Weyl semimetals are a class of materials that can be regarded as three-dimensional analogs of graphene upon breaking time-reversal or inversion symmetry. Electrons in a Weyl semimetal behave as Weyl ...fermions, which have many exotic properties, such as chiral anomaly and magnetic monopoles in the crystal momentum space. The surface state of a Weyl semimetal displays pairs of entangled Fermi arcs at two opposite surfaces. However, the existence of Weyl semimetals has not yet been proved experimentally. Here, we report the experimental realization of a Weyl semimetal in TaAs by observing Fermi arcs formed by its surface states using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. Our first-principles calculations, which match remarkably well with the experimental results, further confirm that TaAs is a Weyl semimetal.
Background
Diet and exercise during pregnancy have been used to prevent gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) with some success.
Objective
To examine the effectiveness of lifestyle intervention on GDM ...prevention and to identify key effectiveness moderators to improve the prevention strategy.
Search strategy
Pubmed, Scopus, Cochrane, and cross‐references were searched.
Selection criteria
Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating lifestyle interventions during pregnancy for GDM prevention.
Data collection and analysis
Two independent reviewers extracted data. A random‐effects model was used to analyse the relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI). Meta‐regressions and subgroup analyses were used to investigate important moderators of effectiveness.
Main results
Forty‐seven RCTs involving 15 745 participants showed that diet and exercise during pregnancy were preventive of GDM (RR 0.77, 95% CI 0.69–0.87). Four key aspects were identified to improve the preventive effect: targeting the high‐risk population; an early initiation of the intervention; the correct intensity and frequency of exercise; and gestational weight gain management. Although 24 RCTs targeted women who were overweight or obese, body mass index (BMI) failed to predict the effectiveness of an intervention. Instead, interventions are most effective in high‐incidence populations rather than simply in women who are overweight or obese. Furthermore, exercise of moderate intensity for 50–60 minutes twice a week could lead to an approximately 24% reduction in GDM.
Conclusion
The best strategy to prevent GDM is to target the high‐risk population predicted by risk evaluation models and to control the gestational weight gain of women through intensified diet and exercise modifications early in their pregnancy.
Tweetable
Four key effectiveness moderators of lifestyle interventions for GDM prevention.
Tweetable
Four key effectiveness moderators of lifestyle interventions for GDM prevention.
Summary
Background
GIDEON (Global Investigation of therapeutic DEcisions in hepatocellular carcinoma HCC and Of its treatment with sorafeNib) is a global, prospective, non‐interventional study ...undertaken to evaluate the safety of sorafenib in patients with unresectable HCC in real‐life practice, including Child‐Pugh B patients who were excluded from clinical trials.
Methods
Patients with unresectable HCC, for whom the decision to treat with sorafenib, based on the approved label and prescribing guidelines, had been taken by their physician, were eligible for inclusion. Demographic data and disease/medical history were recorded at entry. Sorafenib dosing and adverse events (AEs) were collected at follow‐up visits. The second interim analysis was undertaken when ~1500 treated patients were followed up for ≥ 4 months.
Results
Of the 1571 patients evaluable for safety, 61% had Child‐Pugh A status and 23% Child‐Pugh B. The majority of patients (74%) received the approved 800 mg initial sorafenib dose, regardless of Child‐Pugh status; however, median duration of therapy was shorter in Child‐Pugh B patients. The majority of drug‐related AEs were grade 1 or 2, and the most commonly reported were consistent with previous reports. The incidence and nature of drug‐related AEs were broadly similar across Child‐Pugh, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) and initial dosing subgroups, and consistent with the overall population.
Conclusions
Consistent with the first interim analysis, overall safety profile and dosing strategy are similar across Child‐Pugh subgroups. Safety findings also appear comparable irrespective of initial sorafenib dose or BCLC stage. Final analyses in > 3000 patients are ongoing.
MicroRNA-146a and Human Disease Li, L; Chen, X.-P; Li, Y.-J
Scandinavian journal of immunology,
April 2010, Letnik:
71, Številka:
4
Journal Article
Recenzirano
MicroRNAs (MiRNAs) belong to a class of small non-coding regulatory RNAs that act through repression of protein expression at post-transcriptional level and emerge to play important roles in many ...physiological and pathophysiological processes. MiR-146a is a miRNA supposed to regulate innate immune, inflammatory response and antiviral pathway negatively. In this review, we focus on the recent progress in functional role of miR-146a in innate immune, inflammatory response, virus infection and human diseases. Together, these findings indicate that manipulation of miR-146a expression may represent a potential new therapy for several human diseases. Potential use of miR-146a as a biomarker for disease diagnosis, prevention and treatment is also discussed.
Protection against humoral injury mediated by donor‐specific antibodies (DSA), also known as accommodation, may allow for long‐term allograft survival in presensitized recipients. In the present ...study, we determined the role of complement in renal allograft accommodation in donor skin‐presensitized nonhuman primates under conventional immunosuppression. Donor skin allografts were transplanted to presensitized recipients 14 days prior to renal transplantation. Renal allografts not receiving any immunosuppressive treatment developed accelerated rejection with predominantly humoral injury, which was not prevented using conventional cyclosporine (CsA) triple therapy. Inhibition of complement activation with the Yunnan‐cobra venom factor (Y‐CVF) successfully prevented accelerated antibody‐mediated rejection and resulted in successful accommodation and long‐term renal allograft survival in most presensitized recipients. Accommodation in this model was associated with the prevention of the early antibody responses induced against donor antigens by complement inhibition. Some antiapoptotic proteins and complement regulatory proteins, including Bcl‐2, CD59, CD46 and clusterin, were upregulated in the surviving renal allografts. These results suggest that the complement inhibition‐based strategy may be valuable alternative in future clinical cross‐match positive or ABO‐incompatible transplantation.
