Purpose
Disease severity and inflammatory response status are closely related to a poor prognosis and must be assessed in patients with severe traumatic brain injury (STBI) before intensive care unit ...(ICU) discharge. Whether elevated serum procalcitonin (PCT) levels can predict a poor prognosis in STBI patients before ICU discharge is unclear.
Methods
This retrospective observational cohort study enrolled 199 STBI patients who were in the ICU for at least 48 hours and survived after discharge. Based on serum PCT levels at discharge, patients were divided into the high-PCT group (PCT ≥ 0.25 ng/mL) and the low-PCT group (PCT < 0.25 ng/mL). We assessed the relationship between serum PCT levels and a poor prognosis.
Results
The high-PCT group had a higher rate of adverse outcomes compared with the low-PCT group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, white blood cell (WBC) count, C-reactive protein (CRP) level, and PCT level at discharge were significantly associated with adverse outcomes.
Conclusions
Elevated PCT levels at ICU discharge were associated with a poor prognosis in STBI patients. The serum PCT level as a single indicator has limited value for clinical decision-making.
Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) is a severe complication associated with antiresorptive medications managing osteoporosis, such as bisphosphonates (BPs). To date, there is very ...limited evidence from prospective, controlled studies to support or refute the controversial prevention regimen that if a discontinuation of BPs before dentoalveolar surgery, so called “drug holiday”, is effective in reducing the risk of MRONJ development in patients with osteoporosis. We proposed an experimental animal study, aiming to investigate the prevention of MRONJ following tooth extractions in osteoporotic condition, with the implementation of a BP drug holiday.
Twenty rats were subjected to bilateral ovariectomy. After establishing the osteoporotic condition, all rats were exposed to weekly injections of zoledronate acid (ZA) for 8 weeks. After ZA treatment, 10 rats were subjected to dental extraction and defined as control group, and the rest 10 rats assigned to the DH group had a drug holiday of 8 weeks prior to dental extraction. Eight weeks after the dentoalveolar surgery, bone turnover biomarker in serum, occurrence of MRONJ-like lesion and histomorphometric assessment of osteonecrosis in mandible, and bone microarchitecture indices in femur, were examined.
Eight weeks after dental extraction, the DH group showed a recovered osteoclastic activity, indicated by significantly increased number of osteoclasts in the mandibles and serum level of C-terminal telopeptides of type I collagen, as compared to the control group. No significant differences were observed in the gross-view and histological occurrences of MRONJ-like lesions between the two groups.
There was no significant difference in bone microarchitecture in the femur between the control and DH groups before ZA therapy and 8 weeks after dental extraction.
Our data provided the first experimental evidence in the osteoporotic animal model that the implementation of a BP holiday in prior to dental extractions could partially recover osteoclastic activity, but could not alleviate the development of MRONJ-like lesion or exacerbate the osteoporotic condition in the femur. Longer-term drug holiday, or combination of drug holiday and other prophylaxes to prevent MRONJ in patients with osteoporosis could be worth exploring in future studies, to pave the way for clinical managements.
This in vivo prospective study reported that a recovery of osteoclastic activity by a BP drug holiday for 8 weeks in osteoporosis rats did not alleviate the development of MRONJ-like lesion followed by dental extractions. It contributes to the understanding of regimens to prevent MRONJ.
Whether Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRA) reduce mortality and cardiovascular effects of dialysis patients remains unclear. A meta-analysis was designed to investigate whether MRA reduce ...mortality and cardiovascular effects of dialysis patients, with a registration in INPLASY (INPLASY2020120143). The meta-analysis revealed that MRA significantly reduced all-cause mortality (ACM) and cardiovascular mortality (CVM). Patients receiving MRA presented improved left ventricular mass index (LVMI) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), decreased systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). There was no significant difference in the serum potassium level between the MRA group and the placebo group. MRA vs. control exerts definite survival and cardiovascular benefits in dialysis patients, including reducing all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality, LVMI, and arterial blood pressure, and improving LVEF. In terms of safety, MRA did not increase serum potassium levels for dialysis patients with safety.
(https://inplasy.com/inplasy-protocol-1239-2/), identifier (INPLASY2020120143).
A catalyst‐free multicomponent CDC reaction is rarely reported, especially for the intermolecular tandem CDC cyclization, which represents an important strategy for constructing cyclic compounds. ...Herein, a three‐component tandem CDC cyclization by a Pummerer‐type rearrangement to afford biologically relevant isoindolinones from aromatic acids, amides, and DMSO, is described. This intermolecular tandem reaction undergoes a C(sp2)−H/C(sp3)−H cross‐dehydrogenative coupling, C−N bond formation, and intramolecular amidation. A notable feature of this novel protocol is avoiding a catalyst and additive (apart from oxidant).
Coupling without metal! A three‐component tandem CDC cyclization by Pummerer‐type rearrangement to afford biologically relevant isoindolinones from acids, amides, and DMSO is described. This intermolecular tandem reaction undergoes a C(sp2)−H/C(sp3)−H cross‐dehydrogenative coupling, C−N bond formation, and intramolecular amidation (see scheme).
