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Thromb Haemost 2021 Apr 17. Epub 2021 Apr 17.

Rajaie Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center, Tehran, Iran (the Islamic Republic of).

Background: Thrombotic complications are considered among the main extrapulmonary manifestations of COVID-19. The optimal type and duration of prophylactic antithrombotic therapy in these patients remain unknown.

Methods: This manuscript reports the final (90-day) results of the Intermediate versus Standard-dose Prophylactic anticoagulation In cRitically-ill pATIents with COVID-19: An opeN label randomized controlled trial (INSPIRATION) study. Read More

J Magn Reson 2021 Feb 18;326:106940. Epub 2021 Feb 18.

School of Chemistry, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK. Electronic address:

At the magnetic fields of common NMR instruments, electron Zeeman frequencies are too high for efficient electron-nuclear dipolar cross-relaxation to occur in solution. The rate of that process fades with the electron Zeeman frequency as ω - in the absence of isotropic hyperfine couplings, liquid state dynamic nuclear polarisation (DNP) in high-field magnets is therefore impractical. However, contact coupling and dipolar cross-relaxation are not the only mechanisms that can move electron magnetisation to nuclei in liquids: multiple cross-correlated (CC) relaxation processes also exist, involving various combinations of interaction tensor anisotropies. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2021 Apr 14;783:146968. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Center for Environmental Remediation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.

The interactions between plants and soils lead to complex feedbacks that regulate intrinsic water use efficiency (iWUE) and stomatal conductance (gs) at ecosystem level and reflect water constraints on plant productivity. However, the relationships among soil properties, biodiversity, and leaf functional traits contributing to the variability in ecosystem iWUE and gs remain largely unknown. To elucidate these relationships, we used principal component analysis to reduce soil properties to a fertility spectrum and a limiting-resource spectrum across grassland, and early-, mid- and late-successional forests in a karst catchment. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2021 Apr 9;783:146994. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

Post-Graduate Program in Conservation of Cerrado Natural Resources, Goiano Federal Institute, Urutaí, GO, Brazil; Post-Graduate Program in Biodiversity and Biotechnology, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil.

Different and alternative renewable-source materials, commonly called bioplastics, have been proposed due to the high production and consumption of petroleum-derived plastics and to their high toxicity in the biota. However, their toxicological safety has not yet been assessed in a comprehensive way; therefore, their effects on several animal groups remain completely unknown. Thus, we aimed at testing the following hypothesis: the exposure of Physalaemus cuvieri tadpoles to polylaic acid biomicroplastic (PLA BioMP) at environmentally relevant concentrations (760 and 15,020 μg/L) induces physiological changes in them. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2021 Apr 9;783:147003. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, PR China. Electronic address:

Microplastics (MPs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are universally detected in the marine ecosystem and may exert adverse impacts on marine species. Although under realistic pollution scenarios, PAH pollution usually occurs as a mixture of different PAH compounds, the toxic impacts of PAH mixtures on marine organisms remain largely unknown to date, including their interactions with other emergent pollutants such as MPs. In this study, the single and combined toxic impacts of polystyrene MPs and a mixture of PAHs (standard mix of 16 representative PAHs) on haematic parameters were evaluated in the blood clam Tegillarca granosa. Read More

J Clin Virol 2021 Apr 10;139:104820. Epub 2021 Apr 10.

Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Zaloška 4, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia. Electronic address:

Background: Neutralization tests (NT) are the gold standard for detecting and quantifying anti-SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies (NAb), but their complexity restricts them to research settings or reference laboratories. Antibodies against S protein receptor binding domain (RBD) have been shown to confer a neutralizing activity against SARS-CoV-2. Assays quantitatively measuring anti-S1-RBD-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies could be of great value for NAb screening of potential donors for convalescent-phase plasma therapy, assessing natural or vaccine-induced immunity, stratifying individuals for vaccine receipt, and documenting vaccine response. Read More

Waste Manag 2021 Apr 14;126:578-584. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

AGH University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Energy and Fuels, Al. A. Mickiewicza 30, 30- 059 Krakow, Poland.

