Nevin Manimala

Eur Arch Paediatr Dent. 2022 Jul 21. doi: 10.1007/s40368-022-00734-6. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Physical and mechanical properties of three different (Ketac Molar Easymix, Dyract XP, Cention N (CN)) restoratives with different ingredients were evaluated.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four groups were obtained; Group 1: CN LightCure, Group 2: CN SelfCure, Group 3: Ketac Molar Easymix and Group 4: Dyract XP. Disk-shaped samples (n = 10) were prepared and evaluated for the surface roughness test using a profilometer. For the flexure strength test, 2 × 2 × 25 mm bar-shaped samples (n = 10) were prepared, and a three-point bending test was applied to the samples. After preparing cavities for microleakage tests, teeth were restored with restoratives, immersed in dye, and microleakage was assessed. For the microtensile bond strength (µTBS) test, ten sticks were obtained for each group and were stressed under tension.

RESULTS: According to surface roughness tests, CN SelfCure showed the lowest value (0.13 μm), while Ketac Molar Easymix showed the highest value (0.28 μm), and significant differences were found between the groups. In flexural strength tests, the highest values were seen in CN SelfCure (82.94 MPa), with statistically significant differences between the groups. When CN SelfCure was applied with an adhesive, the teeth showed statistically decreased leakage than other groups on the gingival side. Higher leakage values were seen on the gingival side than the occlusal side in most groups, and the SelfCure groups showed decreased leakage than the LightCure groups. According to µTBS tests, the highest value was obtained in CN SelfCure-Adhesive group, while the lowest was in CN LightCure-Non-adhesive group. When µTBS was evaluated regardless of adhesive use, the SelfCure groups showed higher µTBS values than the LightCure groups. As a result of the µTBS and microleakage test, the difference between the use of CN with and without adhesive, regardless of the polymerization type, was found to be significant (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: Cention N showed better properties in SelfCure mode, compared to the rest materials tested, but further in vitro and in vivo studies are needed to investigate the effect of different polymerization modes and the oral environmental conditions.

PMID:35864436 | DOI:10.1007/s40368-022-00734-6

Acta Neurol Belg. 2022 Jul 21. doi: 10.1007/s13760-022-02030-y. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the clinical significance of osmophobia and its effect on quality of life in people with migraine.

METHODS: A total of 145 people with migraine were included in this cross-sectional study. Patients were evaluated with the migraine data form, the Migraine 24-Hour Quality of Life Questionnaire (24-HrMQoLQ), the Migraine Disability Assessment Scale (MIDAS), the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), the Allodynia Symptom Checklist (ASC), and the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS). To evaluate the presence of osmophobia retrospectively, a semi-structured interview was conducted with the patients by the neurologist.

RESULTS: The mean 24-Hr-MQoLQ of patients with osmophobia was significantly lower than those without osmophobia. The decrease in the 24-Hr-MQoLQ was statistically significant in the areas of feeling and concerns and social functionality. The mean of the MIDAS scale was higher significantly in patients with osmophobia than those without osmophobia. In addition, the mean ISI, PHQ-9, FSS and ASC scores of patients with osmophobia were statistically significantly higher than those without osmophobia.

CONCLUSIONS: Both 24-h and 3-month quality of life of people with migraine with osmophobia were more affected than those without osmophobia. At the same manner, insomnia, depression, fatigue and allodynia were observed at higher rates in people with migraine with osmophobia than in migraine without osmophobia. Osmophobia, which is one of the specific symptoms that distinguishes migraine from other headache disorders, deserves further and multifaceted investigation.

PMID:35864435 | DOI:10.1007/s13760-022-02030-y

Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg. 2022 Jul 21:ivac200. doi: 10.1093/icvts/ivac200. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: The standard approach for minimaly invasive cardiac surgery for repair of the atrioventricular valves is a right lateral minithoracotomy. In this study we report our experience with a periareolar endoscopic approach which aims at an optimal cosmetic outcome while preserving optimal clinical outcomes.

