Pentasilver hexaoxoiodate (Agsub.5 IOsub.6 ) has broad-spectrum antimicrobial efficacy, including the long-term prevention of microbial adherence, the rapid killing of planktonic microorganisms, and ...the elimination of mature biofilms. This study’s goal was to determine whether it may also have antiviral activity against structurally distinct viruses. Agsub.5 IOsub.6 was tested following ASTM E1052-20, Standard Practice to Assess the Activity of Microbicides Against Viruses in Suspension, against adenovirus type 5, murine norovirus, poliovirus type 1, SARS-CoV-2 (original), and SARS-CoV-2 (omicron) (host cells: H1HeLa, RAW 264.7, LLC-MK2, Vero E6, and Vero E6, respectively). A 0.1 g/mL Agsub.5 IOsub.6 suspension was prepared and the viruses were exposed for 30 min, 4 h, or 24 h. Exposure to Agsub.5 IOsub.6 resulted in complete kill of SARS-CoV-2 (omicron) within 30 min, as well as complete kill of both SARS-CoV-2 (original) and the murine norovirus within 4 h. Agsub.5 IOsub.6 showed increasing activity over time against the adenovirus, but did not achieve a 3-log reduction within 24 h, and showed no antiviral activity against the poliovirus. These results demonstrate that Agsub.5 IOsub.6 has antiviral activity against medically important viruses, in addition to its well-characterized antimicrobial activity, suggesting that it may be valuable in situations where the prevention or simultaneous treatment of microbes and viruses are necessary.
The Land Use Change Alert (LUCA) dataset was developed for effective and timely monitoring of global forest changes that are mostly associated with human activities. Near- real-time changes of forest ...land use are mapped at 0.05 ha minimum mapping unit for all forest types across the Earth’s ecoregions, every two weeks. LUCA is based on Sentinel-1 cloud penetrating synthetic aperture radar (SAR) observations to circumvent limitations of optical imagery from pervasive cloud cover over forested areas globally, and especially in the tropics. The methodology is based on a combination of time-series change detection and machine learning analytics to achieve high accuracy of alerts across all ecoregions and landscapes globally with an average area-adjusted users and producers accuracy of 83% and 63%, respectively. The bi-weekly global alert maps capture forest clearing associated with deforestation and industrial timber harvesting, along with forest degradation associated with selective logging, fragmentation, fire, and roads. The product was developed and released publicly through Google Earth Engine to allow for the rapid assessment of land use change activities, quantifying patterns and processes driving forest change and dynamics across forest ecoregions. LUCA is designed to help monitor a variety of emission reduction programs at the local to regional scales and play a key role in implementing regulations on deforestation-free products.
Purpose
Recent meta-analyses suggest the Metabolic Syndrome (MS) increases high-grade prostate cancer (PC), although studies are inconsistent and few black men were included. We investigated MS and ...PC diagnosis in black and white men undergoing prostate biopsy in an equal access healthcare system. We hypothesized MS would be linked with aggressive PC, regardless of race.
Methods
Among men undergoing prostate biopsy at the Durham Veterans Affairs Hospital, medical record data abstraction of diagnosis or treatment for hypertension (≥ 130/85 mmHg), dyslipidemia (HDL < 40 mg/dL), hypertriglyceridemia (≥ 150 mg/dL), diabetes, hyperglycemia (fasting glucose ≥ 100 ml/dL), and central obesity (waist circumference ≥ 40 inches) were done. Biopsy grade group (GG) was categorized as low (GG1) or high (GG2-5). Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine MS (3–5 components) vs. no MS (0–2 components) and diagnosis of high grade and low grade vs. no PC, adjusting for potential confounders. Interactions between race and MS were also tested.
Results
Of 1,051 men (57% black), 532 (51%) had MS. Men with MS were older, more likely to be non-black, and had a larger prostate volume (all p ≤ 0.011). On multivariable analysis, MS was associated with high-grade PC (OR = 1.73, 95% CI 1.21–2.48,
p
= 0.003), but not overall PC (OR = 1.17, 95% CI 0.88–1.57,
p
= 0.29) or low grade (OR = 0.87, 95% CI 0.62–1.21,
p
= 0.39). Results were similar in black and non-black men (all p-interactions > 0.25).
Conclusion
Our data suggest that metabolic dysregulation advances an aggressive PC diagnosis in both black and non-black men. If confirmed, prevention of MS could reduce the risk of developing aggressive PC, including black men at higher risk of PC mortality.