The progressive decarbonisation of industry is leading to a reduction in coal consumption and the substitution for coal with other types of fuels, including waste-derived alternative fuels. These fuels are characterised by high variation in the content of highly toxic mercury. Co-combustion with coal can cause significant emissions, exceeding mercury emission limits. Read More

Int Immunopharmacol 2021 Apr 14;96:107662. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Department of Geriatrics, Gastroenterology Ward, Guangzhou First People's Hospital, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510180, China. Electronic address:

Foxp3Treg cells display phenotypic and functional heterogeneity, which express high levels of T cell immunoglobulin and mucin-domain containing-3 (Tim-3) in the tumor microenvironment (TME) of colorectal and lung cancer. High abundance of Tim-3Foxp3Treg (TFT) cells are associated with poor prognosis in these patients. However, the expression patterns and roles of TFT cells in TME of diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) remain to be established. Read More

Nanomedicine 2021 Apr 14:102399. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China. Electronic address:

The poor drug delivery and unsatisfying therapeutic effects remain to be the primary challenges for cancer therapy. Nanosystem that combines multiple functions into a single platform is an ideal strategy. Here, a smart drug delivery nanoplatform (Z@C-D/P) based on ZnO@CuS nanoparticles, loaded with doxorubicin (DOX) and pirfenidone (PFD) was constructed. Read More

Arthroscopy 2021 Apr 14. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA.

Purpose: The purpose of the current study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature on anterolateral ligament (ALL) reconstruction as it related to techniques, biomechanical properties, and clinical outcomes.

Methods: PubMed, OVID/Medline, and Embase were queried in July 2020. Data pertaining to (1)techniques, (2)biomechanical properties, and (3)clinical outcomes of ALL reconstruction were recorded. Read More

Biophys J 2021 Apr 14. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

School of Mathematics and Physics, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.

We study the transition of an epidemic from growth phase to decay of the active infections in a population when lockdown health measures are introduced to reduce the probability of disease transmission. While in the case of uniform lockdown a simple compartmental model would indicate instantaneous transition to decay of the epidemic, this is not the case when partially isolated active clusters remain with the potential to create a series of small outbreaks. We model this using the Gillespie stochastic simulation algorithm based on a connected set of stochastic susceptible-infected-removed/recovered (SIR) networks representing the locked-down majority population (where the reproduction number is less than one) weakly coupled to a large set of small clusters where the infection may propagate. Read More

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

Meyers Primary Care Institute, Worcester, MA 01655; Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01655.

Background: Limited data exists about relatively recent trends in the magnitude and characteristics of patients who are re-hospitalized after hospital admission for an acute myocardial infarction (AMI). This study examined trends in the frequency and socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of patients readmitted to the hospital within 30 days after an initial acute myocardial infarction.

Methods: We reviewed the medical records of 3,116 individuals who were hospitalized for a validated first acute myocardial infarction in six study periods between 2003 and 2015 at the three major medical centers in central Massachusetts. Read More

Clin Transplant 2021 Apr 17:e14320. Epub 2021 Apr 17.

Department of Medicine, Hennepin County Medical Center, Hennepin Healthcare, Minneapolis Minnesota.

Background: Antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) is a leading cause of kidney allograft failure, but its incidence, risk factors, and outcomes are not well understood.

Methods: We searched Ovid MEDLINE, Cochrane, EMBASE, and Scopus from January 2000-January 2020 to identify published cohorts of ≥ 500 incident adult or 75 pediatric kidney transplant recipients followed for ≥ 1 year posttransplant.

Results: At least two reviewers screened 5061 articles and abstracts; 28 met inclusion criteria. Read More

FEBS J 2021 Apr 17. Epub 2021 Apr 17.

Department of Cell Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27710, USA.

Polarized epithelial cells are characterized by the asymmetric distribution of proteins between apical and basolateral domains of the plasma membrane. This asymmetry is highly conserved and is fundamental to epithelial cell physiology, development, and homeostasis. How proteins are segregated for apical or basolateral delivery, a process known as sorting, has been the subject of considerable investigation for decades. Read More

Int J Gynaecol Obstet 2021 Apr 17. Epub 2021 Apr 17.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Affiliated Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.

