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Sci Total Environ 2021 Apr 5;783:146905. Epub 2021 Apr 5.

French Research and Safety Institute for the Prevention of Occupational Accidents and Diseases (INRS), 1 rue du Morvan, 54519 Vandœuvre-Lès-Nancy, France.

Bisphenol A (BPA) and its substitutes bisphenol S (BPS) and bisphenol F (BPF) are endocrine disrupting chemicals widely used in the production of polycarbonate plastics, epoxy resins and thermal papers. The aim of the review was to identify occupational studies using human biomonitoring (HBM) as a tool for bisphenol exposure assessment and to characterize research gaps on the topic as part of the HBM4EU project. Hence, a systematic literature search using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology was conducted for articles published between 2000 and 27th March 2020 across three databases (PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science). Read More

Forensic Sci Int Genet 2021 Apr 6;53:102518. Epub 2021 Apr 6.

Faculty of Law, Criminal Justice and Public Administration, School of Criminal Justice, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne-Dorigny, Switzerland.

Evaluating forensic biological evidence considering activity level propositions is becoming more prominent around the world. In such evaluations it is common to combine results from multiple items associated with the alleged activities. The results from these items may not be conditionally independent, depending on the mechanism of cell/DNA transfer being considered and it is important that the evaluation takes these dependencies into account. Read More

Soc Sci Med 2021 Apr 7;277:113902. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa. Electronic address:

Introduction: Advances in genomics research have raised several ethical concerns. One concern is the potential impact of genomics research on stigma experienced by people affected by a disease. Studies have found that the type of illness as well as disease causal beliefs impact on the relation between genetic attribution and stigma. Read More

Water Res 2021 Apr 6;198:117123. Epub 2021 Apr 6.

Department of Chemistry, Biomaterials and Textiles, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, SE-501 15 Borås, Sweden. Electronic address:

Biodegradable polymers have been regarded as a promising solution to tackle the pollutions caused by the wide use of conventional polymers. However, during the biodegradation process, the material fragmentation leads to microplastics. In this work, the formation of microplastics from biodegradable poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) in different aquatic environments was investigated and compared with the common non-biodegradable low-density polyethylene (LDPE). Read More

Tumour Virus Res 2021 Apr 14:200216. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

VCS Population Health, VCS Foundation, Melbourne, Australia; Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Australia.

Background: Initially, three-dose schedules were recommended for vaccines against human papillomavirus (HPV); subsequently recommendations have been updated to a schedule of two doses delivered at least six (minimum five) months apart for those aged <15 years at dose 1. We aimed to re-estimate effective HPV vaccination coverage in Australia, considering reduced-dose schedules and possible one-dose effectiveness. We also aimed to identify which of the three school visits was most commonly missed amongst two-dose only recipients, to inform optimal timing of visits. Read More

Psychiatry Res 2021 Apr 1;300:113919. Epub 2021 Apr 1.

Department of Health Promotion and Human Behavior, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine / School of Public Health, Kyoto, Japan.

When studying recurrence of depression, researchers should pay attention to cases where physicians' assessment corresponds to the patients' perception. However, they should also focus on potential signs of recurrence when the recurrence is suspected by the physicians but not the patients (false-negative zeros). Because false negatives can delay diagnosis and treatment, we aimed to investigate "sitting idly" as a predictor influencing no alert sign of recurrence and estimated the counts of recurrence of depression. Read More

Am J Med 2021 Apr 14. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Cumming School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Calgary; Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary.

Background: Pheochromocytoma is a rare cause of acute cardiovascular disease however, any severe illness may have high catecholamines, simulating pheochromocytoma. We determined the spectrum of urine metanephrines from inpatient and outpatient collections without pheochromocytoma compared to confirmed pheochromocytoma patients.

Methods: Retrospective analysis using centralized laboratory data serving all outpatients and hospitals in southern Alberta. Read More

Pain Pract 2021 Apr 17. Epub 2021 Apr 17.

