This work presents an experimental investigation of water adsorption in metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) at room temperature and up to 90% relative humidity. Structural degradation of the materials ...after regeneration is analyzed via powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and nitrogen adsorption measurements. MOFs with open metal sites are quite hydrophilic but appear to maintain their structure according to PXRD. However, significant surface area loss indicates that decomposition is occurring and is likely an attribute of oxygen presence during the regeneration procedure. Materials with copper paddle-wheel (HKUST-1), 5-coordinated magnesium (Mg MOF-74), and 7-coordinated zirconium (UiO-66(-NH2)) maintain good structural stability, while Zn-COOH containing MOFs (DMOF-1; DMOF-1-NH2; UMCM-1) undergo complete loss of crystallinity.
Patients with infective endocarditis on the left side of the heart are typically treated with intravenous antibiotic agents for up to 6 weeks. Whether a shift from intravenous to oral antibiotics ...once the patient is in stable condition would result in efficacy and safety similar to those with continued intravenous treatment is unknown.
In a randomized, noninferiority, multicenter trial, we assigned 400 adults in stable condition who had endocarditis on the left side of the heart caused by streptococcus, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, or coagulase-negative staphylococci and who were being treated with intravenous antibiotics to continue intravenous treatment (199 patients) or to switch to oral antibiotic treatment (201 patients). In all patients, antibiotic treatment was administered intravenously for at least 10 days. If feasible, patients in the orally treated group were discharged to outpatient treatment. The primary outcome was a composite of all-cause mortality, unplanned cardiac surgery, embolic events, or relapse of bacteremia with the primary pathogen, from the time of randomization until 6 months after antibiotic treatment was completed.
After randomization, antibiotic treatment was completed after a median of 19 days (interquartile range, 14 to 25) in the intravenously treated group and 17 days (interquartile range, 14 to 25) in the orally treated group (P=0.48). The primary composite outcome occurred in 24 patients (12.1%) in the intravenously treated group and in 18 (9.0%) in the orally treated group (between-group difference, 3.1 percentage points; 95% confidence interval, -3.4 to 9.6; P=0.40), which met noninferiority criteria.
In patients with endocarditis on the left side of the heart who were in stable condition, changing to oral antibiotic treatment was noninferior to continued intravenous antibiotic treatment. (Funded by the Danish Heart Foundation and others; POET ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01375257 .).
Mechanical dispersion (MD) describes heterogeneity in ventricular contraction patterns, and myocardial work (MW) indices quantify ventricular performance. Investigating the myocardial and functional ...response to acute hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia may aid in identifying putative mechanisms linking glycemia and cardiovascular disease (CVD). From echocardiography performed during euglycemic, hyperglycemic and hypoglycemic clamps, we explored the relationship between glycemia and MD and MW indices in individuals with type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes and without diabetes. MD was measured by speckle-tracking echocardiography, and MW measures were derived from pressure-strain loop analyses. We analyzed data (mean±SD) from 84 individuals: 20 young individuals with type 1 diabetes (age: 30±8 years); 24 middle-aged individuals with type 1 diabetes (age: 53±12 years); 21 older individuals with type 2 diabetes (63±7 years), and 21 controls (62±8 years). Results for MD and MW indices are illustrated in Figure 1. In conclusion, acute hyperglycemia leads to an energy-effective myocardium with homogeneous left ventricular contractions. Hypoglycemia increases constructive myocardial work, followed by a less energy-efficient myocardium and more heterogeneous left ventricular contractions, perhaps alluding to a possible link between hypoglycemia and CVD.
Disclosure
C.R.Andreasen: None. A.Andersen: None. P.G.Hagelqvist: None. K.Maytham: None. M.Sengeløv: None. F.K.Knop: Advisory Panel; AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, Eli Lilly and Company, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, Consultant; AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, Eli Lilly and Company, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, Research Support; Novo Nordisk, Zealand Pharma A/S, Speaker's Bureau; AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, Eli Lilly and Company, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, Lundbeck. F.J.Olsen: None. T.Vilsbøll: Consultant; AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim Inc., Gilead Sciences, Inc., Eli Lilly and Company, Mundipharma, Merck & Co., Inc., Novo Nordisk A/S, Sanofi, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb Company.