Objective: To determine the outcomes in women with pulmonary hypertension (PH) and determine the factors related to adverse outcomes.

Methods: Data from 684 women with PH admitted to the Affiliated Renji Hospital from January 2001 to December 2020 were collected. Outcomes were compared based on the causes and severity of PH. Read More

Plant J 2021 Apr 17. Epub 2021 Apr 17.

School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, 24061, USA.

Flooding and drought are serious constraints that reduce crop productivity worldwide. Previous studies identified genes conferring tolerance to both water extremes in various plants. However, overlapping responses to flooding and drought at the genome-scale remain obscure. Read More

Protein Cell 2021 Apr 17. Epub 2021 Apr 17.

Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies and School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China.

A new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has been identified as the etiologic agent for the COVID-19 outbreak. Currently, effective treatment options remain very limited for this disease; therefore, there is an urgent need to identify new anti-COVID-19 agents. In this study, we screened over 6,000 compounds that included approved drugs, drug candidates in clinical trials, and pharmacologically active compounds to identify leads that target the SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease (PLpro). Read More

Updates Surg 2021 Apr 17. Epub 2021 Apr 17.

Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.

Chronic internal carotid artery occlusion (CICAO) significantly increases the risk of recurrent stroke. Given unfavorable outcomes, revascularization procedures are not generally recommended for CICAO. In the last several years, loads of studies reported successful surgical revascularization for CICAO with promising success rate and favorable short-term outcomes. Read More

Mol Cell Biochem 2021 Apr 17. Epub 2021 Apr 17.

Department of General Practice, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, 310053, Zhejiang, China.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is related to elevated cytoplasmic calcium signaling in hepatocytes, which may be mediated by store-operated calcium channel (SOCC) and inositol triphosphate receptor (IP3R). However, the regulatory effect of calcium signaling on lipid accumulation and degeneration in hepatocytes and the underlying molecular mechanism remain unknown. Autophagy inhibition promotes lipid accumulation and steatosis in hepatocytes. Read More

Eur J Appl Physiol 2021 Apr 17. Epub 2021 Apr 17.

School of Biomedical, Nutritional and Sport Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.

Regular physical activity reduces the risk of several site-specific cancers in humans and suppresses tumour growth in animal models. The mechanisms through which exercise reduces tumour growth remain incompletely understood, but an intriguing and accumulating body of evidence suggests that the incubation of cancer cells with post-exercise serum can have powerful effects on key hallmarks of cancer cell behaviour in vitro. This suggests that exercise can impact tumour biology through direct changes in circulating proteins, RNA molecules and metabolites. Read More

Cell Mol Life Sci 2021 Apr 17. Epub 2021 Apr 17.

Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.

Amyloid beta (Aβ) is linked to the pathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). At physiological concentrations, Aβ was proposed to enhance neuroplasticity and memory formation by increasing the neurotransmitter release from presynapse. However, the exact mechanisms underlying this presynaptic effect as well as specific contribution of endogenously occurring Aβ isoforms remain unclear. Read More

Glob Chang Biol 2021 Apr 16. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

CREAF, E08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain.

Spatiotemporal redistribution of incident rainfall in vegetated ecosystems results from the partitioning by plants into intercepted, stemflow, and throughfall fractions. However, variation in patterns and drivers of rainfall partitioning across global biomes remain poorly understood, which limited the ability of climate models to improve predictions of biome hydrological cycle under global climate change scenario. Here, we synthesized and analyzed the partitioning of incident rainfall into interception, stemflow, and throughfall by trees and shrubs at the global scale using 980 observations from 236 independent publications. Read More

Biofactors 2021 Apr 17. Epub 2021 Apr 17.

Yenepoya Research Centre, Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), Deralakatte, Mangalore, Karnataka, India.