Department of Biochemistry, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.

Background: Allopurinol is a potent inhibitor of the enzyme xanthine oxidase used in the treatment of hyperuricemia and gout. Since it is well known that purines exert multiple effects on pain transmission, we hypothesized that the inhibition of xanthine oxidase by allopurinol could be a valid strategy to treat pain in humans. This study aimed to compare the analgesic efficacy of oral allopurinol versus placebo as an adjuvant therapy in patients displaying fibromyalgia. Read More

Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2021 Apr 17. Epub 2021 Apr 17.

Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Seoul National University College of Natural Sciences, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Aim: Impaired event-related potential (ERP) indices reflecting performance monitoring systems have been consistently reported in patients with schizophrenia. However, whether these impairments exist from the beginning of the early phase of psychosis, such as in first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients and individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis, has not yet been clearly ascertained.

Methods: Thirty-seven FEP patients, 22 CHR subjects, and 22 healthy controls (HCs) performed a visual go/no-go task so that three ERP components associated with performance monitoring-error-related negativity (ERN), correct response negativity (CRN) and error positivity (Pe) -could be assessed. Read More

Ecotoxicology 2021 Apr 17. Epub 2021 Apr 17.

Toxicology and Forensic Veterinary Service, Faculty of Veterinary, University of Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, Murcia, Spain.

Anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) are commonly used to control rodent populations and frequently involved in wildlife and domestic animal poisoning. These poisoning cases (especially for ARs) are a challenge for forensic toxicologists, and adequate post-mortem examination and toxicological analyses become essential for a proper diagnosis. Publications describing different analytical methods for AR analysis in biological samples are growing, and a clear compilation of the overall picture is needed to standardize methodologies in future research. Read More

Cell Biol Toxicol 2021 Apr 17. Epub 2021 Apr 17.

Department of Medicinal Chemistry, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Ahmedabad, Opposite Air Force Station, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, 382355, India.

Chronic inflammation (CI) is a primary contributing factor involved in multiple diseases like cancer, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, allergy, asthma, autoimmune diseases, coeliac disease, glomerulonephritis, sepsis, hepatitis, inflammatory bowel disease, reperfusion injury, and transplant rejections. Despite several expansions in our understanding of inflammatory disorders and their mediators, it seems clear that numerous proteins participate in the onset of CI. One crucial protein pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) much studied in cancer is also found to be inextricably woven in the onset of several CI's. Read More

J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2021 Apr 17. Epub 2021 Apr 17.

Klinik für Innere Medizin II, Hämatologie und Internistische Onkologie, Integrative Onkologie, Universitätsklinikum Jena, Am Klinikum 1, 07747, Jena, Germany.

Purpose: The aim of our study was to analyse the frequency and severity of different types of potential interactions in oncological outpatients' therapy. Therefore, medications, food and substances in terms of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) like dietary supplements, herbs and other processed ingredients were considered.

Methods: We obtained data from questionnaires and from analysing the patient records of 115 cancer outpatients treated at a German university hospital. Read More

Environ Monit Assess 2021 Apr 17;193(5):280. Epub 2021 Apr 17.

Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Biology, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey.

Biomonitoring is a significant method for evaluating aquatic life forms and their environments. The longer the process continues, the results of it become more precise. Benthic macroinvertebrates' exposure to changes in environmental conditions makes them an important part of any biomonitoring program. Read More

Eur J Nutr 2021 Apr 17. Epub 2021 Apr 17.

Departments of Epidemiology and Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.

Background And Aims: Plant-based diets have been suggested to have beneficial effects on various health outcomes. However, the evidence on the association of plant-based diet quality with health outcomes is very limited in Asian populations, who may have a different dietary pattern than western populations. This study explored the prospective association between different types of plant-based diets and risk of hypertension using recently established indices in South Koreans. Read More

Appl Psychol Health Well Being 2021 Apr 17. Epub 2021 Apr 17.

