Cortisol has been identified as a biomarker in saliva to monitor psychological stress. In this work, we report a label-free paper-based electrical biosensor chip to quantify salivary cortisol at a ...point-of-care (POC) level. A high specificity of the sensor chip to detect cortisol with a detection limit of 3 pg/mL was achieved by conjugating anticortisol antibody (anti-CAB) on top of gold (Au) microelectrodes using 3,3′-dithiodipropionic acid di(N-hydroxysuccinimide ester (DTSP) as a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) agent. The electrode design utilized poly(styrene)-block-poly(acrylic acid) (PS67-b-PAA27) polymer and graphene nanoplatelets (GP) suspension coated on filter paper to increase the sensitivity of the immune response. A biosensor chip was then integrated with a lab-built low-cost miniaturized printed circuit board (PCB) to provide an electrical connection and to wirelessly transmit/receive electrical signals using MATLAB. This fully integrated proposed hand-held device successfully exhibited a wide cortisol-detection range from 3 pg/mL to 10 μg/mL, with a sensitivity of 50 Ω (pg mL–1)−1. The performance of the proposed cortisol sensor chip was validated using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique with a regression value of 0.9951. The advantages of the newly developed cortisol immune biosensor over previously reported chips include an improved limit of detection, no need for additional redox medium for electron exchange, faster response to achieve stable data, excellent shelf life, and its economical production.
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IJS, KILJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM
2.
Isolated Spinal Cord Neurocysticercosis Kus, Joseph; Panah, Elnaz; Rosenblum, Jordan ...
Journal of radiology case reports,
10/2022, Volume:
16, Issue:
10
Journal Article
Open access
The incidence of neurocysticercosis is increasing in the US. The diagnosis is primarily made based on imaging findings, with clinical presentation and epidemiological exposure also playing a role. ...The differential diagnosis for neurocysticercosis (NCC) is extensive, and being able to differentiate between these conditions on imaging is crucial to making a proper diagnosis. Herein we present a case of a 37-year-old female who presented with lower extremity weakness and was found to have isolated spinal NCC. In this article, we will discuss the symptoms and imaging findings of neurocysticercosis to help guide diagnosis and management.
Colonoscopy is the most sensitive and specific test for detecting colon cancer and is a common procedure performed in over 19 million people annually in the United States as of 2017. Though the ...incidence of complications from colonoscopy is low, there are several important complications that may require surgical intervention including bowel perforation, bleeding, splenic injury, and diverticulitis. Post-polypectomy coagulation syndrome (PPCS) is an uncommon complication of colonoscopy however, clinical presentation mimics bowel perforation and the differentiation between the two is vital as the management differs. Herein we present a case of a 43-year-old female with abdominal pain after undergoing colonoscopy and developed PPCS.
•Post-polypectomy coagulation syndrome is a rare complication following colon polypectomy using electrocauterization.•Patients with abdominal pain after colonoscopy should be evaluated with cross-sectional imaging to rule out perforation.•Focal mural wall thickening with surrounding fat infiltration and absence of extraluminal air are imaging hallmarks of PPCS.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Patients with percutaneous coronary intervention generally receive either bare metal stents or drug‐eluting stents to restore the normal blood flow. However, due to the lack of stent production with ...an individual patient in mind, the same level of effectiveness may not be possible in treating two different clinical scenarios. This study introduces for the first time the feasibility of a patient‐specific stenting process constructed from direct 3D segmentation of medical images using direct 3D printing of biodegradable polymer–graphene composite with dual drug incorporation. A biodegradable polymer–carbon composite is prepared doped with graphene nanoplatelets to achieve controlled release of combinatorics as anticoagulation and antirestenosis agents. This study develops a technology prototyped for personalized stenting. An in silico analysis is performed to optimize the stent design for printing and its prediction of sustainability under force exerted by coronary artery or blood flow. A holistic approach covering in silico to in situ–in vivo establishes the structural integrity of the polymer composite, its mechanical properties, drug loading and release control, prototyping, functional activity, safety, and feasibility of placement in coronary artery of swine.
The feasibility of a patient‐specific stenting process constructed from computed tomographic images is introduced. A biodegradable polymer–carbon composite is prepared, doped with graphene nanoplatelets to achieve controlled release of combinatorics as anticoagulation and antirestenosis agents. A technology prototyped for personalized stenting is developed.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
A novel strategy for efficient “nanodelivery” of DNA-cleaving molecules for breast cancer regression is presented here. The synthetic methodology can be tweaked for controlled delivery and better ...bioavailability of effective doses of these DNA-cleaving agents through a defined self-assembled polymeric nanoarchitecture. In vitro studies in ER+ and ER- breast cancer human cell lines confirmed an efficient “nano”-delivery of DNA-cleaving molecules and indicated their capability to mediate oxidative damage to nucleobases and/or to the 2-deoxyribose moiety. Prepared E-poly-DNA-cleaver and C-poly-DNA-cleaver were found to be interacting with plasmid DNA pBR322 (pDNA) and active to cause oxidative cleavage of pDNA in the presence of ascorbic acid and H2O2. They were found to be significantly active as DNA cleaving agents in vitro and showed highly improved cancer regression in MCF-7 and MD-MB231 cancer cells compared to small molecule DNA cleaver. Surface conjugated nanoparticles were found to be more effective than noncovalent encapsulation and the small molecule agent, whereas in all the cases RCM was significantly inactive toward DNA cleavage. Blood contact complement activation properties were evaluated to gauge their likelihood to promote acute toxicity following systemic administration. The complement activation analyses together with the blood smear study confirm the feasibility of using these poly-DNA-cleavers without risk of induced immune response.
