A Man Like Him Kyaw Ma Ma Lay, Journal; Thanegi, Ma
05/2018, Letnik:
47
eBook
The story of eight years in the brief life of Journal Kyaw U Chit Maung, a courageous Burmese journalist and editor. His political analyses helped guide the nation during a turbulent era marked by ...internal struggles to establish a democracy independent of Britain in the late 1930s and the Japanese Occupation of the 1940s. The memoir is written by U Chit Maung's wife, Journal Kyaw Ma Ma Lay, a resilient woman whose deep admiration and love for her uncompromising husband are captured here.
Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes CECT5344, a Gram-negative bacterium isolated from the Guadalquir River (Córdoba, Spain), is able to utilize different cyano-derivatives. Here, the complete genome ...sequence of P. pseudoalcaligenes CECT5344 harboring a 4,686,340bp circular chromosome encoding 4513 genes and featuring a GC-content of 62.34% is reported. Necessarily, remaining gaps in the genome had to be closed by assembly of few long reads obtained from PacBio single molecule real-time sequencing. Here, the first complete genome sequence for the species P. pseudoalcaligenes is presented.
The Spanish Myeloma Group conducted a trial to compare bortezomib/thalidomide/dexamethasone (VTD) versus thalidomide/dexamethasone (TD) versus vincristine, BCNU, melphalan, cyclophosphamide, ...prednisone/vincristine, BCNU, doxorubicin, dexamethasone/bortezomib (VBMCP/VBAD/B) in patients aged 65 years or younger with multiple myeloma. The primary endpoint was complete response (CR) rate postinduction and post–autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). Three hundred eighty-six patients were allocated to VTD (130), TD (127), or VBMCP/VBAD/B (129). The CR rate was significantly higher with VTD than with TD (35% vs 14%, P = .001) or with VBMCP/VBAD/B (35% vs 21%, P = .01). The median progression-free survival (PFS) was significantly longer with VTD (56.2 vs 28.2 vs 35.5 months, P = .01). In an intention-to-treat analysis, the post-ASCT CR rate was higher with VTD than with TD (46% vs 24%, P = .004) or with VBMCP/VBAD/B (46% vs 38%, P = .1). Patients with high-risk cytogenetics had a shorter PFS and overall survival in the overall series and in all treatment groups. In conclusion, VTD resulted in a higher pre- and posttransplantation CR rate and in a significantly longer PFS although it was not able to overcome the poor prognosis of high-risk cytogenetics. Our results support the use of VTD as a highly effective induction regimen prior to ASCT. The study was registered with http://www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT00461747) and Eudra CT (no. 2005-001110-41).
The adequate formulation of topical vehicles to treat skin diseases is particularly complex. A desirable formulation should enhance the accumulation of the active drugs in the target tissue (the ...skin), while avoiding the penetration enhancement to be so large that the drugs reach the systemic circulation in toxic amounts. We have evaluated the transcutaneous penetration of three drugs chosen for their widely variable physicochemical properties: Amphotericin B, Imiquimod and Indole. We incorporated the drugs in fluid or ultra-flexible liposomes. Ultra-flexible liposomes produced enhancement of drug penetration into/through human skin in all cases in comparison with fluid liposomes without detergent, regardless of drug molecular weight. At the same time, our results indicate that liposomes can impede the transcutaneous penetration of molecules, in particular small ones.
With the increased incidence of wine fraud, a fast and reliable method for wine certification has become a necessary prerequisite for the vigorous development of the global wine industry. In this ...study, a classification strategy based on three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy combined with chemometrics was proposed for oak-barrel and stainless steel tanks with oak chips aged wines. Principal component analysis (PCA), partial least squares analysis (PLS-DA), and Fisher discriminant analysis (FDA) were used to distinguish and evaluate the data matrix of the three-dimensional fluorescence spectra of wines. The results showed that FDA was superior to PCA and PLS-DA in classifying oak-barrel and stainless steel tanks with oak chips aged wines. As a general conclusion, three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy can provide valuable fingerprint information for the identification of oak-barrel and stainless steel tanks with oak chips aged wines, while the study will provide some theoretical references and standards for the quality control and quality assessment of oak-barrel aged wines.
The presence of pesticides in fruits and vegetables has been a growing concern in Argentina. Only three of the major marketplaces there have the necessary infrastructure to determine pesticide ...residues in produce. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of such residues in nationally produced fruits and vegetables for domestic consumption in order to evaluate the present state of the market. A total of 135 of the most widely consumed fruits and vegetables were analyzed for 35 pesticides. The analyses utilized a QuEChERS™ multiresidue-extraction kit along with tandem gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The results were evaluated according to maximum residue limits (MRLs) for each commodity and pesticide according to national regulation. Pesticides were detected in 65% of the total samples, in 44% of the positive samples at or below the MRLs, and in 56% above the MRLs. Oranges had the highest pesticide concentration detected, but carrots had the highest frequency of noncompliance among the produce items sampled. Five pesticides were detected at frequencies above 10%, the highest being chlorpyrifos in 25.9% of the total samples. In other countries, the percentage of samples above the MLR is 4 times lower than our findings, and 7 times lower for exported products. An implementation of programs designed to facilitate awareness, capacitation, and monitoring is urgently recommended.
•Of 135 samples, 88 had at least one pesticide residue and 53 with two or more.•Of the positive samples, 39 were at or below and 49 above, the MRLs.•Chlorpyrifos was the most frequently found, but epoxiconazole was more often > MRL.•The produce-control system contains a significant degree of permeability.•The creation of programs to minimize exposure to pesticides via foodstuffs is urgent.
