This study aims at investigating the effects of MSW incinerator fly ash (FA) and bottom ash (BA) on the anaerobic co-digestion of OFMSW with FA or BA. It also simulates the biogas production from ...various dosed and control bioreactors. Results showed that suitable ashes addition (FA/MSW 10 and 20
g
L
−1 and BA/MSW 100
g
L
−1) could improve the MSW anaerobic digestion and enhance the biogas production rates. FA/MSW 20
g
L
−1 bioreactor had the higher biogas production and rate implying the potential option for MSW anaerobic co-digestion. Modeling studies showed that exponential plot simulated better for FA/MSW 10
g
L
−1 and control bioreactors while Gaussian plot was applicable for FA/MSW 20
g
L
−1 one. Linear and exponential plot of descending limb both simulated better for BA/MSW 100
g
L
−1 bioreactor. Modified Gompertz plot showed higher correlation of biogas accumulation than exponential rise to maximum plot for all bioreactors.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Summary Objective To evaluate the interaction of articular cartilage (AC) and subchondral bone (SB) through analysis of osteoarthritis (OA)-related genes of site-matched tissue. Design We developed a ...novel method for isolating site-matched overlying AC and underlying SB from three and four regions of interest respectively from the human knee tibial plateau ( n = 50). For each site, the severity of cartilage changes of OA were assessed histologically, and the severity of bone abnormalities were assessed by microcomputed tomography. An RNA isolation procedure was optimized that yielded high quality RNA from site-matched AC and SB tibial regions. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Q-PCR) analysis was performed to evaluate gene expression of 61 OA-associated genes for correlation with cartilage integrity and bone structure parameters. Results A total of 27 (44%) genes were coordinately up- or down-regulated in both tissues. The expression levels of 19 genes were statistically significantly correlated with the severity of AC degeneration and changes of SB structure; these included: ADAMTS1 , ASPN , BMP6 , BMPER , CCL2 , CCL8 , COL5A1 , COL6A3 , COL7A1 , COL16A1 , FRZB , GDF10 , MMP3 , OGN , OMD , POSTN , PTGES , TNFSF11 and WNT1. Conclusions These results provide a strategy for identifying targets whose modification may have the potential to ameliorate pathological alterations and progression of disease in both AC and SB simultaneously. In addition, this is the first study, to our knowledge, to overcome the major difficulties related to isolation of high quality RNA from site-matched joint tissues. We expect this method to facilitate advances in our understanding of the coordinated molecular responses of the whole joint organ.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
A 36‐year‐old woman who presented with upper limb distal weakness since the age of 15 years, with gradual progression to the lower limbs, is reported. Hereditary motor neuropathy was initially ...suspected based on distal weakness and hyporeflexia; however, whole exome sequencing accidentally revealed a compound heterozygous variant in the GNE gene, and ultrasound revealed increased homogeneous echogenicity in the involved muscles, which is characteristic of myopathic changes. Muscle magnetic resonance imaging revealed fatty infiltration in all limb muscles, sparing the triceps brachii, vastus lateralis and vastus medialis. Muscle biopsy revealed intracytoplasmic rimmed vacuole, supporting the diagnosis of GNE myopathy.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Background
In experimental early painful diabetic neuropathy, persistent hyperglycaemia induces dys‐regulated sodium channel (Navs) expression in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and activates ...microglia in the spinal dorsal horn (SDH). However, information on diabetes‐induced chronic neuropathic pain is limited. Therefore, we investigated abnormal Navs in the DRG and activated glial cells in the SDH of diabetic rats with chronic neuropathic pain.
Methods
Sixty‐six rats were divided into diabetic and control groups: control rats (n = 18; 1 mL of normal saline via the right femoral vein) and diabetic rats n = 48; 60 mg/kg streptozotocin (STZ) via the right femoral vein. Hindpaw behavioural tests, Navs expression in the DRG, activation of glial cells in the SDH and the number of neurons in the SDH were measured at 1 and 2 weeks, and 1, 2, 3 and 6 months following saline and STZ administration.
