In exploiting topological defects of liquid crystals as the targeting sites for trapping colloidal objects, previous work has relied on topographic features with uniform anchoring to create defects, ...achieving limited density and spacing of particles. We report a generalizable strategy to create topological defects on chemically patterned surfaces to assemble particles in precisely defined locations with a tunable interparticle distance at nanoscale dimensions. Informed by experimental observations and numerical simulations that indicate that liquid crystals, confined between a homeotropic-anchoring surface and a surface with lithographically defined planar-anchoring stripes in a homeotropic-anchoring background, display splay-bend deformation, we successfully create pairs of defects and subsequently trap particles with controlled spacing by designing patterns of intersecting stripes aligned at 45° with homeotropic-anchoring gaps at the intersections. Application of electric fields allows for dynamic control of trapped particles. The tunability, responsiveness, and adaptability of this platform provide the opportunities for assembly of colloidal structures toward functional materials.
Modulators of triglyceride metabolism include lipoprotein lipase (LPL), angiopoietin-like protein 4 (ANGPTL4), and apolipoprotein C-3 (ApoC3). There is evidence on the influence of this triangle of ...molecules on an increased risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CV) in the general population. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) present changes in lipid profiles and accelerated CV disease. In the present study, we set out to study whether the ANGPTL4, ApoC3, and LPL axis differs in subjects with RA compared to controls. In a further step, we investigated the relationship of this axis with subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with RA.
Cross-sectional study that included 569 individuals, 323 patients with RA and 246 age-matched controls. ANGPTL4, ApoC3 and LPL, and standard lipid profiles were analyzed in patients and controls. Carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and carotid plaques were assessed in RA patients. A multivariable analysis was performed to assess whether the ANGPTL4, ApoC3, and LPL axis was altered in RA and to study its relationship with RA dyslipidemia and subclinical carotid atherosclerosis.
Most lipid profile molecules did not differ between patients and controls. Despite this, and after fully multivariable analysis including CV risk factors, use of statins, and changes in the lipid profile caused by the disease itself, patients with RA showed higher serum levels of ANGPTL4 (beta coef. 295 95% CI 213-376 ng/ml, p<0.001) and ApoC3 (beta coef. 2.9 95% CI 1.7-4.0 mg/dl, p<0.001), but lower circulating LPL (beta coef. -174 95% CI -213 to -135 ng/ml, p<0.001). ANGPTL4 serum levels were positively and independently associated with a higher cIMT in patients with RA after fully multivariable adjustment.
The axis consisting in ANGPTL4, ApoC3, and LPL is disrupted in patients with RA. ANGPTL4 serum levels are positively and independently associated with a higher cIMT in RA patients.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been the most critical public health issue in modern history due to its highly infectious and deathly potential, and the limited access to massive, low-cost, and reliable ...testing has significantly worsened the crisis. The recovery and the vaccination of millions of people against COVID-19 have made serological tests highly relevant to identify the presence and levels of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Due to its advantages, microfluidic-based technologies represent an attractive alternative to the conventional testing methodologies used for these purposes. In this work, we described the development of an automated ELISA on-chip capable of detecting anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in serum samples from COVID-19 patients and vaccinated individuals. The colorimetric reactions were analyzed with a microplate reader. No statistically significant differences were observed when comparing the results of our automated ELISA on-chip against the ones obtained from a traditional ELISA on a microplate. Moreover, we demonstrated that it is possible to carry out the analysis of the colorimetric reaction by performing basic image analysis of photos taken with a smartphone, which constitutes a useful alternative when lacking specialized equipment or a laboratory setting. Our automated ELISA on-chip has the potential to be used in a clinical setting and mitigates some of the burden caused by testing deficiencies.
Liquid crystals (LCs) can serve as sensitive reporters of interfacial events, and this property has been used for sensing of synthetic or biological toxins. Here it is demonstrated that LCs can ...distinguish distinct molecular motifs and exhibit a specific response to beta‐sheet structures. That property is used to detect the formation of highly toxic protofibrils involved in neurodegenerative diseases, where it is crucial to develop methods that probe the early‐stage aggregation of amyloidogenic peptides in the vicinity of biological membranes. In the proposed method, the amyloid fibrils formed at the lipid–decorated LC interface can change the orientation of LCs and form elongated and branched structures that are amplified by the mesogenic medium; however, nonamyloidogenic peptides form ellipsoidal domains of tilted LCs. Moreover, a theoretical and computational analysis is used to reveal the underlying structure of the LC, thereby providing a detailed molecular‐level view of the interactions and mechanisms responsible for such motifs. The corresponding signatures can be detected at nanomolar concentrations of peptide by polarized light microscopy and much earlier than the ones that can be identified by fluorescence‐based techniques. As such, it offers the potential for early diagnoses of neurodegenerative diseases and for facile testing of inhibitors of amyloid formation.
