Tag: pubmed

Phys Chem Chem Phys. 2023 Jul 5. doi: 10.1039/d3cp01374j. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Diffusion-driven rotation in cholesteric liquid crystals has been studied using molecular dynamics simulation. Then a chemical potential gradient parallel to the cholesteric axis induces a torque that rotates the director at a constant rate around this axis, besides driving a mass current. An equimolar mixture of Gay-Berne ellipsoids and Lennard-Jones spheres was used as the molecular model. In order to keep the system homogeneous, the color conductivity algorithm was used to apply a color field instead of a chemical potential gradient to drive a mass current. Then the particles are given a color charge that interacts with a color field in the same way as with an electric field, but these charges do not interact with each other. This algorithm is often used to calculate the mutual diffusion coefficient. In the above liquid crystal model, it was found that the color field induces a torque that rotates the director at a constant rate around the cholesteric axis in addition to driving a mass current. The phenomenon was quantified by calculating the cross-coupling coefficient between the color field and the director angular velocity. The results were cross-checked by using a director rotation algorithm to exert a torque to rotate the director at a constant rate. Besides rotation of the director, this resulted in a mass current parallel to the cholesteric axis. The cross-coupling coefficient between the torque and the mass current was equal to the cross-coupling coefficient between the color field and the director rotation rate within a statistical uncertainty of 10 percent, thus fulfilling the Onsager reciprocity relations. As a further cross-check, these cross-coupling coupling coefficients, the color conductivity, and the twist viscosity were calculated by evaluating the corresponding Green-Kubo relations. Finally, it was noted that the orientation of the cholesteric axis parallel to the color field is the one that minimizes the irreversible energy dissipation rate. This is in accordance with a theorem stating that this quantity is minimal in the linear regime of a nonequilibrium steady state.

PMID:37403565 | DOI:10.1039/d3cp01374j

Eur J Pain. 2023 Jul 5. doi: 10.1002/ejp.2156. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Anti-osteoporosis (OP) drugs have been suggested to contribute to pain reduction during OP management. This scoping review aimed at mapping the literature on pain relief with anti-OP drugs in OP treatment.

DATABASES AND DATA TREATMENT: Medline, Pubmed and Cochrane databases were searched by two reviewers with keywords combinations. Randomized controlled and real-life English studies, pain as an endpoint, antiosteoporosis drugs were inclusion criteria. Case reports, surveys, comment letters, conference abstracts, animal studies and grey literature were excluded. Predetermined data were extracted by two reviewers and disagreement solved through discussion.

RESULTS: A total of 130 articles were identified, 31 publications were included, 12 randomized clinical trials and 19 observational studies. Pain reduction was assessed by different tools: Visual Analogue Scale, Verbal Rating Scale, Facial Scale or as a domain of quality of life questionnaires including Short form 8, 36, mini-OP, Japanese OP, Qualeffo, Roland Morris Disability questionnaires. Collective data show that anti-OP drugs may display an analgesic effect that may be linked to the local mode of action of drugs on bone and consecutive modulation of pain sensitization. The methodology of the studies showed a heterogeneity of endpoints, comparators, statistical approaches and follow-up duration.

CONCLUSION: Considering the limitations of the literature, there is a need for more rigorous trials and larger real-life studies taking into account the recommendations published for research in rheumatology and in pain medicine. The identification of responders, patient subtypes, and of analgesic-effect doses would allow optimization and individualization for pain relief in patients with OP.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: This scoping review shows that anti-OP drugs may improve pain and quality of life of patients with OP. The heterogeneity in design, choice of endpoints, methodology, comparators and follow-up duration of included randomized clinical trials and real-life studies does not allow so far to identify a predominant antiosteoporosis drug or an optimal dosage for pain relief. These gaps need to be addressed and warrant further research in the future for optimizing pain improvement in the course of OP drug treatment.

PMID:37403555 | DOI:10.1002/ejp.2156

J Esthet Restor Dent. 2023 Jul 5. doi: 10.1111/jerd.13082. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate gingiva-colored resin-based composites’ (GCRBC) color stability and degree of conversion (DC%).

METHODS: Eight discs (8 × 1 mm) of 20 shades of GCRBC were prepared. Color coordinates were measured against a gray background with a calibrated spectroradiometer, CIE D65 illuminant and the CIE 45°/0° geometry at baseline and after 30 days of storage in distilled water, coffee, and red wine. Color differences ( $∆E_{00}$ ) between final and baseline conditions were calculated. An ATR-FTIR spectrometer with a diamond tip was used to calculate DC%. The results were analyzed statistically using ANOVA and Tukey post-hoc test. The level of significance was p < 0.05.

RESULTS: DC% and color stability correlated with each other and with the GCRBC brand. DC% ranged between 43% and 96%, highest values correspond to flowable composites. All composites have experienced color changes after immersion in water, wine and coffee. However, the magnitude of the color change has varied widely depending on the immersion medium and the GCRBC. Color changes generated by the wine were, globally, greater than those induced by coffee (p < 0.001) and above the acceptability thresholds.

