare and atypical presentation of a patient with ventricular arrhythmia revealing a metastatic cancer in the heart. A 59-year-old man with lung cancer was admitted for chest tightness and episodes of syncope.

Clinical Presentation and Percutaneous Treatment of Hemolytic Anemia Associated With Paravalvular Leak After TAVR.

Paravalvular leak (PVL) following transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is an established complication, albeit rarely associated with hemolytic anemia. This report details 3 cases of significant hemolytic anemia attributed to TAVR-induced PVL, each with distinct clinical presentations and manifestations. These cases underscore the diverse and occasionally subtle clinical presentation of aortic PVL-associated hemolytic anemia.

Evaluation of two methods for counting residual leukocytes in leukoreduced packed red cells: Flow cytometry and fully automated cell counter.

Background And Objectives: Objective of the study is to explore the possibility of utilization of seven part fully automated hematology analyzer for enumeration of residual leukocytes (residual white blood cells [rWBCs]) in leukoreduced packed red cells (LR-PRCs) prepared from whole blood at a blood center as an alternate to the gold standard method, flow cytometry. In this study, we evaluate the performance characteristic of hematology analyzer against flow cytometry for the estimation of rWBCs in 39 LR-PRC units.

Materials And Methods: PRCs prepared from whole blood donations by 39 donors were leukoreduced and their volumes were noted.

Fine-Scale Genetic Structure of Small Fish Populations in Islands: The Case of Brook Charr (Mitchill, 1814) in Saint-Pierre and Miquelon (France).

Island ecosystems, particularly vulnerable to environmental challenges, host many endangered native species. Diadromous fish, in particular, are threatened throughout their marine and freshwater habitats. The conservation of these species requires an in-depth understanding of their genetic diversity and structure, to better understand their adaptive potential.

Homologous In-Radiolabeled Platelet Survival and Sequestration Exploration for Refractory Immunologic Thrombocytopenic purpura in Children: A Strategy to Avoid Unnecessary Splenectomy.

Immunologic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is a condition that affects four to 18 per 100 000 children every year. In most cases, spontaneous remission occurs, but splenectomy may be proposed. Exploring the site of platelet sequestration can help to better predict potential poor responders to splenectomy, but In-radiolabeled platelet scintigraphy (IPS) can be difficult to perform in children with very few platelets.

Neonatal Giant Cardiac Fibroma With Coronary Involvement: Successful Surgical Treatment.

Cardiac fibroma is the second most common childhood cardiac tumor. Coronary arteries are typically unaffected. A 5-month-old infant received a diagnosis of giant cardiac fibroma with coronary involvement.

Right Atrial Cardiac Hemangioma: A Multidisciplinary Pathway From Symptoms to Surgery.

We present a case of a 76-year-old man with de novo right heart failure. Echocardiography initially detected a mass near to the posterior area of the right atrium. Despite a comprehensive multimodality imaging assessment, the exact location of the mass remained unclear.

Disease characteristics and outcomes of acute myeloid leukemia in germline deficiency (Familial Platelet Disorder with associated Myeloid Malignancy).

Familial Platelet Disorder with associated Myeloid Malignancy (FPDMM, FPD/AML, -FPD), caused by monoallelic deleterious germline variants, is characterized by bleeding diathesis and predisposition for hematologic malignancies, particularly myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Clinical data on FPDMM-associated AML (FPDMM-AML) are limited, complicating evidence-based clinical decision-making. Here, we present retrospective genetic and clinical data of the largest cohort of FPDMM patients reported to date.

Characterization of phenolic compounds and evaluation of anti-diabetic potential in L. seeds: and studies.

Moroccan L. seeds were investigated for their phenolic profile and antidiabetic potential. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry analysis revealed a rich phenolic composition, including benzoic acid, cannabisin B, genistein, and epicatechin.

Enhancing AI Chatbot Responses in Health Care: The SMART Prompt Structure in Head and Neck Surgery.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the impact of prompt construction on the quality of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot responses in the context of head and neck surgery.

Study Design: Observational and evaluative study.

Setting: An international collaboration involving 16 researchers from 11 European centers specializing in head and neck surgery.

Influence of macrophages and neutrophilic granulocyte-like cells on crystalline silica-induced toxicity in human lung epithelial cells.

In many industrial activities, workers may be exposed by inhalation to particles that are aerosolized, To predict the human health hazard of these materials, we propose to develop a co-culture model (macrophages, granulocytes, and alveolar epithelial cells) designed to be more representative of the inflammatory pulmonary response occurring in vivo. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-differentiated THP-1 cells were used as macrophages, All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA)-differentiated HL60 were used as granulocytes and A549 were used as epithelial alveolar type II cells. A crystalline silica sample DQ12 was used as a prototypical particle for its capabilities to induce DNA damage, inflammatory response, and oxidative stress in epithelial cells; its polyvinylpyridine-N-oxide (PVNO)-surface modified counterpart was also used as a negative particulate control.

STRAIGHTMORPH: A Voice Morphing Tool for Research in Voice Communication Sciences.

The purpose of this paper is to make easily available to the scientific community an efficient voice morphing tool called STRAIGHTMORPH and provide a short tutorial on its use with examples. STRAIGHTMORPH consists of a set of Matlab functions allowing the generation of high-quality, parametrically-controlled morphs of an arbitrary number of voice samples. A first step consists in extracting an 'mObject' for each voice sample, with accurate tracking of the fundamental frequency contour and manual definition of Time and Frequency anchors corresponding across samples to be morphed.

On the need to better integrate the social environment in research on climate change and health: recommendations and thinking tools.

Social inequality impacts health, is aggravated by the consequences of climate change, and may be influenced by inappropriate policy responses. These interdependent effects create a self-perpetuating loop exacerbating the impact of climate dysregulation on health in an uncontrolled and poorly understood way. Holistic approaches to public health such as One Health, EcoHealth or Planetary Health are well suited to tackling the considerable and complex environmental and social issues underlying climate dysregulation.

Seasonal productivity of the equatorial Atlantic shaped by distinct wind-driven processes.

The eastern equatorial Atlantic hosts a productive marine ecosystem that depends on upward supply of nitrate, the primary limiting nutrient in this region. The annual productivity peak, indicated by elevated surface chlorophyll levels, occurs in the Northern Hemisphere summer, roughly coinciding with strengthened easterly winds. For enhanced productivity in the equatorial Atlantic, nitrate-rich water must rise into the turbulent layer above the Equatorial Undercurrent.

Pollution resistance of Saturn's ring particles during micrometeoroid impact.

Saturn's rings have been estimated to be as young as about 100 to 400 million years old according to the hypothesis that non-icy micrometeoroid bombardment acts to darken the rings over time and the Cassini observation indicated that the ring particles appear to be relatively clean. These young age estimates assume that the rings formed out of pure water ice particles with a high accretion efficiency of impacting non-icy micrometeoroid material ( ≳ 10%). Here we show, using numerical simulations of hypervelocity micrometeoroid impacts on a ring particle, that non-icy material may not be as readily accreted as previously thought.