Interferon-induced membrane proteins (IFITM) 3 gene variants are known risk factor for severe viral diseases. We examined whether IFITM3 variant may underlie the heterogeneous clinical outcomes of ...SARS-CoV-2 infection-induced COVID-19 in large Arab population. We genotyped 880 Saudi patients; 93.8% were PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, encompassing most COVID-19 phenotypes. Mortality at 90 days was 9.1%. IFITM3-SNP, rs12252-G allele was associated with hospital admission (OR = 1.65 95% CI; 1.01–2.70, P = 0.04) and mortality (OR = 2.2 95% CI; 1.16–4.20, P = 0.01). Patients less than 60 years old had a lower survival probability if they harbor this allele (log-rank test P = 0.002). Plasma levels of IFNγ were significantly lower in a subset of patients with AG/GG genotypes than patients with AA genotype (P = 0.00016). Early identification of these individuals at higher risk of death may inform precision public health response.
•rs12252 is associated with COVID-19 severity and mortality following SARS-CoV-2 infection, particularly in younger group.•The G allele doubles the odds of COVID-19 mortality independently from other risk factors.•Plasma level of IFNγ was significantly lower in GG/AG group as compared to AA group suggesting a dominance effect of rs12252.•The lower level of IFNγ indicate a dysregulated innate immune response of the host carrying the IFITM3 variant.
This study aimed to compare the effect of thickness and background on the color changes of CAD/CAM materials (zirconia-reinforced lithium silicate (Suprinity), lithium disilicate (IPS E-max CAD), and ...hybrid ceramic (Enamic)). Twelve specimens for each thickness (0.4 mm, 0.5 mm, 1 mm, 1.5 mm, and 2 mm) were obtained by sectioning three CAD/CAM materials. A spectrophotometer was used to measure the color change of the specimens against different backgrounds (A2 enamel, A4 dentin, gray, and metal) using the CIELab color space system. Analysis of variance, sample t-test, and posthoc multiple comparison tests were used to evaluate and compare the color changes for different material types, thicknesses, and background colors, with a significance level of P ≤ 0.05. The result demonstrated that material type, the thickness of the material, and the color of the background had a significant effect on ΔE (P = 0.000). Regardless of the material thickness, Suprinity had the highest mean ΔE values (5.4 1.9), and E-max had the lowest mean ΔE values (1.1 0.6). At 2 mm thickness, Enamic presented the lowest ∆E values (0.5 0.5) against the A2 background. The 0.5 and 1 mm specimens corresponded to the highest ΔE values, whereas the 1.5 and 2 mm thickness specimens predominantly gave the lowest ΔE values. All the independent factors, including the type and thickness of the material, and color of the background, contributed significantly to ΔE of the tested materials (P ≤ 0.05). The study confirms the high masking ability of the lithium disilicate (E-max) material. In clinical situations where the color of the core needs to be masked, it is recommended to use lithium disilicate (E-max).
Neodymium (Nd)-substituted cobalt ferrite nanoparticles (NPs), i.e., CoNdxFe2−xO4 (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.2) NPs, were synthesized by the sonochemical method. The compositional characterization was done by ...scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Antistaphylococcal activity was found to be enhanced, i.e., survival rate was 50%, 45%, 40%, and 30% with the increase in the ratio of Nd (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.2), whereas anticandidal activity was found efficient, i.e., 9%, 20%, 22%, and 40% survival rate at all the four ratios. The morphogenesis studies indicated that the synthesized metal–ligand, improves the antimicrobial capacity by binding them strongly to the microbial walls. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report which demonstrates the series of CoNdxFe2−xO4 (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.2) NPs being active towards Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans and encourages its potential candidature for pharmaceutical and biomedical purposes.
Multidrug resistance member 1 (MDR1) is located on chromosome 7 and encodes P-glycoprotein, which is universally accepted as a drug resistance biomarker.
polymorphisms can alter protein expression or ...function, which has been previously reported to associate with various types of malignancies, such as colorectal cancer (CRC). Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the effects of
polymorphisms on drug responses of Saudi patients with CRC. DNA samples were obtained from 62 patients with CRC and 100 healthy controls. Genotypes and allele frequencies of
single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) G2677T and T1236C were determined using the PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism procedure. The results showed no significant differences in the genotype distribution and allele frequency of T1236C between patients with CRC and controls. However, G2677T was found to serve a highly significant role in protecting against the progression of CRC. In addition, none of the genotypes in SNPs T1236C and G2677T was found to affect chemoresistance to XELIRI and XELOX. In conclusion, although T1236C in the
gene is not associated with CRC risk, G2677T protects against the development of CRC. Neither of the
SNPs tested were associated with the risk of chemoresistance. Therefore, these two SNPs cannot be used as molecular markers for predicting drug response in patients with CRC.
Porcelains and glass-ceramics have been used to produce CAD-milled veneers and crowns for zirconia copings and implant-abutments. This study evaluated the bondstrength of a ...polymer-infiltrated-ceramic-network to zirconia using two adhesive cement systems: Panavia 21 and Multilink Automix. Lithium disilicate and feldspathic porcelain were also tested as reference CAD-On materials. Long beams (3x6x40 mm³) of zirconia and short beams (3x6x15 mm³) of the CAD-On materials were prepared. Zirconia and each CAD-On material were bonded in a crossbeam arrangement and subjected to a modified tensile bond-strength test. Half of the samples in each group (n=10) were tested 5 days after bonding (baseline) and the remaining (n=10) underwent aging (50,000 thermocycles at 5°C and 55°C) prior to bond-strength testing. The effects of material, cement, and aging on the tensile bond-strength were tested using a three-way ANOVA. The reference lithium disilicate/Multilink system showed no significant differences in bond strength compared to polymer-infiltrated-ceramic-network and porcelain. The long-term retention of polymer-infiltrated-ceramic-network was not statistically different compared to the baseline values and the two reference materials. With comparable bond strength between all materials, polymer-infiltrated-ceramic-network is the favorable choice for CAD-On to zirconia copings and implant-abutments due to its superior resistance to fatigue fracture relative to porcelain.