CONCLUSIONS: The DC% of GCRBCs is sufficient to achieve adequate biocompatibility and physicomechanical properties, but the high susceptibility to staining could compromise aesthetic long-term results.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The degree of conversion and the color stability of gingiva-colored resin-based composites correlated with each other. All composites have experienced color changes after immersion in water, wine and coffee. Color changes generated by wine were, globally, greater than those induced by coffee and above the acceptability thresholds that could compromise aesthetic long-term results.

PMID:37403541 | DOI:10.1111/jerd.13082

J Dtsch Dermatol Ges. 2023 Jul 4. doi: 10.1111/ddg.15005. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The aim of the survey was to investigate a possible impairment of inpatient dermatological and dermatosurgical care in Germany due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS: An online survey on the impact of pandemic-related measures on inpatient care was sent to all German dermatology clinics. Only one person per clinic was asked to participate. Data analysis was mainly descriptive. Differences between university hospitals and non-university hospitals were calculated using the Chi-square test.

RESULTS: From the 113 dermatological clinics with inpatient care, we received 45 (39.8%) at least partially completed questionnaires. Of these, 25 (55.6%) came from university hospitals, 18 (40.0%) from teaching hospitals of a university, 1 (2.2%) from a non-teaching hospital, and 1 (2.2%) from a participant who did not provide any information on his facility. More than half of survey participants (57.8%) reported that many elective skin surgeries had to be canceled at their clinics at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, most of the clinics (75.6%) were able to perform medically necessary surgeries (such as for malignant melanoma). Only 28.9% (13/45) of participants reported that skin surgery in their clinics returned to full strength after the COVID-19 pandemic. There was no statistically significant difference between university hospitals and non-university hospitals regarding the influence of COVID-19-related restrictions.

CONCLUSIONS: Despite their heterogeneity, the results of the survey show an overall clear and long-term pandemic-related impairment of inpatient dermatology and skin surgery in Germany.

PMID:37403533 | DOI:10.1111/ddg.15005

Proc Biol Sci. 2023 Jul 12;290(2002):20230965. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0965. Epub 2023 Jul 5.

ABSTRACT

Women are underrepresented in senior academic positions within microbiology globally. Studies show that gender bias affects the progression of women in academia, but there is evidence that improving conscious awareness of bias can improve equity in this regard. Here we analyse the publication data associated with review articles within the microbiology field to investigate the statistical associations with author gender. We analyse the data from review articles published between 2010 and 2022 in three leading microbiology review journals: Nature Reviews Microbiology, Trends in Microbiology and Annual Review of Microbiology. We find a significant association between the gender of the lead author and the gender of co-authors in multi-author publications. Review articles with men lead authors have a significantly reduced proportion of women co-authors compared to reviews with women lead authors. Given the existing differences in the proportions of men and women in lead author positions, this association may have important consequences for the relative visibility of women in microbiology, along with negative impacts on scientific output relating to reduced collaboration diversity.

PMID:37403511 | DOI:10.1098/rspb.2023.0965

Proc Biol Sci. 2023 Jul 12;290(2002):20230905. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0905. Epub 2023 Jul 5.

ABSTRACT

Prion and prion-like molecules are a type of self-replicating aggregate protein that have been implicated in a variety of neurodegenerative diseases. Over recent decades, the molecular dynamics of prions have been characterized both empirically and through mathematical models, providing insights into the epidemiology of prion diseases and the impact of prions on the evolution of cellular processes. At the same time, a variety of evidence indicates that prions are themselves capable of a form of evolution, in which changes to their structure that impact their rate of growth or fragmentation are replicated, making such changes subject to natural selection. Here we study the role of such selection in shaping the characteristics of prions under the nucleated polymerization model (NPM). We show that fragmentation rates evolve to an evolutionary stable value which balances rapid reproduction of PrP^Sc aggregates with the need to produce stable polymers. We further show that this evolved fragmentation rate differs in general from the rate that optimizes transmission between cells. We find that under the NPM, prions that are both evolutionary stable and optimized for transmission have a characteristic length of three times the critical length below which they become unstable. Finally, we study the dynamics of inter-cellular competition between strains, and show that the eco-evolutionary trade-off between intra- and inter-cellular competition favours coexistence.

PMID:37403499 | DOI:10.1098/rspb.2023.0905

J R Soc Interface. 2023 Jul;20(204):20230160. doi: 10.1098/rsif.2023.0160. Epub 2023 Jul 5.

