Vitamin D treatment is effective when applied topically to the skin for plaque-type psoriasis. Oral vitamin D supplementation might be effective as an adjuvant treatment option in psoriasis. This ...umbrella review aimed to highlight the current knowledge regarding the use of oral vitamin D for treatment of patients with psoriasis. We performed a literature search and identified 107 eligible full-text articles that were relevant to the research interest. Among these, 10 review articles were selected, and data were extracted. A data synthesis showed that only a few studies monitored oral vitamin D efficacy in patients with psoriasis. No studies investigated the optimal dose of systemic vitamin D in psoriasis. However, most studies did not observe side effects for doses within a relatively narrow range (0.25 to 2 μg/day). These results suggest that more large-scale studies are needed to determine the efficacy, optimal dose, and adverse effects of vitamin D administration in patients with psoriasis.
The biomedical applications of silicones are countless due to their outstanding properties. In dentistry, silicone for maxillofacial and plastic surgery has become indispensable, from both ...physiological and aesthetic points of view. In this mini-review, silicone materials for dentistry and facial prostheses are discussed, focusing on their properties and alterations when exposed for long periods to different environments. A significant number of studies reported in the literature have been conducted in vitro, mimicking some of the main degradative factors which have been identified as triggers for discoloration and deterioration of the mechanical properties. Among these, in artificial aging and accelerated natural aging studies, UV radiation is considered the most important. Other weathering factors, biological contamination, and disinfection agents may have dramatic effects as well. Several general properties of silicones are described at the beginning, with a focus on biocompatibility, cross-linking mechanisms, and applications in dentistry and maxillofacial prosthetics. We discuss the ongoing cross-linking and/or possible exudation after manufacturing, which also affects the stability of the prosthesis over time, and possibly the patient. Next, the main environmental factors that affect the prostheses in service are presented, including the role of cigarettes smoke, which has been discussed very little so far. A few aspects, such as biofilm formation, its negative effects, and proposed solutions to overcome this phenomenon regarding silicones, are also described. We conclude by proposing a set of topics for future research and development based on the gaps that have been identified in the literature. Although silicones are probably irreplaceable in maxillofacial prosthetics, improvements in terms of base materials, additives, surface treatments, and maintenance are possible and necessary for long-lasting and safer prostheses.
Schistosomiasis is a debilitating infection provoked by parasitic flatworms called schistosomes. The species
is endemic in Africa, where it causes intestinal schistosomiasis. Recently, an α-carbonic ...anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) was cloned and characterized from this organism and designated as SmCA. The protein is expressed in the tegument (skin) of
.
at the host-parasite interface. Recombinant SmCA possesses high catalytic activity in the CO
hydration reaction, similar to that of human CA isoform II with a k
of 1.2 × 10
s
and a k
/K
of 1.3 × 10
M
·s
. It has been found that schistosomes whose SmCA gene is suppressed using RNA interference are unable to establish a robust infection in mice, suggesting that the chemicals that inhibit SmCA function should have the same debilitating effect on the parasites. In this study, a collection of aromatic/heterocyclic sulfonamides were investigated as possible SmCA inhibitors. Several sulfonamides inhibited SmCA with medium to weak potency (K
values of 737.2 nM-9.25 μM), whereas some heterocyclic compounds inhibited the enzyme with K
values in the range of 124-325 nM. The α-CA from
, SmCA, is proposed as a new anti-schistosomiasis drug target.
In December 2019, a new kind of coronavirus, termed novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV or COVID-19), was noticed in Wuhan, China, and has now rapidly spread throughout China and the world ...
In the context of actual energy crisis and the EU policy strategy based on the promotion of the renewable energy consumption, the aim of this paper is to explain energy poverty based on renewable ...energy use. According to various panel data models based on DOLS (dynamic ordinary least square) estimator, MG (mean group) estimator and method of moments quantile (MMQ) regression, patents for renewable energy projects and renewable energy consumption per capita enhanced the arrears on utility bills in the EU in the period 2003–2021. Unemployment rate deepened the energy poverty and a two-way causality was observed between these variables. On the other hand, foreign direct investment (FDI) and energy efficiency reduced the arrears on utility bills in the same period. The results allow us to formulate renewable energy policies that support more the vulnerable consumers that are the most affected by energy poverty.
