Nevin Manimala

J Prosthet Dent. 2022 Oct;128(4):604.e1-604.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.prosdent.2022.07.007.

ABSTRACT

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Semi-adjustable articulators use an average axis facebow with a nasion relator at a fixed distance of 22 mm or 23 mm from the orbitale anterior reference point to locate the axis orbital plane, which is a major factor in measuring the sagittal condylar inclination. Lateral cephalometric radiograph allows the measurement of the distance between the nasion and Frankfort horizontal plane, which has shown great variability among patients.

PURPOSE: Measure and describe individual variation of the distance between nasion and Frankfort horizontal plane, and error factor of facebow in semi-adjustable articulators, in order to assess the importance of an accurate transfer of the axis orbital plane of the patient to the articulator.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: This cross-sectional analytic clinical study used 637 lateral cephalometric radiographs from the database of 2 private clinics in Santiago de Chile. The distance between the nasion and Frankfort horizontal plane was measured. Then, a correction of -7.1 mm was applied to determine the distance between N and the axis orbital plane, and this corrected distance was analyzed and compared with the one used by Panadent and Whip Mix articulators. In 150 cephalometric radiographs, the measurements were classified according to facial biotype and skeletal class. ANOVA Bonferroni test was applied to recognize how the N to FHP measurements behave according to biotype and skeletal class (P ≤ .05).

RESULTS: The average corrected distance from nasion to axis orbital plane in the present study was 24.7 mm, 2.7 mm higher than the distance used by Panadent articulator and 1.7 mm higher than the distance used by Whip Mix articulator. No statistically significant differences were found among biotypes or the different skeletal classes.

CONCLUSIONS: For the studied population, a fixed-value nasion relator is a factor that introduces error.

PMID:36309468 | DOI:10.1016/j.prosdent.2022.07.007

Food Microbiol. 2023 Feb;109:104147. doi: 10.1016/j.fm.2022.104147. Epub 2022 Sep 21.

ABSTRACT

Vacuum packaging and storage conditions at chilled temperatures are commonly used in order to prolong the shelf life of meat. Under these conditions and time-temperature abuse, cold-tolerant (facultatively) anaerobic spoilage microorganisms can continue growing. This study investigated growth of six relevant spoilage microorganisms in vacuum-packed beef (n = 12, 72 subsamples, stored at 10 °C for 28 days) using culture and qPCR methods. Correspondingly, six qPCRs were newly developed/modified (for total bacteria, lactic acid bacteria (LAB), Enterobacterales, total fungi, Kazachstania psychrophila, and cold-tolerant Clostridium spp.). Besides microbial quantification, four spoilage appearances of meat (gas production, spoilage odor, % drip loss, and meat color) were observed. Results obtained from culture and qPCR show that total bacteria, LAB, and Enterobacterales reached their stationary phase at day 7 when spoilage parameters such as gas production were statistically increased and a deviation of odor was detected. Fastidious cold-tolerant Clostridium spp. and K. psychrophila could be detected from day 7. Based on microbiological and sensory analysis results, the maximum shelf life of vacuum-packed beef stored at 10 °C is 7 days. The developed qPCR has the potential to be used as an alternative method to culturing for determination of microbial growth.

PMID:36309446 | DOI:10.1016/j.fm.2022.104147

Food Microbiol. 2023 Feb;109:104143. doi: 10.1016/j.fm.2022.104143. Epub 2022 Sep 12.

ABSTRACT

The objective of the present study was to compare the growth of food-pathogens Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enterica, food spoilage Bacillus subtilis, an industrial milk product isolate, and spore-forming Paenibacillus in commercially available ultrahigh temperature processed (UHT) bovine milk and non-dairy, plant-based beverages (coconut, almond, cashew) stored at chilled and ambient temperatures (4 °C, 8 °C or 20 °C). Beverage samples were inoculated with a strain cocktail or individual strains of either Listeria or Salmonella, or Paenibacillus or Bacillus, respectively (approximately 1 × 10³ CFU/mL). The findings indicate that the bacterial strains used in the study were capable of proliferating in plant-based beverages at higher rates than in bovine milk at 8 °C and 20 °C for Listeria and 20 °C for Salmonella and Paenibacillus, respectively. Bacillus subtilis grew equally fast in bovine milk and plant-based almond drink at 20 °C. No statistically significant difference (p > 0.05) in growth rates between different types of tested beverages was observed at 4 °C and at 8 °C for Listeria and Salmonella cocktails, respectively. These data suggest that plant-based beverages may present a significant risk for listeriosis and salmonellosis and post-opening recommendations should be carefully considered.

PMID:36309444 | DOI:10.1016/j.fm.2022.104143

Reumatol Clin (Engl Ed). 2022 Nov;18(9):523-530. doi: 10.1016/j.reumae.2021.08.004.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness and safety of Baricitinib and Tofacitinib in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients in “real world” conditions.

