Functional taping with elastic bandages and adhesive tapes could limit the action of upper limb spastic muscles and sustain that of weaker muscles in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (CP). 16 ...young children with CP (3±2 years old) were enrolled in this pilot study including 5 months of taping in conjunction with conventional physical therapy, followed by 7 months of physical therapy alone (taping wash-out), and other 5 months of taping plus therapy. Large improvements in the Melbourne assessment score were found in the first period in which taping was used (+15.4%, p<0.001) and also in the second one despite 8 drop-outs (+8.4%, p=0.012), but not during the taping wash-out (- 4.6%; p=0.093). These results suggest that children with CP could benefit from the continuous correction provided by taping in order to limit the development of improper upper limb motor schemas and to favour that of proper ones.
The decay Formula omitted is studied in a sample of quantum-correlated Formula omitted pairs, based on a data set corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.93 fb Formula omitted collected at the ...Formula omitted resonance by the BESIII experiment. The asymmetry between Formula omitted-odd and Formula omitted-even eigenstate decays into Formula omitted is determined to be Formula omitted, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. This measurement is an update of an earlier study exploiting additional tagging modes, including several decay modes involving a Formula omitted meson. The branching fractions of the Formula omitted modes are determined as input to the analysis in a manner that is independent of any strong phase uncertainty. Using the predominantly Formula omitted-even tag Formula omitted and the ensemble of Formula omitted-odd eigenstate tags, the observable Formula omitted is measured to be Formula omitted. The two asymmetries are sensitive to Formula omitted, where Formula omitted and Formula omitted are the ratio of amplitudes and phase difference, respectively, between the doubly Cabibbo-suppressed and Cabibbo-favoured decays. In addition, events containing Formula omitted tagged by Formula omitted are studied in bins of phase space of the three-body decays. This analysis has sensitivity to both Formula omitted and Formula omitted. A fit to Formula omitted, Formula omitted and the phase-space distribution of the Formula omitted tags yields Formula omitted, where external constraints are applied for Formula omitted and other relevant parameters. This is the most precise measurement of Formula omitted in quantum-correlated Formula omitted decays.
The essential fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) present in fish oils displays beneficial effects in a range of human disorders associated with inflammation including cardiovascular disease. ...Resolvin E1 (RvE1), a new bioactive oxygenated product of EPA, was identified in human plasma and prepared by total organic synthesis. Results of bioaction and physical matching studies indicate that the complete structure of RvE1 is 5S,12R,18R-trihydroxy-6Z,8E,10E,14Z,16E-EPA. At nanomolar levels, RvE1 dramatically reduced dermal inflammation, peritonitis, dendritic cell (DC) migration, and interleukin (IL) 12 production. We screened receptors and identified one, denoted earlier as ChemR23, that mediates RvE1 signal to attenuate nuclear factor-kappaB. Specific binding of RvE1 to this receptor was confirmed using synthetic (3)H-labeled RvE1. Treatment of DCs with small interference RNA specific for ChemR23 sharply reduced RvE1 regulation of IL-12. These results demonstrate novel counterregulatory responses in inflammation initiated via RvE1 receptor activation that provide the first evidence for EPA-derived potent endogenous agonists of antiinflammation.
There is considerable variation in disease behavior among patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 ...(Covid-19). Genomewide association analysis may allow for the identification of potential genetic factors involved in the development of Covid-19.
We conducted a genomewide association study involving 1980 patients with Covid-19 and severe disease (defined as respiratory failure) at seven hospitals in the Italian and Spanish epicenters of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Europe. After quality control and the exclusion of population outliers, 835 patients and 1255 control participants from Italy and 775 patients and 950 control participants from Spain were included in the final analysis. In total, we analyzed 8,582,968 single-nucleotide polymorphisms and conducted a meta-analysis of the two case-control panels.
We detected cross-replicating associations with rs11385942 at locus 3p21.31 and with rs657152 at locus 9q34.2, which were significant at the genomewide level (P<5×10
) in the meta-analysis of the two case-control panels (odds ratio, 1.77; 95% confidence interval CI, 1.48 to 2.11; P = 1.15×10
; and odds ratio, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.20 to 1.47; P = 4.95×10
, respectively). At locus 3p21.31, the association signal spanned the genes
,
,
,
,
and
. The association signal at locus 9q34.2 coincided with the
blood group locus; in this cohort, a blood-group-specific analysis showed a higher risk in blood group A than in other blood groups (odds ratio, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.20 to 1.75; P = 1.48×10
) and a protective effect in blood group O as compared with other blood groups (odds ratio, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.79; P = 1.06×10
).
We identified a 3p21.31 gene cluster as a genetic susceptibility locus in patients with Covid-19 with respiratory failure and confirmed a potential involvement of the ABO blood-group system. (Funded by Stein Erik Hagen and others.).
•A two-step process was tested for using wet greasy sludge in biodiesel production.•Acid catalyst showed higher FFA esterification compared to TAG transesterification.•Enzymatic catalyst first ...hydrolyzed TAG in FFA, which were esterified to biodiesel.•Alkaline transesterification reached a FAME yield of 65.4% when using acid catalyst.