•The paper investigates energy poverty (arrears in utility bills) in EU area during 2003–2021.•Patents and renewable energy consumption per capita enhanced the arrears on utility bills.•Unemployment rate determines the increase of arrears of utility bills.•Foreign direct investment and energy efficiency reduced the arrears on utility bills.
The incidence of syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and herpes simplex has increased over the last decade, despite the numerous prevention strategies. Worldwide scientists report a surge in ...drug-resistant infections, particularly in immunocompromised patients. Antigenic variations in syphilis enable long-term infection, but benzathine penicillin G maintains its efficiency, whereas macrolides should be recommended with caution. Mupirocin and zoliflodacin were recently introduced as therapies against ceftriaxone-resistant gonococcus, which poses a larger global threat. The gastrointestinal and prostatic potential reservoirs of Chlamydia trachomatis may represent the key towards complete eradication. Similar to syphilis, macrolides resistance has to be considered in genital chlamydiosis. Acyclovir-resistant HSV may respond to the novel helicase-primase inhibitors and topical imiquimod, particularly in HIV-positive patients. Novel drugs can overcome these challenges while nanocarriers enhance their potency, particularly in mucosal areas. This review summarizes the most recent and valuable discoveries regarding the immunopathogenic mechanisms of these sexually transmitted infections and discusses the challenges and opportunities of the novel molecules and nanomaterials.
Abstract
We use Chandra X-ray data to measure the metallicity of the intracluster medium (ICM) in 245 massive galaxy clusters selected from X-ray and Sunyaev–Zel'dovich (SZ) effect surveys, spanning ...redshifts 0 < z < 1.2. Metallicities were measured in three different radial ranges, spanning cluster cores through their outskirts. We explore trends in these measurements as a function of cluster redshift, temperature and surface brightness ‘peakiness’ (a proxy for gas cooling efficiency in cluster centres). The data at large radii (0.5–1 r
500) are consistent with a constant metallicity, while at intermediate radii (0.1–0.5 r
500) we see a late-time increase in enrichment, consistent with the expected production and mixing of metals in cluster cores. In cluster centres, there are strong trends of metallicity with temperature and peakiness, reflecting enhanced metal production in the lowest entropy gas. Within the cool-core/sharply peaked cluster population, there is a large intrinsic scatter in central metallicity and no overall evolution, indicating significant astrophysical variations in the efficiency of enrichment. The central metallicity in clusters with flat surface brightness profiles is lower, with a smaller intrinsic scatter, but increases towards lower redshifts. Our results are consistent with other recent measurements of ICM metallicity as a function of redshift. They reinforce the picture implied by observations of uniform metal distributions in the outskirts of nearby clusters, in which most of the enrichment of the ICM takes place before cluster formation, with significant later enrichment taking place only in cluster centres, as the stellar populations of the central galaxies evolve.
The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) affected almost all activities worldwide. The medical sector was one of those which were most significantly impacted because the medical infrastructure was ...not sized for such a high scale shock, specialized human resources and medical infrastructure proving to be much undersized and with slow growth potential. Many changes were required, important financial resources being mobilized in order to motivate medical staff, offer treatments for the most severely affected patients, but also to create new facilities where the increasing number of sick persons could be cured. In our research we want to offer a hospital cost perspective based on empirical analysis of the COVID-19 impact on different categories of expenses made by Romanian hospitals that treated patients with COVID-19 in different stages of their disease. The period analyzed was January 2019 to December 2020 on a monthly basis. Our results showed that expenses with goods and services, drugs, reagents and human resources are influenced by COVID-19 in a significant manner.
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