The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic affects people's health and health-related quality of life (HRQoL), especially in those who have suspected COVID-19 symptoms (S-COVID-19-S). We ...examined the effect of modifications of health literacy (HL) on depression and HRQoL. A cross-sectional study was conducted from 14 February to 2 March 2020. 3947 participants were recruited from outpatient departments of nine hospitals and health centers across Vietnam. The interviews were conducted using printed questionnaires including participants' characteristics, clinical parameters, health behaviors, HL, depression, and HRQoL. People with S-COVID-19-S had a higher depression likelihood (OR, 2.88;
< 0.001), lower HRQoL-score (B, -7.92;
< 0.001). In comparison to people without S-COVID-19-S and low HL, those with S-COVID-19-S and low HL had 9.70 times higher depression likelihood (
< 0.001), 20.62 lower HRQoL-score (
< 0.001), for the people without S-COVID-19-S, 1 score increment of HL resulted in 5% lower depression likelihood (
< 0.001) and 0.45 higher HRQoL-score (
< 0.001), while for those people with S-COVID-19-S, 1 score increment of HL resulted in a 4% lower depression likelihood (
= 0.004) and 0.43 higher HRQoL-score (
< 0.001). People with S-COVID-19-S had a higher depression likelihood and lower HRQoL than those without. HL shows a protective effect on depression and HRQoL during the epidemic.
Quinolone antibiotics Pham, Thu D. M; Ziora, Zyta M; Blaskovich, Mark A. T
MedChemComm,
10/2019, Letnik:
1, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The quinolone antibiotics arose in the early 1960s, with the first examples possessing a narrow-spectrum of activity with unfavorable pharmacokinetic properties. Over time, the development of new ...quinolone antibiotics has led to improved analogues with an expanded spectrum and high efficacy. Nowadays, quinolones are widely used for treating a variety of infections. Quinolones are broad-spectrum antibiotics that are active against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, including mycobacteria, and anaerobes. They exert their actions by inhibiting bacterial nucleic acid synthesis through disrupting the enzymes topoisomerase IV and DNA gyrase, and by causing breakage of bacterial chromosomes. However, bacteria have acquired resistance to quinolones, similar to other antibacterial agents, due to the overuse of these drugs. Mechanisms contributing to quinolone resistance are mediated by chromosomal mutations and/or plasmid gene uptake that alter the topoisomerase targets, modify the quinolone, and/or reduce drug accumulation by either decreased uptake or increased efflux. This review discusses the development of this class of antibiotics in terms of potency, pharmacokinetics and toxicity, along with the resistance mechanisms which reduce the quinolones' activity against pathogens. Potential strategies for future generations of quinolone antibiotics with enhanced activity against resistant strains are suggested.
The quinolone antibiotics arose in the early 1960s, with the first examples possessing a narrow-spectrum activity with unfavorable pharmacokinetic properties.
Melanoma, originating from epidermal melanocytes, is a heterogeneous disease that has the highest mortality rate among all types of skin cancers. Numerous studies have revealed the cause of this ...cancer as related to various somatic driver mutations, including alterations in
KIT
—a proto-oncogene encoding for a transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinase. Although accounting for only 3% of all melanomas, mutations in c-KIT are mostly derived from acral, mucosal, and chronically sun-damaged melanomas. As an important factor for cell differentiation, proliferation, and survival, inhibition of c-KIT has been exploited for clinical trials in advanced melanoma. Here, apart from the molecular background of c-KIT and its cellular functions, we will review the wide distribution of alterations in
KIT
with a catalogue of more than 40 mutations reported in various articles and case studies. Additionally, we will summarize the association of
KIT
mutations with clinicopathologic features (age, sex, melanoma subtypes, anatomic location, etc.), and the differences of mutation rate among subgroups. Finally, several therapeutic trials of c-KIT inhibitors, including imatinib, dasatinib, nilotinib, and sunitinib, will be analyzed for their success rates and limitations in advanced melanoma treatment. These not only emphasize c-KIT as an attractive target for personalized melanoma therapy but also propose the requirement for additional investigational studies to develop novel therapeutic trials co-targeting c-KIT and other cytokines such as members of signaling pathways and immune systems.
AbstractThis study investigates the impact behavior of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP)-strengthened reinforced concrete (RC) beams and FRP contribution to shear strength. Thirteen RC beams ...(1,500×150×250 mm) were tested against static and impact loads. The beams were strengthened with FRP U-wraps and 45°-angle wraps to investigate the effectiveness of different wrapping schemes. The experimental results show that the debonding strain of FRP under impact loads is slightly smaller than that under static loads. The FRP contribution to shear strength is discussed and verified against a design code. In terms of using the same amount of FRP, 45°-angle FRP wraps provide better performance than the FRP U-wraps in terms of both the load capacity and displacement. Fully wrapping a RC beam with FRP is more efficient than wrapping distributed FRP strips. The impact behavior and failure modes of FRP strengthened RC beams are also discussed.
The biochemical basis of microRNA targeting efficacy McGeary, Sean E; Lin, Kathy S; Shi, Charlie Y ...
Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science),
12/2019, Letnik:
366, Številka:
6472
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) act within Argonaute proteins to guide repression of messenger RNA targets. Although various approaches have provided insight into target recognition, the sparsity of miRNA-target ...affinity measurements has limited understanding and prediction of targeting efficacy. Here, we adapted RNA bind-n-seq to enable measurement of relative binding affinities between Argonaute-miRNA complexes and all sequences ≤12 nucleotides in length. This approach revealed noncanonical target sites specific to each miRNA, miRNA-specific differences in canonical target-site affinities, and a 100-fold impact of dinucleotides flanking each site. These data enabled construction of a biochemical model of miRNA-mediated repression, which was extended to all miRNA sequences using a convolutional neural network. This model substantially improved prediction of cellular repression, thereby providing a biochemical basis for quantitatively integrating miRNAs into gene-regulatory networks.
•Formation and location of the plastic hinge in an RC beam.•Verification of the distribution of inertia force.•Shear force and bending moment of an RC beam subjected to impact loads.
This study ...investigates the impact behavior of reinforced concrete beams and proposes a procedure to derive the shear force and bending moment diagrams. The assumption of linear distribution of the inertia force under impact load is examined against experimental and numerical results. The finding in this study has confirmed the linear inertia force distribution assumption along the beam up to the instant the impact force reaches its peak value. The position of plastic hinges is observed to have significant effects on the impact behavior of the beam. Under impact the plastic hinge does not necessarily reach the supports, and then only part of the beam within the stationary points is accelerated while the rest of the beam remains stationary. A procedure is proposed to predict the position of the stationary points, which is proven yielding reasonable results in comparison with experimental and numerical results. A flow chart is also provided to generate the shear force and bending moment diagrams for reinforced concrete beams under impact loads, which can be used in the design of concrete beams subjected to impact loads.
To investigate the potential of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameters as in-vivo biomarkers of axon and myelin sheath integrity of the median nerve in the carpal tunnel as validated by ...correlation with electrophysiology.
MRI examinations at 3T including DTI were conducted on wrists in 30 healthy subjects. After manual segmentation of the median nerve quantitative analysis of fractional anisotropy (FA) as well as axial, radial and mean diffusivity (AD, RD, and MD) was carried out. Pairwise Pearson correlations with electrophysiological parameters comprising sensory nerve action potential (SNAP) and compound muscle action potential (CMAP) as markers of axon integrity, and distal motor latency (dml) and sensory nerve conduction velocity (sNCV) as markers of myelin sheath integrity were computed. The significance criterion was set at P=0.05, Bonferroni corrected for multiple comparisons.
DTI parameters showed a distinct proximal-to-distal profile with FA, MD, and RD extrema coinciding in the center of the carpal tunnel. AD correlated with CMAP (r=0.50, p=0.04, Bonf. corr.) but not with markers of myelin sheath integrity. RD correlated with sNCV (r=-0.53, p=0.02, Bonf. corr.) but not with markers of axon integrity. FA correlated with dml (r=-0.63, p=0.002, Bonf. corr.) and sNCV (r=0.68, p=0.001, Bonf. corr.) but not with markers of axon integrity.
AD reflects axon integrity, while RD (and FA) reflect myelin sheath integrity as validated by correlation with electrophysiology. DTI parameters consistently indicate a slight decrease of structural integrity in the carpal tunnel as a physiological site of median nerve entrapment. DTI is particularly sensitive, since these findings are observed in healthy participants. Our results encourage future studies to evaluate the potential of DTI in differentiating axon from myelin sheath injury in patients with manifest peripheral neuropathies.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The field of regenerative medicine has tremendous potential for improved treatment outcomes and has been stimulated by advances made in bioengineering over the last few decades. The strategies of ...engineering tissues and assembling functional constructs that are capable of restoring, retaining, and revitalizing lost tissues and organs have impacted the whole spectrum of medicine and health care. Techniques to combine biomimetic materials, cells, and bioactive molecules play a decisive role in promoting the regeneration of damaged tissues or as therapeutic systems. Hydrogels have been used as one of the most common tissue engineering scaffolds over the past two decades due to their ability to maintain a distinct 3D structure, to provide mechanical support for the cells in the engineered tissues, and to simulate the native extracellular matrix. The high water content of hydrogels can provide an ideal environment for cell survival, and structure which mimics the native tissues. Hydrogel systems have been serving as a supportive matrix for cell immobilization and growth factor delivery. This review outlines a brief description of the properties, structure, synthesis and fabrication methods, applications, and future perspectives of smart hydrogels in tissue engineering.
Health literacy has been increasingly recognized as one of the most important social determinants for health. However, an appropriate and comprehensive assessment tool is not available in many Asian ...countries. This study validates a comprehensive health literacy survey tool European health literacy questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q47) for the general public in several Asian countries.
A cross-sectional survey based on multistage random sampling in the target countries. A total of 10,024 participants aged ≥15 years were recruited during 2013–2014 in Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Taiwan, and Vietnam. The questionnaire was translated into local languages to measure general health literacy and its three domains. To evaluate the validity of the tool in these countries, data were analyzed by confirmatory factor analysis, internal consistency analysis, and regression analysis.
The questionnaire was shown to have good construct validity, satisfactory goodness-of-fit of the data to the hypothetical model in three health literacy domains, high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha >0.90), satisfactory item-scale convergent validity (item-scale correlation ≥0.40), and no floor/ceiling effects in these countries. General health literacy index score was significantly associated with level of education (P from <0.001 to 0.011) and perceived social status (P from <0.001 to 0.016), with evidence of known-group validity.
The HLS-EU-Q47 was a satisfactory and comprehensive health literacy survey tool for use in Asia.
•A comprehensive health literacy survey tool was validated in several countries.•Health literacy was significantly associated with education and social status.•The tool was shown to be reliable for public health survey in Asia.
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