Liquid‐crystal‐based sensors exhibit unique responses to peptides that aggregate at membrane interfaces. β‐sheet forming peptides, such as human islet amyloid polypeptide, aggregate into fibrils at lipid–decorated liquid crystal interfaces, giving rise to branch‐like structures. By contrast, rat islet amyloid polypeptide molecules, which possess α‐helical character, exhibit weak protein–lipid interactions and form circular domains.
Polyserositis as a Post–Covid-19 Complication Hernández-Perera, Julio César; Piñeiro-Pérez, Dania; Martínez-Muñiz, Juan Oscar ...
MEDICC review,
10/2022, Letnik:
24, Številka:
3–4
Journal Article
Odprti dostop
INTRODUCTIONPolyserositis is described as inflammation with effusion of more than one serous membrane. There is very little published literature linking it to COVID-19 as a late complication. ...OBJECTIVEPresent and describe a case of post-COVID-19 polyserositis. METHODSData were collected from the medical record of a female patient admitted for fainting spells and marked weakness. The patient underwent a clinical evaluation, additional hematology, imaging and histopathology tests, and a surgical procedure. The new index, called the abdominal adipose deposit index, was obtained by multiplying the subcutaneous fat thickness by visceral fat thickness, both measured by ultrasound. A cutoff point was established that facilitated discernment of an unhealthy phenotype: normal weight but metabolically obese, a cardiometabolic risk factor. RESULTSWe present the case of a 57-year-old female patient admitted to hospital for fainting spells and marked weakness, four months after COVID-19 infection. She also had a history of obesity, asthma, type 2 diabetes mellitus and a cholecystectomy in December 1992 for gallstones. Clinical assessment revealed pericardial effusion and bilateral pleural effusion, in addition to a tumor-like lesion outside the pericardium, proximal to the right ventricular wall. A surgical procedure and findings from additional tests led to diagnoses of thymic remnants and polyserositis. CONCLUSIONSThis is a case of polyserositis in a post-COVID-19 patient. After other causes of polyserositis were ruled out, and since there is a likely physiological and pathogenic mechanism operating between the two diseases, the polyserositis was determined to be a late complication of COVID-19. To date, it is the second case reported in the world and the first reported in Cuba.
A continuum from stem to transit-amplifying to a differentiated cell state is a common theme in multicellular organisms. In the plant root apical meristem (RAM), transit-amplifying cells are ...organized into two domains: cells from the proliferation domain (PD) are displaced to the transition domain (TD), suggesting that both domains are necessarily coupled. Here, we show that in the Arabidopsis thaliana mto2-2 mutant, in which threonine (Thr) synthesis is affected, the RAM lacks the PD. Through a combination of cell length profile analysis, mathematical modeling and molecular markers, we establish that the PD and TD can be uncoupled. Remarkably, although the RAM of mto2-2 is represented solely by the TD, the known factors of RAM maintenance and auxin signaling are expressed in the mutant. Mathematical modeling predicts that the stem cell niche depends on Thr metabolism and that, when disturbed, the normal continuum of cell states becomes aborted.
Bahia Magdalena is a coastal lagoon located in the Pacific coast of Baja California, a transitional zone between tropical and temperate regions. Its biological and fishing richness is enormous. The ...objective of this work was to determine the impact of the unusual and consecutive warming events knows as The Blob (TB2013-2015) and 2015-2016 El Niño on the hydrological characteristics and plankton communities, the lower levels of the trophic web. The changes we observed strongly suggested that the warming caused by those phenomena did affect the hydrology and phyto and zooplankton communities. This study included analyses of environmental and biological variables measured in situ and with MODIS-Aqua satellite images, from January 2015 to December 2017. In 2015, the air temperature was very high, upwelling strength decreased and temperature, salinity and water density showed the tropical influence. Additionally, the percentage of oxygen saturation and the nutrients and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentrations were low and showed intra-annual variations different to usual. By April 2015, the chain-forming diatom Eucampia zodiacus bloomed, and we did not record an autumn bloom, but Chl-a fluorescence suggested that smaller phytoplankton fractions were predominant in that season. Zooplankton biomass (ZB) was lower since the second semester of 2015 and showed a negative trend until 2017. Relatively low percentages of dead zooplankton (%ZD) were also recorded. In 2016, when El Niño declined, and the ENSO cold phase (La Niña) started, there were an enhancing of upwellings, nutrients, and Chl-a concentrations. Blooms of diatoms occurred in spring and autumn (Guinardia/Rhizosolenia), whereas the ZB remained low, but %ZD was very high. La Niña finished in 2017, and in contrast to previous years, the upwelling's phenology was close to 1967-2010 average, and upwelling strength increased. Therefore, its rich-nutrients waters input caused several diatoms blooms, whereas ZB remained scarce.