METHODS:  All patients underwent periareolar endoscopic minimaly invasive cardiac surgery using high-definition three-dimensional endoscopic visualization without additional rib-spreading. Patients presented with degenerative and/or functional mitral regurgitation. Patients undergoing concomitant tricuspid valve surgery, cryo-ablation, patent foramen ovale closure, left atrial appendage occlusion and/or left atrial myxoma extirpation were included. This descriptive paper analyzed the aesthetic and functional outcome of the periareolar scar using five most common and clinimetrically sound scar assessment scales. For statistical analysis of the scar assessment grading scales, box and whisker plots were calculated depicting median, interquartile range and high and low range data points.

RESULTS: Median scar assessment scale scores for n = 100 male patients (response-rate 100/109; 91.7%) were 2 [1, 4], 7.5 [6, 9], 11 [8, 14], 3 [2, 3], 10 [9, 11] for the Vancouver Scar Scale, Manchester Scar Scale, Patient Scar Assessment Scale, Stony Brook Scar Evaluation Scale, and Dermatology Quality of Life Index scales, respectively. 97 patients received mitral valve repair, 7 mitral valve replacement, whereas 5 had left atrial myxoma extirpation. Concomitant tricuspid annuloplasty, cryo-ablation, left atrial appendage occlusion and patent foramen ovale closure surgery were performed in 12, 29, 5 and 8 patients, respectively. Median procedure-, cardiopulmonary bypass-, and cross-clamp times were 169.5 [154.3, 189.3], 111.5 [97, 127], and 68.5 [58.8, 81] min, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: Periareolar endoscopic minimaly invasive cardiac surgery is safe and cosmetically appealing. It is feasible and allows for complex mitral valve repair, mitral valve replacement and concomitant surgery. Data from five scar assessment scales suggest that this technique delivers patient-satisfying results regarding functional and cosmetic outcome.

PMID:35863058 | DOI:10.1093/icvts/ivac200

Jpn J Clin Oncol. 2022 Jul 22:hyac119. doi: 10.1093/jjco/hyac119. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the invasive capability and other clinicopathological features of conventional papillary thyroid carcinoma (CVPTC) with intraglandular lymphatic dissemination.

METHODS: Seventy-three conventional papillary thyroid carcinoma patients receiving total thyroidectomy were analyzed in this study. The expression of BRAF-V600E, D2-40 and CD31 in all thyroid samples was detected by immunohistochemical staining. The results were evaluated by two pathologists and were statistically analyzed. The rate of positive BRAF-V600E expression and the clinical invasiveness of CVPTC with intraglandular dissemination, multifocal non-intraglandular dissemination-CVPTC and single focus-CVPTC were evaluated. The correlation between BRAF-V600E expression, lymphatic vessel density, microvessel density and the clinicopathological characteristics of conventional papillary thyroid carcinoma were assessed.

RESULTS: Twenty-five intraglandular dissemination-CVPTC, 17 multifocal non-intraglandular dissemination-CVPTC and 31 single focus-CVPTC cases were included in this study. The results showed that BRAF-V600E expression was independently correlated with intraglandular dissemination, age and pN staging (P < 0.05). The lymphatic vessel density in the intraglandular dissemination-CVPTC group was higher than that in the non-intraglandular dissemination-CVPTC group (P < 0.05). Compared with cases without intraglandular dissemination, intraglandular dissemination-CVPTC was associated with a younger age, higher lymph node metastasis rate, pN staging, the expression of BRAF-V600E and increased Capsule invasion and lymphovascular tumor thrombus (P < 0.05). During the follow-up of 30 months (median 15 months), two patients in the intraglandular dissemination-CVPTC group had cervical lymph node metastasis after the first operation.

CONCLUSIONS: Intraglandular dissemination-CVPTC shows more aggressive features, and intraglandular lymphatic dissemination may be a potential biological indicator of poor prognosis.

