Synergistic effects of mixed oxides have the potential to improve sensing performances of environmental, domestic and industrial monitoring devices. However, mixed oxides often come in the form of ...separate particles and are thus addressed separately by the environment, instead of capitalizing on the interface between the metal oxides. This paper describes a new core@shell gas sensing material of tetrapodal zinc oxide with a surface coating of crystalline copper oxide(t-ZnO@CuO). The special surface conversion strategy yields a unique, self-assembled and pinhole-free coating of CuO nanoplatelets. The morphologies, structural, chemical and gas sensing properties of the heterostructure were investigated. To evaluate the sensing properties of the heterostructure, t-ZnO@CuO was fabricated as nanosensors, consisting of one core-shell rod of CuO-coated crystalline ZnO. The single core@shell rod showed high selectivity towards hydrogen already at comparatively low operation temperatures of 150 °C. Computational calculations based on the density functional theory (DFT) have been carried out to understand the interaction of the H2 gas molecule with the surface of the CuO nanostructures. The surface conversion was done wet chemically and is a novel method for generating heterostructures that can be potentially transferred to heterojunctions with unique properties for chemosensors.
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•A perfect coating of amorphized nanoplatelets of CuO with t-ZnO rods were obtained.•Absolute selectivity for H2 was obtained from single microrod t-ZnO@CuO sensors.•The selectivity for H2 over VOCs is due to complete coverage of CuO on t-ZnO arm.•Hetero2 structure (two substitutional Cu atoms) exhibits stronger interaction of H2.•Bader charge analysis confirms Hetero2 structure as a favourable interaction site.
Background
The edited magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) technique has not yet been formally evaluated for the in vivo detection of 2‐hydroxyglutarate (2‐HG) in patients with gliomas of various ...grades.
Purpose
To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of edited MRS in the preoperative identification of the isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutation status in patients with gliomas.
Study Type
Prospective.
Population
Fifty‐eight subjects (31 glioblastomas, 27 grade II and III gliomas).
Field Strength/Sequence
Mescher–Garwood (MEGA)‐PRESS and routine clinical brain tumor MR sequences were used at 3T.
Assessment
Data were analyzed using an advanced method for accurate, robust, and efficient spectral fitting (AMARES) from jMRUI software. The amplitudes of the 2‐HG, N‐acetyl‐aspartate (NAA), choline (Cho), and creatine/phosphocreatine (Cr) resonances were calculated with their associated Cramer–Rao lower bound (CRLB). The IDH1 R132H mutation status was assessed by immunohistochemistry for all patients. Patients with grades II and III gliomas with negative immunohistochemistry underwent DNA sequencing to further interrogate IDH mutation status.
Statistical Test
The differences in 2‐HG amplitudes, 2‐HG/NAA, 2‐HG/Cho, and 2‐HG/Cr between IDH‐mutant and IDH‐wildtype gliomas were assessed using Mann–Whitney U‐tests. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of each parameter.
Results
The 2‐HG amplitudes, 2‐HG/NAA, and 2‐HG/Cho were higher for IDH‐mutant gliomas than IDH‐wildtype gliomas (P < 0.007). Using a CRLB threshold <30%, a 2‐HG cutoff greater than 0 had a sensitivity of 80% (95% confidence interval CI: 52–96%) and a specificity of 81% (95% CI: 54–96%) in identifying IDH‐mutant gliomas. In the subset of patients with grades II and III gliomas, the sensitivity was 80% (95% CI: 52–96%) and specificity was 100% (95% CI: 40–100%). Among 2‐HG ratios, the highest AUC for the identification of IDH mutant status was achieved using the 2‐HG/NAA (AUC = 0.8, 95% CI 0.67–.89).
Data Conclusion
Preoperative edited MRS appears to be able to help identify IDH‐mutant gliomas with high specificity.
