This study evaluated the effect of 5 dietary fibers (apple, orange, oat, bamboo, and wheat) on the physicochemical, rheological, and textural characteristics; sensory properties; and culture ...viability of probiotic ice cream stored at −18°C for 180 d. The presence of orange and apple fibers increased the titratable acidity, decreased the lightness (color) value of the ice creams, and enhanced the red and yellow coloration. Compared with the control sample, the consistency indices and apparent viscosities of the experimental samples increased with the addition of all dietary fibers except oat fiber. The highest viscosity was obtained in the sample fortified with apple fiber, whereas the ice cream containing orange fiber showed the highest hardness after d 60 of storage. The addition of orange and apple fibers significantly increased melting resistance; however, panelists did not generally like these samples in terms of taste-flavor. All ice creams had viable counts of Lactobacillus acidophilus of ≥7 log cfu/g during storage except the samples with orange and bamboo fiber. Bifidobacterium lactis counts were also found to be >6 log cfu/g in those samples until d 150 of storage.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of different finishing-polishing (FP) procedures on reducing surface roughness of nanoceramic hybrid CAD/CAM material before and after ...thermocycle (TMC) aging.
Nano-ceramic hybrid CAD/CAM specimens were subjected to 8 different (2-glaze and 6-mechanical) FP procedures as follows (n=20): 1. Optiglaze (OG) 2. Diamond glaze (DG), 3. Vita Enamic Polishing Set (VE), 4. VE+Gradia Diapolisher paste (VE-G) 5. VE+Super-Snap SuperBuff (VE-S) 6. Sof-Lex Disc kit (SL) 7. SL+Gradia Diapolisher paste (SLG) 8. SL+Super-Snap SuperBuff (SL-S). Surface roughness of each specimen was measured by using a contact profilometer. All specimens were artificially aged with TMC (5000 cycles, 5°C/55°C) and surface roughness measurements were repeated. One extra specimen from each group before and after TMC was examined with SEM. Surface roughness data were analyzed by repeated measures ANOVA, dependent t-test and Tukey test.
Significantly higher mean Ra values were found for groups OG and DG compared to other groups (P<0.05). Differences between glaze groups and differences between mechanical FP groups were not significant (P>0.05). Groups SL-S and DG demonstrated comparable results before and after TMC (P>0.05). SEM analysis revealed that surfaces of VE-S and SL-S groups were smooth and free of scratches.
Mechanical FP procedures were more effective in reducing surface roughness of nanoceramic hybrid CAD/CAM material than glaze applications. Sof-Lex kit followed by Super-Snap SuperBuff disc application can be recommended as the mechanical FP procedure of choice considering that this method provided smooth surfaces that were maintained after TMC.
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has created a serious health problem in pregnant people. We aimed to address whether vaccination can prevent development of placental disease in SARS-CoV-2 infected ...mothers.
We reported the pathology findings obtained from routine histopathological examination of placentas of overall 38 cases.
We found low prevalence of placental pathology in vaccinated pregnant people with active SARS-CoV-2 infection in comparison to those unvaccinated cases.
Based on our findings, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination can prevent development of placental pathological lesions and may lower the risk of serious illness in pregnant people.
Objective
Takayasu arteritis is a rare large vessel vasculitis with incompletely understood etiology. This study was undertaken to perform the first unbiased genome‐wide association analysis of ...Takayasu arteritis.
Methods
Two independent cohorts of patients with Takayasu arteritis from Turkey and North America were included in our study. The Turkish cohort consisted of 559 patients and 489 controls, and the North American cohort consisted of 134 patients and 1,047 controls of European ancestry. Genotyping was performed using the Omni1‐Quad and Omni2.5 genotyping arrays. Genotyping data were subjected to rigorous quality control measures and subsequently analyzed to discover genetic susceptibility loci for Takayasu arteritis.