Grazing exclusion is one of the primary management practices used to restore degraded grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau. However, to date, the effects of long-term grazing exclusion measures on the ...process of restoring degraded alpine meadows have not been evaluated. In this study, moderately degraded plots, in which the vegetation coverage was approximately 65% and the dominant plant species was
Potentilla anserina
L, with grazing exclusion for 2 to 23 years, were selected in alpine meadows of Haibei in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Plant coverage, plant height, biomass, soil bulk density, saturated water content, soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) were evaluated. The results were as follows: (1) With increased grazing exclusion duration, aboveground biomass and total saturated water content at 0–40 cm depth, the average SOC and TN contents in moderately degraded alpine meadows increased as a power function, and the plant height increased as a log function. (2) The average soil bulk density at 0–40 cm depth first decreased and then increased with increasing grazing exclusion duration, and the minimum value of 0.90 g·cm
−3
was reached at 15.23 years. The plant coverage, total belowground biomass at 0–40 cm depth, total aboveground and belowground biomass first increased and then decreased, their maximum values (80.49%, 2452.92 g·m
−2
, 2891.06 g·m
−2
) were reached at 9.41, 9.46 and 10.25 years, respectively. Long-term grazing exclusion is apparently harmful for the sustainable restoration of degraded alpine meadows. The optimal duration of grazing exclusion for the restoration of moderately degraded alpine meadows was 10 years. This research suggests that moderate disturbance should be allowed in moderately degraded alpine meadows after 10 years of grazing exclusion.
The occupation number distribution in momentum space are theoretically studied within a two-orbital model, which can be unified describing the low-energy physics of the iron pnictides and iron ...chalcogenides. The mean-field approximation of Hubbard interaction is employed. By tuning the hopping parameters, the difference between the iron pnictides and iron chalcogenides in their occupation number distribution behavior can be clearly observed. The results show that when the pairing interaction tends to zero, the occupation number n(k)≈0 at Γ point for iron chalcogenides while n(k)≈2 at Γ point for iron pnictides. By increasing the strength of the pairing interaction to a large value, the change of n(k) at Γ point for iron chalcogenides (pnictides) is remarkable (unremarkable). In addition, we find that the effect of the nearest-neighbor coupling between the two layers, contained in the S4 model Hu and Hao, (2012) 33, is very weak.
•The quasiparticle occupation number distribution is theoretically studied.•A minimal two-orbital model is employed.•The difference between the iron pnictides and iron chalcogenides is revealed in their occupation number distribution behavior.
Room-temperature superconductivity has always been an area of intensive research. Recent findings of clathrate metal hydrides structures have opened up the doors for achieving room-temperature ...superconductivity in these materials. Here, we report first-principles calculations for stable H-rich clathrate structures of uranium hydrides at high pressures. The clathrate uranium hydrides contain H cages with stoichiometries of H24, H29, and H32, in which H atoms are bonded covalently to other H atoms, and U atoms occupy the centers of the cages. Especially, a UH10 clathrate structure containing H32 cages is predicted to have an estimated T c higher than 77 K at high pressures.
Keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS) is a relatively common disease that results in discomfort, tear film instability, visual impairment, and ocular surface damage. Artificial tear substitutes may be ...suitable for the treatment of mild KCS, but no effective treatment currently exists for severe KCS. Therefore, this study evaluated the effectiveness of autologous microvascular submandibular gland transplantation in the treatment of severe KCS.
A total of 61 eyes (56 patients) with severe KCS were treated with autologous submandibular gland transplantation from June 2002 to June 2017. The cephalic vein or the great saphenous vein was applied to solve the problem of unmatched veins.
In 53 cases (53 of 56, 94.6%), 58 glands (58 of 61, 95.1%) were transplanted successfully. The mean Schirmer I test value improved from 0.78 ± 0.84 mm preoperatively to 18.83 ± 5.72 mm in the stable period after transplantation. Epiphora (14 of 58, 24.14%) was the most common complication of this procedure. Other postoperative complications included venous thrombosis (6 of 61, 9.84%), local infection (2 of 58, 3.45%), xerostomia (2 of 53, 3.77%), duct fistula (1 of 58, 1.72%), sialolithiasis (1 of 58, 1.72%), and ranula (1 of 58, 1.72%).
Autologous microvascular submandibular gland transplantation is a credible and effective solution for severe KCS.
Soybean (Glycine max L.) is one of the most important oil crops in the world. It is desirable to increase oil yields from soybean, and so this has been a major goal of oilseed engineering. However, ...it is still uncertain how many genes and which genes are involved in lipid biosynthesis.
Here, we evaluated changes in gene expression over the course of seed development using Illumina (formerly Solexa) RNA-sequencing. Tissues at 15 days after flowering (DAF) served as the control, and a total of 11592, 16594, and 16255 differentially expressed unigenes were identified at 35, 55, and 65 DAF, respectively. Gene Ontology analyses detected 113 co-expressed unigenes associated with lipid biosynthesis. Of these, 15 showed significant changes in expression levels (log2fold values ≥ 1) during seed development. Pathway analysis revealed 24 co-expressed transcripts involved in lipid biosynthesis and fatty acid biosynthesis pathways. We selected 12 differentially expressed genes and analyzed their expressions using qRT-PCR. The results were consistent with those obtained from Solexa sequencing.
These results provide a comprehensive molecular biology background for research on soybean seed development, particularly with respect to the process of oil accumulation. All of the genes identified in our research have significance for breeding soybeans with increased oil contents.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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