Level of Evidence 1
Technical Efficacy Stage 2
J. MAGN. RESON. IMAGING 2021;53:416–426.
Empagliflozin (EMPA) reduces heart failure hospitalization and mortality. The benefit in terms of ventricular arrhythmia and contractility has not been explored.
To determine the direct effects of ...EMPA on ventricular arrhythmia and cardiac contractility in an ex-vivo model of global ischemia-reperfusion (I/R).
Langendorff-perfused rabbit hearts were subjected to 30 min of complete perfusion arrest and reperfusion. Either EMPA (1 μM) or normal saline (controls) was then infused into the perfusate in a randomized fashion. Ten minutes following drug infusion, calcium imaging was performed. At the end of each experiment, the heart was electrically stimulated 5 times to assess the inducibility of ventricular fibrillation (VF). In a separate series of experiments, left ventricular (LV) pressure and epicardial NADH fluorescence were simultaneously recorded. LV specimens were then collected for western blotting.
Post-ischemia, EMPA treatment was associated with reduction in the induction of VF >10s (rate of induction: 16.7 ± 3.3% vs. 60 ± 8.7% in control hearts, p = 0.003), improvement of LV developed pressure (LVDP; 68.10 ± 9.02% vs. 47.61 ± 5.15% in controls, p = 0.03) and reduction of NADH fluorescence (87.42 ± 2.79% vs. 112.88 ± 2.27% in control hearts, p = 0.04) along with an increase in NAD+/NADH ratio (2.75 ± 0.55 vs. 1.09 ± 0.32 in the control group, p = 0.04) A higher calcium amplitude alternans threshold was also observed with EMPA-treatment (5.42 ± 0.1 Hz vs. 4.75 ± 0.1 Hz in controls, p = 0.006). Sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) expression was not detected in LV tissues.
EMPA treatment reduced ventricular arrhythmia vulnerability and mitigated contractile dysfunction in the global I/R model while improving calcium cycling and mitochondrial redox by SGLT2-independent mechanisms.
In normoxic conditions, NADH is generated by the reduction of NAD+ in metabolic pathways by glucose oxidation and Krebs cycle. NADH is oxidized to NAD+ by ETC to produce ATP. ETC dysfunction during hypoxia (Red dotted arrow) is associated with the accumulation of NADH. Improvement of ETC function by EMPA (Blue solid arrow) leads to increase in NAD+/NADH ratio, improvement of contractile function, improvement of cytosolic calcium dynamics, and reduction of vulnerability to ventricular arrhythmias.
Glu: Glucose, Pyr: Pyruvate, TCA cycle: Tricarboxylic acid cycle (Krebs cycle), ETC: Electron transport chain, EMPA: Empagliflozin, I/R: Ischemia-reperfusion, SR: Sarcoplasmic reticulum. Display omitted
•Cardioprotective effects of Empagliflozin were evaluated in a model of global ischemia-reperfusion (I/R)•Empagliflozin increased contractility and decreased ventricular arrhythmia vulnerability•Improvements in mitochondrial redox state and cytosolic calcium dynamics were also noted with Empagliflozin treatment•In our Langendorff model, the cardioprotective effects of Empagliflozin were independent of SGLT2 inhibitory actions•These cardioprotective actions may explain the favorable effects of SGLT2i agents in heart failure which is independent of blood sugar control
To analyze abortion incidence in Indiana concurrent with changes in abortion-related laws.
Using publicly available data, we created a timeline of abortion-related laws in Indiana, calculated ...abortion rates by geography, and described changes in abortion occurrence coincident with changes in abortion-related laws between 2010 and 2019.
Between 2010 and 2019, Indiana's legislature passed 14 abortion-restricting laws, and 4 of 10 abortion-providing clinics closed. The Indiana abortion rate decreased from 7.8 abortions per 1000 women aged 15 to 44 years in 2010 to 5.9 in 2019. At all time points, the abortion rate was 58% to 71% of the Midwestern rate and 48% to 55% of the national rate. By 2019, nearly 1 in 3 (29%) Indiana residents who obtained abortion care did so outside the state.
