Hypoxia induces proinflammatory cytokines production in alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency patients

2021

Introduction: Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) is a rare respiratory condition characterized by abnormal inflammation, where neutrophils play a key role. Excessive neutrophil activation leads to an increase in the oxygen (O2) intake, causing local hypoxia and increased tissue-injury capacity. Tissue hypoxia is part of the inflammatory process so neutrophils can function effectively under these conditions. However, the mechanisms by which neutrophils mediate tissue damage under hypoxia remain unclear. The study aimed to determine whether hypoxia modifies the cytokine profile in AATD patients. Methods: Neutrophils from 22 AATD patients (6 MZ; 9 SZ; 7 ZZ) and 7 controls (MM) were exposed …

Towards a critical understanding of data visualisation in democracy: a deliberative systems approach

2021

Data and data visualisations – in the forms of graphs, charts and maps – are becoming an increasingly important feature of social, public and political life. Yet within existing scholarship, the democratic significance of data visualisations has thus far received minimal attention. This article offers a first systematic attempt to make sense of and scrutinise the role of data visualisation in democracy. We apply deliberative systems theory in the analysis of three original case studies to elucidate how data visualisation can integrate into the overall anatomy of democracy, and to normatively assess how data visualisation contributes towards key democratic ideals. Conclusively, we highlight …

Continuous-Flow Synthesis of Orange Emitting Sn(II)-Doped CsBr Materials

2021

An ongoing demand toward lead-free all-inorganic cesium metal halide perovskites has presented Sn(II) as an ideal substitute of Pb(II) for applications in optoelectronic devices. The major concern regarding Sn(II) is the instability due to the ambient oxidation to Sn(IV). To expand the scope of traditional perovskite and analogues, herein the synthesis and optical performance of Sn(II)-doped CsBr, a new material formed by interstitial doping of Sn(II) into the CsBr matrix, are reported for the first time. This material is prepared following an antisolvent mediated recrystallization method using a continuous flow reactor, which is beneficial for scaling up the production compared to traditio…

Positive airway pressure level based upper airway collapsibility classification - the European Sleep Apnea Database (ESADA)

2021

Background and objectives: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients with mild upper airway collapsibility represents a target group for potential non-positive airway pressure (PAP) treatment. We studied the clinical characteristics of this endotypic group in a large Pan-European sleep apnea registry. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed in 2541 OSA patients with fixed PAP treatment (male 74%, age 53±11 years, body mass index [BMI] 33±6 kg/m2, apnea-hypopnea index [AHI] 41±25 events/h at baseline). Therapeutic PAP level ≤8 cm H2O was used as the cut-off to classify patients with mild upper airway collapsibility (Landry SA et al. Sleep 2017; 40:6). Results: Mean pressure of the PAP t…

Noise Figures of Merit of rf-SQUID-based Josephson Travelling Wave Parametric Amplifiers

2021

The characterization of the rf-SQUID-based JTWPA in terms of its noise figure and gain for different input states (Fock states or Coherent states) has been carried out. The spectral distribution of the noise temperature Tn and gain G presents a region where the amplifier has a relatively high gain with a thermal noise that can go beyond the standard quantum limit =ℏ/2 (valid only for single mode input states [44]) as shown in Fig. 3. The TWJPA is here biased in its 3WM regime and pumped at p = 12 GHz.

WebGIS Implementation for Dynamic Mapping and Visualization of Coastal Geospatial Data: A Case Study of BESS Project

2021

Within an E.U.-funded project, BESS (Pocket Beach Management and Remote Surveillance System), the notion of a geographic information system is an indispensable tool for managing the dynamics of georeferenced data and information for any form of territorial planning. This notion was further explored with the creation of a WebGIS portal that will allow local and regional stakeholders/authorities obtain an easy remote access tool to monitor the status of pocket beaches (PB) in the Maltese Archipelago and Sicily. In this paper, we provide a methodological approach for the implementation of a WebGIS necessary for very detailed dynamic mapping and visualization of geospatial coastal data

Miscele di k-carragenina e PVA come bio-inchiostri per stampa 3D di scaffold per la ricostruzione della cartilagine