Univ. Grenoble Alpes, SENS, Grenoble, France.

Recovery refers to the process of replenishing resources that occurs when employees distance themselves from their work, leading to improvements in work-related well-being indicators (WRWB), such as burnout and vigor. Research has shown that weekend activities are related to changes in WRWB and that recovery experiences could mediate these relationships. This study aimed to examine the indirect relationships of recovery activities on changes in burnout and vigor, through weekend recovery experiences. Read More

Int J Clin Pract 2021 Apr 17:e14235. Epub 2021 Apr 17.

Department of General Surgery, Van Training and Research Hospital, Van, Turkey.

Introduction: Psychiatric problems, such as stress and anxiety disorders, are encountered among healthcare professionals fighting epidemics. Considering that COVID-19 suddenly became a pandemic and healthcare professionals have not had access to sufficient information, it is a fact that healthcare professionals have been affected on a large scale. Heavy workloads, insufficient equipment and anxiety over families increase this impact. Read More

Health Econ 2021 Apr 16. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

Banco Central del Uruguay, Montevideo, Uruguay.

Sin good consumption entails health damage, which is in general not fully perceived by individuals, what results in its overconsumption. One way to tackle this problem is to tax these unhealthy goods. However, not all the individual choices that affect health status can be easily observed and effectively taxed by the government. Read More

Clin Pharmacokinet 2021 Apr 17. Epub 2021 Apr 17.

Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Toxicology, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333ZA, Leiden, the Netherlands.

Background: Iohexol plasma clearance-based glomerular filtration rate (GFR) determination provides an accurate method for renal function evaluation. This technique is increasingly advocated for clinical situations that dictate highly accurate renal function assessment, as an alternative to conventional serum creatinine-based methods with limited accuracy or poor feasibility. In the renal transplantation setting, this particularly applies to living renal transplant donor eligibility screening, renal transplant function monitoring and research purposes. Read More

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2021 Apr 17. Epub 2021 Apr 17.

One Health Institute, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.

This is the first field study to evaluate lead exposure in dogs fed game meat and offal and, to our knowledge, the first study exploring associations between game consumption and dog health status. We quantified lead concentrations in blood and hair and haematological parameters of 31 dogs fed game meat and offal from wild boar (Sus scrofa) and axis deer (Axis axis) culled with lead ammunition in El Palmar National Park, Argentina. Despite variable weekly frequency in game consumption, dogs had detectable blood and hair lead levels, demonstrating recent and chronic exposure. Read More

J Clin Immunol 2021 Apr 16. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

Department of Pediatrics, Division of Rheumatology/Immunology, Washington University in St. Louis, 660 S. Euclid Ave. Box 8208, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.

Inborn errors of immunity (IEIs) are a heterogeneous group of disorders due to genetic defects in the immune response that have a broad clinical spectrum. Diagnosis of the precise genetic cause of IEI has led to improved care and treatment of patients; however, genetic diagnosis using standard approaches is only successful in ~40% of patients and is particularly challenging in "sporadic" cases without a family history. Standard genetic testing for IEI evaluates for germline changes in genes encoding proteins important for the immune response. Read More

Hist Philos Life Sci 2021 Apr 16;43(2):60. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

Li Ka Shing, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Ethics and Humanities Unit, University of Hong Kong, 21 Sassoon Road, Hong Kong, SAR, China.

Although fear and anxiety have gradually become a shared experience in the time of COVID-19, few studies have examined its content from historical, cultural, and phenomenological perspectives concerning the self-awareness and alterity. We discuss the development of the ubiquitous nature of Taijin-kyōfushō (TKS), a subtype of social anxiety disorder (SAD) originated and considered culturally-bound in the 1930s Japan involving fear of offending or displeasing other people. Considering the historical processes of disease classification, advances in cognitive neurosciences, and the need to better understand the content of suffering, psychiatric nosology for SAD still appears controversial and requires further investigations. Read More

Sci Rep 2021 Apr 16;11(1):8387. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon-si, 16419, Korea.