ABSTRACT

The ability of cells to reorganize in response to external stimuli is important in areas ranging from morphogenesis to tissue engineering. While nematic order is common in biological tissues, it typically only extends to small regions of cells interacting via steric repulsion. On isotropic substrates, elongated cells can co-align due to steric effects, forming ordered but randomly oriented finite-size domains. However, we have discovered that flat substrates with nematic order can induce global nematic alignment of dense, spindle-like cells, thereby influencing cell organization and collective motion and driving alignment on the scale of the entire tissue. Remarkably, single cells are not sensitive to the substrate’s anisotropy. Rather, the emergence of global nematic order is a collective phenomenon that requires both steric effects and molecular-scale anisotropy of the substrate. To quantify the rich set of behaviours afforded by this system, we analyse velocity, positional and orientational correlations for several thousand cells over days. The establishment of global order is facilitated by enhanced cell division along the substrate’s nematic axis, and associated extensile stresses that restructure the cells’ actomyosin networks. Our work provides a new understanding of the dynamics of cellular remodelling and organization among weakly interacting cells.

PMID:37403487 | DOI:10.1098/rsif.2023.0160

Urologia. 2023 Jul 4:3915603231178392. doi: 10.1177/03915603231178392. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Perineal urethrostomy and urethroplasty are very good options for complex and long anterior urethral strictures. A perineal urethroplasty is usually a neglected option. To our knowledge, a comparative study between augmentation urethroplasty and perineal urethrostomy has been not conducted regarding subjective and patient reported outcome measures. We compared both these groups in a high volume tertiary care hospital.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective comparative study of augmentation urethroplasty and perineal urethroplasty for long anterior urethral stricture. it was defined by strictures of more than 3 cm. We compared demographic data, urinary and sexual function; and quality of life using validated PROMs (patient-reported outcome measures) between both above groups.

RESULTS: Both groups had 40 patients each. IPSS score improvement for PU and AUP were 20 and 19.6, respectively(p = 0.1223); IIEF-5 score improvement for PU and AUP at baseline and after 6 months were 14.3 and 16.7, respectively(p = 0.1433); QOL score improvement for PU and AUP were 3.45 and 3.05, respectively; which was statistically significant (p ⩽ 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: Perineal urethrostomy is a good but neglected option for complex and long anterior urethral strictures and it should be considered one of the reliable treatment option for patients with long-segment urethral strictures.

PMID:37403482 | DOI:10.1177/03915603231178392

Nutr Health. 2023 Jul 4:2601060231186847. doi: 10.1177/02601060231186847. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: This study investigates the effect of a nutrition program applied to patients as per bariatric surgery protocol at the sixth month postoperative. The study also compares and contrasts the postoperative findings with preoperative data.

METHODS: Twenty severely obese sleeve gastrectomy patients between the ages of 18-65 participated in the study. Energy requirements were calculated as 22 kcal/ideal body weight (kg/day) and protein requirements as 1.5 g/ideal body weight (kg/day). The study evaluates patients’ anthropometric and biochemical measurements, body mass index, waist circumference, fat mass (%), weight loss (%), excess weight loss (%), comorbids, and dietary habits at the third and sixth months preoperative and postoperative. Patients’ daily macro-micronutrient intake was also calculated. The Friedman Test and Cochran’s Q test were performed to determine statistically significant data (p < 0.05).

RESULTS: During the first 6 months postoperative, patients lost 34 kg of weight and 16.7% of fat mass, and their percent excess weight loss was measured at 60.2% (<0.0001). Biochemical measurements of the patients revealed that fasting blood glucose, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, total cholesterol, triglyceride, and calcium levels, which were above the reference range in the preoperative period, were within this range in the postoperative period (<0.0001). Thirteen out of 21 comorbidities, including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, pulmonary problems, and sleep apnea, improved at different rates in the sixth month postoperative.

CONCLUSIONS: Thanks to the nutrition program applied as per bariatric surgery protocol, patients lost weight, and their biochemical measurements and comorbids have improved following sleeve gastrectomy.

PMID:37403480 | DOI:10.1177/02601060231186847

Int J Soc Determinants Health Health Serv. 2023 Jul 4:27551938231185948. doi: 10.1177/27551938231185948. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

It is well-established that mental health follows similar patterns across generations. However, little is known how structural factors, such as those related to social security reforms, may impact this relationship. Our aim was to quantify the strength of association in mental health between parents and their adolescent children, and to explore how much of this correlation is explained by decreases in benefits. We used data from U.K. Household Longitudinal Study (2009-2019) from which we matched youth data to their parents, and split the sample into single- and dual-parent households. To estimate the intergenerational correlations, we estimated a series of unit- and rank-based regression models of standardized and time-averaged mental health measures for adolescents and their parents. Our findings suggest that there are statistically significant intergenerational associations in mental health between parents and children for both single- and dual-parent households, with the relationship being stronger for single-mother households. Benefit losses explain a small proportion of this association, for both single-mother and dual-parent households. Nevertheless, they are negatively associated with the mental health of adolescents in dual-parent households-independently of both adolescent and parental characteristics. Such negative effects should be considered when designing and evaluating future social security benefit policies.

PMID:37403462 | DOI:10.1177/27551938231185948