2021

Introduzione La k-carragenina (kC) è un poligalattano solfato ottenuto da alghe rosse con un contenuto di estere-solfato dal 25 al 30% e una peso molecolare medio ben superiore a 100 kDa. È formato da unità alternate di D-galattosio e 3,6-anidro-galattosio (3,6-AG) unite da legami α-1,3 e β-1,4-glicosidici. [1] Il kC assomiglia ai glicosaminoglicani (GAG) che sono i costituenti centrali dei tessuti connettivi, può essere quindi studiato per produrre scaffold per l'ingegneria tissutale. Il kC è solubile in acqua a temperature superiori a 60 °C e può formare gel stabili raffreddandosi. Le reti di kC sono forti, fragili e l'assenza di porosità interconnesse può limitare la colonizzazione dell'…

Relationship status and respiratory diseases: an analysis on a general population sample

2021

Background: Very few studies have examined whether marital/relationship status affects respiratory diseases. Objective: Assess the association of relationship status (Rstatus: domestic partnership/civil union/marriage, cohabitation with non-partners, being single) with current (CA) and past asthma (PA), allergic (AR) and non-allergic rhinitis (NAR), and chronic bronchitis (CB). Methods: Data were collected in the frame of GEIRD, a population-based, multicase-control survey. Among 2531 subjects (age 21–86, female 50%) who underwent standardized interviews, skin prick and lung function tests, 575 cases of CA, 268 cases of PA, 968 cases of AR, 462 cases of NAR, 265 cases of CB without airflow …

A questionnaire to measure the extra-pulmonary symptoms of asthma

2021

Background: Research into the effects of asthma treatments on the extra-pulmonary symptoms of severe asthma is limited by the absence of a suitable questionnaire. The aim was to create a questionnaire suitable for intervention studies by selecting symptoms that are statistically associated with asthma pathology and therefore may improve when pathology is reduced. Methods: Patients attending a specialist asthma clinic completed the 65-item General Symptom Questionnaire (GSQ-65), a questionnaire validated for assessing symptoms of people with functional disorders. Lung function (FEV1%) and cumulative oral corticosteroids (OCS) calculated from maintenance dose plus exacerbations were obtained …

Nanostructure Formation on ZnSe Crystal Surface by Electrochemical Etching

2021

The article describes a simple method for nanostructuring the surface of monocrystalline zinc selenide. It is shown that the traditional electrochemical etching of n-ZnSe (111) samples in a concentrated solution of nitric acid leads to the appearance of massive etching pits and small pores on the surface. The dynamics of the process and stages of crystal dissolution has been studied. It is assumed that the porous zinc selenide obtained in this way can be used in optoelectronic structures, as well as as buffer layers for growing zinc oxide.

Electrochemical sensor for evaluating oxidative stress in airway epithelial cells

2021

Cigarette smoke exposure induces oxidative stress within the airways. Increased oxidative burden contributes to the pathogenesis of chronic lung disorders and is associated with aging and chronic inflammation. Airway epithelial cells highly contribute to Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) generation within injured and inflamed lung tissues. Among ROS, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) can be monitored in the extracellular space. Herein, we present an amperometric/voltammetric sensor based on gold nanoparticles and graphene oxide able to detect H2O2 with good sensitivity and selectivity. Using this sensor, H2O2 release was measured in conditioned medium from primary bronchial epithelial cells (PBEC), bron…

Heritage tourism: from problems to possibilities

2021

Heritage tourism is, at least for anthropologists, a conception very hard to define, if not operationalize. In Heritage Tourism: From Problems to Possibilities, Yujie Zhu critically explores the co...

Late Breaking Abstract - Relationship between clinical features and mortality in a cohort of COPD patients

2021

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive disease with poor outcomes, including a high mortality. GULP is a multicenter Italian study that described clinical characteristics, exacerbation rates and survival of a cohort of COPD patients, as part of AstraZeneca’s AvoidEX program. Aims and objectives: To evaluate whether the clinical profile of subjects enrolled in the GULP study predicts mortality on a period of 3 years. Methods: Post-hoc analysis of an observational, multicenter, retrospective study. Patients were stratified according to survival status: alive (A) and dead (D). Clinical characteristics, comorbidities and exacerbation rates were reported in the…

Social Darwinism, the British Labour Party, and the First World War

2021

This article investigates whether the doctrine of social Darwinism had any bearing on the Labour Party’s decision to support Britain’s participation in the First World War. Many socialist intellect...