Sewage sludge generated in municipal wastewater treatment plants was used as a feedstock for biodiesel production via esterification/transesterification in a two-step process. In the first esterification step, greasy and secondary sludge were tested using acid and enzymatic catalysts. The results indicate that both catalysts performed the esterification of free fatty acids (FFA) simultaneously with the transesterification of triacylglycerols (TAG). Acid catalyst demonstrated better performance in FFA esterification compared to TAG transesterification, while enzymatic catalyst showed the ability to first hydrolyze TAG in FFA, which were esterified to methyl esters. In addition, FAME concentration using greasy sludge were higher (63.9% and 58.7%), compared with those of secondary sludge (11% and 16%), using acid and enzymatic catalysts, respectively. Therefore, only greasy sludge was used in the second step of alkaline transesterification. The alkaline transesterification of the previously esterified greasy sludge reached a maximum FAME concentration of 65.4% when using acid catalyst.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which has rapidly become epidemic in Italy and other European countries. ...The disease spectrum ranges from asymptomatic/mildly symptomatic presentations to acute respiratory failure. At the present time the absolute number of severe cases requiring ventilator support is reaching or even surpassing the intensive care unit bed capacity in the most affected regions and countries.
To narratively summarize the available literature on the management of COVID-19 in order to combine current evidence and frontline opinions and to provide balanced answers to pressing clinical questions.
Inductive PubMed search for publications relevant to the topic.
The available literature and the authors' frontline-based opinion are summarized in brief narrative answers to selected clinical questions, with a conclusive statement provided for each answer.
Many off-label antiviral and anti-inflammatory drugs are currently being administered to patients with COVID-19. Physicians must be aware that, as they are not supported by high-level evidence, these treatments may often be ethically justifiable only in those worsening patients unlikely to improve only with supportive care, and who cannot be enrolled onto randomized clinical trials. Access to well-designed randomized controlled trials should be expanded as much as possible because it is the most secure way to change for the better our approach to COVID-19 patients.
Reply to Schroecksnadel, et al Divanovic, Senad; Sawtell, Nancy M.; Trompette, Aurelien ...
The Journal of infectious diseases,
05/2012, Letnik:
205, Številka:
10
Journal Article
Abstract
Background
Although cardiac autonomic modulation has been studied in several respiratory diseases, the evidence is limited on lung transplantation, particularly on its acute and chronic ...effects. Thus, we aimed to evaluate cardiac autonomic modulation before and after bilateral lung transplantation (BLT) through a prospective study on patients enrolled while awaiting transplant.
Methods
Twenty-two patients on the waiting list for lung transplantation (11 women, age 33 24–51 years) were enrolled in a prospective study at Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico Hospital in Milan, Italy. To evaluate cardiac autonomic modulation, ten minutes ECG and respiration were recorded at different time points before (T0) and 15 days (T1) and 6 months (T2) after bilateral lung transplantation. As to the analysis of cardiac autonomic modulation, heart rate variability (HRV) was assessed using spectral and symbolic analysis. Entropy-derived measures were used to evaluate complexity of cardiac autonomic modulation. Comparisons of autonomic indices at different time points were performed.
Results
BLT reduced HRV total power, HRV complexity and vagal modulation, while it increased sympathetic modulation in the acute phase (T1) compared to baseline (T0). The HRV alterations remained stable after 6 months (T2).
Conclusion
BLT reduced global variability and complexity of cardiac autonomic modulation in acute phases, and these alterations remain stable after 6 months from surgery. After BLT, a sympathetic predominance and a vagal withdrawal could be a characteristic autonomic pattern in this population.
To describe the phenotypic and genotypic profiles of Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase-producing K. pneumoniae (KPC-Kp) strains isolated from patients with invasive infections at an Italian ...university hospital in order to assess the epidemiological trend.
An observational prospective study was undertaken at the University Hospital of Sassari, Italy to detect KPC-Kp strains in patients with invasive bacteraemia. Isolates were identified phenotypically; carbapenemase production was assessed using phenotypic and genotypic methods. Sequencing of blaKPC genes, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and multi-locus sequence typing were performed.
During the period 2015–2017, 46 cases of invasive infection with K. pneumoniae were recorded. Two-thirds (67.4%) of the patients were male, and the mean age was 69.4 years. Most patients had at least one comorbidity (56.5%) and/or had been hospitalized previously (70.5%), 81.8% had current or recent medical device use, and 85.4% had recent antibiotic exposure. The mortality rate was 52.3%. A multi-drug-resistant pattern (including carbapenems, fluoroquinolones, third-/fourth-generation cephalosporins) was shown for all K. pneumoniae isolates. KPC-3 and -2 were produced by all strains. The most common sequence types were 512 (91.3%) and 101 (8.7%), grouped into three clusters (A, A1 and B).
A high incidence of KPC-Kp in patients with invasive infections was recorded at an Italian university hospital compared with the incidence measured before 2015. This study confirmed the importance of the KPC-3 carbapenemase variant, as reported by other Italian studies. High mortality and comorbidity rates appear to be associated with KPC-Kp infection.
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