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IJS, KILJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM
Aims
No consensus exists on the clinical value of tumour regression grading (TRG) systems for therapy effects of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) in oesophageal adenocarcinoma. Existing TRG ...systems lack standardization and reproducibility, and do not consider the morphological heterogeneity of tumour response. Therefore, we aim to identify morphological tumour regression patterns of oesophageal adenocarcinoma after nCRT and their association with survival.
Methods and results
Patients with oesophageal adenocarcinoma, who underwent nCRT followed by surgery and achieved a partial response to nCRT, were identified from two Dutch upper‐gastrointestinal (GI) centres (2005–18; test cohort). Resection specimens were scored for regression patterns by two independent observers according to a pre‐defined three‐step flowchart. The results were validated in an external cohort (2001–17). In total, 110 patients were included in the test cohort and 115 in the validation cohort. In the test cohort, two major regression patterns were identified: fragmentation (60%) and shrinkage (40%), with an excellent interobserver agreement (κ = 0.87). Here, patients with a fragmented pattern had a significantly higher pathological stage (stages III/IV: 52 versus 16%; P < 0.001), less downstaging (48 versus 91%; P < 0.001), a higher risk of recurrence risk ratio (RR) = 2.9, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.5–5.6 and poorer 5‐year overall survival (30 versus 80% respectively, P = 0.001).
Conclusions
The validation cohort confirmed these findings, although had more advanced cases (case‐stages = III/IV 91 versus 73%, P = 0.005) and a higher prevalence of fragmented‐pattern cases (80 versus 60%, P = 0.002). When combining the cohorts in multivariate analysis, the pattern of response was an independent prognostic factor hazard ratio (HR) = 1.76, 95% CI = 1.0–3.0. In conclusion, we established an externally validated, reproducible and clinically relevant classification of tumour response.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Molecular diagnostics are considered the most promising route to achievement of rapid, universal drug susceptibility testing for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC). We aimed to generate a ...WHO-endorsed catalogue of mutations to serve as a global standard for interpreting molecular information for drug resistance prediction.
In this systematic analysis, we used a candidate gene approach to identify mutations associated with resistance or consistent with susceptibility for 13 WHO-endorsed antituberculosis drugs. We collected existing worldwide MTBC whole-genome sequencing data and phenotypic data from academic groups and consortia, reference laboratories, public health organisations, and published literature. We categorised phenotypes as follows: methods and critical concentrations currently endorsed by WHO (category 1); critical concentrations previously endorsed by WHO for those methods (category 2); methods or critical concentrations not currently endorsed by WHO (category 3). For each mutation, we used a contingency table of binary phenotypes and presence or absence of the mutation to compute positive predictive value, and we used Fisher's exact tests to generate odds ratios and Benjamini-Hochberg corrected p values. Mutations were graded as associated with resistance if present in at least five isolates, if the odds ratio was more than 1 with a statistically significant corrected p value, and if the lower bound of the 95% CI on the positive predictive value for phenotypic resistance was greater than 25%. A series of expert rules were applied for final confidence grading of each mutation.
We analysed 41 137 MTBC isolates with phenotypic and whole-genome sequencing data from 45 countries. 38 215 MTBC isolates passed quality control steps and were included in the final analysis. 15 667 associations were computed for 13 211 unique mutations linked to one or more drugs. 1149 (7·3%) of 15 667 mutations were classified as associated with phenotypic resistance and 107 (0·7%) were deemed consistent with susceptibility. For rifampicin, isoniazid, ethambutol, fluoroquinolones, and streptomycin, the mutations' pooled sensitivity was more than 80%. Specificity was over 95% for all drugs except ethionamide (91·4%), moxifloxacin (91·6%) and ethambutol (93·3%). Only two resistance mutations were identified for bedaquiline, delamanid, clofazimine, and linezolid as prevalence of phenotypic resistance was low for these drugs.
We present the first WHO-endorsed catalogue of molecular targets for MTBC drug susceptibility testing, which is intended to provide a global standard for resistance interpretation. The existence of this catalogue should encourage the implementation of molecular diagnostics by national tuberculosis programmes.
Unitaid, Wellcome Trust, UK Medical Research Council, and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Introduction:
Military sexual trauma (MST) is a serious and pervasive problem among military men and women. Recent findings have linked MST with various negative outcomes including risky, ...self-destructive, and health-compromising behaviors.
Objective:
The current review summarizes the existing literature on the association between MST and risky behaviors among military men and women who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Method:
We systematically searched five electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, PSYCINFO, PILOTS, and CINAHL Plus) using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.
Results:
Of the initial 2,021 articles, 47 met the inclusion criteria. Reviewed studies revealed three patterns of findings: (1) largely studied and consistent (i.e., suicidal behaviors, disordered eating), (2) mixed and in need of future research (i.e., alcohol and drug use, smoking), and (3) underexamined (i.e., sexual behaviors, illegal/aggressive behaviors) or completely neglected (e.g., problematic technology use, gambling).
Discussion:
The current systematic review advances literature by providing strong support for an association between MST and a wide range of risky behaviors. Moreover, it highlights important areas for future research.
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NUK, OILJ, SAZU, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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