In-Cylinder Heat Transfer Determination Using Impulse Response Method with a Two-Dimensional Characterization of the Eroding Surface Thermocouple

2021

Heat transfer from the cylinder of internal combustion engines has been studied for decades, both in motored and fired configurations. Its understanding remains fundamental to the optimization of engine structures and sub-systems due to its direct effect on reliability, thermal efficiency and gaseous emissions. Experimental measurements are usually conducted using fast response surface thermometers, which give the instantaneous cylinder surface temperature. The transient component of heat flux through the cylinder wall was traditionally obtained from a spectral analysis of the surface temperature fluctuation, whereas the steady-state component was obtained from Fourier's law of conduction. …

Induced Dipoles and Possible Modulation of Wireless Effects in Implanted Electrodes. Effects of Implanting Insulated Electrodes on an Animal Test to …

2021

There is evidence that Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) produces health benefits in patients even before initiating stimulation. Furthermore, DBS electrode insertion in rat infralimbic cortex (ILC) provokes antidepressant-like effects before stimulation, due to local inflammation and astrogliosis. Consequently, a significant effect of implanting electrodes is suspected. External fields, similar in magnitude to the brain’s endogenous fields, induce electric dipoles in conducting materials, in turn influencing neural cell growth through wireless effects. To elucidate if such dipoles influence depressive-like behavior, without external stimulation, the comparative effect of conducting and insulate…

Air pollution, residential greenness and metabolic dysfunction during early pregnancy in the infancia y medio ambiente (Inma) cohort

2021

Despite extensive study, the role of air pollution in gestational diabetes remains unclear, and there is limited evidence of the beneficial impact of residential greenness on metabolic dysfunction during pregnancy. We used data from mothers in the Spanish INfancia y Medio Ambiente (INMA) Project from 2003–2008. We obtained spatiotemporally resolved estimates of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) exposures in early pregnancy and estimated residential greenness using satellite-based Normal Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) within 100, 300 and 500 m buffers surrounding the mother’s residence. We applied logistic regression models to evaluate associations between each o…

Prognostic importance of DNA from human papillomavirus in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma.

2021

Survival of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is generally low, with the likelihood of locoregional recurrence or disease progression (LR/DP). Knowledge of prognostic factors for survival is key to achieving an understanding and increased survival. The present study aimed to identify prognostic factors for patients with OSCC, especially the presence of DNA from human papillomavirus (HPV). Retrospective cohort study including 119 patients with OSCC treated at the National Cancer Institute in Mexico City (2009-2013). Clinical information was obtained from patient records including LR/DP. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues were obtained and used for detecting DNA from di…

Global, regional, and national progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 for neonatal and child health: all-cause and cause-specific mortalit…

2021

Background: Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 has targeted elimination of preventable child mortality, reduction of neonatal death to less than 12 per 1000 livebirths, and reduction of death of children younger than 5 years to less than 25 per 1000 livebirths, for each country by 2030. To understand current rates, recent trends, and potential trajectories of child mortality for the next decade, we present the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 findings for all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality in children younger than 5 years of age, with multiple scenarios for child mortality in 2030 that include the consideration of potential effects of COVID-…

Activity overlap between mesocarnivores and prey in the Central Mongolian steppe

2021

Research on the ecology and behaviour of mesocarnivores and their prey is scant in Mongolia. We investigated activity patterns of a guild of mesocarnivores (red fox, Pallas's cat and beech marten) and their prey (Siberian marmot, Daurian pika, Brandt vole, Mongolian gerbil and Mongolian silver vole) using 21 camera traps (effort = 1155 camera days) in Central Mongolia from 25st of May to 20th August 2019. Activity patterns of mesocarnivores were cathemeral (i.e. no difference between diurnal, nocturnal and crepuscular detections, although activity peaked at sunrise). Among prey, the Siberian marmot and the Daurian pika were diurnal, whereas the Mongolian gerbil and the Mongolian silver vole…

Binge-like alcohol exposure in adolescence: behavioural, neuroendocrine and molecular evidence of abnormal neuroplasticity … and return