Access to abortion in Indiana over the past decade was low, required increases in interstate travel to obtain care, and co-occurred with the passage of numerous abortion restrictions.
These findings preview unequal abortion access and increases in interstate travel as state-level restrictions and bans go into effect across the country. (
. 2023;113(4):429-437. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.307196).
This paper introduces a generalization of the negative binomial (NB) distribution in analogy with the COM-Poisson distribution. Many well-known distributions are particular and limiting ...distributions. The proposed distribution belongs to the modified power series, generalized hypergeometric and exponential families, and also arises as weighted NB and COM-Poisson distributions. Probability and moment recurrence formulae, and probabilistic and reliability properties have been derived. With the flexibility to model under-, equi- and over-dispersion, and its various interesting properties, this NB generalization will be a useful model for count data. An application to empirical modeling is illustrated with a real data set.
The main effectors in the innate immune system of Bombyx mori L. are antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Here, we infected B. mori with varied inoculum sizes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 25668 cells to ...investigate changes in morpho-anatomical responses, physiological processes and AMP production. Ultraviolet-visible spectra revealed a sharp change in λ
from 278 to 285 nm (bathochromic shift) in the hemolymph of infected B. mori incubated for 24 h. Further, Fourier Transform InfraRed studies on the hemolymph extracted from the infected B. mori showed a peak at 1550 cm
, indicating the presence of α-helical peptides. The peptide fraction was obtained through methanol, acetic acid and water mixture (90:1:9) extraction, followed by peptide purification using Reverse Phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography. The fraction exhibiting antibacterial properties was collected and characterized by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization-Time of Flight. A linear α-helical peptide with flexible termini (LLKELWTKMKGAGKAVLGKIKGLL) was found, corresponding to a previously described peptide from ant venom and here denominated as Bm-ponericin-L1. The antibacterial activity of Bm-ponericin-L1 was determined against ESKAPE pathogens. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed the membrane disruption potential of Bm-ponericin-L1. Moreover, this peptide also showed promising antibiofilm activity. Finally, cell viability and hemolytic assays revealed that Bm-ponericin-L1 is non-toxic toward primary fibroblasts cell lines and red blood cells, respectively. This study opens up new perspectives toward an alternative approach to overcoming multiple-antibiotic-resistance by means of AMPs through invertebrates' infection with human pathogenic bacteria.
This study provides extended seasonal predictions for the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB) precipitation in boreal spring using an artificial neural network (ANN) model and a stepwise linear ...regression model, respectively. Sea surface temperature (SST) predictors are developed taking advantage of the correlation between the precipitation and SST over three ocean basins. The extratropical North Pacific has a higher correlation with the UCRB spring precipitation than the tropical Pacific and North Atlantic. For the ANN model, the Pearson correlation coefficient between the observed and predicted precipitation exceeds 0.45 (
p
-value < 0.01) for a lead time of 12 months. The mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) is below 20% and the Heidke skill score (HSS) is above 50%. Such long-lead prediction skill is probably due to the UCRB soil moisture bridging the SST and precipitation. The stepwise linear regression model shows similar prediction skills to those of ANN. Both models show prediction skills superior to those of an autoregression model (correlation < 0.10) that represents the baseline prediction skill and those of three of the North American Multi-Model Ensemble (NMME) forecast models. The three NMME models exhibit different skills in predicting the precipitation, with the best skills of the correlation ~ 0.40, MAPE < 25%, and HSS > 40% for lead times less than 8 months. This study highlights the advantage of oceanic climate signals in extended seasonal predictions for the UCRB spring precipitation and supports the improvement of the UCRB streamflow prediction and related water resource decisions.
During early stages of COVID-19 in the United States, government representatives in Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia restricted or threatened to restrict abortion care under elective surgery bans. ...We examined how abortion utilization changed in these states.