Results
We identified genetic susceptibility loci for Takayasu arteritis with a genome‐wide level of significance in IL6 (rs2069837) (odds ratio OR 2.07, P = 6.70 × 10−9), RPS9/LILRB3 (rs11666543) (OR 1.65, P = 2.34 × 10−8), and an intergenic locus on chromosome 21q22 (rs2836878) (OR 1.79, P = 3.62 × 10−10). The genetic susceptibility locus in RPS9/LILRB3 lies within the leukocyte receptor complex gene cluster on chromosome 19q13.4, and the disease risk variant in this locus correlates with reduced expression of multiple genes including the inhibitory leukocyte immunoglobulin‐like receptor gene LILRB3 (P = 2.29 × 10−8). In addition, we identified candidate susceptibility genes with suggestive levels of association (P < 1 × 10−5) with Takayasu arteritis, including PCSK5, LILRA3, PPM1G/NRBP1, and PTK2B.
Conclusion
Our findings indicate novel genetic susceptibility loci for Takayasu arteritis and uncover potentially important aspects of the pathophysiology of this form of vasculitis.
We aimed to investigate the possible roles of nitric oxide (NO) and endothelin on the changes of cardiac muscle function in both hyper- and hypodynamic septic shock periods. Cecal ligation and ...puncture was performed in 50 Wistar albino rats to induce septic shock. Changes in atrium and right ventricle papillary muscle contractions, atrium beat rate, adrenergic and cholinergic responses in these tissues were evaluated in vitro. Atrium beat rate increased in hypodynamic period (p < 0.001) that was reversed by bosentan (p < 0.001) and NG-nitro-l-arginine methylester (l-NAME; p < 0.05). Atrium contractions decreased in both hyper- and hypodynamic periods (p < 0.001) that were partially ameliorated by bosentan in both periods (p < 0.01) and only in hypodynamic period by l-NAME (p < 0.001). l-NAME increased papillary muscle contractions in both periods (p < 0.01), but bosentan increased it only in hyperdynamic period (p < 0.01). Bosentan and l-NAME increased potency of isoproterenol on atrium beat rate in both periods and increased carbachol potency on atrium beat rate and atrium contraction amplitude only in hypodynamic period. Bosentan increased atrium contraction response to isoproterenol in hypodynamic period (p < 0.05). Papillary muscle contraction response to isoproterenol increased in hypodynamic period (p < 0.05). l-NAME increased papillary muscle contraction response to carbachol in both periods (p < 0.01, p < 0.05, respectively). These results show that NO and endothelin may play a role in positive inotropic and negative chronotropic effects for atrium in septic shock. Bosentan and l-NAME may change potency and efficacy of isoproterenol and carbachol via upregulation of adrenergic and cholinergic receptors and/or through post receptor factors.
Summary
Purpose
Vorinostat is a potent HDAC inhibitor that sensitizes head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) to cytotoxic therapy while sparing normal epithelium. The primary objective of this ...Phase I study was to determine the maximally tolerated dose (MTD) and safety of Vorinostat in combination with standard chemoradiation therapy treatment in HNSCC.
Patients and Methods
Eligible patients had pathologically confirmed Stage III, IVa, IVb HNSCC, that was unresectable or borderline resectable involving the larynx, hypopharynx, nasopharynx, and oropharynx. Vorinostat was administered at the assigned dosage level (100-400 mg, three times weekly) in a standard 3 + 3 dose escalation design. Vorinostat therapy began 1 week prior to initiation of standard, concurrent chemoradiation therapy and continued during the entire course of therapy.