Short‐term inhibition of complement prevents the early antibody response induced against donor antigens and enables renal allograft accommodation and long‐term engraftment in donor skin‐presensitized cynomolgus monkeys. See editorial by Platt on page 2007.
To investigate the performance of multi-parameter coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA), including stenosis, plaque qualitative–quantitative characteristics, and fractional flow reserve ...derived from CCTA (FFRct), to predict acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and build a combined model.
Thirty patients with AMI 90 days after CCTA and 120 matched patients without AMI were enrolled retrospectively. Multiple CCTA parameters were analysed and compared. Independent risk factors were obtained through univariate and multivariate regression analyses, after which a multi-parameter model was built.
A total of 150 patients were analysed successfully. The multi-parameter CCTA model (area under the curve, 0.944; p<0.001) had a higher predictive value than each single parameter (p<0.001, all). Independent risk factors were intra-plaque dye penetration (IDP; odds ratio OR, 8.373; p=0.002), lipid plaque volume (LPV; OR, 1.263; p<0.001), and FFRct ≤0.83 (OR, 8.092; p=0.001).
This one-stop multi-parameter CCTA model, comprising IDP, LPV, and FFRct as independent risk factors, has good performance to predict AMI.
•AMI can be efficiently predicted by our non-invasive CCTA model.•IDP has superior specificity and LAP has excellent sensitivity to predict AMI.•The optimal threshold of FFRct to predict AMI is ≤ 0.83.
Lower lip hypoesthesia is the most common complication following osseous genioplasty. Concentrated growth factor (CGF) has recently been shown to improve neural regeneration. The aim of this study ...was to evaluate the effect of concentrated growth factor on neurosensory recovery after osseous genioplasty. Patients who underwent osseous genioplasty between June 2017 and February 2020 were enrolled. CGF was applied to the mental nerve on one side. The treatment side was randomized, and the other side was considered as the control. Lower lip hypoesthesia was assessed preoperatively and postoperatively (1 week, 1, 3, 6, and 9 months) using the two-point discrimination test and a 10-point visual analogue scale (self-reported paresthesia). The assessor was blinded. Twenty-six female patients completed the study. At 1 and 3 months, both the mean two-point discrimination value and mean visual analogue scale score were significantly lower in the CGF group than in the control group (P < 0.001). At 3 months, the percentage of patients with lower lip hypoesthesia in the CGF group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P < 0.001). Both groups showed resolution of lower lip hypoesthesia at 6 months. Concentrated growth factor may accelerate the recovery of long-standing sensory nerve impairment following mental osteotomy.
In China, ethnic minorities often live in frontier areas and have a relatively small population size, and tremendous social transitions have enlarged the gap between eastern and western China, with ...western China being home to 44 ethnic minority groups. These three disadvantages have health impacts. Examining ethnicity and health inequality in the context of western China is therefore essential.
This paper is based on data from the 2010 China Survey of Social Change (CSSC2010), which was conducted in 12 provinces, autonomous regions and province-level municipalities in western China and had a sample size of 10,819. We examined self-rated health and disparities in self-rated health between ethnic minorities and Han Chinese in the context of western China. Self-rated health was coded as poor or good, and ethnicity was coded as ethnic minority or Han Chinese. Ethnic differences in self-rated health was examined by using binary logistic regression. Associations among sociodemographic variables, SES variable, health behaviour variable, health problem variables and self-rated health were also explored.
Fourteen percent of respondents reported their health to be poor. A total of 15.75% of ethnic minorities and 13.43% of Han Chinese respondents reported their health to be poor, indicating a difference in self-rated health between ethnic minorities and Han Chinese. Age, gender, marital status, education, alcohol, and health problems were the main factors that affected differences in self-rated health.
In western China, there were obvious ethnic disparities in self-rated health. Elderly ethnic minorities, non-partnered ethnic minorities, ethnic minorities with an educational level lower than middle school, and ethnic minorities with chronic disease had higher odds of poor self-rated health.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Talaromyces marneffei
(
T. marneffei
) can cause talaromycosis, a fatal systemic mycosis, in patients with AIDS. With the increasing number of talaromycosis cases in Guangdong, China, we aimed to ...investigate the susceptibility of 189
T. marneffei
clinical strains to eight antifungal agents, including three echinocandins (anidulafungin, micafungin, and caspofungin), four azoles (posaconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole, and fluconazole), and amphotericin B, with determining minimal inhibition concentrations (MIC) by Sensititre YeastOne™ YO10 assay in the yeast phase. The MICs of anidulafungin, micafungin, caspofungin, posaconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole, fluconazole, and amphotericin B were 2 to > 8 μg/ml, >8 μg/ml, 2 to > 8 μg/ml, ≤ 0.008 to 0.06 μg/ml, ≤ 0.015 to 0.03 μg/ml, ≤ 0.008 to 0.06 μg/ml, 1 to 32 μg/ml, and ≤ 0.12 to 1 μg/ml, respectively. The MICs of all echinocandins were very high, while the MICs of posaconazole, itraconazole, and voriconazole, as well as amphotericin B were comparatively low. Notably, fluconazole was found to have a higher MIC than other azoles, and exhibited particularly weak activity against some isolates with MICs over 8 μg/ml. Our data in vitro support the use of amphotericin B, itraconazole, voriconazole, and posaconazole in management of talaromycosis and suggest potential resistance to fluconazole.
PDF