We examined COVID-19 abortion-related state policies implemented in March and April 2020 using publicly available sources. We analyzed data on abortions by method and gestation and experiences of facility staff, using a survey of 14 facilities. We assessed abortions that took place in February-June 2020 and February-June 2021.
In February-June 2020 the monthly average abortion count was 1916; 863 (45%) were medication abortions and 229 (12%) were ≥14 weeks gestation. Of 1959 abortions performed across all three states in April 2020, 1319 (67%) were medication abortions and 231 (12%) were ≥14 weeks gestation. The shift toward medication abortion that took place in April 2020 was not observed in April 2021. Although the total abortion count in the three-state region remained steady, West Virginia had the greatest decline in total abortions, Ohio experienced a shift from instrumentation to medication abortions, and Kentucky saw little change. Staff reported increased stress from concerns over health and safety and increased scrutiny by the state and anti-abortion protesters.
Although abortion provision continued in this region, policy changes restricting abortion in Ohio and West Virginia resulted in a decrease in first trimester instrumentation abortions, an overall shift toward medication abortion care, and an increase in stress among facility staff during the early phase of COVID-19.
Smooth muscle cell (SMC) phenotypic switching has been increasingly detected in aortic aneurysm and dissection (AAD) tissues. However, the diverse SMC phenotypes in AAD tissues and the mechanisms ...driving SMC phenotypic alterations remain to be identified.
We examined the transcriptomic and epigenomic dynamics of aortic SMC phenotypic changes in mice with angiotensin II-induced AAD by using single-cell RNA sequencing and single-cell sequencing assay for transposase-accessible chromatin. SMC phenotypic alteration in aortas from patients with ascending thoracic AAD was examined by using single-cell RNA sequencing analysis.
Single-cell RNA sequencing analysis revealed that aortic stress induced the transition of SMCs from a primary contractile phenotype to proliferative, extracellular matrix-producing, and inflammatory phenotypes. Lineage tracing showed the complete transformation of SMCs to fibroblasts and macrophages. Single-cell sequencing assay for transposase-accessible chromatin analysis indicated that these phenotypic alterations were controlled by chromatin remodeling marked by the reduced chromatin accessibility of contractile genes and the induced chromatin accessibility of genes involved in proliferation, extracellular matrix, and inflammation. IRF3 (interferon regulatory factor 3), a proinflammatory transcription factor activated by cytosolic DNA, was identified as a key driver of the transition of aortic SMCs from a contractile phenotype to an inflammatory phenotype. In cultured SMCs, cytosolic DNA signaled through its sensor STING (stimulator of interferon genes)-TBK1 (tank-binding kinase 1) to activate IRF3, which bound and recruited EZH2 (enhancer of zeste homolog 2) to contractile genes to induce repressive H3K27me3 modification and gene suppression. In contrast, double-stranded DNA-STING-IRF3 signaling induced inflammatory gene expression in SMCs. In
mice, the aortic stress-induced transition of SMCs into an inflammatory phenotype was prevented, and SMC populations were preserved. Finally, profound SMC phenotypic alterations toward diverse directions were detected in human ascending thoracic AAD tissues.
Our study reveals the dynamic epigenetic induction of SMC phenotypic alterations in AAD. DNA damage and cytosolic leakage drive SMCs from a contractile phenotype to an inflammatory phenotype.
The role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in medical science is growing immensely. Since AI contains features that can address both preventive and therapeutic aspects of non-communicable diseases ...(NCDs), it can potentially lessen the massive burden of morbidity and mortality associated with NCDs. AI can help in various ways in NCDs including predicting disease occurrence, monitoring, ensuring treatment and follow-up of patients. Low- and middle-income countries can harness the benefit of AI for the management of chronic diseases and effectively address challenges like manpower shortage, accessibility to health care, etc. However, AI needs to be used responsibly and rationally in NCDs for its maximum benefit.