Groundwater dependent ecosystems (GDEs) rely on near-surface groundwater. These systems are receiving more attention with rising air temperature, prolonged drought, and where groundwater pumping ...captures natural groundwater discharge for anthropogenic use. Phreatophyte shrublands, meadows, and riparian areas are GDEs that provide critical habitat for many sensitive species, especially in arid and semi-arid environments. While GDEs are vital for ecosystem services and function, their long-term (i.e. ~30years) spatial and temporal variability is poorly understood with respect to local and regional scale climate, groundwater, and rangeland management. In this work, we compute time series of NDVI derived from sensors of the Landsat TM, ETM+, and OLI lineage for assessing GDEs in a variety of land and water management contexts. Changes in vegetation vigor based on climate, groundwater availability, and land management in arid landscapes are detectable with Landsat. However, the effective quantification of these ecosystem changes can be undermined if changes in spectral bandwidths between different Landsat sensors introduce biases in derived vegetation indices, and if climate, and land and water management histories are not well understood. The objective of this work is to 1) use the Landsat 8 under-fly dataset to quantify differences in spectral reflectance and NDVI between Landsat 7 ETM+ and Landsat 8 OLI for a range of vegetation communities in arid and semiarid regions of the southwestern United States, and 2) demonstrate the value of 30-year historical vegetation index and climate datasets for assessing GDEs. Specific study areas were chosen to represent a range of GDEs and environmental conditions important for three scenarios: baseline monitoring of vegetation and climate, riparian restoration, and groundwater level changes. Google's Earth Engine cloud computing and environmental monitoring platform is used to rapidly access and analyze the Landsat archive along with downscaled North American Land Data Assimilation System gridded meteorological data, which are used for both atmospheric correction and correlation analysis. Results from the cross-sensor comparison indicate a benefit from the application of a consistent atmospheric correction method, and that NDVI derived from Landsat 7 and 8 are very similar within the study area. Results from continuous Landsat time series analysis clearly illustrate that there are strong correlations between changes in vegetation vigor, precipitation, evaporative demand, depth to groundwater, and riparian restoration. Trends in summer NDVI associated with riparian restoration and groundwater level changes were found to be statistically significant, and interannual summer NDVI was found to be moderately correlated to interannual water-year precipitation for baseline study sites. Results clearly highlight the complementary relationship between water-year PPT, NDVI, and evaporative demand, and are consistent with regional vegetation index and complementary relationship studies. This work is supporting land and water managers for evaluation of GDEs with respect to climate, groundwater, and resource management.
•Differences in Landsat 7 and 8 reflectance and NDVI are shown with under-fly data.•Cloud computing used to process Landsat, climate, and meteorological archives.•Landsat and climate archives used to assess long term phreatophyte changes.•NDVI trends related to climate, groundwater, and resource management changes•Complementary relationship between precipitation, evaporative demand, and NDVI
Abstract
Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of different corn milling methods for high-moisture and dry corn on finishing cattle performance, carcass traits, and nutrient ...digestion. In experiment 1, steers (N = 600 60 pens; initial body weight BW = 402 ± 17 kg) were fed for 134 d to evaluate the effect of milling method and corn type on performance and carcass characteristics. Treatments were evaluated as a 2 × 3 factorial design with factors being milling method (Automatic Ag roller mill ROLL or hammer mill HAMMER) and corn type (high-moisture HMC, dry DC, or 50:50 blend of HMC and DC BLEND). There were no milling method × corn type interactions for final BW, gain (ADG), or dry matter intake (DMI; P ≥ 0.32), but there tended to be an interaction for G:F (P = 0.09). Cattle fed ROLL HMC had 4.7% greater gain:feed (G:F; P ≤ 0.01) with 55% lower fecal starch (P < 0.01) compared to HAMMER HMC, whereas processing did not impact (P = 0.74) G:F in DC diets. There were no further effects (P ≥ 0.14) on performance or carcass traits regardless of milling method or corn type. In experiment 2, seven ruminally fistulated steers were utilized in a 4 × 7 incomplete Latin rectangle to evaluate the effects of DC or HMC processed with either ROLL or HAMMER (2 × 2 factorial treatment design) on nutrient digestion. Feeding HMC decreased the amount of excreted dry matter (DM) and organic matter (OM; P ≤ 0.01) regardless of mill type, but there was a tendency (P ≤ 0.13) for an interaction between corn type and mill type for DM and OM digestibility. There was no difference between milling treatments fed as HMC (P ≥ 0.69), but the HAMMER DC diet was more digestible than the ROLL DC (P = 0.05). As expected, HMC-based diets had greater (P < 0.01) starch digestibility compared to DC, but milling method had no impact on starch digestibility (P = 0.56). There were no differences (P = 0.56) in average ruminal pH, but HMC diets had greater variance (P = 0.04) and greater area less than pH 5.6 (P = 0.05) compared to DC based diets while milling method did not impact either (P > 0.33). Processing HMC with a roller mill improved G:F compared to processing with a hammer mill, but had little effect when corn was fed as dry corn or HMC:DC blend. Furthermore, feeding cattle HMC compared to DC increases nutrient digestibility, but milling method had little impact.