2021

Binge alcohol consumption among adolescents affects the developing neural networks underpinning reward and stress processing in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). This study explores in rats the long-lasting effects of early intermittent exposure to intoxicating alcohol levels at adolescence, on: (1) the response to natural positive stimuli and inescapable stress

Characterization of the Differential Pathogenicity of Candida auris in a Galleria mellonella Infection Model

2021

ABSTRACT Candida auris is an emergent multidrug-resistant fungal pathogen considered a severe global threat due to its capacity to cause nosocomial outbreaks and deep-seated infections with high transmissibility and mortality. However, evidence on its pathogenicity and the complex host-pathogen interactions is still limited. This study used the in vivo invertebrate model in Galleria mellonella to assess its virulence, exploring the mortality kinetics, melanization response, and morphological changes after fungal infection compared to Candida albicans and Candida parapsilosis, with known high and low pathogenicity, respectively. All C. auris isolates presented less virulence than C. albicans…

The Link Between Standardization and Economic Growth: A Bibliometric Analysis

2021

We analyze the link between standardization and economic growth by systematically reviewing leading economics journals, leading economic growth researchers’ articles, and economic growth-related books. We make the following observations: 1) No article has analyzed the link between standardization and economic growth in top5 economics journals between 1996 and 2018. 2) A representative sample of the leading researchers of economic growth has allocated little attention to the link between standardization and economic growth. 3) Typically, economic growth textbooks do not contain “standards” or “standardization” in their word indexes. These findings suggest that the economic growth theory has …

Emma Brockes ja Megan Rapinoe, Yksi elämä. Megan Rapinoen tarina

2021

Selective Transformation of Norbornadiene into Functionalized Azaheterocycles and β‐Amino Esters with Stereo‐ and Regiocontrol

2021

Novel functionalized azaheterocycles with multiple chiral centers have been accessed from readily available norbornene β-amino acids or β-lactams across a stereocontrolled synthetic route, based on ring-opening metathesis (ROM) of the staring unsaturated bicyclic amino esters, followed by selective cyclization through ring-closing metathesis (RCM). The RCM transformations have been studied under various experimental conditions to assess the scope of conversion, catalyst, yield, and substrate influence. The structure of the starting norbornene β-amino acids predetermined the structure of the new azaheterocycles, and the developed synthetic route took place with the conservation of the config…

Concordance and survival implications of preoperative subclassification of T3 rectal cancers by depth of mesorectal invasion using a 5-mm cut-off poi…

2021

BACKGROUND: Validated rectal cancer staging groups T3 tumours in a single stage and depth of mesorectal invasion subclassification is not standard practice. Our aim is to report concordance between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and endorectal ultrasound (ERUS) for preoperative staging of T3 rectal tumours using a 5-mm cut-off point and possible survival implications. METHODS: Prospective cohort study including patients staged preoperatively as cT3 by ERUS or magnetic resonance imaging. The maximum depth of penetration beyond the outer longitudinal muscle layer was measured according to a 5-mm cut-off point. Concordance rate and Kappa coefficient were calculated for both techniques. Prima…

Bridging rigidity and flexibility : modulation of supramolecular hydrogels by metal complexation

2021

The combination of complementary, noncovalent interactions is a key principle for the design of multistimuli responsive hydrogels. In this work, an amphiphilic peptide, supramacromolecular hydrogelator which combines metal-ligand coordination induced gelation and thermoresponsive toughening is reported. Following a modular approach, the incorporation of the triphenylalanine sequence FFF into a structural (C3EG ) and a terpyridine-functionalized (C3Tpy ) C3 -symmetric monomer enables their statistical copolymerization into self-assembled, 1D nanorods in water, as investigated by circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In the presence of a terpyridine …

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2021

BACKGROUND Postoperative air leaks are a common complication after lung surgery. They are associated with prolonged hospital stay, increased postoperative pain and treatment costs. The treatment of prolonged air leaks remains controversial. Several treatments have been proposed including different types of sealants, chemical pleurodesis, or early surgical intervention. The aim of this review was to analyze the impact of autologous blood pleurodesis in a systematic way. METHODS A systematic review of the literature was conducted until July 2020. Studies with more than five adult patients undergoing lung resections were included. Studies in patients receiving blood pleurodesis for pneumothora…

Translational value of choroid plexus imaging for tracking neuroinflammation in mice and humans.