METHODS: A single centre retrospective study was performed including RA patients who had initiated treatment with Baricitinib or Tofacitinib from September-2017 to January-2020. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, efficacy and safety variables were collected from baseline and at months 1, 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24. Effectiveness was evaluated by changes from the baseline in DAS28, SDAI, HAQ and acute phase reactants. Safety analysis included adverse events due to any cause, including infection or intolerance. Infection was considered severe if it implied hospitalization. Statistical analysis consisted in Bayesian mixed ordinal regression models including the monotonic effect of each visit and Kaplan-Meier survival curves.

RESULTS: Overall, 98 patients were included. A significant reduction of disease activity scores was noted in both groups. No difference between either treatment was detected in terms of effectiveness even in first line, after bDMARD failure, in monotherapy nor combined therapy. A total of 54 adverse events were recorded of which 18 were considered relevant. The incidence of infection, including Herpes Zoster, was similar in both groups. No patients in either group suffered any tuberculosis, thromboembolic event, malignancy, death or cardiovascular adverse events. Survival analysis did not show any difference between groups.

CONCLUSION: Baricitinib and Tofacitinib are both comparable in terms of effectiveness and safety in real world conditions.

PMID:36309409 | DOI:10.1016/j.reumae.2021.08.004

In Vivo. 2022 Nov-Dec;36(6):2869-2874. doi: 10.21873/invivo.13027.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND/AIM: The Hippo pathway is a molecular pathway recently associated with tumorigenesis, metastasis, and drug resistance. Pregnancy-associated breast cancer (PABC) is the most common malignancy diagnosed during gestation; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying PABC are largely unknown. The aim of the present study was to evaluate Hippo pathway transducers TAZ and YAP1 expression in PABC in relation to the clinicopathological characteristics of the disease.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues from 21 PABC patients treated at Alexandra Hospital in Athens, Greece, were analyzed with immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS: Strong nuclear TAZ/YAP1 stanning was found in 48% of the PABC patients analyzed. Hormone receptor negative patients had a statistically significant correlation with strong positive expression of TAZ/YAP1 co-transcription factors. No association was observed with overall and disease-free survival.

CONCLUSION: The Hippo pathway is de-regulated in a subset of PABC patients, highlighting the complex molecular background of the disease, which certainly requires further investigation.

PMID:36309401 | DOI:10.21873/invivo.13027

In Vivo. 2022 Nov-Dec;36(6):2884-2889. doi: 10.21873/invivo.13029.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND/AIM: This study investigated a correlation between ex vivo interferon-gamma (IFN)-gamma production using IFN-gamma releasing assay (IGRA) and antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV) activity assessed by Birmingham vasculitis activity score (BVAS) in AAV patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 113 patients with AAV were consecutively selected from the AAV cohort and their medical records were reviewed. IGRA was performed at AAV diagnosis and before the initiation of glucocorticoids or immunosuppressive drugs for AAV treatment.

RESULTS: The median age was 61.8 years and 41.6% of the patients were men. Eighteen, 28, and 67 patients had EGPA, GPA, and MPA, respectively. Eighteen, 84, and 11 patients had positive, negative, and indeterminate results, and the median Nil, tuberculosis antigen, mitogen, and ex vivo IFN-gamma production were 0.1, 0.1, 10.0, and 9.8 IU/ml, respectively. There was no significant correlation between ex vivo IFN-gamma production and BVAS in AAV patients. When AAV patients were divided into two groups according to BVAS of 18, the higher tertile of BVAS, there was no significant difference in ex vivo IFN-gamma production between AAV patients with BVAS ≥18 and those without. In addition, there were no statistically significant correlations between ex vivo IFN-gamma production and BVAS in AAV patients with either indeterminate and negative IGRA results or only negative IGRA results.

CONCLUSION: There is no correlation between ex vivo IFN-gamma production and BVAS. This study provided information on the reliability of the IGRA results for latent tuberculosis screening in AAV patients regardless of the activity of AAV.

PMID:36309398 | DOI:10.21873/invivo.13029

In Vivo. 2022 Nov-Dec;36(6):2993-2998. doi: 10.21873/invivo.13044.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND/AIM: Bronchiectasis has long been neglected, unlike chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. Recent clinical trials have shown that long-term use of azithromycin or erythromycin reduce exacerbations of non-cystic fibrosis (non-CF) bronchiectasis. Because of this, we should actively try to treat patients susceptible to severe status.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: We enrolled patients who had been diagnosed with bronchiectasis at five branches of the Catholic Medical Center between January 2015 to December 2017. We retrospectively analyzed these patients for demographic characteristics such as sex, age, body mass index (BMI), history of smoking and tuberculosis, bacterial colonization, pulmonary function, hospitalizations, and other exacerbations.

RESULTS: Colonization was shown to have a statistically significant association with hospitalization. A three-year follow up period showed that the mean frequency of hospitalization in patients without colonization was 0.8 times, compared to 0.7 times and 1.9 times, respectively in patients with NTM colonization and with other bacterial colonization (p-value=0.03). Patients with a lower BMI also had an increased risk of hospitalization (p-value=0.024). Current smokers had increased risk of mortality as compared to those who had never smoked (HR=11.29, p-value 0.015). Patients with a high BMI also had low risk of mortality as compared to patients with a low BMI (HR=0.76, p-value 0.005).