In this paper, we investigate the V shift of p-type LTPS TFTs fabricated on a polyimide (PI) and glass substrate considering charging phenomena. The V of the LTPS TFTs with a PI substrate positively shift after a bias temperature stress test. However, the V with a glass substrate rarely changed even with increasing stress. Read More

Sci Rep 2021 Apr 16;11(1):8341. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

Institute of Marine Sciences, National Research Council, Arsenale Tesa 104, Castello 2737/F, 30122, Venice, Italy.

The Venice lagoon (VL) has been recognized as a hot spot of introduction of non-indigenous species (NIS), due to several anthropogenic factors and environmental stressors that combined may facilitate NIS invasions. In the last decades an increasing number of zooplankton NIS have been observed in the VL. This work aims to provide a picture of the annual cycle and distribution of the recently recorded non-indigenous copepod Oithona davisae, considering the coexistence patterns with the congeneric resident Oithona nana. Read More

Sci Rep 2021 Apr 16;11(1):8364. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USA.

Neurodevelopmental disorders are conditions caused by the abnormal development of the central nervous system. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is currently the most common form of such disorders, affecting 1% of the population worldwide. Despite its prevalence, the mechanisms underlying ASD are not fully known. Read More

Sci Rep 2021 Apr 16;11(1):8358. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

Agorà Biomedical Sciences, Etromapmax Pole, Lesina (FG), Italy.

Climate seems to influence the spread of SARS-CoV-2, but the findings of the studies performed so far are conflicting. To overcome these issues, we performed a global scale study considering 134,871 virologic-climatic-demographic data (209 countries, first 16 weeks of the pandemic). To analyze the relation among COVID-19, population density, and climate, a theoretical path diagram was hypothesized and tested using structural equation modeling (SEM), a powerful statistical technique for the evaluation of causal assumptions. Read More

Pediatrics 2021 Apr 16. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

Courageous Parents Network, Newton, Massachusetts.

J Foot Ankle Surg 2020 Aug 15. Epub 2020 Aug 15.

Program Director, Foot & Ankle Residency Training Program, West Penn Hospital, Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburgh, PA. Electronic address:

Periarticular osseous defects pose a challenge when considering arthrodesis. Failure to restore the cubic content of bone can result in shortening and malalignment, as well as subsequent biomechanical issues. This study reports on 12 patients treated with patient-specific 3-D printed (7) and prefabricated titanium trusses (5). Read More

Encephale 2021 Apr 13. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Psychiatry department, Hôtel-Dieu de France, Faculty of Medicine, Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth, BP, 166830 Beirut, Lebanon.

Objectives: Our study aims to determine the prevalence of trichotillomania among medical students. Furthermore, we aim to determine the perception of trichotillomania in this population.

Methods: Our study is a cross-sectional study that aims to determine the prevalence and the perception of trichotillomania among medical students in, compared to a control population. Read More

J Therm Biol 2021 Apr 18;97:102876. Epub 2021 Feb 18.

Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas (IIByT), Av. Vélez Sarsfield 1611, CP 5016, Córdoba, Argentina; Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Los Alimentos (ICTA), Av. Vélez Sarsfield 1611, CP 5016, Córdoba, Argentina; Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Cátedra de Química Biológica, Av. Vélez Sarsfield 1611, CP 5016, Córdoba, Argentina. Electronic address:

Organisms have evolved endogenous timing systems that enable them to predict temporal changes and to coordinate complex internal processes. However, temporal dynamics of biological responses are most often ignored in fields such as dietary supplementation of farm animals exposed to artificial environmental challenges. Herein, we hypothesized that the potential for thymol (2-isopropyl-5-methylphenol) to alleviate physiological and behavioral consequences of heat stress is time-dependent on both long-term (i. Read More