2021

Neuroinflammation is a pathophysiological hallmark of multiple sclerosis and has a close mechanistic link to neurodegeneration. Although this link is potentially targetable, robust translatable models to reliably quantify and track neuroinflammation in both mice and humans are lacking. The choroid plexus (ChP) plays a pivotal role in regulating the trafficking of immune cells from the brain parenchyma into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and has recently attracted attention as a key structure in the initiation of inflammatory brain responses. In a translational framework, we here address the integrity and multidimensional characteristics of the ChP under inflammatory conditions and question w…

Loneliness Mediates the Relationship Between Early Life Stress and Perceived Stress but not Hypothalamic–Pituitary–Adrenal Axis Functioning

2021

Many authors have proposed that early life stress (ELS) provokes a dysregulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and contributes negatively to the management of stress in adulthood. However, these associations have not always been observed, making it necessary to include new factors that could explain the different results found. In this regard, people with ELS experiences report less social support during adulthood, suggesting that loneliness could be a mediating factor. Thus, our aims were to investigate whether ELS was related to both perceived stress and diurnal HPA axis activity, and whether loneliness mediates these relationships, in a community sample (N=187, 18–55ye…

Some families of big and stable bundles on $K3$ surfaces and on their Hilbert schemes of points

2021

Here we investigate meaningful families of vector bundles on a very general polarized $K3$ surface $(X,H)$ and on the corresponding Hyper--Kaehler variety given by the Hilbert scheme of points $X^{[k]}:= {\rm Hilb}^k(X)$, for any integer $k \geqslant 2$. In particular, we prove results concerning bigness and stability of such bundles. First, we give conditions on integers $n$ such that the twist of the tangent bundle of $X$ by the line bundle $nH$ is big and stable on~$X$; we then prove a similar result for a natural twist of the tangent bundle of $X^{[k]}$. Next, we prove global generation, bigness and stability results for tautological bundles on $X^{[k]}$ arising either from line bundles…

Comparing Boosting and Bagging for Decision Trees of Rankings

2021

AbstractDecision tree learning is among the most popular and most traditional families of machine learning algorithms. While these techniques excel in being quite intuitive and interpretable, they also suffer from instability: small perturbations in the training data may result in big changes in the predictions. The so-called ensemble methods combine the output of multiple trees, which makes the decision more reliable and stable. They have been primarily applied to numeric prediction problems and to classification tasks. In the last years, some attempts to extend the ensemble methods to ordinal data can be found in the literature, but no concrete methodology has been provided for preference…

Constant potential rate theory – general formulation and electrocatalysis

2021

The evolution of emotional and behavioural problems of children in residential care in Spain: A longitudinal study

2021

Frailty Assessment in a Stable COPD Cohort: Is There a COPD-Frail Phenotype?

2021

The frailty syndrome increases the morbidity/mortality in older adults, and several studies have shown a higher prevalence of this syndrome in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). The aim of this study was to identify the characteristics of frail patients with COPD to define a new phenotype called "COPD-frail." We conducted a cross-sectional study in a cohort of patients with stable COPD, classified as either frail, pre-frail, or non-frail. Sociodemographic, clinical, and biochemical variables were compared between the three groups of patients. The study included 127 patients, of which 31 were frail, 64 were pre-frail, and 32 non-frail. All subjects had FEV1/FVC below…

La rendición de cuentas y responsabilidad social en los gobiernos centrales: Alianza del Pacífico

2021

Este artículo tiene como objetivo describir la información que divulgan los gobiernos centrales de los países de la Alianza del Pacifico (AP), y los roles que estos asumieron en la promoción de la Responsabilidad Social (RS) mediante los informes de rendición de cuentas que fueron presentados por los presidentes de gobierno en el año 2017. El estudio se realizó mediante la técnica de análisis de contenido, utilizando como criterio de clasificación las categorías y los aspectos definidos en las guías para la presentación de informes de sostenibilidad del Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) relacionados con el sector público. Se concluye que los gobiernos centrales divulgan información relacion…