Funding
Danish Diabetes Academy (17SA0031406); Novo Nordisk Foundation (16230)
Elucidation of the mutational landscape of human cancer has progressed rapidly and been accompanied by the development of therapeutics targeting mutant oncogenes. However, a comprehensive mapping of ...cancer dependencies has lagged behind and the discovery of therapeutic targets for counteracting tumor suppressor gene loss is needed. To identify vulnerabilities relevant to specific cancer subtypes, we conducted a large-scale RNAi screen in which viability effects of mRNA knockdown were assessed for 7,837 genes using an average of 20 shRNAs per gene in 398 cancer cell lines. We describe findings of this screen, outlining the classes of cancer dependency genes and their relationships to genetic, expression, and lineage features. In addition, we describe robust gene-interaction networks recapitulating both protein complexes and functional cooperation among complexes and pathways. This dataset along with a web portal is provided to the community to assist in the discovery and translation of new therapeutic approaches for cancer.
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•Project DRIVE: deep RNAi interrogation of viability effects in cancer•∼8,000 genes were targeted by a median of 20 shRNAs per gene in ∼400 CCLE models•Data robustly define cancer dependency genes falling into distinct outlier classes•Enables genetic networks that reveal protein complexes and biological pathways
A large-scale RNAi screen in 398 cancer cell lines reveals vulnerabilities of specific cancer subtypes.
Objectives
This pilot study evaluated whether contrast‐enhanced subharmonic imaging (SHI) could be used to characterize adnexal masses before surgical intervention.
Methods
Ten women (with 12 ...lesions) scheduled for surgery of an ovarian mass underwent an SHI examination of their adnexal region using a modified LOGIQ E9 scanner (GE Healthcare, Waukesha, WI) with an endocavitary transducer, in which digital clips were acquired by pulse destruction‐replenishment SHI across the lesions. Time‐intensity curves were created offline to quantitatively evaluate SHI parameters (fractional tumor perfusion, peak contrast intensity, time to peak contrast enhancement, and area under the time‐intensity curve), which were compared to pathologic characterizations of the lesions.
Results
Of the 12 masses, 8 were benign, and 4 were malignant. A qualitative analysis of the SHI images by an experienced radiologist resulted in diagnostic accuracy of 70%, compared to 56% without contrast, whereas an inexperienced radiologist improved from 50% to 58% accuracy, demonstrating the benefit of SHI. A quantitative analysis of SHI parameters produced diagnostic accuracy as high as 81%. Peak contrast intensity was significantly greater in malignant than benign masses (mean ± SD, 0.109 ± 0.088 versus 0.046 ± 0.030 arbitrary units; P = .046). Malignant masses also showed significantly greater perfusion than benign masses (24.79% ± 25.34% versus 7.62% ± 6.50%; P = .045). When the radiologist reads were combined with the most predictive quantitative SHI parameter (percent perfusion), diagnostic accuracy improved to 84% for the experienced radiologist and 96% for the novice radiologist.
Conclusions
Results indicate that SHI for presurgical characterization of adnexal masses may improve the determination of malignancy and diagnostic accuracy, albeit based on a small sample size.
Mercury (Hg) is a natural trace element found in high concentrations in top predators, including Arctic seabirds. Most current knowledge about Hg concentrations in Arctic seabirds relates to exposure ...during the summer breeding period when researchers can easily access seabirds at colonies. However, the few studies focused on winter have shown higher Hg concentrations during the non-breeding period than breeding period in several tissues. Hence, improving knowledge about Hg exposure during the non-breeding period is crucial to understanding the threats and risks encountered by these species year-round. We used feathers of nine migratory alcid species occurring at high latitudes to study bird Hg exposure during both the breeding and non-breeding periods. Overall, Hg concentrations during the non-breeding period were ~3 times higher than during the breeding period. In addition, spatial differences were apparent within and between the Atlantic and Pacific regions. While Hg concentrations during the non-breeding period were ~9 times and ~3 times higher than during the breeding period for the West and East Atlantic respectively, Hg concentrations in the Pacific during the non-breeding period were only ~1.7 times higher than during the breeding period. In addition, individual Hg concentrations during the non-breeding period for most of the seabird colonies were above 5 μg g−1 dry weight (dw), which is considered to be the threshold at which deleterious effects are observed, suggesting that some breeding populations might be vulnerable to non-breeding Hg exposure. Since wintering area locations, and migration routes may influence seasonal Hg concentrations, it is crucial to improve our knowledge about spatial ecotoxicology to fully understand the risks associated with Hg contamination in Arctic seabirds.