PMID:35863013 | DOI:10.1093/jjco/hyac119

Microbiol Spectr. 2022 Jul 7:e0117622. doi: 10.1128/spectrum.01176-22. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Chlorhexidine (CHX) is widely used to control the spread of pathogens (e.g., human/animal clinical settings, ambulatory care, food industry). Enterococcus faecalis, a major nosocomial pathogen, is broadly distributed in diverse hosts and environments facilitating its exposure to CHX over the years. Nevertheless, CHX activity against E. faecalis is understudied. Our goal was to assess CHX activity and the variability of ChlR-EfrEF proteins (associated with CHX tolerance) among 673 field isolates and 1,784 E. faecalis genomes from the PATRIC database from different sources, time spans, clonal lineages, and antibiotic-resistance profiles. The CHX MIC (MIC_CHX) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC_CHX) against E. faecalis presented normal distributions (0.5 to 64 mg/L). However, more CHX-tolerant isolates were detected in the food chain and recent human infections, suggesting an adaptability of E. faecalis populations in settings where CHX is heavily used. Heterogeneity in ChlR-EfrEF sequences was identified, with isolates harboring incomplete ChlR-EfrEF proteins, particularly the EfrE identified in the ST40 clonal lineage, showing low MIC_CHX (≤1mg/L). Distinct ST40-E. faecalis subpopulations carrying truncated and nontruncated EfrE were detected, with the former being predominant in human isolates. This study provides a new insight about CHX susceptibility and ChlR-EfrEF variability within diverse E. faecalis populations. The MIC_CHX/MBC_CHX of more tolerant E. faecalis (MIC_CHX = 8 mg/L; MBC_CHX = 64 mg/L) remain lower than in-use concentrations of CHX (≥500 mg/L). However, increased CHX use, combined with concentration gradients occurring in diverse environments, potentially selecting multidrug-resistant strains with different CHX susceptibilities, signals the importance of monitoring the trends of E. faecalis CHX tolerance within a One Health approach. IMPORTANCE Chlorhexidine (CHX) is a disinfectant and antiseptic used since the 1950s and included in the World Health Organization’s list of essential medicines. It has been widely applied in hospitals, the community, the food industry, animal husbandry and pets. CHX tolerance in Enterococcus faecalis, a ubiquitous bacterium and one of the leading causes of human hospital-acquired infections, remains underexplored. Our study provides novel and comprehensive insights about CHX susceptibility within the E. faecalis population structure context, revealing more CHX-tolerant subpopulations from the food chain and recent human infections. We further show a detailed analysis of the genetic diversity of the efrEF operon (previously associated with E. faecalis CHX tolerance) and its correlation with CHX phenotypes. The recent strains with a higher tolerance to CHX and the multiple sources where bacteria are exposed to this biocide alert us to the need for the continuous monitoring of E. faecalis adaptation toward CHX tolerance within a One Health approach.

PMID:35862993 | DOI:10.1128/spectrum.01176-22

Microbiol Spectr. 2022 Jul 7:e0121822. doi: 10.1128/spectrum.01218-22. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

A total of 232 goat fecal samples (124 diarrheic and 108 nondiarrheic) collected from 12 farms in Southwest China were tested for astrovirus using RT-PCR. A total of 16.9% (21/124) of diarrheic and 20.4% (22/108) of nondiarrheic samples were astrovirus-positive, and no statistical difference was found in the detection rate between healthy and sick goats. Furthermore, 28 obtained complete ORF2 sequences could be classified into six genotypes according to the species classification criteria of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV). It is worth noting that, in addition to four known caprine astrovirus genotypes (MAstV-33, MAstV-34, Caprine Astrovirus G5.1, and Caprine Astrovirus G3.1), MAstV-13 and MAstV-24 genotypes were identified in goats. Interestingly, five of 19 ORF2 sequences in the Caprine Astrovirus G3.1 genotype showed possible intragenotypic recombination events. Furthermore, nearly complete caprine astrovirus genomes of MAstV-13 and MAstV-24 genotypes were obtained. The genome of the SWUN/ECJK3/2021 strain shared the highest similarity (62.0% to 73.9%) with astrovirus in MAstV-13, and clustered in the so-called human-mink-ovine (HMO) clade, which contained the majority of the neurotropic astrovirus strains. Moreover, the SWUN/LJK2-2/2020 strain showed the highest similarity (69.7% to 78.6%) and the closest genetic relationship to the known porcine and bovine astroviruses in MAstV-24. In conclusion, this study confirmed six genotypes of astrovirus circulating among goats in Southwest China, including MAstV-13 and MAstV-24 genotypes. These findings enhance our knowledge of the prevalence and diversity of astroviruses. IMPORTANCE Caprine astrovirus is a newly emerging virus, and information regarding its prevalence and molecular characteristics remains limited. In this study, six genotypes of astrovirus, including MAstV-13 and MAstV-24, were identified in goats, adding two novel caprine astrovirus genotypes to the four previously known genotypes, thereby enriching the diversity of the caprine astrovirus. Moreover, genomes of MAstV-13 SWUN/ECJK3/2021 and MAstV-24 SWUN/LJK2-2/2020 strains were obtained from goats, which aids in the understanding of the infection spectrum and host range of the two genotypes. This study is the first to demonstrate the presence of neurotropic-like astrovirus (MAstV-13) in goats, which has significant implications for the diagnosis of neurological diseases in goats.