Cardiovascular diseases, mainly coronary heart disease and stroke, are the main cause of death in Venezuela; hypertension is the primary risk factor. The May Measurement Month (MMM) study is a global ...initiative aimed at raising awareness of elevated blood pressure (BP). The previous MMM 2017 campaign showed 48.9% of participants had hypertension, higher than previous Venezuelan epidemiological studies. The MMM 2018 campaign included 28 649 participants screened mean age: 54.2 (SD 15.13) years; female 62.8% carried out mainly in pharmacies in 61 sites. Physical measurements included height, weight, and BP, taken in sitting position three times. After multiple imputations, 48.4% had hypertension, of which 87.7% were aware of their diagnosis. Of the individuals not receiving antihypertensive medication, 14.0% had hypertension and 33.7% of those receiving treatment had uncontrolled hypertension. Overall, the percentage of hypertensives with controlled hypertension was 54.8%. Body mass index was calculated for the total population, and it was on average 25.2 (SD: 4.65) kg/m
. Of all, 14.2% was classified as obese and 32.6% as overweight; meanwhile 4.8% as underweight. Diabetes was reported by 9.5%. These results suggest that repeated screening like the MMM campaign can routinely identify hypertension and consequently implement programmes of treatment in Venezuela, also other common risk factors, like obesity or diabetes.
Objective
Cholesterol efflux capacity (CEC) is the ability of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol to accept cholesterol from macrophages. CEC is linked to cardiovascular events in the general ...population, and it has been shown to be disrupted in inflammatory states. The aim of this study was to establish whether CEC is impaired in PsA patients and if this could be explained by disease-related features like disease activity.
Methods
Case-control study that encompassed 105 individuals: 52 PsA patients and 53 controls. CEC, using an in vitro assay, and lipoprotein serum concentrations were assessed in patients and controls. Disease activity in patients with PsA was measured using the Disease Activity Index for Psoriatic Arthritis (DAPSA). Multivariate analysis was performed to study the differences between CEC in patients and controls, and the relation of CEC with PsA activity-related data and lipid profile.
Results
Total cholesterol, apolipoprotein A1, and LDL cholesterol serum levels were downregulated in PsA patients. CEC did not differ between controls and patients (17 ± 10 vs. 18 ± 2%,
p
= 0.15) after adjusting for traditional cardiovascular risk factors or other variations in the lipid profile related to the disease. Traditional cardiovascular risk factors, both in patients and controls, were not related to CEC. After multivariate regression analysis, the DAPSA score was inversely and independently associated with CEC (beta coefficient − 0.75 95%CI − 1.39–− 0.11 %,
p
= 0.023).
Conclusion
CEC is inversely associated with disease activity in PSA patients, reinforcing the role of disease activity as a key factor in the development of accelerated atherosclerosis in these patients.
Key Points
• Cholesterol efflux capacity is linked to cardiovascular events in the general population.
• In patients with psoriatic arthritis, cholesterol efflux capacity is inversely associated with disease activity (beta coefficient − 0.7595% CI
−
1.39–
−
0.11 %, p = 0.023).
• This finding reinforces the role of disease activity as a key factor in increasing cardiovascular risk in psoriatic arthritis patients.
Textbook outcome is an interesting quality metrics tool. Information on textbook outcomes in distal pancreatectomy is very scarce. In this study we determined textbook outcome in a distal ...pancreatectomy multicenter database and propose a specific definition of textbook outcome-distal pancreatectomy that includes pancreatic fistula.
Retrospective multicenter observational study of distal pancreatectomy performed at 8 hepatopancreatobiliary surgery units from January 1, 2008, to December 31, 2018. The inclusion criteria were any scheduled distal pancreatectomy performed for any diagnosis and age > 18 years. Specific textbook outcome-distal pancreatectomy was defined as hospital stay P < 75, no Clavien–Dindo complications (≥ III), no hospital mortality, and no readmission recorded at 90 days, and the absence of pancreatic fistula (B/C).
Of the 450 patients included, 262 (58.2%) obtained textbook outcomes. Prolonged stay was the parameter most frequently associated with failure to achieve textbook outcomes. The textbook outcome group presented the following results. Preoperative: lower American Society of Anesthesiologists score < III, a lower percentage of smokers, and less frequent tumor invasion of neighboring organs or vascular invasion; operative: major laparoscopic approach, and less resection of neighboring organs and less operative transfusion; postoperative: lower percentage of delayed gastric emptying and pancreatic fistula B/C, and diagnosis other an adenocarcinoma. In the multivariate study, the American Society of Anesthesiologists score > II, resection of neighboring organs, B/C pancreatic fistula, and delayed gastric emptying were associated with failure to achieve textbook outcomes.
The textbook outcome rate in our 450 pancreaticoduodenectomies was 58.2%. In the multivariate analysis, the causes of failure to achieve textbook outcomes were American Society of Anesthesiologists score > II, resection of neighboring organs, pancreatic fistula B/C, and delayed gastric emptying. We believe that pancreatic fistula should be added to the specific definition of textbook outcome–distal pancreatectomy because it is the most frequent complication of this procedure.
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