Results
Twenty six patients met eligibility criteria and completed the entire protocol. The primary tumor sites included tonsil (12), base of tongue (9), posterior pharyngeal wall (1), larynx (4) and hypopharynx (3). Of the 26 patients, 17 were HPV-positive and 9 were HPV-negative. The MTD of Vorinostat was 300 mg administered every other day. Anemia (
n
= 23/26) and leukopenia (
n
= 20/26) were the most commonly identified toxicities. The most common Grade3/4 events included leukopenia (
n
= 11) and lymphopenia (
n
= 17). No patient had Grade IV mucositis, dermatitis or xerostomia. The median follow time was 33.8 months (range 1.6–82.9 months). Twenty four of 26 (96.2%) patients had a complete response to therapy.
Conclusion
Vorinostat in combination with concurrent chemoradiation therapy is a safe and highly effective treatment regimen in HNSCC. There was a high rate of complete response to therapy with toxicity rates comparable, if not favorable to existing therapies. Further investigation in Phase II and III trials is strongly recommended.
Previously considered solely an opportunistic pathogen, Clostridium innocuum (CI) was recently reported in Taiwan to be an emerging cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and clinically ...indistinguishable from Clostridioides difficile (CD) infection. We previously identified CI culture supernatant being cross-reactive with commercial CD toxin enzyme immunoassays. We aimed to identify and characterize the cross-reacting protein and determine whether it functioned as a human toxin.
We performed western blots using CI culture supernatants and CD anti-toxin antibodies and identified interacting bands. We identified protein(s) using tandem mass spectrometry and evaluated them by cytotoxicity assays.
CI, but not CD, was isolated from stool of 12 children and adults with diarrhea. Culture supernatant from 6/12 CI isolates, and an ATCC reference strain, tested positive for CD toxins (total 7/13 isolates) by commercial EIA. Using two of these isolates, we identified two ∼40 kDa hypothetical proteins, CI_01447 and CI_01448, and confirmed cross-reactivity with CD anti-toxin antibodies by enzyme immunoassay and Western blot. Whole-genome sequencing confirmed all 13 isolates contained both genes, which were highly conserved. We observed no cytopathic or cytotoxic effects to HeLa cells when treated with these proteins. We identified amino acid sequence similarity to the NlpC/P60 family of proteins.
Our findings do not suggest CI proteins CI_01448 and CI_01447, which cross-react with antibodies against CD toxins A and B, are toxic to HeLa cells. Further studies are needed to determine the function of these cross-reacting proteins and the potential virulence factors that could be responsible for CI diarrheal disease.
•C. innocuum secretes proteins that interact with C. difficile anti-toxin antibodies.•These cross-reactive proteins were identified as CI_01447 and CI_01448.•These proteins were not cytotoxic to HeLa cells.•Both proteins share amino acid sequence similarity with NlpC/P60 proteins.
Zoledronic acid (ZA), a nitrogen-containing bisphosphonate, has been reported to exhibit a protective effect against cancers and prevent bone fractures. It also induces apoptosis by increasing ...proinflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress. Oxidative stress increases significantly during ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury. The liver is highly sensitive to IR injury. In this study, we aim to investigate whether high-dose ZA treatment affects the liver during IR.
We used twenty-one Sprague-Dawley male rats in our study, and they were subdivided randomly into three groups, each containing seven rats. A single dose of 100 μg/kg ZA was administered via the intraperitoneal route in the ZA group. Forty-eight hours after the ZA administration, infrarenal abdominal aortic cross ligation was performed on the ZA and IR groups. After 2 hours of ischemia, 2 hours of reperfusion was applied.
The malondialdehyde (MDA) level of the control group was significantly lower than the IR (p = 0.006) and ZA (p<0.001) groups. However, the superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) values of the control group were significantly higher than the values of the IR group (p<0.05, p<0.001, and p<0.05) and ZA group (p = 0.002, p<0.001, and p<0.001). Caspase-3 activity was significantly higher in the IR group as compared to the control group (p<0.001). The caspase-3 activity in the ZA group, on the other hand, was higher than both the control (p<0.001) and IR groups (p<0.001).
High-dose ZA may exacerbate liver injury during IR by increasing reactive oxygen species production and apoptosis.
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