Introduction: The classical skeletal divisions of orthodontic patients are the Angle's classification of Classes I, II, and III and of mandibular inclination into normo-, hypo-, or hyperdivergent. Of ...these classifications, Class III and hyperdivergent are the least studied. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and relationship between Class III and hyperdivergency. Materials and Methods: Lateral cephalometric radiographs of Class III patients were collected from Riyadh Elm University and were traced by WebCephTM software and measured for 16 linear and angular measurements to determine anteroposterior, vertical, and dental associations. To determine the anteroposterior relationships, Sella-Nasion to A point Angle, Sella-Nasion to B point Angle, A point to B point Angle, and Wits appraisal were used. Class III status was determined by utilizing (A point to B point Angle <1) and (Wits appraisal <−2.5). The vertical divergency pattern was considered according to normal Frankfort horizontal plane and mandibular plane (FMA) (22°–28°) and SN-GoMe: Sella-Nasion to Mandibular plane (27°–36°) measurements. The dental correlation was considered according to upper incisor to maxillary plane (U1-Mx) and lower incisor to mandibular plane angle. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS (version 25) software. Results and Conclusions: One hundred and twenty-five Class III patients were included in the final analysis of this study. A significant correlation at 0.650 was discovered between ANB and Wits analyses (<0.001). Subjects data was grouped, based on their mandibular divergency, into hypodivergent, normodivergent, and hyperdivergent. The distribution, regardless of measurement used, was significantly higher in the prevalence of hyperdivergents (FMA 46.4% and SNGoMe 56%) over hypo- and normodivergents. Although FMA and SNGoMe were positively correlated at 0.887, there were significant differences in their classification of divergency with higher levels of hyperdivergency with SNGoMe.
Biological water contamination detection-based assays are essential to test water quality; however, these assays are prone to false-positive results and inaccuracies, are time-consuming, and use ...complicated procedures to test large water samples. Herein, we show a simple detection and counting method for
in the water samples involving a combination of DNAzyme sensor, microfluidics, and computer vision strategies. We first isolated
into individual droplets containing a DNAzyme mixture using droplet microfluidics. Upon bacterial cell lysis by heating, the DNAzyme mixture reacted with a particular substrate present in the crude intracellular material (CIM) of
. This event triggers the dissociation of the fluorophore-quencher pair present in the DNAzyme mixture leading to a fluorescence signal, indicating the presence of
in the droplets. We developed an algorithm using computer vision to analyze the fluorescent droplets containing
in the presence of non-fluorescent droplets. The algorithm can detect and count fluorescent droplets representing the number of
present in the sample. Finally, we show that the developed method is highly specific to detect and count
in the presence of other bacteria present in the water sample.
Many people infected with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have developed post-COVID-19 symptoms, which are defined as symptoms and signs (e.g., anosmia and ageusia) that persist for more than 12 ...weeks after getting infected with COVID-19. These symptoms may appear after or during the infection and cannot be explained by any alternative disease. In this study, we aim to investigate the factors that affect the duration of anosmia and ageusia in Saudi Arabia.
We conducted a nationwide, cross-sectional study using an online survey in Saudi Arabia from 14 February 2022 to 23 July 2022. The electronic survey was distributed using social media platforms, such as Twitter, WhatsApp, and Telegram.
The study enrolled 2497 individuals who were infected with COVID-19. A total of 60.1% of the participants showed symptoms of anosmia, ageusia, or both after getting infected with COVID-19. According to our data, we found that being a female and not having a repeated COVID-19 infection were risk factors (independent predictors) of the long duration of anosmia after COVID-19 recovery (p = <0.05). While being a male patient, a smoker, and being admitted to the ICU were risk factors (independent predictors) of long duration of ageusia after COVID-19 recovery (p = <0.05).
In conclusion, the prevalence of chemosensory dysfunction symptoms, both olfactory and gustatory, after COVID-19 infection among the Saudi population was high. However, several factors can influence their duration, including gender, smoking, and severity of the infection.
OBJECTIVES/BACKGROUND:
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is used as rescue therapy for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome in whom conventional therapy has failed prior to an Extra ...Corporeal Membrane Oxygenator to rescue Lung Injury in Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome trial. Since then, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation has been incorporated as part of the standard treatment algorithm in many centers for patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome. Since the emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 in early 2020, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation has been used effectively as rescue therapy and as a bridge to recovery in some patients with refractory respiratory failure.
DESIGN, SUBJECT, AND INTERVENTION:
We present a 38-year-old male healthcare worker diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 and progressed to critical condition with severe surgical emphysema on a high-flow nasal cannula with Fio2 100%, a flow of 40 L/min, and a maximum oxygen saturation of 88%. He was successfully treated by applying awake extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, without a need for invasive mechanical ventilation, to avoid worsening barotrauma and hemodynamic compromise potentially induced by positive pressure ventilation.
MAIN RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS:
To our knowledge, this is one of the first cases to be reported in the literature on the use of awake extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as a “treatment” for barotrauma due to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome in a coronavirus disease 2019 patient, without the need for invasive mechanical ventilation. In selected patients with severe respiratory failure, awake extracorporeal membrane oxygenation can be used as a salvage treatment and obviate the need for invasive mechanical ventilation.
PDF