CONCLUSION: Patients with bronchiectasis having chronic colonization, low BMI, or who are current smokers tend to be at greater risk for severe illness. Therefore, physicians should actively treat these patients to prevent exacerbations and mortality.

PMID:36309393 | DOI:10.21873/invivo.13044

In Vivo. 2022 Nov-Dec;36(6):2708-2713. doi: 10.21873/invivo.13006.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND/AIM: The neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) is a major histocompatibility class I-like molecule responsible for the transfer of passive humoral immunity from a mother to her newborn. Recent research revealed that FcRn is involved in antigen-presentation, humoral immunity and antitumor immunity of various types of cancer, such as lung, colon and breast. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for 85% of all lung cancer. NSCLC is a highly heterogeneous disease and this affects the prognosis. Therefore, many studies have tried to identify factors that are associated with prognosis. The lungs are a major organ expressing FcRn. We aimed to evaluate FcRn expression in surgical specimens of NSCLC and determine its correlation with patient prognosis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed 140 NSCLC surgical specimens for FcRn expression using immunohistochemistry and correlated positivity with clinicopathology and survival of these patients. A chi-squared test and Kaplan-Meier analysis with log-rank tests were performed for statistical evaluation.

RESULTS: The FcRn-positive group had a significantly higher disease-free survival and a tendency towards increased disease-specific survival in patients with tumor-node-metastasis stage I NSCLC.

CONCLUSION: Our study supports the hypothesis that FcRn down-regulation is associated with NSCLC progression.

PMID:36309388 | DOI:10.21873/invivo.13006

In Vivo. 2022 Nov-Dec;36(6):2630-2637. doi: 10.21873/invivo.12997.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND/AIM: Dedifferentiated liposarcoma (DDLS) is a type of soft-tissue sarcoma with a poor prognosis due to distant metastasis and resistance to chemotherapy. The antimalarial drug chloroquine (CQ) can induce apoptosis in cancer cells. CQ in combination with rapamycin (RAPA), an mTOR inhibitor, has shown efficacy on osteosarcoma and other types of cancer. In the present study the efficacy of RAPA combined with CQ on the treatment of a DDLS patient-derived orthotopic xenograft (PDOX) model was investigated.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A patient-derived DDLS was transplanted into the left retroperitoneum of nude mice to establish a DDLS PDOX nude-mouse model. The mice were randomly divided as follows: untreated control group; CQ group; RAPA group; combined CQ and RAPA group (n=7 for all groups). During the treatment period, tumor volume was measured every 3-4 days with calipers. After 2 weeks treatment, the mice were sacrificed, and H&E staining was performed for histological evaluation. The TUNEL assay was performed to detect apoptosis.

RESULTS: The combination of CQ and RAPA arrested tumor growth in the DDLS PDOX compared to the untreated control (p=0.009) and was significantly more effective than RAPA alone (p=0.009). RAPA alone slowed tumor growth, but the difference was not statistically significant (p>0.05). CQ was not active alone (p>0.05). The number of apoptotic TUNEL-positive cells was significantly higher in the CQ plus RAPA group than in the other groups (p=0.02).

CONCLUSION: Combination therapy with CQ and RAPA arrested tumor growth in a DDLS PDOX model by inducing apoptosis.

PMID:36309387 | DOI:10.21873/invivo.12997

In Vivo. 2022 Nov-Dec;36(6):2986-2992. doi: 10.21873/invivo.13043.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND/AIM: To report long-term survival results after trimodal approach for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) in the Covid-19 era. We herein illustrate a clinical application of Covid-death mean-imputation (CoDMI) algorithm in LARC patients with Covid-19 infection.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analyzed 94 patients treated for primary LARC. Overall survival was calculated in months from diagnosis to first event (last follow-up/death). Because Covid-19 death events potentially bias survival estimation, to eliminate skewed data due to Covid-19 death events, the observed lifetime of Covid-19 cases was replaced by its corresponding expected lifetime in absence of the Covid-19 event using the CoDMI algorithm. Patients who died of Covid-19 (DoC) are mean-imputed by the Kaplan-Meier estimator. Under this approach, the observed lifetime of each DoC patient is considered as an “incomplete data” and is extended by an additional expected lifetime computed using the classical Kaplan-Meier model.

RESULTS: Sixteen patients were dead of disease (DoD), 1 patient was DoC and 77 cases were censored (Cen). The DoC patient died of Covid-19 52 months after diagnosis. The CoDMI algorithm computed the expected future lifetime provided by the Kaplan-Meier estimator applied to the no-DoC observations as well as to the DoC data itself. Given the DoC event at 52 months, the CoDMI algorithm estimated that this patient would have died after 79.5 months of follow-up.

CONCLUSION: The CoDMI algorithm leads to “unbiased” probability of overall survival in LARC patients with Covid-19 infection, compared to that provided by a naïve application of Kaplan-Meier approach. This allows for a proper interpretation/use of Covid-19 events in survival analysis. A user-friendly version of CoDMI is freely available at https://github.com/alef-innovation/codmi.

PMID:36309383 | DOI:10.21873/invivo.13043