Using a roller mill improved feed efficiency of feedlot cattle when using high-moisture corn compared to a hammer mill, but milling type did not impact performance when processing dry corn. Digestion was improved for high-moisture compared to dry corn, but also increased risk of ruminal acidosis.
Lay Summary
Two experiments tested how processing of corn grain for finishing cattle influences growth performance and nutrient digestion. Producers can use corn in dry or high-moisture form but normally use either a hammer mill or roller mill. When using high-moisture corn, we observed a 5% improvement in gain:feed (G:F) for rolling as compared to hammer milling, which is likely due to more uniform particle size and improved digestion. Unlike the performance study, milling method did not impact digestion for high-moisture corn. Using a hammer-mill for dry corn improved digestion compared to rolling which was not supported by improved performance in the finishing study. Using high-moisture corn increases risk of ruminal acidosis compared to dry corn, but also improves feed efficiency if acidosis can be minimized.
There are limited data regarding the effect of treatment delays on important long-term outcomes among men with intermediate/high-risk prostate cancer (PC).
We identified 3,962 men with ...intermediate/high-risk disease from the SEARCH cohort treated with radical prostatectomy (RP) from 1988 to 2018. Cox proportional hazard models assessed the association between time from biopsy to RP (up to 1 year) and time to castration-resistant PC (CRPC), metastasis and all-cause mortality. Interaction terms were used to test for effect modification by risk group.
Of the 3,962 men, 167 developed CRPC, 248 developed metastases and 884 died after a median followup of 85 months. Longer delays between biopsy and RP were associated with a decreased risk of CRPC (adjusted HR=0.88, 95% CI: 0.80-0.98, p=0.02), independent of D'Amico risk group (interaction p >0.05). In men with intermediate and high-risk disease, we found no statistically significant association between length of time to RP and risk of developing metastases (p=0.5 and 0.9, respectively) or all-cause mortality (p=0.1 and 0.1, respectively).
Among men with intermediate and high-risk PC, we found no statistically significant increased risk of adverse long-term outcomes, including CRPC, metastasis and death, for men who had treatment delays up to 1 year following PC diagnosis.
Hutchemys rememdium
is a poorly understood softshell turtle (
Trionychidae
) from the mid Paleocene of the Williston Basin of North America previously known only from postcranial remains. A ...particularly rich collection of previously undescribed material from the Tiffanian 4 North American Land Mammal Age (NALMA) of North Dakota is here presented consisting of numerous shells that document new variation, some non-shell postcrania, and cranial remains, which are described based on 3D models extracted from micro-CT data. Although the observed shell variation weakens previously noted differences with the younger species
Hutchemys arctochelys
from the Clarkforkian NALMA, the two taxa are still recognized as distinct. Parsimony and Bayesian phylogenetic analyses reaffirm the previously challenged placement of
Hutchemys rememdium
within the clade
Plastomenidae
, mostly based on novel observations of cranial characters made possible by the new material and the micro-CT data. The new topology supports the notion that the well-ossified plastron of plastomenids originated twice in parallel near the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary, once in the
Hutchemys
lineage and once in the
Gilmoremys
/
Plastomenus
lineage.
Hutchemys rememdium
is notable for being the only documented species of trionychid in the mid Paleocene of the Williston Basin. The presence of multiple individuals in a carbonaceous claystone indicates this taxon lived in swamps and lakes and its expanded triturating surface suggests it had a durophagous diet.
CLIMATE ENGINE Huntington, Justin L.; Hegewisch, Katherine C.; Daudert, Britta ...
Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society,
11/2017, Letnik:
98, Številka:
11
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Abstract
The paucity of long-term observations, particularly in regions with heterogeneous climate and land cover, can hinder incorporating climate data at appropriate spatial scales for ...decision-making and scientific research. Numerous gridded climate, weather, and remote sensing products have been developed to address the needs of both land managers and scientists, in turn enhancing scientific knowledge and strengthening early-warning systems. However, these data remain largely inaccessible for a broader segment of users given the computational demands of big data. Climate Engine (http://ClimateEngine.org) is a web-based application that overcomes many computational barriers that users face by employing Google’s parallel cloud-computing platform, Google Earth Engine, to process, visualize, download, and share climate and remote sensing datasets in real time. The software application development and design of Climate Engine is briefly outlined to illustrate the potential for high-performance processing of big data using cloud computing. Second, several examples are presented to highlight a range of climate research and applications related to drought, fire, ecology, and agriculture that can be rapidly generated using Climate Engine. The ability to access climate and remote sensing data archives with on-demand parallel cloud computing has created vast opportunities for advanced natural resource monitoring and process understanding.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
BFBNIB, DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Introduction:
Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) is a chronic disease of the upper respiratory tract caused by human papillomavirus types 6 and 11. The disease course is characteristically ...unpredictable, ranging from spontaneous remission to aggressive, recurrent disease. Thus, management is often challenging and requires unique approaches tailored to each individual patient. While recent literature has described risk factors for more aggressive disease, few sources have investigated the impact of smoking on RRP disease course and risk for malignant transformation.
Methods:
A retrospective chart review was conducted for adult RRP patients evaluated at an academic tertiary care center between 2005 and 2020. A total of 188 patients were identified. Demographic and clinical data were collected, including smoking and alcohol history, HPV subtype, history of dysplasia and/or carcinoma, voice handicap index scores, Derkay scores, debulkings (in office and operating room), and days to papilloma recurrence.
Results:
Malignant degeneration in RRP occurred in 16.3% of smokers and 3.6% of nonsmokers. Smokers who developed carcinoma had less debulkings per years of evaluation than those not developing carcinoma (0.21 vs 0.92, P = .004). Additionally, patients that either presented with or developed carcinoma during their course had a higher pack-year smoking history (18.0 vs 12.21, P = .0002). No difference in days to recurrence or inter-surgical interval was demonstrated between smokers and nonsmokers.
Conclusions:
The report demonstrates that smoking can increase the risk of malignant transformation in RRP patients.
Abstract only
Introduction:
P2Y12 inhibitors (P2Y12i) reduce thrombotic risk in patients with acute coronary syndrome and in secondary prevention of atherothrombotic events, but dual antiplatelet ...therapy with a P2Y12i + aspirin increases bleeding risk. P2Y12i washout is recommended prior to procedures, but when procedures cannot be deferred, washout is precluded, thereby increasing periprocedural bleeding risk, with potential negative outcomes.
Hypothesis:
P2Y12i are associated with increased bleeding risk and poorer clinical and economic outcomes in invasive cardiovascular (CV) procedures.
Methods:
In a retrospective study of hospital chargemaster data (2017-2019), patients receiving P2Y12i (cangrelor, clopidogrel, prasugrel, ticagrelor, or ticlopidine) or aspirin without P2Y12i (control) prior to an invasive CV procedure were identified from hospital charge and ICD-10 codes. Inpatient bleeding, mortality, length of stay (LOS; days), and intensive care unit (ICU) LOS (days) were assessed.
Results:
Among 2,996,051 patients with invasive CT procedures, P2Y12i-treated patients had significantly higher bleeding rates versus control patients (4.2% vs 3.1% p<0.05). Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) procedures were the most common. Heart valve procedures showed the highest bleeding rates. Both CABG and valve procedures showed significant increases in bleeding for patients with P2Y12i versus control patients (CABG 9.2% vs 5.7%; valve 17.2% vs 8.9%; both p<0.05). P2Y12i-treated patients with bleeding versus those without bleeding had significant increases in in-hospital mortality (CABG 5.0% vs 2.1%; valve 12.4% vs 4.8%), LOS (CABG 11.7 vs 10.7; valve 13.0 vs 11.6), and ICU LOS (CABG 8.4 vs 5.5; valve 11.2 vs 8.3) (all p<0.05). Similar findings were observed for other procedures.
Conclusions:
Invasive CV procedures in patients receiving P2Y12i were associated with increased bleeding rates. Patients with increased bleeding had poorer outcomes, including increased in-hospital mortality. Bleeding avoidance in P2Y12i-treated patients requires an adequate discontinuation period prior to invasive procedures. Delaying CV procedures, however, may result in suboptimal outcomes, highlighting the unmet need for a rapid reversal strategy for P2Y12i.
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