PMID:35862967 | DOI:10.1128/spectrum.01218-22

J Spec Oper Med. 2022 Jul 21:A10N-KTMD. doi: 10.55460/A10N-KTMD. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Transfusion of whole blood (WB) is a lifesaving treatment that prolongs life until definitive surgical intervention can be performed; however, collecting WB is a time-consuming and resource-intensive process. Furthermore, it may be difficult to collect sufficient WB at the point of injury to treat critically wounded patients or multiple hemorrhaging casualties. This study is a follow-up to the proof-of-concept study on the effect of airdrop on WB. In addition, this study confirms the statistical significance for the plausibility of using airdrop to deliver WB to combat medics treating casualties in the pre-hospital setting when Federal Drug Administration (FDA)-approved cold-stored blood products are not available.

METHODS: Forty-eight units of WB were collected and loaded into a blood cooler that was dropped from a fixed-wing aircraft under a Standard Airdrop Training Bundle (SATB) parachute or 68-in pilot chute. Twenty-four of these units were dropped from a C-145 aircraft, and 24 were dropped from a C-130 aircraft. A control group of 15 units of WB was stored in a blood cooler that was not dropped. Baseline and post-intervention laboratory tests were measured in both airdropped and control units, including complete blood count; prothrombin time/partial thromboplastin time (PT/PTT); pH, lactate, potassium, bilirubin, glucose, fibrinogen, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels; and peripheral blood smears.

RESULTS: The blood cooler, cooling packs, and all 48 WB units did not sustain any major damage from the airdrop. There was no evidence of hemolysis. Except for the one slightly damaged bag that was not sampled, all airdropped blood met parameters for transfusion per the Joint Trauma System Whole Blood Transfusion Clinical Practice Guideline and the Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies (AABB) Circular of Information for the Use of Human Blood and Blood Components.

CONCLUSIONS: Airdrop of fresh or stored WB in a blood cooler with a chute is a viable way of delivering blood products to combat medics treating hemorrhaging patients in the pre-hospital setting. This study also demonstrated the portability of this technique for multiple aircraft. The techniques evaluated in this study have the potential for utilization in other austere settings such as wilderness medicine or humanitarian disasters where an acute need for WB delivery by airdrop is the only option.

PMID:35862850 | DOI:10.55460/A10N-KTMD

mSystems. 2022 Jul 5:e0025822. doi: 10.1128/msystems.00258-22. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Malaria symptoms are caused by the development of the parasites within the blood of an infected host. Bulk RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) of infected blood can reveal interactions between parasites and the host immune system during an infection, but because multiple developmental stages with distinct transcriptional profiles are concurrently present in infected blood, it is necessary to correct such analyses for differences in cell composition among samples. Gene expression deconvolution is a statistical approach that has been developed for inferring the cell composition of complex tissues characterized by bulk RNA-seq using gene expression profiles from reference cell types. Here, we describe the evaluation of a species-agnostic reference data set that can be used for efficient and accurate gene expression deconvolution of bulk RNA-seq data generated from any Plasmodium species and for correct gene expression analyses for biases caused by differences in stage composition among samples. IMPORTANCE Differences in cell type proportions among samples can introduce artifacts in gene expression analyses and mask genuine differences in gene regulation. Gene expression deconvolution allows estimation of the proportion of each cell type present in one sample directly from bulk RNA sequencing data, but this approach requires a reference data set with the signature profile of each cell type. Here, we evaluate the suitability of a rodent malaria parasite gene expression data set for estimating the proportions of each parasite developmental stage present in bulk RNA sequencing data generated from blood-stage infections with the human parasites Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax. These analyses provide a species-agnostic approach for reliably estimating stage proportions in infected human blood and correcting subsequent gene expression analyses for these variations.