Results
All diabetic rats exhibited hyperglycaemia from day 7 to 6 months. The diabetic rats decreased withdrawal threshold to mechanical stimuli but had blunted responses to thermal stimuli. Consistent up‐regulation of Nav1.3 and down‐regulation of Nav1.8 was observed. Microglial cells were activated early in the SDH and lasted for 6 months. A positive correlation between mechanical allodynia, Nav1.3 and microglial activation was observed. In addition, microglia activation in the SDH of STZ‐induced diabetes was mediated, in part, by phosphorylation of p‐38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase.
Conclusions
Diabetic rats showed hindpaw mechanical allodynia for 6 months. Persistent mechanical allodynia was positively associated with sustained increased activation of Nav1.3 and increased p38 phosphorylation in activated microglia.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Summary
Background
The roles remain unclear of early on‐treatment quantitative serum HBsAg and hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA levels in the prediction of a sustained response (SR) to peginterferon ...alfa‐2a therapy in HBeAg‐negative chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients infected with genotype B or C.
Aims
To determine their roles in HBeAg‐negative CHB patients infected with genotype B or C.
Methods
Sixty‐one patients were treated with peginterferon alfa‐2a for 48 weeks. Serum HBsAg levels were quantified using the Abbott Architect HBsAg QT assay throughout treatment. Multiple regression analyses were performed to identify independent predictors of SR.
Results
Nineteen patients (31%) achieved SR with serum HBV DNA levels <312 copies/mL at 24 weeks post‐treatment. Serum HBsAg levels at 12 (OR 31.9; 95% CI 4.8–209.6; P = 0.0003) and 24 weeks of therapy (OR 8.8; 95% CI 2.0–38.0; P = 0.0035), and HBV DNA levels at baseline (OR 7.0; 95% CI 1.3–36.2; P = 0.0203), 12 (OR 7.9; 95% CI 1.2–48.4; P = 0.0249) and 24 weeks of therapy (OR 22.3; 95% CI 2.2–224.0; P = 0.0083) were early independent predictors of SR. A serum HBsAg cut‐off of 150 IU/mL at week 12 had an AUC, sensitivity, specificity and positive and negative predictive values of 0.75, 63%, 95%, 86% and 85% with respect to predicting SR respectively.
Conclusions
A quantitative serum HBsAg level at 12 weeks of therapy can be used for the early prediction of SR to peginterferon therapy in HBeAg‐negative CHB patients infected with genotype B or C.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Polymorphisms in CYP2C9 and VKORC1 have been shown to be associated with warfarin dose requirements and could be used to predict warfarin dose. We conducted a prospective study in which warfarin dose ...was prescribed based on CYP2C9 and VKORC1 polymorphisms in 108 Han‐Chinese patients without prior warfarin treatments. Using the genotype‐based dosing, 83% of patients reached stable, therapeutic international normalized ratio (INR) within 2 weeks of treatment initiation and none of the patients developed clinical bleeding or thromboembolic event. Ten percent (11) of patients with INR >4 and no clinical bleeding were detected during this study. At 12 weeks, 69% of the patients' maintenance doses matched the prediction. Dosing algorithms incorporating genetic factors, age, and body surface area were developed, which could explain up to 62% of the total variation (R2 of 0.62). This study demonstrated that pharmacogenetics‐based dosing could improve time to stable, therapeutic INR, reduce adverse events, and achieve high sensitivity.
Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2008); 84, 1, 83–89 doi:10.1038/sj.clpt.6100453
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Context. Complex organic molecules (COMs) have been detected ubiquitously in protostellar systems. However, at shorter wavelengths (~0.8 mm), it is generally more difficult to detect larger molecules ...than at longer wavelengths (~3 mm) because of the increase in millimeter dust opacity, line confusion, and unfavorable partition function. Aims. We aim to search for large molecules (more than eight atoms) in the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) Band 3 spectrum of IRAS 16293-2422 B. In particular, the goal is to quantify the usability of ALMA Band 3 for molecular line surveys in comparison to similar studies at shorter wavelengths. Methods. We used deep ALMA Band 3 observations of IRAS 16293-2422 B to search for more than 70 molecules and identified as many lines as possible in the spectrum. The spectral settings were set to specifically target three-carbon species such as i- and n-propanol and glycerol, the next step after glycolaldehyde and ethylene glycol in the hydrogenation of CO. We then derived the column densities and excitation temperatures of the detected species and compared the ratios with respect to methanol between Band 3 (~3 mm) and Band 7 (~1 mm, Protostellar Interferometric Line Survey) observations of this source to examine the effect of the dust optical depth. Results. We identified lines of 31 molecules including many oxygen-bearing COMs such as CH 3 OH, CH 2 OHCHO, CH 3 CH 2 OH, and c-C 2 H 4 O and a few nitrogen- and sulfur-bearing ones such as HOCH 2 CN and CH 3 SH. The largest detected molecules are gGg-(CH 2 OH) 2 and CH 3 COCH 3 . We did not detect glycerol or i- and n-propanol, but we do provide upper limits for them which are in line with previous laboratory and observational studies. The line density in Band 3 is only ~2.5 times lower in frequency space than in Band 7. From the detected lines in Band 3 at a ≳ 6σ level, ~25–30% of them could not be identified indicating the need for more laboratory data of rotational spectra. We find similar column densities and column density ratios of COMs (within a factor ~2) between Band 3 and Band 7. Conclusions. The effect of the dust optical depth for IRAS 16293-2422 B at an off-source location on column densities and column density ratios is minimal. Moreover, for warm protostars, long wavelength spectra (~3 mm) are not only crowded and complex, but they also take significantly longer integration times than shorter wavelength observations (~0.8 mm) to reach the same sensitivity limit. The 3 mm search has not yet resulted in the detection of larger and more complex molecules in warm sources. A full deep ALMA Band 2–3 (i.e., ~3–4 mm wavelengths) survey is needed to assess whether low frequency data have the potential to reveal more complex molecules in warm sources.
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FMFMET, NUK, UL, UM, UPUK
The anomalous Nernst effect (ANE) is one of the most important mechanisms to explore the anomalous Hall heat current in ferromagnets. In this work, we studied the ANE in various ferromagnetic ...materials with in-plane anisotropy. Surprisingly, we show that the thickness dependence of the ANE on the magnitude and sign is nontrivial, even in conventional ferromagnetic metals (FMs), including Fe, Co, Ni, and Py (Ni80Fe20). While the sign of the ANE of Fe is opposite to that of Co, Ni, and Py in thicker films, it can even be reversed via decreasing thickness. Most importantly, the anomalous Nernst angles θANE for these FMs show a unified behavior. They can be significantly enhanced by up to one order of magnitude in ultrathin films. By systematically studying the thickness dependence of the electrical and thermal transport properties, we show that the enhanced ANE of FMs is dominated by spin-orbit coupling through the intrinsic and side-jump mechanisms.
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CMK, CTK, FMFMET, IJS, NUK, PNG, UM
Summary
The occurrence of osteoporosis in tuberculosis, a chronic infection, has rarely been evaluated. In this study, we found significantly higher incidence rates of osteoporosis (Adjusted hazard ...ratio (AHR) 1.82) and osteoporotic fracture (AHR 2.33) in tuberculosis patients than matched cohorts, which suggest that osteoporosis screening should be considered in tuberculosis patients’ follow-up program. The aim of this study is to determine the occurrence of incident osteoporosis in patients who completed anti-tuberculosis (TB) treatment.
Introduction
Chronic inflammatory disorders are associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis. Although TB is an infectious disease characterized by systemic inflammatory responses, the impact of active TB on incident osteoporosis is unclear. We used the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database to investigate the association between history of active TB and incident osteoporosis and osteoporotic fracture.
Methods
In this nationwide retrospective cohort study, active TB patients and their age- and sex-matched controls were identified from the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan during 2000–2012. The occurrence of incident osteoporosis, osteoporotic fractures, and risk factors associated with osteoporosis among TB patients and matched controls were analyzed.
Results
We observed incident osteoporosis in 2.2% (
n
= 86) of the TB patients and in 1.1% (
n
= 162) of the matched controls. The incidence rate of osteoporosis was 4.31 and 1.80 per 1000 person-years, which was significantly higher in TB patients (
p
< 0.001). In multivariate analysis, TB was an independent risk factor for osteoporosis. The other independent factors associated with osteoporosis were older age, female sex, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, and lower income. Moreover, we demonstrated that the occurrence of osteoporotic fracture was significantly higher in TB patients.
Conclusions
Patients with a history of active TB have a higher incidence rate of osteoporosis and osteoporotic fracture.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OBVAL, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
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