Bleomycin (BLM) injury is associated with the severity of acute lung injury (ALI) leading to fibrosis, a high-morbidity, and high-mortality respiratory disease of unknown etiology. BLM-induced ALI is marked by the activation of a potent fibrogenic cytokine transcription growth factor beta-1 (TGFβ-1), which is considered a critical cytokine in the progression of alveolar injury. Previously, our work demonstrated that a diet-derived compound curcumin (diferuloylmethane), represents its antioxidative and antifibrotic application in TGF-β1-mediated BLM-induced alveolar basal epithelial cells. Read More

Adv Mater 2021 Apr 17:e2100652. Epub 2021 Apr 17.

State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, P. R. China.

Purely organic fluorescent materials that concurrently exhibit high efficiency, narrowband emission, and circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) remain an unaddressed issue despite their promising applications in wide color gamut- and 3D-display. Herein, the CPL optical property and multiple resonance (MR) effect induced thermally activated delayed fluorescence (MR-TADF) emission are integrated with high color purity and luminous efficiency together. Two pairs of highly efficient green CP-MR-TADF enantiomers, namely, (R/S)-OBN-2CN-BN and (R/S)-OBN-4CN-BN, are developed. Read More

Curr Treat Options Oncol 2021 Apr 16;22(5):45. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

Medical Oncology, Department of Precision Medicine, School of Medicine, "Luigi Vanvitelli" University of Campania, 80131, Naples, Italy.

Opinion Statement: About 70-80% of early breast cancer (BC) patients receive adjuvant endocrine therapy (ET) for at least 5 years. ET includes in the majority of cases the use of aromatase inhibitors, as upfront or switch strategy, that lead to impaired bone health. Given the high incidence and also the high prevalence of BC, cancer treatment-induced bone loss (CTIBL) represents the most common long-term adverse event experimented by patients with hormone receptor positive tumours. Read More

Curr Psychiatry Rep 2021 Apr 17;23(6):35. Epub 2021 Apr 17.

Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, 236 Audubon Hall, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA.

Purpose Of Review: To review data published in the past 5 years to evaluate the utility of our biopsychosocial model of social anxiety's relation to substance misuse to evaluate the model's utility and update it.

Recent Findings: Data support the utility of our revised model-e.g. Read More

Sci Rep 2021 Apr 16;11(1):8391. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

College of Information Science and Engineering, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, 066004, China.

In this paper, the surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) characteristics of Au and Au@AlO nanoparticle dimers were calculated and analyzed by using finite element method (3D-FEM). Firstly, the electric field enhancement factors of Au nanoparticles at the dimer gap were optimized from three aspects: the incident angle of the incident light, the radius of nanoparticle and the distance of the dimer. Then, aluminum oxide is wrapped on the Au dimer. Read More

Mol Psychiatry 2021 Apr 16. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

Affilianted Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Interdisciplinary Institute of Neuroscience and Technology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a complex state-dependent psychiatric illness for which biomarkers linking psychophysical, biochemical, and psychopathological changes remain yet elusive, though. Earlier studies demonstrate reduced GABA in lower-order occipital cortex in acute MDD leaving open its validity and significance for higher-order visual perception, though. The goal of our study is to fill that gap by combining psychophysical investigation of visual perception with measurement of GABA concentration in middle temporal visual area (hMT+) in acute depressed MDD. Read More

Sci Rep 2021 Apr 16;11(1):8356. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

Penn Neurodegeneration Genomics Center, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Richards Building, D101, 3700 Hamilton Walk, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.

While awaiting the COVID-19 vaccines, researchers have been actively exploring the effectiveness of existing vaccines against the new virus, among which the BCG vaccine (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin) receives the most attention. While many reports suggest a potential role for BCG immunization in ameliorating SARS-CoV-2 infection, these findings remain controversial. With country-level COVID-19 outbreak data from Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center, and BCG program data from World Atlas of BCG Policies and Practices and WHO/UNICE, we estimated a dynamic model to investigate the effect of BCG vaccination across time during the pandemic. Read More

Sci Rep 2021 Apr 16;11(1):8336. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology (APP), College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 107 Wiggins Road, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E5, Canada.

Thoracic dorsal root ganglia (tDRG) contribute to fluid secretion in the upper airways. Inflammation potentiates DRG responses, but the mechanisms remain under investigation. The receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) underlies potentiation of DRG responses in pain pathologies; however, its role in other sensory modalities is less understood. Read More