PMID:35862820 | DOI:10.1128/msystems.00258-22

mSystems. 2022 Jul 12:e0034822. doi: 10.1128/msystems.00348-22. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Microbial tolerance to organic solvents such as ionic liquids (ILs) is a robust phenotype beneficial for novel biotransformation. While most microbes become inhibited in 1% to 5% (vol/vol) IL (e.g., 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate), we engineered a robust Yarrowia lipolytica strain (YlCW001) that tolerates a record high of 18% (vol/vol) IL via adaptive laboratory evolution. Yet, genotypes conferring high IL tolerance in YlCW001 remain to be discovered. In this study, we shed light on the underlying cellular processes that enable robust Y. lipolytica to thrive in inhibitory ILs. By using dynamic transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq) data, we introduced Gene Coexpression Connectivity (GeCCo) as a metric to discover genotypes conferring desirable phenotypes that might not be found by the conventional differential expression (DE) approaches. GeCCo selects genes based on their number of coexpressed genes in a subnetwork of upregulated genes by the target phenotype. We experimentally validated GeCCo by reverse engineering a high-IL-tolerance phenotype in wild-type Y. lipolytica. We found that gene targets selected by both DE and GeCCo exhibited the best statistical chance at increasing IL tolerance when individually overexpressed. Remarkably, the best combination of dual-overexpression genes was genes selected by GeCCo alone. This nonintuitive combination of genes, BRN1 and OYE2, is involved in guiding/regulating mitotic cell division, chromatin segregation/condensation, microtubule and cytoskeletal organization, and Golgi vesicle transport. IMPORTANCE Cellular robustness to cope with stressors is an important phenotype. Y. lipolytica is an industrial robust oleaginous yeast that has recently been discovered to tolerate record high concentrations of ILs, beneficial for novel biotransformation in organic solvents. However, genotypes that link to IL tolerance in Y. lipolytica are largely unknown. Due to the complex IL-tolerant phenotype, conventional gene discovery and validation based on differential gene expression approaches are time-consuming due to a large search space and might encounter a high false-discovery rate. Here, using the developed Gene Coexpression Connectivity (GeCCo) method, we identified and validated a subset of most promising gene targets conferring the IL-tolerant phenotypes and shed light on their potential mechanisms. We anticipate GeCCo being a useful method to discover the genotype-to-phenotype link.

PMID:35862814 | DOI:10.1128/msystems.00348-22

Am J Bot. 2022 Jul 21. doi: 10.1002/ajb2.16040. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Antheridiogen systems are a set of pheromonal mechanisms that control sex expression in fern gametophytes. However, antheridiogen has rarely been studied outside of the laboratory and little is known about its function in natural settings. Combining predictions based on field and laboratory study, we test if the sexual structure of tree fern gametophyte colonies is attributable to antheridiogen.

METHODS: Gametophyte colonies of the antheridiogen-producing tree fern species Cyathea multiflora were collected at La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica in January 2019. The sex of each gametophyte was determined, mapped, and spatial statistic approaches were used to examine the distribution of sex in each colony.

KEY RESULTS: In all gametophyte colonies, males were most common, representing 62%-68% of individuals. No hermaphroditic gametophytes were identified in any colony. A quadrat-based method showed female gametophytes were not clustered in each colony while male gametophytes were clustered. In two of the colonies, the K(r) test statistic for males was greater than expected compared to random simulations of sex, indicating male sex expression was spatially associated with females.

CONCLUSIONS: This study provides the first documentation of spatial sex expression in natural gametophyte settings of an antheridiogen-producing tree fern species. The profound impact of antheridiogen on gametophyte sex expression in field settings suggests this system is intimately tied to mating system, fitness, and genetic diversity in Cyathea multiflora. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

PMID:35862812 | DOI:10.1002/ajb2.16040