Patients with chronic disease represent an at-risk group in the face of the COVID-19 crisis as they need to regularly monitor their lifestyle and emotional management. Coping with the illness becomes ...a challenge due to supply problems and lack of access to health care facilities. It is expected these limitations, along with lockdown and social distancing measures, have affected the routine disease management of these patients, being more pronounced in low- and middle-income countries with a flawed health care system.
The purpose of this study is to describe a protocol for a randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy of the Adhera® MejoraCare Digital Program, an mHealth intervention aimed at improving the quality of life of patients with chronic diseases during the COVID-19 outbreak in Paraguay.
A two-arm randomized controlled trial will be carried out, with repeated measures (baseline, 1-month, 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month) under two conditions: Adhera® MejoraCare Digital Program or waiting list. The primary outcome is a change in the quality of life on the EuroQol 5-Dimensions 3-Levels Questionnaire (EQ-5D-3L). Other secondary outcomes, as the effect on anxiety and health empowerment, will be considered. All participants must be 18 years of age or older and meet the criteria for chronic disease. A total of 96 participants will be recruited (48 per arm).
It is expected that the Adhera® MejoraCare Digital Program will show significant improvements in quality of life and emotional distress compared to the waiting list condition. Additionally, it is hypothesized that this intervention will be positively evaluated by the participants in terms of usability and satisfaction. The findings will provide new insights into the viability and efficacy of mHealth solutions for chronic disease management in developing countries and in times of pandemic.
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04659746.
Background and Aim
In high or moderate risk populations, periodic surveillance of patients at risk of progression from gastric precursor lesions (PL) to gastric cancer (GC) is the most effective ...strategy for reducing the burden of GC. Incomplete type of intestinal metaplasia (IIM) may be considered as the best candidate, but it is still controversial and more research is needed. To further assess the progression of subtypes of IM as predictors of GC occurrence.
Methods
A follow‐up study was carried‐out including 649 patients, diagnosed with PL between 1995–2004 in 9 participating hospitals from Spain, and who repeated the biopsy during 2011–2013. Medical information and habits were collected through a questionnaire. Based on morphology, IM was sub‐classified as complete (small intestinal type, CIM) and incomplete (colonic type, IIM). Analyses were done using Cox (HR) models.
Results
At baseline, 24% of patients had atrophic gastritis, 38% CIM, 34% IIM, and 4% dysplasia. Mean follow‐up was 12 years. 24 patients (3.7%) developed a gastric adenocarcinoma during follow‐up. The incidence rate of GC was 2.76 and 5.76 per 1,000 person‐years for those with CIM and IIM, respectively. The HR of progression to CG was 2.75 (95% CI 1.06‐6.26) for those with IIM compared with those with CIM at baseline, after adjusting for sex, age, smoking, family history of GC and use of NSAIDs.
Conclusions
IIM is the PL with highest risk to progress to GC. Sub‐typing of IM is a valid procedure for the identification of high risk patients that require more intensive surveillance.
In recent decades, flexible and wearable devices have been extensively investigated due to their promising applications in portable mobile electronics and human motion monitoring. MXene, a novel ...growing family of 2D nanomaterials, demonstrates superiorities such as outstanding electrical conductivity, abundant terminal groups, unique layered‐structure, large surface area, and hydrophilicity, making it to be a potential candidate material for flexible and wearable devices. Numerous pioneering works are devoted to develop flexible MXene‐based composites with various functions and designed structures. Therefore, the latest progress of the flexible MXene‐based composites for wearable devices is summarized in this review, focusing on the preparation strategies, working mechanisms, performances, and applications in sensors, supercapacitors, and electromagnetic interference shielding materials. Moreover, the current challenges and future outlooks are also discussed.
This is a comprehensive review of flexible MXene‐based composites for various applications as wearable devices in sensors, supercapacitors, and electromagnetic interference shielding materials. The preparation strategies, working mechanisms, performances, and applications of flexible MXene‐based composites are highlighted. Additional work is suggested to be conducted to improve the performance of the flexible MXene‐based composites for wearable devices.
Brain development in fetal life and early infancy is critical to determine lifelong performance in various neuropsychological domains. Metabolic pathologies such as overweight, obesity, and ...gestational diabetes in pregnant women are prevalent and increasing risk factors that may adversely affect long-term brain development in their offspring.
The objective of this research was to investigate the influence of maternal metabolic pathologies on the neurodevelopment of the offspring at 6 and 18 months of life.
This was a prospective case-control study of 331 mother- and child pairs from Granada, Spain. The mothers were included during pregnancy into four groups according to their pre-gestational body mass index and their gestational diabetes status; overweight (n:56), obese (n:64), gestational diabetic (n:79), and healthy normal weight controls (n:132). At 6 months and 18 months we assessed the children with the Bayley III scales of neurodevelopment.
At 6 months (n=215), we found significant group differences in cognition composite language, and expressive language. Post hoc test revealed unexpectedly higher scores in the obese group compared to the normal weight group and a similar trend in overweight and diabetic group. The effects on language remained significant after adjusting for confounders with an adjusted odds ratio for a value above median in composite language score of 3.3 (95% CI: 1.1, 10.0; p=0.035) for children of obese mothers. At 18 month (n=197), the offspring born to obese mothers had lost five points in language composite scores and the previous differences in language and cognition was replaced by a suggestive trend of lower gross motor scores in the overweight, obese, and diabetic groups.
Infants of obese mothers had a temporary accelerated development of cognition and language, followed by a rapid deceleration until 18 months of age, particularly of language scores. This novel observation prompts further confirmative studies to explore possible placental and neurodevelopmental mechanisms involved.
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