The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of postoperative cerebrovascular accident (CVA) following head and neck free tissue transfer and to identify predictive risk factors. A ...retrospective audit was performed of patients who underwent head and neck reconstructive surgery at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital between 2009 and 2020. The patient records were analysed to identify those who developed CVA within 30 days after surgery. A total of 1109 patients underwent head and neck free tissue transfer surgery, including 1048 neck dissection procedures. Of these, 78.6% had one or more identified risk factors for perioperative stroke. Five patients (0.45%) developed postoperative CVA. The results showed that CVA correlated to patients with hypercholesterolemia (P = 0.007). This study demonstrates the safety of free tissue transfer. Despite underlying co-morbidities and risk factors, the incidence of CVA is low following surgery and manipulation of the major vasculature of the neck.
Presentation with cervical lymphadenopathy would usually have an aetiology of neoplasm, infection or reactive cause. Dual pathology of regional metastasis with simultaneous occurrence of tuberculous ...lymphadenopathy is rather rare. Herein the authors present a case of primary occult carcinoma and tuberculous lymphadenopathy in an unfortunate patient. The reliability of fine-needle aspiration cytology as a first-line investigation, with alternative methods in approaching cervical lymphadenopathy, was further dissected.
Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus (JEV) remains a leading cause of neurological infection across Asia. The high lethality of disease and absence of effective therapies mean that standardised animal ...models will be crucial in developing therapeutics. However, published mouse models are heterogeneous. We performed a systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of published JEV mouse experiments to investigate the variation in model parameters, assess homogeneity and test the relationship of key variables against mortality.
A PubMed search was performed up to August 2020. 1991 publications were identified, of which 127 met inclusion criteria, with data for 5026 individual mice across 487 experimental groups. Quality assessment was performed using a modified CAMARADES criteria and demonstrated incomplete reporting with a median quality score of 10/17. The pooled estimate of mortality in mice after JEV challenge was 64.7% (95% confidence interval 60.9 to 68.3) with substantial heterogeneity between experimental groups (I^2 70.1%, df 486). Using meta-regression to identify key moderators, a refined dataset was used to model outcome dependent on five variables: mouse age, mouse strain, virus strain, virus dose (in log10PFU) and route of inoculation. The final model reduced the heterogeneity substantially (I^2 38.9, df 265), explaining 54% of the variability.
This is the first systematic review of mouse models of JEV infection. Better adherence to CAMARADES guidelines may reduce bias and variability of reporting. In particular, sample size calculations were notably absent. We report that mouse age, mouse strain, virus strain, virus dose and route of inoculation account for much, though not all, of the variation in mortality. This dataset is available for researchers to access and use as a guideline for JEV mouse experiments.
Expression of the long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) SPRY4-IT1 is low in normal human melanocytes but high in melanoma cells. siRNA knockdown of SPRY4-IT1 blocks melanoma cell invasion and proliferation, ...and increases apoptosis. To investigate its function further, we affinity purified SPRY4-IT1 from melanoma cells and used mass spectrometry to identify the protein lipin 2, an enzyme that converts phosphatidate to diacylglycerol (DAG), as a major binding partner. SPRY4-IT1 knockdown increases the accumulation of lipin2 protein and upregulate the expression of diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase 2 (DGAT2) an enzyme involved in the conversion of DAG to triacylglycerol (TAG). When SPRY4-IT1 knockdown and control melanoma cells were subjected to shotgun lipidomics, an MS-based assay that permits the quantification of changes in the cellular lipid profile, we found that SPRY4-IT1 knockdown induced significant changes in a number of lipid species, including increased acyl carnitine, fatty acyl chains, and triacylglycerol (TAG). Together, these results suggest the possibility that SPRY4-IT1 knockdown may induce apoptosis via lipin 2-mediated alterations in lipid metabolism leading to cellular lipotoxicity.
Hybrid composites have been prepared by solution processing method using various MWCNT concentrations in reduced graphene oxide/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (rGO-PEDOT:PSS) ...matrix. Structural and morphological characteristics of the prepared composite films have been characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, UV–visible spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The electrical transport measurement of composites conducted by four-point contacts shows increase in conductivity with MWCNT wt% in the composite system. The enhanced electrical conductivity as a result of improved dispersion of MWCNTs and rGO has been observed barely affecting the optical properties in the visible region. The observed improvement in electrical properties barely affecting its optical properties in the visible region can be attributed to synergistic effect of MWCNTs and rGO networks on the composite. This result suggests that such hybrid composite materials could be used as transparent conductor applications in optoelectronic devices.
Phosphorylated chitosan (P-CS) was successfully synthesized using a facile experimental setup of hydrothermal method that was applied to the adsorption of anionic Acid Red 88 (AR88) from aqueous ...media. The adsorption process obeyed the pseudo-second-order (PSO) kinetic model. In contrast, the adsorption isotherm conformed to the Langmuir model, with the maximum adsorption capacity (qm = 230 mg g−1) at 303 K. Both external and intraparticle diffusion strongly influenced the rate of adsorption. The insights from this study reveal that P-CS could be easily prepared and regenerated for reusability applications. The adsorption mechanism and intermolecular interaction between P-CS and AR 88 were investigated using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and calculations via Density Functional Theory (DFT). The key modes of adsorption for the P-CS/AR 88 system are driven by electrostatic attractions, H-bonding, and n-π interactions. The findings herein reveal that P-CS is a promising adsorbent for the removal of anionic dyes such as AR88 or similar pollutants from water.