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•Hg concentrations were higher during the non-breeding period.•Hg concentrations were spatially different between the Atlantic and Pacific.•Highest Hg seasonal variations appeared in seabirds breeding in the West Atlantic.•Some populations might be vulnerable to non-breeding Hg exposure.
ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters play various roles in cancer biology and drug resistance, but their association with outcomes in serous epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is unknown.
The ...relationship between clinical outcomes and ABC transporter gene expression in two independent cohorts of high-grade serous EOC tumors was assessed with real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, analysis of expression microarray data, and immunohistochemistry. Associations between clinical outcomes and ABCA transporter gene single nucleotide polymorphisms were tested in a genome-wide association study. Impact of short interfering RNA-mediated gene suppression was determined by colony forming and migration assays. Association with survival was assessed with Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank tests. All statistical tests were two-sided.
Associations with outcome were observed with ABC transporters of the "A" subfamily, but not with multidrug transporters. High-level expression of ABCA1, ABCA6, ABCA8, and ABCA9 in primary tumors was statistically significantly associated with reduced survival in serous ovarian cancer patients. Low levels of ABCA5 and the C-allele of rs536009 were associated with shorter overall survival (hazard ratio for death = 1.50; 95% confidence interval CI =1.26 to 1.79; P = 6.5e-6). The combined expression pattern of ABCA1, ABCA5, and either ABCA8 or ABCA9 was associated with particularly poor outcome (mean overall survival in group with adverse ABCA1, ABCA5 and ABCA9 gene expression = 33.2 months, 95% CI = 26.4 to 40.1; vs 55.3 months in the group with favorable ABCA gene expression, 95% CI = 49.8 to 60.8; P = .001), independently of tumor stage or surgical debulking status. Suppression of cholesterol transporter ABCA1 inhibited ovarian cancer cell growth and migration in vitro, and statin treatment reduced ovarian cancer cell migration.
Expression of ABCA transporters was associated with poor outcome in serous ovarian cancer, implicating lipid trafficking as a potentially important process in EOC.
European seas are encountering an upsurge in competing marine activities and infrastructures. Traditional exploitation such as fisheries, tourism, transportation, and oil production are accompanied ...by new sustainable economic activities such as offshore windfarms, aquaculture, and tidal and wave energy. One proposed solution to overcome possible competing claims at sea lies in combining these economic activities as part of Multi-Use Platforms at Sea (MUPS). MUPS can be understood as areas at sea, designated for a combination of activities, either completely integrated in a platform or in shared marine space. MUPS can potentially benefit from each other in terms of infrastructure, maintenance, etc. Developing MUPS in the marine environment demands adequate governance. In this article, we investigate four European sites to find out how governance arrangements may facilitate or complicate MUPs. In particular, we apply a framework specifying policy, economic, social, technical, environmental, and legal (PESTEL) factors to explore governance arrangements in four case study sites in different sea basins around Europe (the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, and the Baltic Sea). The article concludes with policy recommendations on a governance regime for facilitating the development of MUPS in the future.
Suicide Research, Prevention, and COVID-19 Niederkrotenthaler, Thomas; Gunnell, David; Arensman, Ella ...
Crisis : the journal of crisis intervention and suicide prevention,
09/2020, Letnik:
41, Številka:
5
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
This editorial discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 on physical and mental health, with major implications for suicide and suicide prevention. As COVID-19 appears to be ...disproportionately affecting Black, Asian, and minority ethnic communities, the response – and suicide prevention research carried out to inform the response – needs to be sufficiently granular and account for the complexity of risks in these groups. The unique challenges posed by the current pandemic require suicide researchers to collaborate in order to understand the impact of COVID-19 on suicide and suicidal behavior and effective ways of mitigating the risk. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
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