•Phosphorylated chitosan was prepared as an adsorbent.•The adsorbent was characterized by SEM-EDX, ATR-FTIR, BET, and XRD.•Acid Red 88 is adsorbed favorably by the adsorbent at 30 °C (qm = 230 mg g−1).•Pseudo-second order kinetic and Langmuir isotherm adsorption models yield best fits.•The high adsorption uptakes was related to the different modes of adsorption.
The spectral composition of light has been linked to various non-image-forming responses besides visual photoreception. Accordingly, simulation tools must incorporate the spectral composition of ...light to account for such responses. A simulation tool was developed which uses N-step algorithm and subdivides the (red, green, and blue) RGB bands into multiple channels. This research intends to validate the tool for different lighting scenarios. A physical model was constructed in which the integral irradiance from 380 nm to 780 nm was measured for three scenarios: diffuse daylight, electric light with variable correlated colour temperature and a combination of both. All three scenarios were simulated with 3, 9, 27 and 81 channels. For scenarios with electric light and combination of daylight and electric light, the nine-channel simulation improved the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) by 13.9% to 33.9% compared to the three-channel simulation. For continuous daylight, there was only a small improvement of 0.4% when increasing from 3 to 27 channels. In comparison to 9 channels, 27 channels slightly improved MAPE in all the scenarios but substantially increased the simulation time. Increasing the number of channels to 81 is likelier to bring a contribution to more complex scenarios than that presented in this study.
Despite many advances in surgery, radiotherapy, and systemic treatments, only modest improvements in survival, function, and quality of life have been achieved after treatment of squamous cell ...carcinoma (SCC) of the head and neck. With a better understanding of the biology and genetics of tumours, the emergence of a paradigm shift towards the further development of non-surgical treatments may result in less morbidity and better outcomes than are seen currently. SCC of the head and neck is known to be a complex disease that has a sophisticated interaction with the human immune system. At the forefront of emerging treatments is immunotherapy, which has already been established in many other areas of oncology. The rapidly evolving nature of immunotherapeutic agents and, sometimes, their complex mechanisms can make the understanding of these concepts challenging, and could discourage clinicians from engaging in clinical trials. The aim of this paper therefore was to review the current premise for immunotherapeutic approaches, and to provide a contemporary evidence-based rationale for their use.
Aims
To identify Botryosphaeriaceae fungal species that are associated with stem‐end rot of mango, and to study their pathogenicity on mango fruit.
Methods and Results
Based on the sequences of ...internal transcribed spacer (ITS), TEF1‐α and β‐tubulin, as well as on the phylogenetic analysis of combined sequences, four species of Lasiodiplodia (L. theobromae,L. pseudotheobromae, L. iranensis, L. mahajangana) and two species of Neofusicoccum (N. ribis, N. parvum) were identified. Pseudofusicoccum violaceum, Neoscytalidium dimidiatum and three species of Botryosphaeria (B. scharifii, B. dothidea, B. ramosa) were identified based on sequences of ITS and TEF1‐α. Pathogenicity test of selected isolates were tested on Chok Anan, Waterlily and Falan mango cultivars. Generally, all species were observed to be pathogenic on the three tested mango cultivars on wounded fruits, except for N. ribis and N. parvum, which were pathogenic on both wounded and unwounded fruits. However, N. ribis was only pathogenic on cultivar Falan, whereas B. ramosa were pathogenic on cultivars Waterlily and Falan.
Conclusions
Eleven species of Botryosphaeriaceae were associated with mango stem‐end rot in Malaysia. To the best of our knowledge, four species, namely L. mahajangana, B. ramosa, N. ribis and P. violaceum are the first recorded Botryosphaeriaceae fungi associated with stem end rot of mango.
Significance and Impact of the Study
The identification of Botryosphaeriaceae fungi is important to establish suitable control measures and quarantine requirements. Many species have a wide host range, which means that there is a possibility of cross infection from other infected plants.
Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is an aggressive salivary gland neoplasm characterized by high rates of local recurrence, early metastasis, and a poor long-term prognosis. Approximately 20–50% of ...cases result in distant metastasis, commonly involving the lung, bone, liver, and brain. Cutaneous metastasis is a rare occurrence, with a small number of cases reported previously in the context of multiple metastatic sites of involvement. We present a unique case of ACC of the hard palate with isolated cutaneous metastasis. A 36-year-old woman underwent a subtotal maxillectomy and skull base resection for the treatment of a T4N0 ACC of the right maxilla. One year postoperatively, the patient presented with multiple rapidly growing painful nodules on the skin of the scalp, neck, and chest. Biopsy confirmed metastatic poorly differentiated ACC, and positron emission tomography demonstrated cutaneous metastatic lesions without evidence of other tissue involvement. This case highlights the possible rare and aggressive pathways of metastasis of ACC. Currently there is no consensus for the treatment of disseminated disease, due to the poor efficacy of current treatment modalities. Where isolated metastasis is present, surgical resection can be attempted to control disease progression; however the benefit of metastasectomy on survival is not substantiated. As such, the role of newer targeted systemic therapies needs to be further investigated in the hope of achieving disease control.
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